Whitlach Mine

Past Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Gold
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. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045252
MRDS ID M232946
Record type Site
Current site name Whitlach Mine
Alternate or previous names Union Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.06954, 39.48214 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Austin(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Smith Creek Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Millett(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Reese(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Humboldt-Toiyabe 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 Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 019N 044E 30 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • CHOSE A POINT NEAR CENTER OF SECTION

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Polybasite Ore
Proustite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stephanite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Graphite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrolusite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation

Analytical data

Result ASSAYED AT $700 /TON IN 1864

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.06954, 39.48214

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Fractures, Postmineral Faults

Ore body information

  • Strike N40W
    Dip 45NW
    Plunge 45
    Plunge direction NW

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fractures

Economic information about the deposit and operations

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

Mining district

District name Reese River District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • TOTAL VALUE $5,000 TO $100,000; ACCORDING TO STEWART ET AL; ACCORDING TO ROSS, PRODUCTON TOTALS NEARLY $800,000, AND ACCORDING TO SCHMIDT; PRODUCTION WAS $3,500,000.?

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 190.5M

Comments on the workings information

  • LEVELS HAVE BEEN OPENED AT DEPTHS OF APPROXIMATELY 125, 200, 350, 450, 550, AND 625 FT. A WINZE ON THE VEIN NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 700-FT LEVEL. STOPES EXPLORE THE UNION VEIN, AND EITHER A BRANCH OR A SEPARATE VEIN HAS BEEN STOPED. CROSSCUTS WERE DRIVEN SOUTHWESTERLY. THE WILD JIM VEIN HAS BEEN STOPED RATHER EXTENSIVELY; THE SNOW FLAKE VEIN HAS LITTLE STOPPING. A CROSSCUT HAS BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 1700 FT NORTHEAST FROM THE SHAFT AT THE 350-FT LEVEL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STEWART, J.H., MCKEE, E.H., AND STAGER, H.K., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LANDER COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 88.

  • Deposit

    ROSS, C.P., 1953, THE GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE REESE RIVER DISTRICT, LANDER COUNTY, NEVADA: USGS BULL. 997.

  • Deposit

    HUGHES, H.H., 19558 CONFIDENTIAL REPORT ON AUSTIN, NEVADA PROPERTIES OF HERCULES MINES COMPANY (UNPUB.): NBMG FILES.

  • Deposit

    SCHMIDT, F.S., (UNPUBLISHED), AUSTIN CUSTOM MILL REPORT: NBMG FILES.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MUCH OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE DISTRICT WAS AT THE PLYMOUTH AND UNION MINES IN 1888-1889. IN 1890 45 MEN WERE EMPLOYED AT THE UNION, AND THE ORE AVERAGED 250 OUNCES TO THE TON. DEVELOPMENT THEN WAS CARRIED OUT IN PART BY THE MANHATTAN SILVER MINING CO, WHICH CARRIED WORK DOWN TO THE 200-FT LEVEL. LATER DEVELOPMENT WAS DONE BY THE AUSTIN MINING CO. IN THE 1890'S. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit THE UNION VEIN HAS BEEN MINED FOR ABOUT 600 FT. DOWNDIP. A RICH ORE SHOOT WAS PART OF THE WHITLACH VEIN. TWO OTHER VEINS ARE PRESENT AT THE MINE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1981 Flynn, Patricia D. (Tingley, J. V.) 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.