Birdie Mine

Past Producer in Silver Bow county in Montana, United States with commodities Silver, Tungsten, Copper, Antimony
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. 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 10042414
MRDS ID M060190
Record type Site
Current site name Birdie Mine
Related records 10246135

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.35921, 46.01379 (WGS84)
Elevation 2134
Relative position 2 MILES EAST OF BUTTE, MONTANA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jefferson(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Whitetail Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Butte North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Jefferson(hydrologic unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Silver Bow

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 003N 007W 15 Montana

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Tungsten Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Huebnerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation

Analytical data

Result SMALL LENSES ASSAY AS MUCH AS 4.08 OZ AG/TON AND 3.38% WO3

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Butte Quartz Monzonite (Boulder Batholith)
    Rock description Butte Quartz Monzonite (Boulder Batholith)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -112.35921, 46.01379

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description N-Trending Continental Fault Is West Of Mine

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR-LENSELIKE
    Strike E
    Dip 75 DEG S
    Thickness 3.05M
    Width 5.49M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Hubnernite Found Mainly On Main Level And 14 Ft Below Adit Level At Intersection Of 2 Veins

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880

Mining district

District name Butte District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner West Slope Mining Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Maretta, W. J. And Others
    Home office Irvington, Ca

Comments on the production information

  • SEVERAL THOUSAND TONS SILVER ORE SHIPPED ABOUT 1900. 82 TONS TUNGSTEN ORE SHIPPED IN 1916

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Length 335.28M
    Overall depth 91.44M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY CROSSCUT ADIT FROM WHICH RAISE IS TO SURFACE AND DRIFT FOLLOWS VEIN ABOUT 500 FT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SMEDES, H.W., KLEPPER, M.R., PINCKNEY, D.M., BECRAFT, G.E., RUPPEL, E.T., 1962, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ELK PARK QUADRANGLE, JEFFERSON AND SILVER BOW COUNTIES, MONTANA: USGS MINERAL INVESTIGATIONS FIELD STUDIES MAP MF-246

  • Deposit

    USBM REP INVES 6334, P. 6, 55, 56.

  • Deposit

    USGS PP 74, 262 P.

  • Deposit

    DMEA RECORDS

  • Production

    DMEA FILES

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE BIRDIE VEIN IS A MASSIVE QUARTZ VEIN. IT HAS BEEN BRECCIATED AND HEAVILY STAINED WITH FE AND MN OXIDES. VEIN WALLS ARE HIGHLY ALTERED. ON THE MAIN LEVEL, HUEBNERITE CRYSTALS OCCUR IN NARROW BANDS AND SMALL CLUSTERS. A SECOND VEIN INTERSECTS THE BIRDIE VEIN. THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF HUEBNERITE OCCURS AT THE INTERSECTION.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1880-SILVER 1907-W

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1974 Puffett, Willard P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1980 Wise, Kristine K. (Elliott, James E.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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