1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Goldstrike Mine

Producer in Eureka county in Nevada, United States with commodity Gold
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Reserves and resources
  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 10047014
MRDS ID M242254
Record type Site
Current site name Goldstrike Mine
Alternate or previous names Western States Minerals Mine, Bazza, Post, Deep Post
Related records 10173988, 10310438

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.36565, 40.97157 (WGS84)
Elevation 1695

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eureka(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rodeo Creek NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Battle Mountain(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 Eureka

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 036N 050E 30 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • INFO FROM LAND.ST :1972

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AU OCCURS AS MICRON TO SUBMICRON-SIZED PARTICLES ASSOCIATED WITH QUARTZ AND CLAYS IN THE OXIDE ZONES AND WITH PYRITE AND MARCASITE IN THE SULFIDE ZONES. SIMPLE REFRACTORY ORE IN THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE POST OREBODY IS CHARACTERIZED BY SILICIFICATION WITH 5-10% DISSEMINATED PYRITE. REALGAR AND ORPIMENT OCCUR IN THE DEEP POST OREBODY SPATIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GOLD MINERALIZATION BUT CONTAIN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS GOLD THAN THE FINE-GRAINED IRON SULFIDES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Orpiment Ore
Realgar Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Decarbonitization, Silicification

Analytical data

Result ERDMAN, ET AL (1990) REPORT THAT SAMPLES OF BIG SAGEBRUSH (ARTEMESIA TRIDENTATA) SHOW ELEVATED LEVELS OF GALLIUM THAT SPATIALLY CORRELATE WITH THE BETZE OREBODY.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 172
USGS model code 26a
Deposit model name Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 15

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Goldstrike Stock
    Rock description Goldstrike Stock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Roberts Mountains Formation;Popovich Formation;Rodeo Creek Unit
    Rock description Roberts Mountains Formation;Popovich Formation;Rodeo Creek Unit

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.36565, 40.97157
ListMap

Economic information

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1965
Year of first production 1977
Production years 1977 - 1978 (?); 1986 - PRESENT (3/92)

Mining district

District name Bluestar-Goldstrike Subdistrict; Carlin District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner American Barrick Resources Corp., Mr. John T. Mc Donough, Vp And General Manager
    Home office P.O. Box 29, Elko, Nv 89801

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Total resources 1360000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.129 g/mt Gold Major 1983
  • Type In-situ
    Name WESTERN STATES
    Estimate year 1986
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.552 g/mt Gold Major 1986
  • Type In-situ
    Name BARRICK
    Estimate year 1988
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 4.743 g/mt Gold Major 1988
  • Type In-situ
    Name BARRICK - DEEP POST OREBODY
    Estimate year 1989
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 7.99 g/mt Gold Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Name BARRICK
    Estimate year 1990
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 3.388 g/mt Gold Major 1990

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1990 FIGURES BY HUSPENI REPRESENT THE COLLECTIVE AMERICAN BARRICK AND NEWMONT GEOLOGIC RESOURCE FOR THE COMBINED POST/BETZE MINERALIZED SYSTEM.
  • 1986 FIGURES ARE PRE-MINING ESTIMATES BY WESTERN STATES AT POST OREBODY. 1988 FIGURES AS OF 12/31/88 AT POST, DEEP POST, AND BETZE OREBODIES. OXIDE ORE WITH A GRADE OF 0.008-0.040 OPT AU IS HEAP LEACHED. 1989 AND 1990 FIGURES FOR NEWMONT AS OF 12/31/89 AND 12/31/9AT POST OREBODY USING 88% MILL RECOVERY RATE. 1990 FIGURES FOR AMERICAN BARRICK AS OF 12/31/90. THESE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE THE PURPLE VEIN WHICH HAS INFERRED RESOURCES OF 13 MILLION TONS/0.40 OPT AU. THE PURPLE VEIN WILL BE DEVELOPED UNDERGROUND AS THE MEIKLE MINE.
  • 1988 FIGURES AS OF 12/31/88 FOR AMERICAN BARRICK AT POST, DEEP POST, AND BETZE OREBODIES.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall depth 457.2M
    Overall length 2133.6M
    Overall width 1219.2M

Comments on the workings information

  • THE GOLDSTRIKE PROPERTY CONSISTS OF 6870 ACRES. DIMENSIONS ARE FOR THE ULTIMATE PIT IN THE BETZE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, USING A STRIP RATIO OF 6.4:1. THIS PIT PLAN INCLUDES THE REMOVAL OF 815.6 MILLION TONS WASTE. WATER INFLOW INTO THE POTENTIAL PIT AT 2000 FT. BELOW THE GENERAL LAND SURFACE IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 40,000 GALLONS/MIN AT 125 DEGREES F. SULFIDE ORE IS TREATED IN A 5000 TON/DAY AUTOCLAVE CIRCUIT COMMISSIONED 2/2/90. THE CIL PLANT WILL BE CONVERTED PROGRESSIVELY TO GIVE A TOTAL SULFIDE CAPACITY OF 12,750 TON/DAY BY 1993.

Comments on development

  • EXPL.COM: DIAMOND DRILLING IN THE 1960'S INTERSECTED GOLD MINERALIZATION, BUT GOLD PRICES WERE TOO LOW TO ENCOURAGE FURTHER WORK. BETWEEN 1975-77, EXPLORATION FUNDED BY LAC MINERALS LTD. IDENTIFIED SOIL GEOCHEMICAL ANOMALIES AND LOW GRADE GOLD MINERALIZATION. A 2000 TON SAMPLE LEACHED ON A PAD GAVE POOR RECOVERIES BECAUSE OF HIGH CLAY CONTENT AND COMPACTION. FURTHER BATCH MINING WAS DONE FROM 1978 ONWARD. THE POST SURFACE OREBODY WAS DISCOVERED BY WESTERN STATES MINERALS IN 1982 USING DIAMOND DRILLING. IN OCTOBER 1986, WESTERN STATES DRILLED ONE DEEP CORE HOLE TO 1800 FT., INTERSECTING 391 FT./0.193 OPT AU AT A DEPTH OF 1164-1555 FT. AMERICAN BARRICK PURCHASED THE GOLDSTRIKE OPERATIONS AND PROPERTY OUTRIGHT FOR $62 MILLION ON 12/31/86 FROM THE JV OF PANCANA INDUSTRIES AND WESTERN STATES MINERALS CORPORATION. AMERICAN BARRICK CONTINUED THE DEEP DRILLING AND IDENTIFIED RESERVES OF 9.3 MILLION TONS AT 0.283 OPT AU AT DEEP POST BY 1989. IN MARCH 1987, A DEEP HOLE DRILLED TO TEST
  • AN IP ANOMALY 3000 FT. NW OF POST INTERSECTED THE BETZE OREBODY AT A DEPTH OF APPROXIMATELY 1000 FT. FURTHER DRILLING IN 1987 INDICATED THAT ORE WAS CONTINUOUS BETWEEN DEEP POST AND BETZE. IN JANUARY 1989, THE BETZE DEVELOPMENT PLAN WENT INTO EFFECT, COVERING MINING TO THE YEAR 2000 AND PROCESSING TO 2006. THE BETZE PIT WILL BE DEVELOPED AS A PROGRESSIVE EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING POST PIT. THE MINE PLAN DOES NOT INCLUDE THE DEEP POST OREBODY. IN AUGUST 1989, NEWMONT GOLD CO. REPORTED A DRILL INTERSECTION OF 350 FT. AT 0.768 OPT GOLD FROM A HOLE COLLARED A FEW HUNDRED FEET SOUTH OF THE NEWMONT/BARRICK PROPERTY BOUNDARY. THIS INTERCEPT WAS FROM A PORTION OF THE DEEP POST OREBODY THAT EXTENDS ONTO NEWMONT GOLD PROPERTY. NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN BETWEEN AMERICAN BARRICK AND NEWMONT GOLD FOR THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEEP POST OREBODY. ; TOTAL$: 365 ; ECON.COM: OVERALL PRODUCTION COSTS FOR AMERICAN BARRICK AT THE END OF 1988 WERE $250/OZ. AU. MILLING AND PROCESSING
  • COSTS FOR THE 12,750 TPD OF 0.38 OPT AU SULFIDE ORE HAVE BEEN CALCULATED TO BE $16.29/TON. THE ESTIMATED AVERAGE CASH COST PER OUNCE OF GOLD OVER THE LIFE OF THE BETZE DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS $195 (CONSTANT 1989 DOLLARS). THE OVERALL CASH COST OF MINING ORE AND WASTE FROM THE BETZE PIT IS PREDICTED TO BE ABOUT 87 CENTS/TON (CONSTANT 1989 DOLLARS). THE CURRENT COST OF 70 CENTS/TON IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO $1.20/TON TOWARD THE END OF MINING. THERE WERE 820 FULL-TIME AMERICAN BARRICK EMPLOYEES AT GOLDSTRIKE IN MID-1989. EMPLOYMENT IS EXPECTED TO LEVEL OUT AT ABOUT 1100 PEOPLE BY 1991. THE AVERAGE WAGE OF HOURLY AMERICAN BARRICK EMPLOYEES AT GOLDSTRIKE IS $13.50-$14.00/HOUR. FRANCO-NEVADA HAS A 4% ROYALTY AND 5% NPI.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    DIVISION OF MINE INSPECTION, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINE OPERATIONS ACTIVE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1983, 1982, 1981.

  • Deposit

    BONHAM, H.F. 1986, NBMG MAP 91.

  • Deposit

    BONHAM, H.F. 1988, IN NBMG MI-1987.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL/MONTAGU MINING FINANCE DATABASE 8/10/91

  • Deposit

    "GOLDSTRIKE MINE", MINING MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 1989, V. 161, NO. 4, P. 269-272.

  • Deposit

    "AMERICAN BARRICK - GROWING FAST WITH GOLDSTRIKE", INTERNATIONAL MINING, APRIL 1989, V. 6, NO. 4, P. 9-11.

  • Deposit

    "STRIKING IT RICH FOR AMERICAN BARRICK", CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 1989, V. 110, NO. 11, P. 45-62.

  • Deposit

    NEWMONT GOLD CORPORATION 1990 ANNUAL REPORT

  • Deposit

    HUSPENI, J.R., 1990, GEOLOGY OF THE POST GOLD DEPOSIT [ABS]: GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, RENO/SPARKS, NEVADA, 1990, P. 67.

  • Deposit

    ERDMAN, J.A., ET AL, 1990, GALLIUM, A REDISCOVERED PATHFINDER ELEMENT; EXAMPLE, SAGEBRUSH OVER THE BETZE GOLD DEPOSIT, NV, EXPLORE, NO. 68, P. 5-6.

  • Deposit

    MCCARTHY, J.H., ET AL, 1988, EVALUATION OF MULTIPLE GEOCHEMICAL SAMPLE MEDIA AT THE BETZE GOLD DEPOSIT, EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA, IN SCHINDER, K.S., ED., USGS RESEARCH ON MINERAL RESOURCES - 1989, PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS, USGS CIRCULAR 1035, P. 45-47.

  • Deposit

    "A NEW TREND AT CARLIN", MINING MAGAZINE, MARCH 1988, P. 166.

  • Deposit

    ROCKY MOUNTAIN PAY DIRT, JUNE 1988, P. 3A.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY - 1990, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1990.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Deposit

    NEVADA DIVISION OF MINERALS, 1994

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN BARRICK, 1993 ANNUAL REPORT

  • Production

    BONHAM, 1988. MINING JOURNAL/MONTAGU MINING FINANCE DATABASE 8/10/91. NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY - 1990, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI - 1990. NBMG MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    BONHAM, 1988. HUSPENI, J.R., 1990, GEOLOGY OF THE POST GOLD DEPOSIT [ABS]: GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, RENO/SPARKS, NEVADA, 1990, P. 67. NBMG MI-1993

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1960'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1988 Lapointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-MAR-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) 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.