Challenge and Confidence

Past Producer in Storey county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10043910
MRDS ID M231213
Record type Site
Current site name Challenge and Confidence

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.65822, 39.29434 (WGS84)
Elevation 1829
Relative position GOLD HILL, NEVADA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Storey(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Virginia City(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Carson City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Reno(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Carson(hydrologic unit)

Carson(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Storey

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 017N 021E 32 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • BETWEEN YELLOWJACKET AND IMPERIAL CLAIMS ON THE LODE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Strong Silicification, Sericitization, Propylitization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 150
USGS model code 25c
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, Comstock
Mark3 model number 16

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Alta Andesite
    Rock description Alta Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.65822, 39.29434

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Comstock Fault

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fractures, Faults

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1859
Year of first production 1867

Mining district

District name Comstock Lode

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Houston Oil And Minerals Corp. (Present)

Comments on the workings information

  • SHAFT, OTHER WORKINGS, OPEN PIT.

Comments on development

  • THIS GROUP OF MINES TOGETHER WITH THE IMPERIAL TO THE NORTH, WAS THE SITE OF THE ORIGINAL COMSTOCK LODE DISCOVERY. RICH ORE MINED IN 1866. NOW PART OF HOUSTON OIL & MINERALS OPEN PIT OPERATIONS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STODDARD., C, AND CARPENTER J.A., 1950, MINERAL RESOURCES OF STOREY AND LYON COUNTIES, NEV; NEV. BUR MINES 49.

  • Deposit

    W.P.A. STATE WRITER'S PROJECT, 1940-41, INDIVIDUAL HISTORIES OF THE MINES OF THE COMSTOCK NEV BUR MINE & GEOL., OPEN FILE REPORT

  • Deposit

    GIANELLA, V.P., 1936, GEOLOGY OF THE SILVER CITY DISTRICT AND THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE COMSTOCK LODE, NEVADA, NEV. UNIV. BULL., VOL. 30 NO 9.

  • Production

    STODDARD, C. AND CARPENTER, J.A., 1950

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS GROUP OF MINES, TOGETHER WITH THE IMPERIAL TO THE NORTH, LOCATED AT GOLD HILL WAS THE SITE OF THE ORIGINAL DISCOVERY OF THE COMSTOCK LODE. VERY RICH ORE WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE CHALLENGE-CONFIDENCE IN 1866. NOW PART OF HOUSTON OIL AND MINERALS OPEN PIT MINING OPERATIONS AT GOLDHILL ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 La Pointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

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.