Manhattan, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Manhattan is a small town in Nye County
, Nevada
located on State Route 377 about 50 miles north of Tonopah
, the county seat, off State Route 376.
It originally was founded in 1867 as part of the silver mining boom and then, in 1905, as part of the gold boom when "4,000 people flood(ed) into the region". The Nye and Ormsby County Bank, the only stone structure to be built in the town, was erected in 1906, but a decline
followed the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1907 depression.
The bank was forced to close. However, another boom in 1909 resulted in mining continuing into the late 1940s. Major mining operations opened and operated through the 1970s to the 1990s but production has relatively recently scaled back significantly .
is similar to many of the desert valleys in Nevada, characterized by flanking mountain ranges running north to south. Big Smoky Valley is bounded to the south by Lone Mountain, and the east and west by the Toquima and the Toiyabe Ranges, respectively. The valley floor consists primarily of alluvial fans composed of small poorly assorted gravels.
Meta-sedimentary and granitic wastes predominate the Manhattan and Kingston fans while quartz sands derived from granites, predominate in the axial part of the valley between Charnock Springs and Round Mountain and most of the steep slope adjacent to Lone Mountain. Grit derived form Tertiary
lavas supplied by the southern part of the Toiyabe and Shoshone Ranges is
also abundant and widely distributed .
Limestone, slate, schist, and quartzite aggregating several thousand feet in thickness and ranging in age from lower Cambrian to Carboniferous are the oldest rocks found in this region. Although they have a wide range in age, no unconformity has been found between two successive formations. Since their deposition they have been extensively deformed, eroded, intruded by lavas, and largely covered by igneous bodies and sedimentary deposits. Originally they probably covered the entire region, but at present they are found over extensive areas only in the Toiyabe, Toquima, Silver Peak, and Lone Mountain ranges .
Igneous rocks in the Big Smoky Valley are predominantly pre-Quaternary
. Eruptive formations, consisting of rhyolite and minor amounts of basalt and rocks of intermediate composition with associated tuffs and breccias, are exposed over extensive areas in all of the ranges bordering the valley. They differ widely in age but were probably formed during the Tertiary period. Several great bodies of granitic rock are also found in the valley. They are intrusive in the Paleozoic strata but older than the Tertiary eruptive rocks. A large granite mass occupies the lofty central part of the Toquima Range particularly in the region of Round Mountain. Another granite mass forms the main part of Lone Mountain .
Big Smoky Valley, in the late Pleistocene
, was occupied by two large lakes. The lakes were contained in the lowest parts of the northern and southern reaches of the valley and are known as Lake Toiyabe and Lake Tonopah, respectively. Shore features, such as gravelly beaches and embankments still exist in the valley while the former lake sites are presently occupied by alkali flats. Stratified beds of the former lakes are not exposed.
On the eastern alluvial slopes of the Toiyabe Range, there are many escarpments which face the valley and are believed to be due to recent faulting (Meinzer, 1917).
development initiated in the Manhattan Caldera Complex about 16 million years ago in the Toquima mountains north of Manhattan Gulch. It is likely that gold was transported by solutions in a hydrothermal cell from an igneous intrusion, and perhaps from country rock, to the host rock. When the gold at Manhattan was deposited, approximately 16 million years ago, the hydrothermal cells may have operated at some distance beneath the Earth’s surface. Over time, however, the upper formations at Manhattan eroded, as evidenced by the well-rounded and low-lying hills in the area, and the gold they contained was washed down Manhattan Gulch and deposited in gravel .
Manhattan Gulch averages 300 feet wide with a grading of approximately four percent to the east. Rimrock slopes around the Gulch range from 30 to 50 percent. Depth of the gravels ranges from 10 to 100 feet with an average of about 30 feet. Approximately 60 percent of the gravel is larger than one inch with the rest being primarily sand and smaller gravel. The bedrock of the Gulch is composed predominantly of schist and shale .
Elevations range from about 5,800 feet above mean sea level (AMSL) at the west end of the Gulch area to above 7,000 feet AMSL at near the town of Manhattan.
surveys were conducted in Manhattan Gulch in spring 2009. In the lower Manhattan Gulch area (below 6600 feet AMSL), shrub
growth is dominant comprising about 80 percent of species composition, followed by grasses with about 15 percent of species composition, followed by various forbs (MINES Group, 2009). Common shrub species include black sage (Artemisia nova
), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus
viscidiflorus) and bud sage (Artemisia spinescens). Grasses include galleta (Hilaria jamesii) and Indian ricegrass (Acnatherum hymenoides). As one progresses further west up Manhattan Gulch and toward the town of Manhattan, particularly above elevations of 6600 feet, trees become dominant, with juniper
and pine
species (particularly Pinus monophylla) being prevalent (MINES Group, 2009).
There are two bars, The Miner's Saloon and The Manhattan Bar and Motel.
Within about 10 miles north along State Route 376 active placer gold mining is taking place on a small scale.
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
located on State Route 377 about 50 miles north of Tonopah
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah is a census-designated place located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno....
, the county seat, off State Route 376.
It originally was founded in 1867 as part of the silver mining boom and then, in 1905, as part of the gold boom when "4,000 people flood(ed) into the region". The Nye and Ormsby County Bank, the only stone structure to be built in the town, was erected in 1906, but a decline
followed the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1907 depression.
The bank was forced to close. However, another boom in 1909 resulted in mining continuing into the late 1940s. Major mining operations opened and operated through the 1970s to the 1990s but production has relatively recently scaled back significantly .
Regional Geology
The Big Smoky ValleyBig Smoky Valley
The Big Smoky Valley is a landform of the Tonopah Basin between the Toiyabe and Toquima mountain ranges. It is about 100 miles in length, and is known by other names : including Great Smoky Valley, Smokey Valley, Smoky Valley, Wen-A-No-Nu-Fee Valley, and Won-A-No-Nu-Fee Valley. The U.S...
is similar to many of the desert valleys in Nevada, characterized by flanking mountain ranges running north to south. Big Smoky Valley is bounded to the south by Lone Mountain, and the east and west by the Toquima and the Toiyabe Ranges, respectively. The valley floor consists primarily of alluvial fans composed of small poorly assorted gravels.
Meta-sedimentary and granitic wastes predominate the Manhattan and Kingston fans while quartz sands derived from granites, predominate in the axial part of the valley between Charnock Springs and Round Mountain and most of the steep slope adjacent to Lone Mountain. Grit derived form Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
lavas supplied by the southern part of the Toiyabe and Shoshone Ranges is
also abundant and widely distributed .
Limestone, slate, schist, and quartzite aggregating several thousand feet in thickness and ranging in age from lower Cambrian to Carboniferous are the oldest rocks found in this region. Although they have a wide range in age, no unconformity has been found between two successive formations. Since their deposition they have been extensively deformed, eroded, intruded by lavas, and largely covered by igneous bodies and sedimentary deposits. Originally they probably covered the entire region, but at present they are found over extensive areas only in the Toiyabe, Toquima, Silver Peak, and Lone Mountain ranges .
Igneous rocks in the Big Smoky Valley are predominantly pre-Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
. Eruptive formations, consisting of rhyolite and minor amounts of basalt and rocks of intermediate composition with associated tuffs and breccias, are exposed over extensive areas in all of the ranges bordering the valley. They differ widely in age but were probably formed during the Tertiary period. Several great bodies of granitic rock are also found in the valley. They are intrusive in the Paleozoic strata but older than the Tertiary eruptive rocks. A large granite mass occupies the lofty central part of the Toquima Range particularly in the region of Round Mountain. Another granite mass forms the main part of Lone Mountain .
Big Smoky Valley, in the late Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
, was occupied by two large lakes. The lakes were contained in the lowest parts of the northern and southern reaches of the valley and are known as Lake Toiyabe and Lake Tonopah, respectively. Shore features, such as gravelly beaches and embankments still exist in the valley while the former lake sites are presently occupied by alkali flats. Stratified beds of the former lakes are not exposed.
On the eastern alluvial slopes of the Toiyabe Range, there are many escarpments which face the valley and are believed to be due to recent faulting (Meinzer, 1917).
Local Geology
Considerable volcanic activity and calderaCaldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
development initiated in the Manhattan Caldera Complex about 16 million years ago in the Toquima mountains north of Manhattan Gulch. It is likely that gold was transported by solutions in a hydrothermal cell from an igneous intrusion, and perhaps from country rock, to the host rock. When the gold at Manhattan was deposited, approximately 16 million years ago, the hydrothermal cells may have operated at some distance beneath the Earth’s surface. Over time, however, the upper formations at Manhattan eroded, as evidenced by the well-rounded and low-lying hills in the area, and the gold they contained was washed down Manhattan Gulch and deposited in gravel .
Manhattan Gulch averages 300 feet wide with a grading of approximately four percent to the east. Rimrock slopes around the Gulch range from 30 to 50 percent. Depth of the gravels ranges from 10 to 100 feet with an average of about 30 feet. Approximately 60 percent of the gravel is larger than one inch with the rest being primarily sand and smaller gravel. The bedrock of the Gulch is composed predominantly of schist and shale .
Elevations range from about 5,800 feet above mean sea level (AMSL) at the west end of the Gulch area to above 7,000 feet AMSL at near the town of Manhattan.
Local Vegetation
Vegetation transectTransect
A transect is a path along which one records and counts occurrences of the phenomena of study .It requires an observer to move along a fixed path and to count occurrences along the path and, at the same time, obtain the distance of the object from the path...
surveys were conducted in Manhattan Gulch in spring 2009. In the lower Manhattan Gulch area (below 6600 feet AMSL), shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growth is dominant comprising about 80 percent of species composition, followed by grasses with about 15 percent of species composition, followed by various forbs (MINES Group, 2009). Common shrub species include black sage (Artemisia nova
Artemisia nova
Artemisia nova is a species of sagebrush known by the common name black sagebrush.It is native to the western United States from California to Montana to New Mexico, where it grows in forest, woodland, and grassland habitats. It is "one of the most common shrubs in the western United States"...
), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus
Chrysothamnus
Chrysothamnus is a member of the plant family Asteraceae. It is a semi-deciduous shrub, sometimes also called sagebrush. The native distribution is in the arid western United States and northern Mexico...
viscidiflorus) and bud sage (Artemisia spinescens). Grasses include galleta (Hilaria jamesii) and Indian ricegrass (Acnatherum hymenoides). As one progresses further west up Manhattan Gulch and toward the town of Manhattan, particularly above elevations of 6600 feet, trees become dominant, with juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
species (particularly Pinus monophylla) being prevalent (MINES Group, 2009).
Present day
As of 2005, the population of Manhattan was 124.There are two bars, The Miner's Saloon and The Manhattan Bar and Motel.
Within about 10 miles north along State Route 376 active placer gold mining is taking place on a small scale.