Ely Valley Mines

Producer in Lincoln county in Nevada, United States with commodities Zinc, Manganese, Silver, Gold, Lead, Copper, Tungsten
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10037332
MRDS ID M032007
Record type Site
Current site name Ely Valley Mines
Alternate or previous names NBMG Sample Sites 1429 and 1430
Related records 10174138

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -114.49306, 37.9469 (WGS84)
Elevation 1890
Relative position 2 MILES NW OF PIOCHE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lincoln(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Pioche(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Caliente(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Caliente(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Meadow Valley Wash(hydrologic unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lincoln

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
01N 67E 17 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Manganese Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Lead Secondary
Copper Secondary
Tungsten Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE MINERALS NOT GIVEN IN THE LITERATURE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chrysocolla Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Hematite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result ORE CONTAINED ABOUT 1 % PB AND 10 % ZN, ANOTHER ASSAY YIELDED 0.325 OZ/T AU, 3.05 OZ/T AG, 9 % PB (1922). SAMPLES 1429 AND 1430 CONTAIN, RESPECTIVELY, 100 AND GREATER THAN 5000 PPM MN, 5 AND 10 PPM AG, 500 AND 700 PPM AS, 50 AND 0 PPM BI, 100 AND 200 PPM CD, 200 PPM CU, 500 AND 20000 PPM PB, 0 AND 500 PPM W, 5000 AND 10000 PPM ZN, 100 AND 0 PPM ZR.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Prospect Mountain Quartzite
    Rock description Prospect Mountain Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Lyndon Limestone;Pioche Shale
    Rock description Lyndon Limestone;Pioche Shale

Nearby scientific data

(1) -114.49306, 37.9469

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Faulting
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne Trending Normal Frontal Faults On The Pioche Hills Each Flank Of

Ore body information

  • Strike N 75 W
    Dip VERTICLE
    Thickness 15.24M
    Length 426.72M
    Width 121.92M

Comments on the geologic information

  • ORE IN BLOCK BETWEEN 2 PARALLEL FAULTS. ORE BODY IS 20-50 FT. THICK, 400 FT WIDE, 1,400 FEET LONG, AND CONSISTS OF A POROUS CAVERNOUS MASS OF SILICEOUS MANGANIFEROUS LIMONITIC ORE, FORMED BY REPLACEMENT OF A BRECCIATED LIMESTONE. FAULT SEPARATES LYNDON LIMESTONE FROM PROSPECT MTN. QUARTZITE, WITH A DIP SLIP OF 1,700 FEET. HORNBLENDE-BIOTITE INTRUSIVE ROCK OBSERVED IN FLOAT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Mining district

District name Pioche District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Pioche Mines Co.
    First year 1932

Comments on the production information

  • $5 IN AU, AG; 15% MN MINED IN OXIDIZED MATERIAL IN THE HIGHER LIMESTONE BEDS OF THE PIOCHE SHALE

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FAVORABLE GROUND THAT CONTAINS THE OFFSET PORTION OF THE ORE BODY IN THE HANGING WALL OF THE FRONTAL FAULT HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY EXPLORED

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 156.97M
    Overall depth 130.45M

Comments on the workings information

  • THERE ARE 3 LEVELS IN THE WORKING, AT 123,268, AND 428 FEET. AT THE 268 FOOT LEVEL A WINZE WAS SUNK VERTICALLY 300 FEET STARTING ON THE VEIN; AT THE BOTTOM A CROSSCUT WAS BEING DRIVEN SW TO INTERSECT THE QUARTZITE CONTACT. (1926)

Comments on development

  • NO ACTIVITY AT TIME OF EXAMINATION IN 1983, BUT THE SITE HAD BEEN DRILLED AND ASSESSMENT WORK KEPT UP, GATES LOCKED. PROPERTY APPEARED TO BE PROBABLY INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVE. AFTER THE CASELTON MILL WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1941, ELY VALLEY MINES BEGAN WORK TO REACH SULFIDE ORE PREVIOUSLY REVEALED BY DIAMOND DRILLING. DEPLETION OF SULFIDE ORE RESERVES CAUSED THE MINE TO CLOSE DOWN FULL-TIME OPERATIONS PRIOR TO 1951.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    TSCHANZ, C.M., AND PAMPEYAN, E.H., 1970, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LINCOLN CO. NEVADA. NEVADA BUR. OF MINES, BULL 73 P

  • Deposit

    WESTGATE, L.G. AND KNOPF, A., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PIOCHE DISTRICT, NEVADA. USGS PROF. PAPER 171 P

  • Deposit

    HILL, J.M., 1916, NOTES ON SOME MINING DISTRICTS IN EASTERN NEVADA USGS BULL 648 P.

  • Deposit

    COUCH, B.F., CARPENTER, J.A., 1943, NEVADA'S METAL AND MINERAL PRODUCTION (1859-1940, INCLUSIVE) UNIV. OF NEVADA BULL 38, P. 85 89

  • Deposit

    USGS MAP MF 136

  • Deposit

    SHAW, S. F., 1909, ENG AND MIN JOUR, P.545-548.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P. AND BENTZ, J., 1983, FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT, AUG 24,1983.

  • Deposit

    WEED, W. H., ED., 1922, THE MINES HANDBOOK, VOL XV, P. 1328.

  • Deposit

    USBM, 1983, MILS DATA

  • Production

    TSCHANZ & PAMPEYAN, 1970

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DUMP ROCK HEAVILY FE-MN STAINED AND COMPOSED OF SILICIFIED LIMESTONE AND SHALE WITH CRYSTALLINE PYRITE REPLACING LIMESTONE AND CEMENTING FAULT BRECCIA. INTERGROWN CRYSTALLINE CALCITE AND QUARTZ ALSO CEMENT BRECCIA. JAROSITE CRYSTALS COAT FRACTURE SURFACES. NBMG SAMPLES 1429 AND 1430 TAKEN OF MANGANOSIDERITE GANGUE AND OF UNOXIDIZED PYRITIZED QUARTZITE/PYRITE-QUARTZ VEIN MATERIAL. ABUNDANT WAD AND PYROLUSITE OCCUR WITH ORE; SOME ORE IS MAGNETIC. OXIDIZED MATERIAL OCCURS WITH ABOUT 15 % MN AND $5/TON IN AG AND AU (1970) REPLACING HIGHER LIMESTONE BEDS IN THE PIOCHE SHALE AND THE LYNDON LIMESTONE. THE ORE OCCURS IN A BLOCK BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL FAULTS. FAVORABLE GROUND CONTAINING THE OFFSET PORTION OF THE OREBODY IN THE HANGING WALL OF THE FRONTAL FAULT HAD NOT YET BEEN ADEQUATELY EXPLORED IN 1970. ORE CONSISTED OF A POROUS, CAVERNOUS MASS OF SILICEOUS MANGANIFEROUS LIMONITIC ORE FORMED BY REPLACEMENT OF BRECCIATED LIMESTONE. VEIN IS QUARTZOSE ON THE 200-FT LEVEL CONSISTING LARGELY OF
Deposit MILK-WHITE QUARTZ. AFTER PASSING INTO THE UNDERLYING PIOCHE SHALE,35 FT ABOVE THE 300 FT LEVEL, IT PINCHES TO A FEW INCHES IN THICKNESS, THOUGH STILL QUARTZOSE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1979 Harner, Joy L. (Roberts, Ralph J.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1984 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.