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Almaden Mine

Past Producer in Washington county in Idaho, United States with commodities Gold, Mercury
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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. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Mineral rights holdings
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040402
MRDS ID M055162
Record type Site
Current site name Almaden Mine
Alternate or previous names Idaho-Almaden Mine, Osa-Anna, Nutmeg, Main Mine, Stinking Water Basin, Cove Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -116.71488, 44.24015 (WGS84)
Elevation 1097
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position 11 MI E OF WEISER ON NUTMEG MTN. Mine labeled on Holland Gulch 24k topo. Location given at center of pit visible on Google Earth and other imagery.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Washington(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Holland Gulch(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Weiser(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Baker City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Weiser(hydrologic unit)

Middle Snake-Boise(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Washington

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 010N;011N 003W 04,05,32,33 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • MINE LOCATED ON NUTMEG MOUNTAIN

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Mercury Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AG CONC. HIGHEST ALONG FAULTS. HG MAY BE A GUIDE TO HIGH GRADE ORE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Opal Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Argillic Alteration, Silicification , Opalitization

Analytical data

Result ORE RAN 6 LB HG PER TON. MOST ORE WAS COMPARATIVELY LOW GRADE. SELECTIVELY MINED TO YIELD 3 LB HG PER TON. ASSAYS SHOW TRACE OF GOLD. SOME ORE RAN 5 TO 15 LB HG/TON. SOME ORE HAS .01 TO .02 OZ AU/TON.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Rock unit name Columbia River Basalt
    Rock description Columbia River Basalt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Payette Formation;Payette Formation;Payette Formation;Idaho Formation;Idaho Formation
    Rock description Payette Formation;Payette Formation;Payette Formation;Idaho Formation;Idaho Formation

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -116.71488, 44.24015
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Broad - Crested Parallel Anticlines. Deposit Located On The Crest Of A Long Anticline.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Local Structural Depression, Partly The Result Of Faulting.

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Strike N 45 DEG W
    Dip LOW 50 TO 70 DEG N. E.
    Thickness 12.19M
    Length 1609.3M
    Width 804.65M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracturing
  • Nutmeg Anticline; Fissures

Comments on the geologic information

  • TWO DIFFERENT FORMS OF OPAL, GRAY AND WHITE. CINNABAR ALTERS TO BLUE - BLACK WHEN EXPOSED. PAYETTE FORMATION - SANDSTONE, SHALE. IDAHO FORMATION - SANDSTONE, SANDY SHALE. ; GEOL.DESC: ORE IS IN ALTERED ROCK (OPALITE) EITHER DISSEMINATED OR AS COARSE GRAINS IN VEINS.
  • PALEOZOIC LIMESTONES AND SHALES INTRUDED BY RHYOLITE AND MONZONITE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1936
Discoverer Harry Brown
Year of first production 1939
Plant type Leach
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Weiser

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Freegold Ventures Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office 700 West Georgia Street\nSuite 1750\nVancouver BC V7Y 1B6\nCanada\n
    Year 2008
    First year 2001
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Rare Metals Corp.
    Home office Salt Lake City, Ut.

Production statistics

  • Year 1939
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^9.36 Lb Hg/Ton Recovered
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 4228g/mt
  • Year 1940
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^5.75 Lb Hg/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 2597g/mt
  • Year 1941
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.78 Lb Hg/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 2159g/mt
  • Year 1942
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.45 Lb Hg/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 2010g/mt
  • Year 1956
    Material HG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Recovered 3.4 Lb Hg/Ton Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 1536g/mt
  • Year 1962
    Period To 1962
    Material HG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^3 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 1355g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • $25 MILLION PRODUCED IN AU, AG AND OTHER METALS.
  • AS OF 1963, IDAHO-ALMADEN HAD PRODUCED NEARLY ONE-HALF TOTAL HG PRODUCTION IN IDAHO . EACH FLASK IN 6 ) ABOVE CONTAINED 76 LBS HG.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 2009
    Demonstrated 39050000mt ore
    Remarks NI 43-101 2009 p. 125.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold 0.69 g/mt Gold Primary 2009
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 2009
    Inferred 4780000mt ore
    Remarks NI 43-101 2009, p. 125.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold 0.55 g/mt Gold Primary 2009

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Length 161.54M
    Overall depth 50.29M
    Overall length 76.2M
    Overall width 30.48M

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE OPEN CUT 270 X 135 X 30. SEVERAL LG OPENCUTS WORKINGS AS OF CA. 1952. THERE IS A 200 FT. LONG QUARRY AND 17 SHALLOW SHAFTS.
  • FAULT SYSTEMS TRENDING NE, N-S, AND NW. CAVED. LAST OPERATED 1907

Comments on development

  • 30 CLAIMS, 1 OF WHICH WAS PATENTED ; ECON.COM: ADEQUATE WATER SUPPLY NEARBY
  • GETTY MINERAL RESOURCES CO., A SUBSIDIARY OF GETTY OIL CO. (75%) AND GOLD STANDARD INC., SALT LAKE CITY (25%) HAVE FILED APPLICATION FOR PERMITS ON MARCH 10, 1981. ; ECON.COM: SURFACE ENRICHMENT

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E.H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES.

  • Commodity

    Tietz,Paul, Gustin,M.M., 2009, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Almaden Project, Washington County, Idaho, December 8, 2009, 154 pages

  • Deposit

    ANDERSON, A. L., 1941 , GEOLOGY OF ALMADEN MINE, IDAHO BUR MINES GEOLOGY PAMPH 55 , 9 P.

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E. H., 1964 , MINERAL RESOURCES - MERCURY: IDAHO BUR MINES GEOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT NO. 1 , P. 119 - 123

  • Deposit

    REQUA, L. K., 1940 , IDAHO - ALMADEN MINE: NORTHWEST MINING NEWS, V. 6 , NO. 23 , P. 7 - 9 ; V. 6 , NO. 24 , P. 7 - 9 .

  • Deposit

    5) LICKES, M. R., 1957 , IDAHO - ALMADEN MERCURY MINE: USBM INF. CIRC. 7800 , 33 P.

  • Deposit

    6) CAMPBELL, A., 1939 , FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINING INDUSTRY OF IDAHO FOR THE YEAR 1939 , P. 303 - 307

  • Deposit

    7) SPOKANE CHRONICLE, FEB. 18 , 1972 ; DEC. 30 , 1970

  • Deposit

    8) ENG. MINING JOUR., MAR., 1967

  • Deposit

    1941 GEOLMAP ID. BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. PAMPHLET 55

  • Deposit

    1957 RECON U. S. BUREAU OF MINES INF. CIRC. 7800

  • Deposit

    1964 COMPILE ID. BUREAU OF MINES GEOL. SP. RPT. NO. 1

  • Production

    BAILEY, E.H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES {{ ANDERSON, A. L., 1941 , IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY PAMPHLET 55 . {{ BAILEY, E. H., 1964 , IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY SPEC. REPT. 1 {{ LICKES, M. R., 1957 , US BUR MINES INF. CIRC. 7800 {{ SPOKANE CHRONICLE, DEC. 30 , 1970 . ROSS, C. P., 1956 , USGS BULL. 1042-D

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NOTICE OF MINE TO CLOSE IN SPOK. CHRON. 2/18/72 ; INFO.SRC : BAILEY E H
Deposit NO HG PRODUCTION SINCE 1907, AU PRODUCTION HAS CONTINUED INTERMITTANTLY SINCE 1907. ; INFO.SRC : BAILEY E H

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-74 Bergquist, Joel R. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 15-NOV-10 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. Geological Survey confirmed location.

Beyond USGS

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

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