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Tomboy Mine

Past Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Copper, Lead, Silver, Iron, Zinc
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044058
MRDS ID M231379
Record type Site
Current site name Tomboy Mine
Alternate or previous names Tomboy-Minnie

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.12011, 40.52351 (WGS84)
Elevation 1768
Relative position 15 MILES SW OF TOWN OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Galena Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Dixie Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(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 Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 31N 43E 27,34 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • WITHIN BOX CANYON.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Silver Secondary
Iron Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE TEXTURAL RELATIONSHIP OF AU TO OTHER MINERALS IN THE ORE ZONES HAD NOT BEEN RECOGNIZED IN MICROSCOPIC WORK COMPLETED THROUGH 1984. HOWEVER, STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF DRILL HOLE ASSAYS SUGGESTS THAT AU IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH PYRRHOTITE AND PYRITE. FREE AU, GENERALLY LESS THAN 0.05 MM DIAMETER, WAS RECOVERED DURING MILLING OF ORE FROM THE TOMBOY-MINNIE DEPOSITS. AG MINERALIZATION CORRELATES CLOSELY WITH THE OCCURRENCE OF GALENA. ANOMALOUS AU, AG VALUES AT OR NEAR SURFACE ARE SPATIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE OREBODIES. THIS ZONE IS SURROUNDED BY A HALO OF ANOMALOUS ZN, PB VALUES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Apatite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Diopside Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Plagioclase Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Sphalerite Gangue
Sphene Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Prograde Skarn, Retrograde Skarn. See Geology Comments.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Harmony Formation;Copper Canyon Stock
    Rock description Harmony Formation;Copper Canyon Stock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate
    Rock unit name Battle Formation
    Rock description Battle Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.12011, 40.52351
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Roberts Mountains Thrust; Dewitt Thrust
Type of structure Local
Structure description N-S Striking, Steeply East Dipping Faults

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Replacement Type Mineralization Of The Tomboy-Minnie Deposits Is Generally Confined To The 30 M Thick Calcareous Basal Conglomerate Of The Battle Formation.

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALTERATION COMMENTS: PROGRADE SKARN, RETROGRADE SKARN. SHALE AND SILTSTONE OF THE HARMONY FORMATION WERE CONVERTED TO BROWN BIOTITE HORNFELS DURING EMPLACEMENT OF THE GRANODIORITE OF COPPER CANYON, WHILE SANDSTONES SHOW STRONG EFFECTS OF RECRYSTALLIZATION AND SILICIFICATION WHEREIN THE FINE GRAINED MATRIX WAS ALTERED TO CLAY MINERALS, WHITE MICA, AND SECONDARY QUARTZ. THERMAL EFFECTS RESULTED IN THE CALCAREOUS BASAL CONGLOMERATE OF THE BATTLE FORMATION BEING CONVERTED TO A QUARTZ+DIOPSIDE+EPIDOTE HORNFELS ASSEMBLAGE WITH SPARSE GARNET REPLACING SOME LIMESTONE CLASTS. INTRODUCTION OF FREE GOLD AND PYRITE OCCURRED PENECONTEMPORANEOUSLY WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE EARLY DIOPSIDE ASSEMBLAGE BY ACTINOLITE, TREMOLITE, AND CHLORITE. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: PRE-1965 WORKINGS WERE IN CONGLOMERATE IN THE LOWER PART OF THE BATTLE FORMATION JUST ABOVE THE CONTACT WITH THE HARMONY FORMATION. THE OREBODY WAS LOCALIZED IN AND NEAR FRACTURES THAT CUT THE CONGLOMERATE AND IN REPLACEMENT ZONES WITHIN THE
  • CONGLOMERATE. MINERALIZED FRACTURES CONTINUE DOWNWARD INTO THE HARMONY FORMATION, BUT THERE IS NOTICEABLY LESS EXTENSIVE MINERALIZATION ADJACENT TO THEM THERE. SULFIDE CONTENT IN ORE ZONES IN THE BASAL CONGLOMERATE OF THE BATTLE FORMATION RANGES 10-50 VOLUME PERCENT AND CONSISTS MOSTLY OF PYRRHOTITE AND PYRITE. LOCAL POD-LIKE REPLACEMENT BODIES OF FE-RICH SPHALERITE AND GALENA HAVE ALSO BEEN RECOGNIZED. OTHER SULFIDES IN DECREASING ABUNDANCE INCLUDE MARCASITE (REPLACING PYRRHOTITE), CHALCOPYRITE, AND ARSENOPYRITE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1900
Discoverer L. Sands, W. Gibson
Year of first production 1925
Year of last production 1982
Production years 1925; 1927-28; 1935; 1937-38; 1948-49; 1978-82.

Mining district

District name Battle Mountain District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Battle Mountain Gold Co.

Production statistics

  • Year 1982
    Period 1978-1982
    Material ORE-AU,AG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.09 Opt Au, 0.28 Opt Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 8g/mt
    Major Ore Gold Gold 3g/mt

Comments on the workings information

  • PRE-1965 WORKINGS CONSISTED OF 3 SHORT ADITS AND AN OPEN PIT. 1978-82 PRODUCTION WAS BY OPEN PIT.

Comments on development

  • THE PROPERTY WAS LOCATED BY LYMAN SANDS AND WILLIAM GIBSON ABOUT 1900. WORK WAS SPORADIC WITH NO PRODUCTION UNTIL 1926 WHEN SANDS ERECTED A 35 TPD DENVER QUARTZ MILL SE OF THE MINE. THE MILL OPERATED FOR 7 MONTHS, TREATING 4000 TONS OF ORE. THE PROPERTY WAS THEN ACQUIRED BY SHOVELIN, WHOSE LESSEES SHIPPED SOME ORE TO UTAH SMELTERS THROUGH 1938. IN 1948, A ROAD WAS CONSTRUCTED TO THE COPPER CANYON MINING CO. MILL A MILE TO THE NORTH, AND 5723 TONS OF ORE WERE TRUCKED THERE FROM THE TOMBOY MINE FOR PROCESSING. THE HEADS AVERAGED 0.22 OPT AU AND THE RECOVERY WAS 0.18 OPT AU. DUVAL CORP. (NOW BATTLE MOUNTAIN GOLD CO.) ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY IN 1968. DUVAL MINED THE TOMBOY-MINNIE DEPOSITS 1978-1982.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit REFER ALSO TO MINNIE MINE (RECORD #231355).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 La Pointe, D. D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-OCT-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.