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Morderalli Iron Mine

Past Producer in Eureka county in Nevada, United States with commodities Iron, Phosphorus-Phosphates
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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. Production statistics
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044727
MRDS ID M232302
Record type Site
Current site name Morderalli Iron Mine
Alternate or previous names Amarilla Mine, Simplot Mine, Mordarelli

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.26314, 40.3663 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eureka(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Thatcher Spring(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Crescent Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pine(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Eureka

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 029N 051E 30 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Phosphorus-Phosphates Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Martite Ore
Apatite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Volcanics Devitrified, Argillized, With Sericite, And Secondary Kspar

Analytical data

Result SEE SHAWE, ET AL (1962) P. 98

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 158
USGS model code 25i
Deposit model name Volcanic-hosted magnetite

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Frenchie Creek Rhyolite And Rhyodacite;Frenchie Creek Rhyolite And Rhyodacite
    Rock description Frenchie Creek Rhyolite And Rhyodacite;Frenchie Creek Rhyolite And Rhyodacite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyodacite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.26314, 40.3663
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Deposit On East Limb Of North Trending Anticline. Dips 60-80e

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ore Localized At Intersections Of Nw & Ne Trending Faults

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE OCCURS AS REPLACEMENT OF RHYODACITE AND RHYOLITE IN MESOZOIC VOLCANIC FLOWS AND IS LOCALIZED AT INTERSECTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST TRENDING FAULTS THAT CUT THE AREA. BOUNDARIES OF THE DEPOSITS ARE SHARP SO SELECTIVE MINING CAN BE USED. SOME PORTIONS OF THE DEPOSITS CONTAIN UP TO 6-7% PHOSPHOROUS. THE PRINCIPAL OREBODY IS TRIANGULAR IN PLAN AND DIPS 60NE. (ROBERTS, 1967). A CONSPICUOUS SILICIFIED ZONE MAY HAVE CONTROLLED IN PART THE EXTENT OF MINERALIZATION ON THE NORTHWEST. THE IRON WAS PROBABLY DERIVED FROM LOWER CRET. PLUTONIC ROCK, WHICH WAS DEUTERICALLY ALTERRED (MUFFLER, 196).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1903
Discoverer A. Plummer
Year of first production 1951

Mining district

District name Modarelli-Frenchie Creek District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Production statistics

  • Year 1961
    Period 1951-1961
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Ave. 57.8% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 58wt-pct

Comments on development

  • MINING BEGAN IN 1951. SE PORTION OF THE DEPOSIT IS HIGHER GRADE THAN THE REST. THE DEPOSIT WAS INVESTIGATED BY THE U.S.B.M. DURING W.W. II

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R. J., ET AL (1967) GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF EUREKA CO., NEV. BUR. OF MINES BULL. 64

  • Deposit

    USBM (WINNEMUCCA) MILS NO. 89, REFERENCE NO. 3201100028

  • Deposit

    SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO. (1964) MINERALS FOR INDUSTRY, P. 92

  • Deposit

    MUFFLER, L. J. (1964) GEOLOGY OF THE FRENCHIE CREEK QUADRANGLE, USGS BULL. 1179

  • Deposit

    SHAWE, F. R., REEVES, R. G., KRAL, V. E. (1962) IRON ORE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA, PART C., N B OF M BULL 53

  • Production

    SHAWE, F. R. ET AL, (1962)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DISCOVERED IN 1903 BY A. PLUMMER. MINING BEGAN IN 1951 WITH TOTAL PRODUCTION THROUGH 1961 OF 395,900 LONG TONS OF IRON ORE. AVERAGE GRADE WAS 57.8% FE. ONLY THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF OF THE DEPOSIT IS ORE, MOST OF THE REMAINDER IS TOO LOW GRADE. THE DEPOSIT WAS INVESTIGATED BY THE USBM DURING WW II. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit ORE OCCURS AS REPLACEMENT BODIES LOCALIZED AT INTERSECTIONS OF FAULTS CUTTING VOLCANIDS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1980 Kirkham, Richard A. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

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.