Abstract Epithermal precious-metal and mercury deposits are present in the Sonoma and Clear Lake volcanic fields of central California and several hot springs in the Clear Lake volcanic field are presently depositing mercury and gold. The deposits and hot springs are associated with late Miocene to Holocene volcanic centers developed above a zone of thin crust and hot asthenosphere termed a slab window (Dickinson and Snyder, 1979, Benz and others, 1992) as the end of Pacific plate subduction was marked by the passage of the Mendocino triple junction along the California coast. Mercury deposition is actively occurring at the Sulphur Bank mercury mine, but no precious metals are present there because the geothermal system is vapor-dominated. In the water dominated geothermal systems at Wilbur Springs (Peters, 1990, Donnelly and others, 1993) and springs near the Cherry Hill gold deposit, both cinnabar and gold are being deposited (Pearcy and Petersen, 1990). Transport of mercury and gold is in a fluid which also contains high concentrations of petroleum and associated methane and CO2 derived from thermal degradation of organic matter in sedimentary rocks (Peabody, 1989). Chemical and isotopic analysis of oxygen and deuterium of the hot springs indicate that three types of fluid are present: moderate chloride, isotopically heavy, evolved formation fluid equilibrated with oceanic sedimentary rocks; evolved meteoric water; and isotopically light meteoric water (Peters, 1990,1991, Sherlock and Jowett, 1992, and Donnelly-Nolan and others, 1993). High concentrations of Hg, As, Sb, Au, and Ag occur in precipitates from hot springs composed dominantly of the isotopically heavy fluid, but not in the moderate-temperature, oxidized springs that are mixtures of these two fluid types (Peters, 1990, Donnelly-Nolan and others, 1993). The McLaughlin gold deposit (initial reserves of 2.9 million oz of gold) is economically the most important deposit in the Clear Lake and Sonoma volcanic fields. This precious metal-mercury hydrothermal system developed within and adjacent to andesitic vents and dikes emplaced along the Stony Creek fault zone (Lehrman, 1986). Gold occurs in opal, chalcedony, and quartz veins, and the highest gold values typically occur in amber to brown opal containing petroleum. Gold occurs in several sites within the petroleum-bearing opal: as a filling of 2050 micron- diameter oval voids representing large fluid inclusions; as 2-4 micron size crystals that coalesce to form dendrites of gold along primary vein banding; and in syneresis cracks which cut the vein banding. Oxide phases of Ga, In, Sn, and Ni are present within the petroleum-bearing opal. The isotopically heavy McLaughlin ore fluid plots in the field of andesitic magma volatiles (Hedenquist and Aoki, 1990, Giggenbach, 1987) and evolved formation waters (Sherlock and Jowett, 1992) suggesting that these two components are present Andesitic vents and dikes at the McLaughlin gold deposit suggest that a larger intrusion underlies the area and provided the heat source for the hydrothermal system. Andesitic vents along the Stony Creek fault provided a conduit for volatiles degassing from the intrusion to become entrained within the hydrothermal fluid composed of gas-oil-field water derived from the Great Valley sequence. The McLaughlin gold deposit reflects the complex interaction of three types of fluid each transporting a different elemental suite: evolved gas-oil field formation water transporting petroleum, Ga, In, Sn, Ni, and Hg; andesitic magmatic fluid transporting Au, Ag, Hg, Sb, and As; and near-surface meteoric water. Prospective areas for precious metal hot-spring deposits occur in the volcanic-structural environment above the thin crust and hot asthenosphere within the slab window in the Coast Ranges and parts of the Great Valley sequence where blind thrusts and associated faults are intruded by Pliocene to Holocene intrusive rocks. Mercury deposits with little or no gold content form along major structures from gas-oil field fluids with little or no magmatic component in the fluid and contain petroleum, Ni, Ga, In, Sn, and other transition elements. Epithermal gold deposits contain a significant magmatic component characterized by Au, Ag, As, Sb, and Hg as well as a gas-oil- field fluid component characterized by petroleum and transition metals. Both deposit types may occur along the same structures.

Abstract The discovery of gold mineralization at the Manhattan mercury mine, Napa and Yolo counties, California, in 1978 was the result of applying a new exploration ore deposit model in a region previously unprospected for gold. This discovery, the McLaughlin gold mine, owned and operated by the Homestake Mining Company, is a classic mercury-bearing, epithermal hot springs gold deposit currently producing approximately 7,776,000 g (250,000 troy oz) of gold annually. The exploration program that led to this discovery was based on a genetic model for such deposits. The model was developed using basic knowledge of ore-forming processes combined with careful field observations made during examination of many known precious metal districts in the western United States. Theoretically, hot spring systems could host gold deposits, and indeed, gold in these environments had been recognized for years. However, at the time of the McLaughlin discovery, it was not known to occur in sufficient quantities to inspire geologists to explore hot spring systems specifically for gold. Field observations recognized the presence of hot spring deposits and mercury mineralization associated with precious metal districts, as at Bodie, California, and this association prompted the development of a hypothetical model. Subsequent exploration activities were directed toward the examination of mercury mines and prospects as potential targets for gold deposits. The model envisioned hot spring deposits (sinter) containing mercury mineralization at the surface, with anomalous gold values grading downward into significant ore-grade gold values. The initial examination of the Manhattan mercury mine recognized the features represented in the hypothetical model, and sampling detected anomalous to ore-grade gold mineralization at the surface. An aggressive exploration program resulted, with advancement of the project through Homestake’s staged exploration program to full production. This program consisted of surface mapping and sampling followed by three-dimensional testing in the target exploration and deposit development stages of exploration. Exploration activities during the four and one-half year period prior to transfer of the deposit to Homestake’s operations group included drilling of 409 holes, underground drilling and crosscutting, engineering studies, metallurgical test work, environmental base line studies, governmental and public relations programs, and economic analyses to produce a conceptual feasibility study justifying the project for transfer in June 1982 to the operations group for design, construction, and ultimately, production. The steps that led to the McLaughlin discovery are outlined below, as are the results of the various phases of exploration.

Abstract Since the discovery of gold and silver in the northern part of the Napa Valley in 1858, ore deposits and geothermal systems have drawn a variety of geologists to study one of the few areas in the United States where hot springs are actively depositing gold and mercury. The geothermal systems and very young precious-metal and mercury deposits occur in two adjacent volcanic fields, the older Sonoma volcanic field and the younger Clear Lake volcanic field. In the eastern foothills of the Napa Valley, precious metal deposits hosted by the Sonoma volcanic field produced only a small amount of gold and silver. The fertile soil and good drainage of the volcanic rocks in this area gave way to vineyards and wineries and the mines were closed and abandoned. The younger Clear Lake volcanic field has gone through several cycles of mineral and geothermal development The hot springs in the volcanic field were developed initially for their supposed medicinal benefits although many of the springs contained toxic levels of mercury. Mercury and sulfur were mined from several of the deposits present throughout the volcanic field and spectacular samples containing plumes of native gold within cobbles of cinnabar were discovered in the Sulphur Creek District. In spite of the known association of gold and mercury, mercury mining dominated the mineral development within the volcanic field until the mid-1940's. Development of The Geysers for geothermal power in 1960 began a new phase of economic development, and geothermal power production has continued to be important in the western part of the volcanic field. The most recent mineral development was the discovery of the McLaughlin gold deposit in 1978 at the site of the old Manhattan Mercury Mine. Since that time exploration has continued for auditional epithermal precious-metal deposits but without success. This guidebook provides an overview of the geothermal systems and ore deposits in the Sonoma and Clear Lake volcanic fields. Several research papers in this guidebook provide important new concepts and data on the ore deposits, geothermal systems, and volcanic rocks within the two volcanic fields from the perspective of geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, and petrologists. In addition, a paper by Fraser Goff and Cathy Janik provides the ftrst comprehensive field guide to the geothermal features within the Clear Lake volcanic field. This field conference and guidebook should provide the basis for new research and a better understanding of the processes that have contributed to the formation of the ore deposits and geothermal systems in the Clear Lake and Sonoma volcanic fields.

Abstract The discovery of the McLaughlin hot-spring type gold deposit in the old Knoxville mercury district sparked considerable interest and research into the origin and relation of mercury and epithermal gold mineralization in the California Coast Ranges Province. Silica-carbonate mercury mineralization occurs throughout the Coast Ranges, from Santa Barbara County in the south to Lake and Colusa counties in the north (Fig. 1). Since their discovery in the mid 1800’s California’s Coast Ranges mercury deposits have produced over 50% of the total production for the United States, and two of the mines, the New Almaden mine in Santa Clara County and the New Idria mine in San Benito County, rank as the fifth and sixth largest producing deposits in the world respectively (Bailey and others 1973). Prior to the discovery of the McLaughlin gold deposit in 1978, lode gold production from the Coast Ranges was very minor with an estimated total of about $750,000, with two thirds of this production from the Palisade and Silverado mines in the Calistoga silver-gold district (Clark, 1976). Notable quantities of lode gold have been produced from only two other areas; the Los Burros district in south western Monterey County where mesothermal gold-bearing quartz veins occur in Franciscan Complex rocks; and, from the Knoxville and Sulfur Creek mercury mining districts where gold was produced as a byproduct. The McLaughlin and Cherry Hill epithermal gold deposits (Fig. 1) were subsequently discovered in the Knoxville and Sulfur Creek mining districts respectively. Current reserves at the McLaughlin mine are

Abstract Within the central part of the Sulphur Creek Mining District six epithermal gold-mercury deposits have been mined, the West End, Central, Cherry Hill, Empire, Manzanita, and Wide Awake (Fig. 1). The mining district also includes the Abbott, Elgin and Rathburn mercury deposits and several hot springs that are depositing gold and cinnabar. The association of gold and mercury in the district was recognized early and gold was mined at the Cherry Hill and the Manzanita Mercury Mine from 1865 to 1891 with total production being about 3,000 oz of Au (Whitney, 1865, and Bradley, 1916). Whitney (1865) describes cobbles of cinnabar from the Sulphur Creek Mining District containing plumes of gold distributed through out the cinnabar. Fine placer gold is also present in drainages within the Sulphur Creek district, but has not been mined. Total mercury production from the district has been about 33,000 flasks, primarily from the Abbott mine. The Wide Awake mine was reported to have reserves of 24,000 flasks in 1899 and substantial unreported production may have come from this mine. In 1977, Homestake Mining Co. delineated a small gold deposit in the area of the Cherry Hill, West End, and Wide Awake Mines. The mineralization extends under the Sulphur Creek valley which separates these mines. Although numerous high-grade gold veins are present, typically greater than 0.3 oz of Au with multiple oz assays common, the veins are widely spaced and the deposit is presently uneconomic.

Abstract The McLaughlin Mine is a hot-spring type gold-mercury deposit located in the Coast Ranges of northern California. The “sheeted vein complex” is the center of the hot-spring system that formed the McLaughlin deposit. The sheeted vein complex merges from a subaerial siliceous sinter into a bilaterally symmetric, subparallel, multistage vein swarm. The precious metals are well zoned with gold largely restricted to the upper 200 m of the deposit. Silver can dominate anywhere in the system but is always more abundant than gold below 200 m. Below 350 m, silver is rare, gold has not been observed and mineralization is dominated by base metal sulfides. Fluid inclusion analysis suggest that the ore forming fluids were low salinity NaCl dominated, low CO 2 fluids. The deepest samples (> 800 m below the paleosurface) have an average temperature of 235°C. The ascending hydrothermal fluid intersected the hydrostatic boiling curve at ~400 m below the surface and paralleled the hydrostatic boiling curve to the surface. Boiling of an ascending hydrothermal fluid accounts for the metal zoning observed in the sheeted vein complex. During boiling CO 2 is partitioned into the vapor phase faster than H 2 S, resulting in the deeper portion. 3f the ore body being enriched in silver with respect to gold and the shallow portions of the ore body enriched in gold with respect to silver. On the basis of the physical and chemical conditions of the ore forming fluids, gold grade, as well as silica and temperature gradients the hydrothermal fluid is undersaturated with respect to gold prior to the onset of boiling. There is a strong trend for increasingly light δ 18 Oqtz with depth. The most isotopically enriched samples are from the subaerial sinter and the lightest sample are from the deepest samples. This trend is a temperature effect and is the result of increasing fractionation with decreasing temperature. The oxygen isotopic composition of the hydrothermal fluid remained fairly constant at ~93% o . The oxygen and deuterium composition of the hydrothermal fluids are consistent with a meteoric water origin. The hydrothermal fluids have a pronounced oxygen shift due to water/rock interaction but do not have a deuterium shift. The water/rock ratios are low but similar to other geothermal systems in the Coast Ranges and other epithermal deposits emplaced within sedimentary sequences.

Abstract Silica carbonate alteration of serpentinite is ubiquitous in the Coast Ranges of northern California, occurring in barren, Hg-rich and auriferous hydrothermal systems. The alteration is formed by the low temperature reaction of CO 2 -rich fluids with serpentinite minerals. The alteration is considered to be an exchange of cations with little net gain or loss of oxygen. The major element flux is characterized by the addition of silica and CO2 and a depletion in all other cations. The trace element flux is different for each suite examined. Barren silica carbonate assemblages are not elevated in any of the trace elements analyzed. Mercury-rich suites are elevated in Hg and the auriferous suites are elevated in Au, As, Sb and Hg. The mineralogical changes resulting from the alteration is a halo of magnesite around a core of silicified serpentinite. The variation in alteration minerals may reflect variations in fluid temperature. Oxygen isotopes suggest that the alteration is low temperature around 20°C, and that the mineral-springs were likely active at the site of the McLaughlin deposit prior to and after the hot-spring activity, that formed the McLaughlin ore body. The sulfur isotopic composition from a variety of mercury deposits and active hydrothermal systems show fairly consistent values of about 0%o, indicating a magmatic source.

Abstract Manifestations of a major thermal anomaly in the Geysers-Clear Lake area of northern California include the late Pliocene to Holocene Clear Lake Volcanics, The Geysers geothermal field, abundant thermal springs, and epithermal mercury and gold mineralization. The epithermal mineralization and thermal springs typically occur along high-angle faults within the broad San Andreas transform fault system that forms the western boundary of the North American plate in this area. The young volcanic rocks overlie Mesozoic marine rocks of the Great Valley sequence which have been thrust above the coeval Franciscan Complex and penecontemporaneously dropped back down along low-angle detachment faults. Many of the waters of the region are non-meteoric as defined by their isotopic signature. One type of isotppically shifted water emerges from or near Great Valley sequence rocks and is the most chloride rich. It is interpreted to be evolved connate in origin. A second type, evolved meteoric water has moderate chloride contents, high boron contents, and high B/Cl ratios and is found locally in Franciscan rocks, notably at the Sulphur Bank mercury mine where it probably results from near-closed-system, repeated boiling of meteoric water in host rocks that also contribute organic components to the water. At the Sulphur Bank mine fracturing of otherwise impermeable Franciscan rocks by faulting has created a localized zone of permeability in which thermal water boils repeatedly with limited venting to the surface. Boron-rich fluids were apparently present at depth in The Geysers when intrusion of silicic magma occurred because the concealed intrusion of felsite is surrounded by a halo of tourmaline-bearing hornfels. The volume of this poorly dated early to middle Quaternary intrusive body probably exceeds the 100 km 3 of erupted Clear Lake Volcanics. Similar intrusions may have occurred in the eastern part of the area at Wilbur Springs and the McLaughlin mine, where gold deposition and evidence of hydrothermal phenomena suggest more magmatic activity than is indicated by small exposed bodies of early Quaternary basaltic lava. The Clear Lake Volcanics are the present locus of volcanism in the northern Coast Ranges and other volcanic centers are progressively older to the south. Geophysical data suggest that a large silicic magma body may be centered north of The Geysers steam field providing the heat for the geothermal field. Geothermal power production has peaked at The Geysers and pressure declines indicate significant depletion of the fluid resource. The vapor-dominated field evolved from a pre-existing hydrothermal system within fractured, otherwise impermeable Franciscan metamorphic rocks. A deep water table of saline fluid has been postulated to be present under the steam field, but no chloride-rich water has been found at drillable depth. We propose that recently discovered, isotopically shifted steam in the northwest Geysers area indicates the presence not of deep connate water but rather of boiled-down, boron-rich Franciscan evolved meteoric water. This water is likely to be present in limited quantities and will not provide a significant hot water resource for geothermal power production at The Geysers or from the main Clear Lake volcanic field.