Field Trips Stops for Days 1 & 2

Cal Poly—Geology Club

2005 Field Trip
Western Sierra Nevada/Foothills Metamorphic Belt
 GEOLOGY CLUB FIELD TRIP
WESTERN SIERRA NEVADA - MOTHER LODE

Introduction ject. In the northern one-third of the MLB the gold

seems to occur within the quartz veins. However, to the
The Mother Lode Belt (MLB) produced in excess south the gold lies at the contact between the quartz
of 40 million ounces of gold through 1964 and with veins and footwall metamorphics; often finely
reactivation of several mines in the 1980 and 1990’s, disseminated in rocks some distance from the quartz
produced an additional 10-20 million ounces of gold. veins.
As such, it ranks as one of the largest gold producing
districts in the United States. During this field trip we Most of the gold produced from the MLB prior to 1980
will examine the MLB and adjacent Sierra Nevada ba- was free gold. Gold-bearing pyrite was known to be a
tholith. Our objective will be a better understanding of major constituent both of the quartz veins and footwall
the geology of the Mother Lode region and some rocks adjacent to the ore zone, but it was rejected dur-
feel for models to explain both gold emplacement and ing processing. In the 1980’s and 90’s significant pro-
the evolution of the Sierra Nevada. duction came from these low grade auriferous
pyrite zones. Other sulfide minerals reported from the
California can be divided into a series of tectonic prov- ore include arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, chal-
inces (Fig. 1) each playing an important role in the geo- copyrite and tetrahedrite. The gold telluride, petzite,
logic evolution of the western United States. While is also a rare constituent of some deposits.
important from a purely academic standpoint, eco-
nomic geologists are concerned with integrating paleo- Several models have been proposed for the Mother
tectonic reconstructions into some sort of framework Lode deposits, but they all fall under three general um-
that will aid in the exploration for gold deposits. brellas:
Figure 2 shows the distribution of various metallic min- 1. Syngenetic, based on the general sug-
eral deposit types in California. On this trip we will be gestion that the gold was deposited
examining the gold-quartz vein deposits. They occur in
originally in the sedimentary rocks which
many diverse localities in California from the northern
host the quartz veins and perhaps remo-
Mojave Desert to the Klamath Mountains of the north-
bilized during subsequent metamorphic
ern Coastal Ranges. By far the most important, however,
are the veins of the Mother Lode and adjacent Grass and/or igneous events.
Valley District. 2. Hydrothermal/magmatic, with the
It is noteworthy that the most comprehensive paper on gold related to and derived from
the Mother Lode was published in 1929 (Knopf, Mesozoic intrusives (i.e. the Sierra Ne-
1929). Subsequent to that time, little of significance vada batholith).
has been written on the district. Knopf described 3. Metamorphic (more recently the term
the Mother Lode as a complex system of quartz veins amagmatic has been employed), with the
and mineralized rock 195 km long and about 1.5 gold being emplaced by some unspeci-
km wide localized along an east dipping fault with
fied mechanism related to continent-arc
offsets of 10’s of kilometers. The quartz is not a continu-
collision.
ous mass, but rather forms discontinuous lenticular
pods as much as 20 meters thick. Ore bodies seem to be We will have the opportunity to discuss each of these
associated with the thickest portions of the quartz models during the field trip, however, constraints
veins and are often localized where the veins in- to any model must be kept in mind.
tersect or branch. They typically have short strike
lengths, but may be continuous in the down dip ♦ Limited fluid inclusion work indicates the
direction for thousands of meters. All ore zones dip presence of CO2 rich inclusions. This is
consistently eastward, but according to Knopf dip angle not surprising given the alteration of the
is highly variable and changes generally as a function host rock to ankerite. The source of the
of lithology. CO2 is difficult to e s tab lis h du e to
th e co mp lexity of th e MLB geo l-
The quartz veins consist of essentially pure milky white og y, bu t sedimentary carbonates
which is coarsely crystalline, often containing inclu- are rare to nonexistent along strike.
sions of the host rocks. Alteration is common and perva- In other less structurally complex dis-
sive with ankerite dominating. Knopf argued that the tricts, CO2 rich inclusions have been
alteration of host rock to ankerite ( a carbonate) taken to indicate a deep (possibly mantle)
must have released large quantities of silica which source for the ore fluids.
2
then recrystallized a s the quartz veins. Localiza- ♦ Stable isotopic studies have shown that
tion of gold is a more complex and debatable sub- much of the water was of meteoric origin.
Figure 1. Simplified tectonic map of California.

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Figure 2. Distribution of metallic mineral deposits in California.

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 Of course, metamorphism has been exten- eastward dipping consistent with deposition in the Ne-
sive so the question might be asked, is this vadan synclinorium. It consists of a metamorphosed
merely an overprint on the original iso- (low-mid greenschist facies) basal pillow lava and argil-
topic values. lite overlain by additional argillites and chert. Fossil
♦ Age dates on alteration assemblages preservation is better with conodonts, fusulinids and
(mariposite) indicate the veins were em- radiolaria indicating Permian through latest Triassic
placed approximately 115 Ma ages.
(Cretaceous). Again are these age dates
accurate or have they been reset by Both the Shoo Fly and Calaveras have been intruded by
nearby igneous intrusions? stocks and batholiths of the Sierra Nevada orogen. In-
trusions range in age from 140MY (Jurassic) to 80MY
♦ Curiously, the ores appear to set on oce-
anic basement rocks (i.e., generally rocks (Cretaceous) and in general are younger from west to
of basaltic affinity). Gold is absent to the east. Provenance studies indicate both rock units are
east where the basement has a more conti- derived from or related to the North American craton.
nental character. The western boundary of the Calaveras Complex is
marked by the Melones Fault Zone (MFZ).
General Geology-Stratigraphy
West of the MFZ (to be discussed below), are a series
Any attempt to construct a generalized stratigraphic
of rocks of markedly different character. Stratigra-
column for the Mother Lode can be an exercise in fu-
phy for these rocks is only poorly known. In general,
tility. The paucity of fossils in the sedimentary rocks,
the basement consists of a true ophiolite sequence with
metamorphic overprint and chaotic nature of the
pillow lavas, gabbro and serpentinized ultramafics
rock units make interpretation problematic.
occurring in a chaotic assemblage (mélange). The
Widely disparate ages have been often placed on
ophiolite sequence is in turn overlain by a 4 km thick
the same formation by different authors. Further-
sequence of volcanic rock of largely basaltic to
more, the is no general agreement as to which units are
andesitic composition. Capping the sequence is a se-
part of which terrain (compare for example, Figures 3
ries of weakly metamorphosed (zeolite-prehnite/pumpellyite
and 6).
facies) fine-grained clastics with minor intercalated
Figure 3 is a generalized geologic map of the MLB. graywacke and conglomerate, and volcanics often col-
Note it divides the foothills into three distinct lectively termed the Mariposa Formation. Trace fossils
belts, termed the Western, Central or Mother Lode, and have placed the age of the Mariposa Formation at early
Eastern. Unfortunately, although most researchers now Jurassic.
adopt the concept of three “belts” there is no general
Rocks of the Western Belt lie to the west of the Bear
consensus as to which rock units constitute each belt.
Mountain Fault Zone (BMFZ). These rocks are poorly
For the purpose of this discussion we will treat the rock
exposed and little studied. In general, the stratigraphy
units from east to west.
suggests similarities to rocks east of the fault zone,
The oldest rocks in the region are a part of the Shoo Fly leading to the widely held belief that the BMFZ repre-
Complex of lower Paleozoic age. They are a sequence sents a splay of the MFZ with the two merging at
of eastward dipping sandstones, shales, cherts and depth. Thus, rocks of the Western Belt would be
minor volcanics apparently deposited on the west- analogous to those of the Central Belt and perhaps are
ern limb of a major synclinorium (the Nevadan). repeated section. Further to the west, Western Belt
These are in turn unconformably overlain by a thick rocks are unconformably overlain by the submarine fan
(11 k m) sequence of volcanics and volcaniclastic deposits of the Cretaceous Great Valley Sequence.
rocks of dacitic to rhyolitic composition. Shoo Fly
rocks have been metamorphosed to mid-high green-
General Geology-Structure
schist facies. Few fossils have survived the metamor- The Melones Fault Zone marks a major crustal
phism, but recently Silurian and Devonian fossils have suture separating dominantly oceanic rocks to the
been discovered. These fossils, in conjunction with west from largely continental rocks to the east. Its
detrital zircons (?), suggest that Shoo Fly rocks are strike length is at least 350 km and may exceed that
Ordovician to Mississippian in age. distance considerably. On most regional scale maps
such as Figure 4 the MFZ appears as a thin line, but in
The Calaveras Complex lies to the west of the Shoo reality the fault zone varies from a narrow zone a few
Fly Complex and is thought to be in fault contact (the hundred meters wide (such as our stop at Bullion
Calaveras-Shoo Fly Thrust). Like the Shoo Fly, it is Mtn. ) to a broad geologically complex zone a kilo-

5
Figure 3. Lithotectonic belts of the Sierra Nevada. The western side of the Sierra is overlain unconformably by un-
differentiated Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks of the Great Valley, which are unpatterned. Delimiting
faults: BBF—Big Bend fault; BMF—Bear Mountains fault; CSFT—Calaveras–Shoo Fly thrust; DPF—Dogwood Peak
fault; GHF—Gillis Hill fault; MF—Melones fault; SF—Sonora fault; WCF—Wolf Creek fault. Other faults: SAF—San
Andreas fault; GF—Garlock fault.

6
Figure 4. Generalized geologic map of east-central California. Figure numbers refer to another publication.

7
meter or more in width, north of Sonora. Movement in the 1960's.
along the fault remains controversial. Most workers
view the MFZ as the remnant of an ancient eastward Tectonic Model
dipping subduction zone. More recent theories have The model I am about to present is an oversim-
centered on the possibility that the fault zone represents plification of the existing geology, but if I com-
a transpressive environment (i.e. one in which both plicate it any more no one will be able to under-
strike-slip and underthrusting occurred). In all inter- stand it, including me! Keep in mind this is not
pretations, it appears that the rocks east of the fault are the only model, merely a rather simple one to use
considered a part of continental North America while as a starting point.
those west of the fault are an oceanic terrain. Also
be aware that there is some controversy as to where the During the Paleozoic, sediment represented by
fault trace actually lies, and that disagreement is the Shoo Fly and Calaveras Complexes accumu-
considerable (25 km). I will try to avoid this contro- lated on the continental margin of western North
versy on this trip and make stops only in areas where America. Perhaps as early as mid-Triassic an
there is general agreement as to the local geology. eastward dipping subduction zone formed along
the western continental margin. An island arc
The Calaveras-Shoo Fly Thrust (CSFT) to the represented by a thick sequence of rhyolitic to
east of the MFZ separates lower plate Calaveras basaltic volcanics and Triassic to Jurassic intru-
Complex from upper plate Shoo Fly Complex. sives formed on this continental basement. To the
The thrust plate dips gently to the east. Thrusting west of the subduction zone (MFZ) another is-
has extensively mylonitized both lower and upper land arc emplaced on oceanic crust was slowly
plate rocks, and west of Sonora folded the Calav- approaching North America. Because this arc
eras and Shoo Fly beds into tight east-plunging was floored on oceanic crust the basement con-
synforms and antiforms. The Standard pluton of sisted of ultramafics and gabbros with the arc
mid-Jurassic age cuts the CSFT (Fig. 5) indicat- itself comprised of basaltic to andesitic volcanics
ing a lower Jurassic age for thrusting. and associated sedimentary packages.
The Bear Mountain Fault Zone (BMFZ) lies to Sometime around the early-mid Cretaceous the
the west of the MFZ and is only poorly mapped. two arcs collided and the oceanic arc was sutured
In general, the eastward dipping fault separates to the North American continent. Note also that
the Mariposa Formation and volcanic/plutonic
the center of intrusion shifted eastward as evi-
rocks to the east from similar volcanic/plutonic
rocks to the west. Speculation has it that that at denced by the Cretaceous age of plutons in the
depth the BMFZ may merge into the MFZ. Yosemite Valley. Following collision, the sub-
duction zone retreated westward to the Coastal
General Geology-Metamorphism Ranges where post-Cretaceous subduction was
initiated.
Figure 6 is a cartoon drawing of metamorphism
associated with the MLB. Do not be confused by
the use of EB, MLB and WB. These refer to the
East, Central and West Belts, but this author has
used slightly different subdivisions from those
shown on Figure 3. She prefers to define the East
Belt as all rocks east of the MFZ, the Central
Belt (MLB) as all rocks between the MFZ and
BMFZ and the West Belt as all rocks west of the
BMFZ.

Her map shows that rocks west of the MFZ range

from prehnite-pumpellyite (blueschist) to actino-
lite-epidote (lower greenschist), while those east
of the fault are largely mid-greenschist through
amphibolite. This juxtaposition of regional
paired metamorphic belts representing high pres-
sure-low temperature and moderate pressure-high
temperature is reminiscent of the paired meta-
morphic belts of Japan first mapped by Myoshira
8
Figure 5. Generalized geologic map of the Calaveras Complex in the central Sierra Nevada.

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Figure 6. Tectonic and metamorphic map of a portion of the Mother Lode Gold Belt.

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Figure 1. View of Yosemite Valley from the Wawona Tunnel parking area.

ROAD LOG diorite (the Granodiorite of Arch Rock)

that tumbled from the cliffs above. This
The first day of our field trip will be spent in Yosemite Val- and the dark gray tonalite (Gateway To-
ley where the igneous rocks that comprise the Sierra Nevada nalite or Bass Lake Tonalite), at 115 Ma,
arc can be observed. Dr. Marshall will also discuss the spec- are the oldest plutons in the park. Both
tacular geomorphic features resulting from Pleistocene glaci- are a part of the Fine Gold Intrusive
ation. The trip begins in the town of El Portal, proceeds east- Suite.
ward along the Merced River into Yosemite Valley and then 8.3 4.6 Intersection with CA 41. Continue east
returns to Highway 49 passing through granitoid rocks of the on Highway 41 into Yosemite Valley.
Sierra Nevada batholith, the Paleozoic Shoo Fly Complex Pulpit Rock lies to the south, underlain
and the Permian-Triassic rocks of the Calaveras Complex. by El Capitan Granite.
(Note that the mileage log for Yosemite National Park is
based upon one-way traffic utilizing the North Park Drive. 9.2 0.9 Intersection. Turn right and cross the
During our scouting trip in March that road was closed. It Merced River via Pohono Bridge. At this
should reopen in the late Spring or early Summer.) The sec- point you will be in one-way traffic. A
ond day of the trip will be devoted to the Mother Lode. We gauging station operated by the U.S.G.S.
will traverse rocks of the central (Mother Lode) and western is located just upstream of the bridge.
belts as well as rocks within the Melones Fault Zone. Stops Discharge on the Merced River has been
will be made at Mother Lode gold-quartz vein and altered measured as low as 20 cfs (cubic feet per
rocks that are within the Melones fault zone. second) in late Fall to as high as 24,000
cfs during the Spring flood of 1997.
Total Interval
Miles Miles 9.6 0.4 Bridalveil Meadow is one of the lowest
meadows in the valley. The terminal
0.0 0.0 El Portal. El Portal was named for the
moraine from Tioga glaciation can be
fact that it represented the eastern termi-
seen to the east.
nation of the Yosemite Valley Railroad.
The north-south striking contact between 10.1 0.5 Turn right on the road to Glacier Point.
the Paleozoic Shoo Fly Complex and the 10.2 0.1 STOP 1. Bridalveil Falls. Turn left into
Sierra Nevada batholith lies a few hun- the paved parking lot. Walk to the view-
dred feet east of here. At this locality, point at base of the falls. (Note the jum-
the batholith consists of tonalite, diorite bled, chaotic blocks of Leaning Tower
and minor gabbro. This part of the Granite (Illiloutte Creek Granodiorite),
Merced River valley was glaciated dur- Bridalveil Granodiorite, and El Capitan
ing two pre-Wisconsin stages. Note the Granite that have fallen from the vertical
barite mines on the north canyon wall, cliffs.) At the falls one can look up at the
east of El Portal. smooth weathering cliff of Bridalveil
3.6 3.6 Arch Rock entrance station to Yosemite Granite that comprises the lip of the
National Park. falls. Beneath the lip of the falls, and to
the right, is Leaning Tower Granite. The
3.7 0.1 Arch Rock. Arch Rock is comprised of
darker rock to the left is the Diorite of
two huge blocks of medium gray grano-

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11
Tu olumne Intrusive Series (Late K)

Aplite and pegmatite Granodiorite of Ostrander Lake Granitic rocks, undivided

Geologic Map
Half Dome granodiorite Granodiorite of Illilouette Creek Diorite and Gabbro of
Intrusive Su ite of Yosemite Valley (Ear ly K)

Taft Granite Tonalite of Granite Creek

Yosemite Valley
Granodiorite of Kuna Crest
Huber, Bateman, Wahrhaftig
Intrusive Su ite of Sono ra Pass (Late K)
1989
Sentinel Granodiorite El Capitan Granite Metasedimentary rocks, undivided
Fine G old Intrusive Series (Late K) miles
Yosemite Creek Granodiorite Granodiorite of Arch Rock Metasedimentary rocks, undivided 0 1 2 3
Intrusive Su ite of Buen a Vista Crest (mid K)

Bridalveil Granodiorite Tonalite of Gateway Metasedimentary rocks, undivided

Quaternary rocks (yellow and gold) not shown in legend

Figure 2. View of El Capitan looking to the northeast. The darker colored rock (to the left) with the apron of talus is
the Diorite of the Rockslides. The light-colored vertical outcrops are El Capitan Granite.

the Rockslides. All of these rock units the major factor shaping the valley, most
are a part of the Buena Vista Crest Intru- of the current profile can be attributed to
sive Suite. jointing, exfoliation and mass wasting.
Leave the parking lot, turn left toward Leave parking lot, turn left, proceed
Glacier Point. back downhill.
11.6 1.5 STOP 2. Tunnel View. The east portal of 13.3 1.7 Rejoin the Park Loop. El Capitan can be
Wawona Tunnel (Native American for seen straight ahead.
“Big Trees”) was driven into El Capitan 14.7 1.4 Intersection. Continue east (straight
Granite. Note the exfoliation jointing ahead) on the Southside Drive
above the tunnel portal. From the park-
ing area we can look east toward many 17.4 2.7 Intersection. Bear right and continue east
of the famous features of the park (Fig. on Southside Drive.
1). On the left (north side) of the valley 18.4 1.0 Intersection. Turn left toward Yosemite
is the sheer cliff of El Capitan with a Village.
vertical drop of 3000 feet. In the center 19.7 1.3 STOP 3. Yosemite Falls. Pull off on the
distance is the prominent Half Dome and right shoulder. Columbia Rock is ahead
just to the north Cloud’s Rest. On the to the west. Along the north side of the
right (south) side of the valley is the high valley, from west to east, are Lower Yo-
spire of Sentinel Rock, rounded Sentinel semite Falls, Indian Canyon Creek, and
Dome and the three Cathedral Rocks. In Church Bowl to the right. On the south
the near foreground, to the north, is the side, from east to west, are Union Point
rather unspectacular Leaning Tower. and Sentinel Rock. This part of the val-
Although Yosemite Valley is often de- ley is underlain by El Capitan Granite
scribed as a “classic” U-shaped valley, and Sentinel Granodiorite. Down the
in profile vertical canyon walls give way valley are Cathedral Spires and Cathe-
to a nearly flat valley floor. The flatness dral Rocks, underlain by El Capitan
is caused by a lake that once occupied Granite and Bridalveil Granodiorite.
the valley. Over 2000 feet of sediment Yosemite Falls is a composite waterfall
have accumulated locally since Sherwin totaling 2,400 feet with the Upper Fall
stage glaciation. Much of the actual gla- (1400 feet), Middle Cascades (675 feet)
cial “damage” was done during Sherwin and Lower Fall (325 feet). The step-like
glaciation, Tahoe and Tioga stage gla- nature of the falls is caused by horizontal
ciers barely reached the west end of the jointing within the Sentinel Granodio-
valley. While glaciation is often cast as

12
 rite. Yosemite Falls ranks as the fifth shaped cross section of the valley due to
highest waterfall in the world. the absence of glaciation.
20.6 0.9 Pass through Leidig Meadow with Senti- 36.9 1.1 On left, folded and metamorphosed ar-
nel Rock to the south across the Merced gillite and siltstone of the Shoo Fly
River. The upper portion of the Sentinel Complex (?). The reddish stain is caused
Granodiorite is exposed in a 2 mile-wide by the oxidation of pyrite in the argillite.
swath trending north-south across the 39.7 2.7 Mine dumps of the Clearinghouse mine
valley from Leidig Meadow to the east can be seen across the river. The mine
edge of the developed portion of the val- yielded more than $3 million in gold, sil-
ley. The Sentinel Granodiorite is in- ver, copper and lead. The Tonalite of
truded by the Half Dome Granodiorite Bass Lake (114 Ma) is exposed north of
(about 87 Ma) the youngest pluton in the the mine.
valley. The Three Brothers, on the north-
west side of the valley, are underlain by Just west of the mine the road passes
El Capitan Granite. into Triassic phyllite and chert of Hite
Cove Formation (Calaveras Complex).
22.9 2.3 STOP 4. El Capitan. Pull off on the left This informal unit is characterized by
in El Capitan Meadow. We are now banded chert in a matrix of phyllite,
within the core of the Sierra Nevada ba- limestone and basalt.
tholith. The composite nature of the ba-
tholith was not recognized by early re- 41.2 1.6 Bridge over South Fork of Merced
searchers. The different rock types were River.
ascribed to local variations in one huge 42.8 1.6 STOP 5. Geologic Exhibit Marker.
pluton crystallizing more or less in situ. Rocks on the opposite side of river are
With radiometric age dating the complex chert and phyllite of the Hite Cove meta-
history of the batholith became evident. sedimentary unit of the Permian-Triassic
The nine plutons in the valley were in- Calaveras Complex (Bateman, 1985)
truded over a span of about 30 million (Fig. 3). The Calaveras Complex is
years (from 117 to 87 million Ma) dur- thought to represent deep water sediment
ing the mid-Cretaceous. while the overlying Shoo Fly Complex
Examining the face of El Capitan (Fig. (to the east) is probably a Paleozoic cra-
2), the dominant lithology is the El Capi- tonal shelf sequence. The units are jux-
tan granite and younger, lighter gray, taposed by the north-trending, east-
Taft Granite. The El Capitan granite is dipping Calaveras/Shoo Fly Thrust.
actually not a granite at all, but quartz 44.6 1.8 Limestone quarry that supplied Portland
monzonite. Small bodies of diorite cut cement to Merced. The limestone bed, is
both the Taft and the El Capitan granite. mappable for over two miles, and is ex-
The best known is the “Map of North posed in a roadcut at Mile 45.6. The
America Diorite", on the east side of El limestone has yielded early Triassic
Capitan. The wide range of pluton com- conodonts.
position has posed problems for petrolo- 52.0 7.4 Former Octagon Restaurant to the left.
gists. The current hypothesis proposes
that mafic magmas intruded into the
lower crust, melting the host rocks and
generating felsic magmas. Occasionally
the mafic and felsic magmas mixed giv-
ing rise to intermediate rocks.
24.3 1.4 Valley View pull out. A striking pano-
rama reveals the “gateway” to the valley
formed by El Capitan and the Cathedral
Rocks, both comprised of El Capitan
Granite.
24.6 0.3 Intersection. Continue west on Highway
41/140 now with 2-way traffic.
25.5 0.9 Highways 41 and 140 split. Bear left on
140 back toward El Portal.
33.8 8.3 Pass through El Portal.
35.8 2.0 Bridge over Merced River. Contact of
Paleozoic metasedimentary rock with the Figure 3. Chert and phyllite of the Calaveras Complex,
Sierra Nevada batholith. Note the V- exposed along the Merced River.

13
52.4 0.4 Contact of metavolcanic rocks with the
Phyllite of Briceburg. From here to the
town of Midpines the volcanic rocks are
generally flows and flow breccias with
minor interbedded volcaniclastics.
53.2 0.8 Well defined pillows of metabasalt are
exposed in the drainage of Bear Creek
along the left side of road.
53.3 0.1 Bridge over Bear Creek.
54.9 1.6 Town of Midpines. The numerous mines
in this area follow thin quartz veins.
Production came from small, high-grade
ore bodies. The ore contained nuggets
such as the 40 and 52 pound masses
mined from the Diltz mine. There are
numerous "pocket mine districts" east of
the Mother Lode. Pocket mines typically
have thinner veins, lesser wall rock al- Figure 4. Hornfels formed by contact metamorphism from
teration, and higher ore grade than those the Bass Lake Tonalite.
of the Mother Lode.
59.0 4.1 Undeformed, volcaniclastic rock. The were dynamically metamorphosed to
unit here is a poorly sorted, reworked lower to middle greenschist facies.
pyroclastic deposit. The clasts are domi- One hypotheses for genesis of Mother
nantly porphyritic basalt in a tuffaceous Lode gold deposits postulates that the Si-
matrix. erra Nevada batholith generated the min-
61.3 2.3 First of three pods of sheared serpen- eralizing fluids. CO2 and Au-bearing flu-
tinite with metapyroxenite and metagab- ids were generated by metamorphic de-
bro inclusions. These pods lie within hydration in the contact aureole of the
splays of the Melones fault zone. batholith. The fluids were channeled by
the Melones fault zone and formed the
62.3 1.0 Enter Mariposa. Mother Lode gold-quartz veins in the
62.8 0.5 Intersection of Highways 140 and 49. Early Cretaceous. Thus the mineraliza-
Go straight ahead (south) on Hwy. 140- tion is syn-batholith.
49. Our destination is Mariposa County However, in the Mother Lode there is no
Fairgrounds and the California State correlation between gold occurrence and
Mining and Mineral Museum south of proximity to plutons. Furthermore,
town. At south end of town, bear left on Mansfield (1979) noted clasts of quartz-
Hwy. 49. As you drive through the town mariposite in Cretaceous sedimentary
of Mariposa, note the green mariposite, rocks of the Great Valley; thus Mother
cream-colored carbonate, and white Lode rocks were being eroded and car-
quartz building stone. ried west by Cretaceous time. In addi-
65.4 2.6 Turn left into Mariposa County Fair- tion, age dates for alteration assemblages
grounds. from the Grass Valley district (northern
Mother Lode) indicate the gold-bearing
65.4 0.0 STOP 6. California Mining and Mineral
Museum. After visiting the museum re- veins may have been emplaced as early
turn to cars and turn right (north) on as 140 Ma.
Hwy. 49. Return to vehicles. Continue north to-
65.6 0.2 Pull over on the right shoulder. Walk ward Mariposa on Hwy. 49. Pull out on
north along the highway to Stop 6A. wide shoulder on right, and walk north
to exposures in roadcut.
65.7 0.1 STOP 6A. Contact Aureole of the Sierra
Nevada Batholith. Contact metamorphic 65.9 0.2 STOP 7. Southern Strand of the Melones
aureole of the Tonalite of Bass Lake Fault Zone. This strand of the Melones
(114 Ma). The aureole here is about fault is 300 feet east of the main fault
2,000 feet wide. The metamorphosed zone. At this stop, and indeed throughout
rocks are coarse- to fine-grained mafic its length, the Melones fault zone has
volcanics. They have been thermally this distinctive rock assemblage: serpen-
metamorphosed to a biotite-hornblende tinite tectonic melange with inclusions
hornfels (Fig. 4). It is thought that prior of metagabbro, amphibolite, and schist.
to contact metamorphism these rocks Tectonic models for the Melones fault

14
 zone must explain the character and Rocks exposed in the footwall are meta-
mode of emplacement of these mélange basalt pillow lavas, flows and pebbly
blocks, and why and how the fault zone sandstone of the Mother Lode Belt.
formed where it did. The serpentinite- 75.1 0.2 Turn around at the crest of the hill and
hosted melange and inclusions are not return to Hwy. 49.
easily explained by thrust or suture mod-
els. Leonardo and Fyfe (1967) empha- 78.3 3.2 Intersection with Hwy. 49, turn right
sized that serpentinization is an exother- (north). Mariposa International Airport
mic process that results in an increase in was built in 1937 as a W.P.A. project.
volume, the serpentinized rock acting 79.5 1.2 Old Toll Road on left. Argillite, silt-
much like a pluton. The less dense ser- stone, sandstone, and pebbly sandstone
pentine (S.G. = 2.2) could not remain of the Mariposa Formation extend from
long with the dense ultramafic rocks here to the top of the grade north of Bear
(S.G. = 3.4). Because of this density Valley.
contrast the serpentine is buoyantly 85.4 5.9 Enter Bear Valley.
driven to rise even through volcanic and
sedimentary rocks (S.G. = 2.6). The ris- 88.1 2.7 STOP 9. Serpentinized Harzburgite. Pull
ing blocks most likely followed thrust off to left. The rocks exposed in this
surfaces in the huge accretionary prism. roadcut lie within the Melones Fault
As the serpentinite blocks rose they en- Zone (Fig. 5). Although highly serpenti-
trained inclusions, sampling the rocks nized, the protolith is thought to be harz-
through which they passed. burgite (peridotite). Examining the out-
crop you will note the serpentinite is
Continue north to Mariposa on Hwy. 49. strongly sheared (there are slicks on
66.9 1.0 Re-enter town of Mariposa. most surfaces) and locally silicified.
68.1 1.2 Turn left on Hwy. 49 and head north. 88.4 0.3 STOP 10. Pine Tree-Josephine Mine.
Hwy. 49 is known as the "Mother Lode Pull off to the right. The view to the
Highway" because it connects the towns north looks down the Merced River and
and mining districts along the Foothills. along strike of the Mariposa Formation.
In 1933, the number "49" was assigned The ridge west of the valley is underlain
to it and the state route signs were made by the Penon Blanco Formation. The
in the shape of a miner's shovel. lower slopes of the ridge east of the val-
70.6 2.5 Highway 49 passes through serpentinite ley are underlain by serpentinite of the
of the Melones fault zone. Here the fault Melones fault zone; the upper slopes are
zone is about 2,700 feet wide and has underlain by metaclastics of the Calav-
numerous metagabbro and diorite inclu- eras Complex.
sions, one of which yielded an age of The Pine Tree-Josephine mine formerly
about 197 Ma. produced about 118,000 ounces of gold.
71.6 1.0 Road crosses into slate, pebbly sand- Goldenbell Resources was engaged in
stone, and conglomerate of the Mariposa renewed exploration until 1989 when,
Formation (footwall of the Melones fault after a permitting battle, they withdrew
zone). from the property.
71.8 0.2 Turn right toward California Youth Con- In this roadcut, argillite, siltstone and
servation Camp. Road climbs Mt. Bul- sandstone of the Mariposa Formation
lion. form the footwall to an east dipping ore
zone. The mineralized zone is comprised
73.5 1.7 For next 0.1 mile, deformed metabasalts. of black schist cut by a stockwork of
Still in footwall west of Melones fault quartz veins and a zone of carbonate-
zone. mariposite-talc-pyrite alteration.
74.0 0.5 Pass into volcanic sandstone and silt- The Pine Tree and Josephine veins oc-
stone. cupy two structures within the Melones
74.9 0.9 STOP 8. Narrow Part of Melones Fault fault zone. The Pine Tree vein is a large,
Zone. Thin zones of sheared serpentinite low grade, bull quartz vein, whereas the
characterize the Melones fault zone at Josephine "vein" is a zone of black schist
this stop. Here, the fault zone is about cut by a stockwork of quartz veinlets.
1,000 feet wide. Because the fault out- The mafic rocks between the two struc-
crop is at an elevation of 3,250 feet, it tures are almost completely altered to
lacks the melange of the previous stop. carbonate.
Rocks exposed in the hanging wall are Proceed down hill to the north.
schist, phyllite, and metavolcaniclastics.
As you drive down the grade note the

15
Figure 5. Highly sheared and serpentinized harzburgite (?) from the Melones Fault Zone, Pine Tree-Josephine
Mine.

massive sandstone beds on east side of lena.

the road. They are a fining upward tur- 99.3 1.2 DRIVE-BY. Albitite Dikes. Albitite
bidite sequence. dikes (An0-3), are common along the
90.9 2.5 Bagby Bridge over Merced River. Lake Melones fault zone. The dikes occur at
McClure Campground to the east. the periphery of the serpentinite melange
DRIVE-BY. Mariposa Formation and throughout the fault zone. They are com-
Penon Blanco Formation west of Bagby monly 50-95% albite with accessory ae-
Bridge, along Lake McClure. gerine, riebeckite, hornblende, actinolite,
chlorite, muscovite, epidote, and sphene.
Exposures along strike of the Mariposa Reportedly, albitite dikes form by Na-
Formation are found on either side of metasomatism of mafic dikes. However,
Lake McClure and extend about 4 miles the large amount of albite in the Mother
downstream. North of that, the Merced Lode region is unusual.
River cuts down section, providing su-
perb exposures of the underlying Penon 101.0 1.7 Enter the town of Coulterville.
Blanco Formation. 101.3 0.3 Intersection with Hwy. 132. Turn left
North of the bridge the road enters a pod and park near the small museum. Walk
of serpentinite melange of the Melones along the right shoulder of Hwy. 132
fault zone. about 200 yards.
95.3 4.4 Roadcut at right. Alligator Rock is the STOP 12. Mariposite-Carbonate-Quartz
reddish rock. It owes its appearance to Alteration in the Melones Fault Zone.
weathering of bastite, a serpentine min- This is the most accessible exposure of
eral. mariposite-carbonate-quartz altered ser-
pentinite in the Melones fault zone (Fig.
98.1 2.8 STOP 11. Virginia Mine. On the hillside 7). Mariposa Formation (slate, siltstone
to the west you can see the workings of and a series of dikes) lying within the
the Virginia mine (Fig. 6). It was opened footwall of the Melones fault zone can
in 1850 and produced about 37,000 oz. be seen to the west. White quartz/
of gold. The mine workings follow a carbonate veins cut the rust-colored car-
"bull" quartz vein that lies at the contact bonate-mariposite-quartz rock. Mari-
between serpentinite and metasedimen- posite is the bright green chromium mica
tary and metavolcaniclastic rocks. The seen on fresh surfaces. A large, white,
quartz vein strikes N. 50°-55° W. and quartz vein crops out in the center of the
dips 60° NE. The main ore shoot was alteration zone.
nearly vertical and was mined to a depth
of 1,200 feet where it reportedly pinched This outcrop exposes a narrow portion of
out. Ore minerals were native gold, the Melones fault zone and its footwall
auriferous pyrite, chalcopyrite, and ga- rocks. The mariposite-carbonate altera-
tion occurred when a fluid with a rela-

16
Figure 6. “Bull” quartz vein marking the contact between serpentinite and hanging wall metasedimentary and
metavolcanic rocks, Virginia Mine.

tively high content of CO2, potassium, caught gold fever and sailed from New
and sulfur contacted the serpentinized York to California in 1851. He described
rocks. Chrome spinel (note the black the scene in the goldfields in his diary.
specks in green mica) was altered to Cr- "Along the whole length of the
chlorite and to Cr-muscovite creek, as far as one could see, on the
(mariposas); feldspar to sericite; and banks of the creek, in the ravines, ...
magnetite to pyrite. were parties of miners, numbering
The mariposite-carbonate-quartz assem- from three or four to a dozen, all
blage grades eastward into a talc ± car- hard at work, some laying into it
bonate-pyrite schist which in turn grades with picks, some shoveling the dirt
into unaltered serpentine. The abundant into the 'long toms,' or with long-
quartz veins are probably products of sil- handled shovels washing the dirt
ica liberated as silicate rocks were trans- thrown in, and throwing out the
formed into carbonates. The footwall of stones, while others were working
the fault zone is relatively unaltered be- pumps or baling water out of the
cause the argillite was relatively unreac- holes with buckets. There was a con-
tive. tinual noise and clatter, as mud, dirt,
Return to vehicles, proceed north on stones, and water were thrown about
Hwy. 49. in all directions; and the men,
105.6 43 Enter Tuolumne County.
106.9 0.4 Haigh Mariposite Quarry. Mariposite-
carbonate-quartz rock has been mined
here and sold as ornamental stone. Ki-
stler and others (1983) calculated an age
of 114.6 Ma for mariposite from this
quarry.
108.8 1.9 STOP 13. Placer Mining by Hand. The
piles of cobbles along Moccasin Creek
are a remnant of the placer mining days.
Gold is separated from quartz by me-
chanical abrasion in the bed load of
streams. Because of its high density
(S.G.= 19.3) gold separates from the
sand and gravel (S.G. = 2.6) and concen-
trates on the bedrock surface. Although
some gold is carried downstream and
some trapped within the gravels, most
settles to the bedrock surface where it
lodges in cracks and crevasses.
J. D. Borthwickt, an artist from Scotland, Figure 7. Quartz (white) - ankerite (brown) - mariposite
(green) alteration within the Melones Fault Zone.

17
 dressed in ragged clothes and big plant was completed in 1925. The plant
boots, wielding picks and shovels, and the town of Moccasin are owned by
and rolling big rocks about, were all the city of San Francisco. The project
working as if for their lives, going began in 1915 with the construction of
into it with a will, and a degree of the Hetch Hetchy dam on the Tuolumne
energy, not usually seen among la- River. The reservoir flooded Hetch
boring men. It was altogether a scene Hetchy Valley much to John Muir's cha-
which conveyed the idea of hard grin. It took 20 years and $100 million to
work in the fullest sense of the complete seven dams, three power-
words, and in comparison with houses, and miles of tunnels and power
which a gang of railway navies lines. The project supplies water and
would have seemed to be merely a power to three million customers in the
party of gentlemen amateurs playing San Francisco Bay area.
at working.” 112.2 0.9 Junction with Hwy. 120. Continue north
"I should mention that 'dirt' is the (left) on joint Hwy. 49-120.
word universally used in California DRIVE-BY. Deformed Pillow Lavas,
to signify the substance dug, earth, New Priest Grade. The pillow lavas in
clay, gravel, loose slate, or whatever this outcrop near the Melones fault zone
other name might be more appropri- are flattened to a few inches in thickness.
ate. The miners talk of rich dirt and
poor dirt, and of 'stripping off so They represent lateral equivalents of un-
many feet of 'top dirt' before getting deformed pillow lavas in the lower part
to 'pay dirt,' the latter meaning dirt of Penon Blanco Formation. The rocks
with so much gold in it that it will are lower to middle greenschist facies.
pay to dig it up and wash it.” 116.3 4.1 Bridge over Don Pedro Reservoir.
"The apparatus generally used for 118.6 2.3 Sheared serpentinite with numerous in-
washing was the 'long tom,' which is clusions of diorite, gabbro, metavol-
nothing more than a wooden trough canic, and metasedimentary rocks. This
from twelve to twenty-five feet long, serpentinite is in a splay of the Bear
and about a foot wide. At the lower Mountain fault zone.
end it widens considerably, and on 120.3 1.7 Chinese Camp. Chinese Camp was set-
the floor there is a sheet of iron tled by Chinese miners in 1849. Evi-
pierced with holes half an inch in di- dence of placer mining is everywhere.
ameter, under which is placed a flat
box a couple of inches deep. The 120.7 0.4 Highways 49 and 120 separate. Stay to
long tom is set at a slight inclination the right on 49.
over the place which is to be worked, 122.5 1.8 Cross the Sierra Railway. Flat-topped
and a stream of water is kept running Table Mountain can be seen ahead on
through it. ... while some of the party skyline (we will stop there time permit-
shovel the dirt into the tom as fast as ting). Table Mountain is a beautiful ex-
they can dig it up, one man stands at ample of inverted topography. The latite
the lower end stirring up the dirt as it of Table Mountain flowed down the
is washed down, separating the Miocene drainage of the Stanislaus
stones and throwing them out while River. The flows erupted from a cluster
the earth and small gravel [and gold] of volcanic peaks, the Dardanelles, 50
falls with the water through the sieve miles to the east in the High Sierra. The
into the riffle box. This box is about 9 Ma lavas are part of the Late Miocene/
five feet long, and is crossed by par- Pliocene Mehrten Formation. Subse-
titions. It is also placed at an inclina- quent erosion removed the less resistant
tion, so that the water falling into it rock of the former river bank, but pre-
keeps the dirt loose, allowing the served the Pliocene flows as a sinuous
gold and heavy particles to settle to volcanic ridge. Pre-latite auriferous
the bottom, while all the lighter stuff gravels are present locally beneath the
washes over the end of the box along latite. The gravels have been mined from
with the water." drifts beneath Table Mountain.
At the end of each shift, the heavy min- 124.4 1.9 Intersection of Hwy. 49 and Hwy. 108.
erals that concentrated behind the riffles Turn left (west).
were collected and the gold was recov-
128.0 3.6 Turn right on County Road E 15
ered by panning.
(O’Byrnes Ferry Road).
111.3 2.5 Moccasin Powerhouse. Moccasin power
128.2 0.2 Right on Peoria Flat Road.

18
Figure 8. View looking to the northwest of the sinuous, Table Mountain latite flow. California Highway 108 is in the
lower left corner of the photograph. (Source: [Link] [Link])

128.7 0.5 STOP 14. Table Mountain. The vertical ers) and to the gate. You will be able to
cliffs are developed in columnar-jointed open the gate and drive to the power-
latite along the margin of a paleodrain- house. There you will meet an escort
age (Fig. 8). Phenocrysts of augite, oli- who must take you through two addi-
vine, and plagioclase are visible; ortho- tional locked gates (this dam is a very
clase is confined to the groundmass. secure place!).
The latite of Table Mountain preserves 134.2 2.8 New Melones Dam and powerhouse on
features which document events from the right (meet escort here). Proceed
the development of an Eocene peneplain through a locked gate past the power-
to the outpouring of latite in the Plio- house.
cene. The earliest gold-bearing stream 136.6 2.4 Turn left on gravel road made of serpen-
channels are characterized by quartz tine. Proceed downhill to the northeast
gravels. The Eocene streams commonly end of the spillway.
followed the strike of bedding, cutting
gutters (the lowest and usually the rich- 138.1 1.5 STOP 15. Cross-Section Through the
est part of an alluvial deposit) and de- Bear Mountain Fault Zone. This cut ex-
positing gold. The Eocene gravels are poses a spectacular view of the Bear
overlain by a sheet of tuff, gravels, and Mountain fault zone, here a tectonic me-
boulders of andesitic composition lange containing slices of oceanic crust
known as the Mehrten Formation. In and wall rocks of the fault zone; pieces
places, post-Mehrten drainages cut of volcanic and sedimentary rock from
through the Mehrten and the underlying the Central (Mother Lode) Belt to the
Eocene gravels resulting in a channel east and from the Western Belt to the
deposit of mixed gold-bearing gravels. west. This fault zone is analogous to the
Melones fault zone. The fault zones
129.5 0.8 The dumps visible ahead are from the likely join at depth.
Calaveras Asbestos Company mine. The
mining of chrysotile from a serpentinite Judging from the similarity of these
pod continued until 1987. The annual rocks to those in the Mother Lode Belt,
production was small, about 3,500 tons. the rocks probably range in age from
Most of the product was sold to Pacific early to mid Jurassic. The lithologies in-
Rim countries. clude serpentinized plutonic ultramafic
rock (harzburgite), gabbro, amphibolite,
131.4 1.9 Turn right into parking lot and stop at basaltic dikes, basaltic to andesitic vol-
the Forest Service office. The New canic flows and black argillite. Quartz
Melones Dam is operated by the Bureau veins cut all.
of Reclamation and access is through a
locked gate. To get permission to enter The tectonized nature of the fault zone
the dam area you must call the power can be seen along the spillway. Zones of
plant (209-984-3812) and they will re- sheared serpentine define the boundaries
motely unlock the gate. Once that gate of this fault zone. Economic concentra-
is unlocked you quickly drive through tions of chrysotile formed during serpen-
the prison (don’t pick up any hitchhik- tinization.

19
 Return through the U.S. Bureau of Rec- Columbia was one of hundreds of settle-
lamation gate, taking Peoria Flat Road ments that sprang up during the gold
back to E 15 and Highway 108. rush years in central California.
148.2 10.1 Turn left (east) toward Jamestown/ On March 27, 1850, Dr. Thaddeus Hil-
Sonora. dreth and a handful of other prospectors,
153.7 5.5 Harvard Gold Mine to the north of high- made camp near here. They found gold,
way. Mexican miners from the State of and miners streamed in to share the
Sonora established the Sonora mining wealth. Before the month was out Hil-
camp in 1848, and stayed until a tax lev- dreth 's Diggings, a tent and shanty town
ied on non-citizen miners in 1851 forced housing several thousand miners, was
most of them to leave. It was first called created. Its original name was soon
Sonoran Camp to distinguish it from changed to American Camp and then,
American Camp. The Sonora mining because that sounded too temporary, to
district was originally a placer district Columbia.
and pocket mining district. Placer gold After 1860, when the easily mined
production was reportedly about $11 placer gold was gone, the town began to
million. Lode gold was commonly decline. In the 1870s and '80s many of
mined from high grade, bonanza pockets the vacated buildings were torn down
in quartz veins generally less than a few and Columbia's population dropped
feet wide in metasedimentary and from a peak of six thousand to about
metavolcanic rocks. The high grade five hundred. The town continued to sur-
pockets commonly were at the intersec- vive, but not prosper for many years.
tions of cross fractures. During the 1920's ideas began to arise
Sonora Mining Corporation began min- for the inclusion of Columbia into the
ing the Harvard deposit from an open pit California State Park System. In 1945
in 1983; the mine closed in 1994. The the effort was finally successful. Thus,
veins in the Harvard and other mines of was Columbia State Historic Park born.
the district are localized along smaller
faults within the Melones fault zone. A End Road Log
serpentinite melange pod constitutes the
footwall for the vein systems. The domi-
nant hanging wall lithologies are phyl-
lite, slate, tuffaceous sandstone, silt-
stone, and minor metavolcanics.
154.8 1.1 Historic Jamestown to the right. James-
town was a once-wild boom town,
founded in 1848 by Colonel George
James. James was a San Francisco law-
yer before trying his hand at gold min-
ing. Lured by the discovery of a 75-
pound gold nugget at Woods Creek,
James became involved in a series of
failed land schemes and departed the re-
gion a year later owing money to just
about everybody in the area. Nicknamed
"Gateway to the Mother Lode," this
Gold Rush town features restaurants and
a picturesque main street complete with
covered balcony architecture and hand-
somely restored buildings. A 1966 fire
destroyed some of the old buildings.
However, the National Hotel, which has
operated continuously since 1859,
thrives; it is well known for its food and
wine festivals.
158.1 3.3 Sonora, Turn left on Hwy 49.
160.7 2.6 Bear right on Parrots Ferry Road toward
Columbia State Historic Park.
162.3 1.6 STOP 16. Columbia State Historic Park.

20