Blue Bird

Past Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Copper, 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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045955
MRDS ID M233855
Record type Site
Current site name Blue Bird

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -114.77061, 41.78408 (WGS84)
Elevation 1768
Relative position 2/3 MI. NW OF OLD TOWN OF CONTACT

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Contact(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Jackpot(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wells(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Salmon Falls(hydrologic unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(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 Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 064E 18 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Malachite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -114.77061, 41.78408

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Granodiorite Stock With Assoc. Faults & Fractures

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR, PINCH & SWELL
    Strike NE
    Dip 60SE
    Width 1.22M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intrusive Veins, Bedding In Sedimentary Rx2

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1884
Year of first production 1910

Mining district

District name Contact (48)

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Nevada Copper Co.
    First year 1967

Comments on the production information

  • 100 TONS ORE PRIOR TO 1910, AVG. 17-32% CU, 20 OZ/T AG; $2.00 AU/TON, PRINCIPAL SHIPMENTS MADE IN 1928. ORE SINCE 1910 HAS AVERAGED 6% CU AND 3 OZ AG/TON: TOTAL PRODUCTION LT $5000 WORTH.

Comments on development

  • PATENTED CLAIM. SOME PRODUCTION PRIOR TO 1910 (100 TONS) BUT PRINCIPAL PRODUCTION WAS IN 1928.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SMITH, R.M. (1976) MINERAL RESOURCES OF ELKO CO., NEV: USGS OFR 76-56, P 39-45.

  • Deposit

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1935) THE CONTACT MINING DISTRICT, NEVADA: USGS BUL 847-A

  • Deposit

    HOPE, R.A. & COATS, R.R. (1976) PRELIM. GEOLOGIC MAP OF ELKO CO., NEV: USGS OFR 76-779

  • Deposit

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1912) A RECONN. OF THE JARBIDGE, CONTACT, AND ELK MT. MINING DISTRICTS, ELKO COUNTY, NEVADA: USGS BUL 497.

  • Production

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1935); SMITH, R.M. (1976)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEIN
Deposit THE MINE IS LOCATED IN META-SEDIMENTS ABOUT 1000 FT. N OF GRANODIORITE CONTACT. THE VEIN (MOSTLY PINCHED AND INTERRUPTED) IS AN EASTERN CONTINUATION OF THE MAIN VEIN OF THE NEVADA-BELLEVIEW MINE. THE VEIN AVERAGES 4 FEET IN WIDTH. THE MINE WAS LOCATED IN 1884. FIRST PRODUCTION WAS PRIOR TO 1910 (100 TONS AVERAGING 17-32% CU, 20 OZ. AG AND $2.00 AU TO THE TON). SINCE 1910, ORE HAS AVERAGED 6% CU AND 3 OZ. AG PER TON. PRINCIPAL SHIPMENTS WERE IN 1928 (SCHRADER, 1935, P 26-8; AND 1912, P 113.) MINERAL SURVEY 3959 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Weimer, Becky S. 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.