Hilltop Mine

Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Bismuth, Tin
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. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044080
MRDS ID M231404
Record type Site
Current site name Hilltop Mine
Alternate or previous names Independence
Related records 10310570

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.80649, 40.41547 (WGS84)
Elevation 2067
Relative position 20 MI. SSE OF TOWN OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Lewis(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Crescent Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Humboldt(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 029N 096E 04 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Tin Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Iron Gangue
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Chloritic, Sericitic

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 75
USGS model code 19c
Deposit model name Distal disseminated Ag-Au
Mark3 model number 18

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Altered Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Altered Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Quartzite
    Rock description Quartzite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.80649, 40.41547

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Roberts Mtns. Thrust, At Depth

Ore body information

  • Strike NW
    Dip VERTICAL

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Brecciation Of Quartzite, Fractures

Comments on the geologic information

  • "SHATTERED QUARTZITE IS SEAMED WITH STRINGERS OF QUARTZ AND IRON OXIDE CARRYING A LARGE AMOUNT OF FREE GOLD. HERE AND THERE ARE SMALL BODIES OF PYRITE AND GALENA IN THE FRACTURE PLANES OF QUARTZITE AND MINUTE STRINGERS OF GRAY METALLIC MINERAL SAID TO CONTAIN BISMUTH. ASSAYS SHOW SILVER...BY WEIGHT EQUAL TO GOLD. THE QUARTZITE NEAR THE ORE IS IMPREGNATED WITH PYRITE AND LOCALLY DECOMPOSED TO A SOFT WHITE CLAYLIKE SUBSTANCE SAID TO CARRY HIGH VALUES IN GOLD."-EMMONS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1906
Year of first production 1912

Mining district

District name Hilltop District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on development

  • IN 1907, HIGH-GRADE GOLD ORE WAS DISCOVERED IN HILLTOP CANYON. HILLTOP MINE WAS LOCATED IN 1906(?). HILLTOP MINING AND REDUCTION CO. BUILT A 10-STAMP MILL IN 1910; IN 1914 IT WAS CONVERTED TO A CYANIDATION MILL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STAGER, H. K., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LANDER CO., NEV.; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL. 88, PT II

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, W. H., 1910, RECONNAISSANCE OF SOME MINING CAMPS IN NEVADA; USGS BULL. 408

  • Deposit

    VANDERBURG, W. O., 1939, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN LANDER CO., NEV: USBM INFO. CIRC. 7043

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit "SHATTERED QUARTZITE IS SEAMED WITH STRINGERS OF QUARTZ AND IRON OXIDE CARRYING A LARGE AMOUNT OF FREE GOLD. HERE AND THERE ARE SMALL BODIES OF PYRITE AND GALENA IN THE FRACTURE PLANES OF QUARTZITE AND MINUTE STRINGERS OF GRAY METALLIC MINERAL SAID TO CONTAIN BISMUTH. ASSAYS SHOW SILVER...BY WEIGHT EQUAL TO GOLD. THE QUARTZTITE NEAR THE ORE IS IMPREGNATED WITH PYRITE AND LOCALLY DECOMPOSED TO A SOFT WHITE CLAYLIKE SUBSTANCE SAID TO CARRY HIGH VALUES IN GOLD."-EMMONS
Deposit IN 1907, HIGH-GRADE GOLD ORE WAS DISCOVERED IN HILLTOP CANYON, BEGINNING RUSH TO THE AREA. HILLTOP MILLING AND REDUCTION CO. BUILT A 10-STAMP MILL IN ABOUT 1910; CONVERTED IN 1914 TO A CYANIDATION MILL. HILLTOPS INDEPENDENCE MINES WERE LOCATED IN 1906. PAINCIPAL PRODUCTION FROM HILLTOP DISTRICT WAS FROM 1912 TO 1921. TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM THE DISTRICT FROM 1902 TO 1936 WAS $701,855, MAINLY IN SILVER AND GOLD, WITH SOME COPPER AND LEAD. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1981 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.