The Cathey or Cathay district is in southwestern Mariposa County about 10 miles southwest of Mariposa and near the town of Catheys Valley. The area was first placer-mined during the gold rush, and lode mining began in the 1850s. The principal mines were the Francis, Moore Hill, and Rich mines, which were last worked in the 1930s. A number of north-trending quartz veins up to 9 feet thick, in granodiorite and schist, contain native gold and sulfides. The sulfides, which include pyrite, arsenopyrite, and galena, sometimes are extremely abundant.
BibliographyBowen, O. E., Jr., 1957, Mariposa County, lode gold mines: California Jour. Mines and Geology, vol. 53, pp. 72-186.
