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Nevada Sulphur Company Mine

Past Producer in Humboldt county in Nevada, United States with commodities Mercury, Sulfur, Aluminum, Silver
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Reserves and resources
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040525
MRDS ID M055339
Record type Site
Current site name Nevada Sulphur Company Mine
Alternate or previous names Black Rock Mine, Edmondsen
Related records 10040610, 10271189

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.66432, 40.86044 (WGS84)
Elevation 1402
Relative position 2 1/2 MILES SE OF SULPHUR STATION ON W.P.R.R.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Humboldt(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Sulphur(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Eugene Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Lovelock(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Quinn(hydrologic unit)

Black Rock Desert(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NV)

Bureau of Land Management NV BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Humboldt

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 035N;035N 029E;030E 36,35,25,26,30,31 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION TO CENTER OF SECTION 36

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary
Sulfur Tertiary
Aluminum Critical Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Cinnabar Ore
Sulfur Ore
Gypsum Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification

Analytical data

Result 15% TO 85% S.
Result AVG. GRADE HG ORE=9.38 LB. HG/TON

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 177
USGS model code 27a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Hg

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pleistocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pleistocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Sand and Gravel
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) Older gravels
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description N-S Faults; N23 Degrees Shear Zones

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding, Brecciation Along Shears

Comments on the geologic information

  • SULFUR IS IN VEINS IN PEBBLE CONGLOMERATE, PEBBLY, SANDSTONE, AND TUFFACEOUS SANDSTONE, AND DISSEMINATED IN CONGLOMERATE, AND AT ONE LOCALITY (PETERSON MINE) OCCURS ALONG A FAULT ZONE. LARGE MASSES OF SULFUR ARE QUITE PURE, BUT ORE MINED RUNS FROM 15 TO 38% S. CONCENTRATE IS BAGGED AND SHIPPED FOR USE AS A SOIL CONDITIONER. SILVER OCCURS AS CERARGYRITE (HORN SILVER) IN NARROW SEAMS NEAR THE SURFACE AT THE SOUTH END OF THE SULFUR DEPOSITS. ALUNITE OCCURS IN VEINS JUST EAST OF MOST OF THE SULFUR PITS. CINNABAR IS ASSOCIATED WITH SULFUR IN SMALL AMOUNTS. FINELY CRYSTALLINE CINNABAR OCCURS AS SUGARY COATINGS AROUND FRAGMENTS OF BOTH SILICIFIED AND UNSILICIFIED TUFF AND AGGLOMERATE. SOME CINNABAR IS DISSEMINATED THRU' TUFFS FORMING TYPICAL OPALITE ORE. ALUNITE OCCURS IN 3 PARALLEL VEINS RANGING FROM 2-15 FT. WIDE, DIPPING STEEPLY, CUTTING RHYOLITE BRECCIA. SILVER OCCURS IN THE SOUTH PART OF THE DEPOSITS NEAR DEVIL'S CORRAL. ALUNITE DEPOSIT MEASURES 100 FT X 250 FT BY AT LEAST 50 FEET THICK
  • ; GEOL.DESC: ROCKS ARE FLAT TO GENTLY DIPPING

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Discoverer Mcworthy And Rover
Year of first production 1877
Production years TO 1946, 1959

Mining district

District name Sulphur District (Blackrock District)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Western Sulphur Corp.
    First year 1957
  • Type Owner
    Owner H. C. Crofoot

Production statistics

  • Year 1943
    Period To 1943
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^7-10 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 3840g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • 25 FLASKS TO END OF 1943, OF HG $381,723. WORTH OF SAND AG TO END OF 1943; AND VANDERBURG (1938) REPORTED AG PRODUCTION OF OVER $100,000. AT LEAST 40,000 TONS S. HAD BEEN PRODUCED TO 1938. ABOUT 500 TONS ALUNITE HAD BEEN SHIPPED BY 1938, FOR USE AS FERTIUZER. A 1968 REPORT ESTIMATES 327,000 LONG TONS 17.7% S. ORE OR 1,000,000 LONG TONS OF 13.2% S ORE AS RESERVES.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1968
    Total resources 145000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Sulfur S 17.7 wt-pct Sulfur Trace 1968

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES VERY SMALL

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF HUMBOLDT CO, NEV.; N.B.M.G. BULL 59.

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E.H. AND PHOENIX, D.A., 1944, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN NEVADA; UNIV. NEV. BULL. VOL. 38 NO 5; GEOL AND MIN. SER. NO. .

  • Deposit

    VANDERBURG, W.O., 1938, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN HUMBOLDT CO., NEV; U.S.B.M. INF. CIRC. 6995

  • Deposit

    1968, UNPUBLISHED REPORT ON FEASIBILITY OF MINING SULPHUR-ON FILE AT N.B.M.G.

  • Deposit

    SERIES OF UNPUBLISHED CORRESPONDENCE ON SULPHUR DISTRICT, DATED 1917-1920; ON FILE AT NEV. BUREAU OF MINES.

  • Deposit

    OVERTON, T.D., 1943, RENO RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORP REPORT; UNPUBLISHED; ON FILE AT NEV. BUREAU OF MINES.

  • Production

    WILLDEN, R., 1964

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 1000 ACRES OF PATENTED GROUND
Deposit THE FIRST LOCATIONS WERE MADE IN 1875 BY MCWORTHY AND ROVER, AND SOON AFTER, BY HALE AND WRIGHT, WHO SOLD OUT TO PACIFIC SULPHUR CO., WHO ERECTED A REFINERY WHICH THEY RAN FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS, PRODUCING 6-7 TONS SULPHUR PER DAY. NEVADA SULPHUR CO. ACQUIRED THE DEPOSITS IN 1900, AND OPERATED THEM UNTIL 1917 WHEN THEY WERE SOLD TO THE CALIFORNIA REX SPRAY CO. WHICH WITH OTHERS, WAS ACTIVE UP UNTIL 1929. HANSEN, REED AND MILLER BUILT A 2-PI RETORT IN 1941, BUT PRODUCED NO HG. LESSEES INSTALLED A 15-TON FURNACE IN 1943. UNDER LEASE TO WESTERN SULFUR CORP. IN APRIL 1957. A MR. MOONSEY DISCOVERED AG AT THE S. END OF THE DEPOSITS IN 1908. 1000 ACRES OF PATENTED GROUND. S END WAS MINED BY QUARRYING OR ROOM-AND-PILLAR SYSTEM. THE PRESENCE OF ALUNITE WAS KNOWN AT LEAST AS FAR BACK AS 1900, BUT IT WAS NOT PAID MUCH NOTICE UNTIL 1917 WHEN SEVERAL CLAIMS WERE LOCATED. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1975 Gassaway, Judith S. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-MAR-1981 Lapointe, D. D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Peters, S.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

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