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Fravel Mine

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS place names database. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property. 		Find us on Facebook Get regular updates on the WMH Facebook page

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State: Nevada
County: Washoe
Elevation: 6,079 feet
Latitude: 39.5951872
Longitude: -119.9029736
Type: Gold, Silver


The Fravel mines, including the Golden Fleece mine, are located at the abandoned camp of Poeville in secs. 13 and 24, T. 20 N., R. 18 E. The mineralization occurs in schistose metavolcanics cut by dikes of quartz monzonite porphyry of Tertiary age. The rocks are bleached in the zone of weathering and grade downward into greenish propylitized rocks containing abundant pyrite. The trend of the foliation in the meta volcanics ranges from about N. 30° E. to about N. 70° E. with a near vertical dip.

The economic metallic mineralization occurs in quartz-calcite stringers or veinlets, which contain abundant pyrite and varying amounts of enargite, galena, sphalerite and argentite. These veinlets are concentrated in lodes or stockwork-like bodies of unknown dimensions which, in general, parallel the foliation of the metamorphic rocks.

Hill (1915, p. 193) states that the ore in general was low grade, ranging between $4.60 and $12.00 per ton in gold and silver. Some pockets of high grade gold-silver ore were mined in the oxidized zone, and small bunches of rich silver-copper are have been mined in the sulfide zone.

The workings in the Poeville area consist of several shafts and tunnels and numerous pits and trenches. The main shaft at the Fravel-Paymaster mine is reportedly 400 feet deep and includes 2,000 feet of lateral workings (Overton, 1947, p. 76). Most of the workings are now inaccessible. None of the shafts can be entered.

Source: Geology and Mineral Deposits of Washoe and Storey Counties, Nevada. Bulletin 70, Nevada Bureau of Mines
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