here - State of Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources

COVE DISTRICT
The Cove district is 45 miles northeast of Bakersfield
near Kernville, in T. 25 S., R. 33 E.
In the late 1850's a few placers were worked in
the Cove district by the more persistent of the
prospectors drawn to the area by the original discoveries
in Kern County, along the Kern River, in
1851. Gold-bearing quartz veins were found in 1860.
The towns of Quartzburg and Kernville, which were
founded in the boom that followed, experienced a
period of orderly growth and prosperity. The Big
Blue mine of Kern Mines, Inc., was discovered early
in the history of the district. The mine became the
major producer and was credited with $1,746,910
in gold to 1933 (Tucker and others, 1949, p. 211) ;
most of this production was in the first few years
of the mine's activity. In 1883 most of the workings
were destroyed by fire, and the mine was inactive
until 1907 when the first of several unsuccessful
attempts was made to rehabilitate the property.
Total gold production of the district through 1959
was about 262,800 ounces; none had been reported
since 1942.
The country rock consists of metasedimentsphyllites,
quartzites, and limestone of the Kernville
Series of Carboniferous (1) age, and the Isabella
Granodiorite and acidic dikes of Jurassic(?) age.
The granodiorite is probably related to the main
Sierra Nevada batholith (Prout, 1940, p. 385-389;
Miller and Webb, 1940, p. 378).
The metamorphic rocks are intensely deformed
and crumpled by the intrusive rock. Along the east
edge of the Cove district is the north-trending Kern
Canyon fault, the major structure in the area.
Ore deposits consist of veins which seem to be
related to the closing stages of igneous activity. The
veins occur in shear zones, parallel to the Kern
Canyon fault, and are associated with acidic dikes
that cut the granodiorite and metasediments (Prout,
1940, p. 386, 391-392). The veins are dominantly
quartz with small amounts of calcite. The ore minerals
are gold, which occurs in the free state, arsenopyrite,
galena, and sphalerite (Prout, 1940,
p. 411-412).
GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
The Green Mountain district includes the area
between Piute, on the west slope of the Piute Mountains,
and the edge of Kelsey Valley, on the east side
of the Piute Mountains.
Gold production of this district through 1959 was
about 33,100 ounces. The Bright Star mine was the
major producer, with an estimated $600,000 total
output (Tucker and Sampson, 1933, p. 280).
CALIFORNIA 65
Bedrock in the area consists of metasedimentary
rocks of the Kernville Series of Carboniferous (1)
age and Isabella Granodiorite of Jurassic (1) age
(Miller and Webb, 1940, p. 349-358). The metasedimentary
rocks occur in northwest-trending bands
and include marble, phyllite, mica schist, and
quartzite. The gold deposits are in small, but rich,
shoots in narrow quartz veins.
KEYES DISTRIOV
The Keyes district, 35 miles north of Calientp. in
T. 26 S., Rs. 32 and 33 E., produced about 3S,600
ounces of gold through 1959, all from lodes.
Detailed accounts of the history and geolog:'T of
this district were not found; however, Tucker and
Sampson (1933, p. 283) reported that the deposits
in the district are in narrow high-grade vein" in
granite.
RAND DISTRICT
The Rand district is on the San Bernardino-Yern
County line. Randsburg, 45 miles northeast of
Mojave, is in the center of the district. Althc'lgh
more than half the area is in San Bernardino
County, nearly all the gold mined in the district
has come from the western part, in Kern County.
This is the most important district in Kern County,
and it contains the largest gold mine in the county,
the Yellow Aster. Gold has been the chief r'lmmodity
mined; silver has been a byproduct.
Placer gold was discovered in the winter of U'q3­
94 at Goler Wash, 9 miles northwest of Randsb'lrg,
and by 1895 the lode deposits of the Yellow Aster
mine were developed (Hess, 1910, p. 31-32). Of the
estimated $9 to $10 million worth of ore mined
before 1910, the Yellow Aster produced $6 miJIion
(Hess, 1910, p. 32).
Tucker and Sampson (1933, p. 285-286) ("ave
estimates of the production and a brief account of
the geology. Gold production through 1959 was
836,300 ounces, all but about 1,700 ounces was
from lode mines.
The country rock in the gold-producing par of
the district consists of the Rand Schist and the
Atolia Quartz Monzonite which intruded the scl'ist.
Numerous rhyolite pipes, dikes, and sills of late
Miocene age are found locally. Gold ores occur in
fissure veins and as impregnations and stockworks
in both the monzonite and Rand schist. The
strongest veins have been found to be in two systems-one
strikes N. 80° E. and the other, northwest.
The principal vein minerals are quartz, arsenopyrite,
pyrite, galena, gold, scheelite, iron