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Relief Canyon Mine

Past Producer in Pershing county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Fluorine-Fluorite, Arsenic, Antimony, Mercury, Thallium
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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. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Reserves and resources
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10047165
MRDS ID M242418
Record type Site
Current site name Relief Canyon Mine
Alternate or previous names NBMG Sample Sites 2552, 2552, 2553, Bohannan Fluorite Prospect.
Related records 10310376, 10222191

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.17014, 40.20518 (WGS84)
Elevation 1737
Relative position 17 MILES NE OF LOVELOCK, NV.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pershing(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Buffalo Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Lovelock(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Lovelock(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Carson Desert(hydrologic unit)

Carson(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(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 Pershing

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 027N 034E 16,17,21 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • UTM IS TO NEAR CENTER OF DEPOSIT. . INFO FROM LAND.ST :1972

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Secondary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Mercury Tertiary
Thallium Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AU OCCURS AS 2-4 MICRON-SIZED FLAKES OF NATIVE AU AND RARELY AS ELECTRUM IN THE JASPEROIDS, CARBON-RICH ZONES, BRECCIA MATRIX, OR WITH AMORPHOUS HEMATITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Electrum Ore
Gold Ore
Silver Ore
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Serpentine Gangue
Talc Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Argillization, Propylitization. See Geology Comments.

Analytical data

Result NBMG ASSAYED THREE SAMPLES OF SILICIFIED, FE-OXIDE AND FLUORITE-BEARING LIMESTONE OF THE NATCHEZ PASS FORMATION. SAMPLE 2551 ASSAYED 1.7 PPM AU, 20 PPM AG, 400 PPM AS, 46 PPM SB, 150 PPM BA, 7 PPM CU, 100 PPM PB, 30 PPM ZN. SAMPLE 2552 ASSAYED 0.55 PPM AU, 20 PPM AG, 50 PPM AS, 22 PPM SB, NIL BA, 5 PPM CU, 100 PPM PB, 100 PPM ZN. SAMPLE 2553 ASSAYED 3.2 PPM AU, 200 PPM AG, 450 PPM AS, 82 PPM SB, 200 PPM BA, 100 PPM CU, 30 PPM PB, 35 PPM ZN. TYPICAL RANGES FOR TRACE ELEMENTS WITHIN SAMPLES THAT CONTAIN ANOMALOUS AU ARE: AG 0.3 PPM TO 40.3 PPM, AS 17 PPM TO 2620 PPM, SB 1 PPM TO 430 PPM, HG 1.8 PPM TO 18 PPM, AND F 190 PPM TO 11%.

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 > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Cane Spring Limestone;Grass Valley Shale;Natchez Pass Formation
    Rock description Cane Spring Limestone;Grass Valley Shale;Natchez Pass Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -118.17014, 40.20518
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Range Front Faults Terminate Ore To The West (Black Ridge Fault). The Dip Of The Brecciated Contact Between The Natchez Pass And Grass Valley Formations Varies And Has The Appearance Of A Ne-Sw Striking Anticline That Plunges To The Sw. A Small Fold Perpendicular To The Plane Of This Anticline Forms A Dome Over The Southerly Portion Of The Deposit.

Ore body information

  • General form DISSEMINATED, STRATABOUND AND STRATA-CONFORMABLE MINERALIZATION
    Depth to bottom 76.2M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Porosity Of Breccia.

Comments on the geologic information

  • OF THIS BRECCIA IS EQUIVOCAL. EARLY WORKERS CONCLUDED THAT IT IS A THRUST FAULT BRECCIA, BUT LATER WORKERS CONCLUDED THAT IT IS A SOLUTION COLLAPSE BRECCIA. AU VALUES TYPICALLY ARE HIGHEST IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE GRASS VALLEY FORMATION AT THE CONTACT WITH THE BRECCIA UNITS AND DECREASE TOWARD THE BASE OF THE BRECCIA UNITS. SEVERAL TYPES OF AU MINERALIZATION HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AT RELIEF CANYON. A LARGE AMOUNT OF ORE IS PRESENT AS A JASPEROID BRECCIA. HOWEVER, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ORE OCCUR AS A MIXED BRECCIA COMPOSED OF GRASS VALLEY AND NATCHEZ PASS FORMATIONS, CLAY, AND JASPEROID BRECCIA. AU ALSO OCCURS IN CLAY, A CONDITION WHICH PLAGUED LACANA'S EFFORTS TO HEAP LEACH THE ORE. BELOW MASSES OF JASPEROID, JASPEROID STRINGERS CONTAINING AU EXTEND INTO FRESH LIMESTONE OF THE NATCHEZ PASS FORMATION. IRREGULAR ZONES OF MINERALIZATION ARE ALSO PRESENT IN MINABLE QUANTITIES IN THE CANE SPRING FM. A DIORITE DIKE TERMINATES ORE TO THE EAST. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE RELIEF CANYON DEPOSIT
  • WAS COVERED BY QUATERNARY ALLUVIUM.
  • ALTERATION COMMENTS: SILICIFICATION, ARGILLIZATION, PROPYLITIZATION. TWO OBVIOUS ALTERATION FEATURES PRESENT AT SURFACE INCLUDE LARGE RESISTANT OUTCROPS OF JASPEROID AND WIDESPREAD IRON OXIDE STAINING. IN THE JASPEROID BRECCIA WITH CLAY SEAMS, AU MINERALIZATION IS RELATED TO BOTH SILICIFICATION AND ARGILLIZATION. IN THE MIXED BRECCIA AND LIMESTONE BRECCIA, AU MINERALIZATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH ARGILLIC ALTERATION. A DETAILED COMPARISON OF ALTERATION WITH GOLD GRADE FROM DRILL DATA INDICATES THAT THE HIGHEST AU VALUES ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH ARGILLIC ALTERATION RATHER THAN SILICIFICATION. AT SURFACE, DIORITE INTRUSIVES ARE BOTH EXTENSIVELY OXIDIZED AND PROPYLITIZED. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: HISTORIC FLUORITE PROSPECTING FOCUSSED ON MINOR AMOUNTS OF DISSEMINATED FLUORSPAR IN SHALE AND LIMESTONE OF THE NATCHEZ PASS FORMATION. GOLD MINERALIZATION AT RELIEF CANYON OCCURS ALONG THE HIGHLY BRECCIATED CONTACT BETWEEN THE NATCHEZ PASS FORMATION AND THE OVERLYING GRASS VALLEY FORMATION. THE NATURE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1979
Discoverer Jim Mckee, Senior Geologist For Duval Corp.
Year of first production 1984
Year of last production 1990
Production years 1984-1985; 1986-1990

Mining district

District name Antelope Springs District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pegasus Gold, Inc.
    Home office 9 North Post Street, Suite 400, Spokane, Wa 99201
  • Type Owner
    Owner Falconi And Associates

Production statistics

  • Year 1984
    Material ORE-AU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.035 Opt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 1g/mt
  • Year 1987
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.029 Oz/St Au, From 2.15 Million St Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 1g/mt
  • Year 1989
    Material ORE-AU,AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.028 Opt Au, 0.100 Opt Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 3g/mt
    Major Ore Gold Gold 1g/mt

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Total resources 3628000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.129 g/mt Gold Major 1983
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1986
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.847 g/mt Gold Major 1986
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.847 g/mt Gold Major 1987

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1986-87 RESERVE FIGURES ARE AS OF 12/31 FOR EACH YEAR.

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS RELATED TO HISTORIC FLUORITE PROSPECTING CONSISTED OF 105 FT. OF UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT, SMALL OPEN CUTS, AND PITS. THE MODERN GOLD MINE CONSISTED OF AN OPEN PIT WITH 15 FT HIGH BENCHES, LEACH PADS, AND A GOLD RECOVERY PLANT.

Comments on development

  • HEAP COMMENCED. A TOTAL OF 400,000 TONS OF ORE WAS TO BE PROCESSED IN 1984. THE FIRST BULLION WAS POURED IN OCT 1984. LACANA SUSPENDED OPERATIONS IN LATE 1985 BECAUSE OF DISAPPOINTING AU RECOVERY RATES LEACHING RUN OF MINE MATERIAL (MAX. OF 45% ACHIEVED). THE PROPERTY WAS ACQUIRED BY PEGASUS GOLD, INC. IN JULY 1986. AFTER ADDING CRUSHING AND AGGLOMERATING FACILITIES, PEGASUS PUT THE DEPOSIT BACK INTO PRODUCTION IN NOVEMBER 1986 AND REALIZED AU RECOVERY RATES ON THE ORDER OF 65%. PEGASUS CONCLUDED MINING OPERATIONS IN AUGUST, 1989, ALTHOUGH LEACHING OF ORE ALREADY ON THE PADS CONTINUED UNTIL AUGUST, 1990. ; TOTAL$: 2.7M ; ECON.COM: LACANA EMPLOYED 23 PERSONS AT RELIEF CANYON IN 1983. PEGASUS EMPLOYED 30 PERSONS AT RELIEF CANYON IN 1988; MORRISON-KNUDSEN WAS THE MINING CONTRACTOR, EMPLOYING AN ADDITIONAL 33 PERSONS AT RELIEF CANYON THAT YEAR. CASH COST OF PRODUCTION PER OUNCE OF GOLD WAS $283 IN 1987, $315 IN 1989, AND $438 IN 1990. STRIP RATIO WAS 1.53:1 IN 1989. IN 1989, AU RECOVERY
  • WAS 62% AND AG RECOVERY WAS 50%. RELIEF CANYON RETURNED $13.6 MILLION IN CASH FLOW ON AN INITIAL INVESTMENT OF $2.7 MILLION FOR PEGASUS GOLD CORP.
  • EXPL.COM: IN 1978, FALCONI AND ASSOCIATES LOCATED CLAIMS ON 2000 ACRES OVER THE LONG INACTIVE BOHANNON FLUORITE PROSPECT. IN 1979, DUVAL CORP INITIATED A PRECIOUS METALS EXPLORATION PROGRAM AND DISCOVERED GOLD ON THE FALCONI GROUND. DURING 1981-1982, DUVAL GOT AN OPTION FROM FALCONI AND STAKED AN ADDITIONAL 2300 ACRES. WIDELY SPACED DRILLING INDICATED LOW GRADE GOLD MINERALIZATION. IN OCTOBER, 1982, LACANA OPTIONED THE PROPERTY FROM DUVAL AND DETERMINED POTENTIAL FOR AN ECONOMIC HEAP-LEACHABLE GOLD DEPOSIT. IN 1983 LACANA PROVED UP THE DEPOSIT WITH A 50,000-FT DRILLING PROGRAM AND COMPLETED BULK HEAD LEACH TESTS ON TWO 4300-TON SAMPLES. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY STUDIES WERE INITIATED IN 1983 AND WERE APPROVED IN APRIL 1984, WITH CALCULATED RESERVES SUFFICIENT FOR AN 8 YEAR MINE LIFE AT A PRODUCTION RATE OF 24,500 OZ AU PER YEAR. CONSTRUCTION OF THE GOLD RECOVERY PLANT AND LEACH FACILITIES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED. IN SEPT 1984, SPRINKLING OF CYANIDE SOLUTION ONTO THE FIRST 100,000 TON ORE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    SAMPLES 2551-53: GEOCH EMISTRY DATABASE, NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY. TYPICAL RANGES: WITTKOP, R. W., PARRATT, R. L., BRUCE, W. R., 1984, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION AT THE RELIEF CANYON GOLD DEPOSIT, PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA, PREPRINT NO. 84-100, SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERS OF AIME, LITTLETON, CO, 5 PP.

  • Deposit

    FIANNACA, M. AND MCKEE, J., 1983, GEOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE RELIEF CANYON GOLD DEPOSIT, PERSHING CO., NV; PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 89TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST MINING CONVENTION, SPOKANE, WA, 1983

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA 1984 MEETING AND FIELD TRIP ROAD LOG, SEPT. 1984.

  • Deposit

    DIVISION OF MINE INSPECTION, DEC. 1983, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINING OPERATIONS, ACTIVE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1983.

  • Deposit

    NBMG MAP 84, 1983, ACTIVE MINES AND OIL FIELDS

  • Deposit

    LACANA GOLD INC.'S BROCHURE ON RELIEF CANYON MINE'S OFFICIAL OPENING, OCT, 1984.

  • Deposit

    WITTKOP, R. W., PARRATT, R. L., BRUCE, W. R., 1984, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION AT THE RELIEF CANYON GOLD DEPOSIT, PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA, PREPRINT NO. 84-100, SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERS OF AIME, LITTLETON, CO, 5 PP.

  • Deposit

    PEGASUS GOLD, 1988, RELIEF CANYON MINE CIRCULAR (UNPUBLISHED VISITOR'S FACT SHEET).

  • Deposit

    PEGASUS GOLD, INC., ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990.

  • Deposit

    SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO., 1964, MINERALS FOR INDUSTRY-NORTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWESTERN UTAH, SUMMARY OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF 1955-1961, V. 1: SAN FRANCISCO, SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO, P. 45.

  • Deposit

    WALLACE AND TATLOCK, 1962, SUGGESTIONS FOR PROSPECNG IN THE HUMBOLDT RANGE AND ADJACENT AREAS, NEVADA, USGS PP 450-B3-B5.

  • Deposit

    WALLACE,. E., SILBERLING, N. J., IRWIN, W. P., AND TATLOCK, D. B., 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE BUFFALO MOUNTAIN QUADRANGLE, PERSHING AND CHURCHILL COUNTIES, NEVADA, USGS MAP GQ-821.

  • Deposit

    TINGLEY, J. V., NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, COMPUTERIZED GEOCHEMISTRY DATABASE.

  • Deposit

    JOHNSON, M. G., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA, NBMG BULL. 89.

  • Deposit

    HORTON, R.C., 1961, AN INVENTORY OF FLUORSPAR OCCURRENCES IN NEVADA, NBMG REPT. 1.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, JUNE 1988, 45-46

  • Deposit

    BONHAM, H.F.JR, AND HESS, R. H., 1992, BULK-MINEABLE PRECIOUS-METAL DEPOSITS, IN THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY 1991, NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, SPECIAL PUB., MI-1991, P24

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Production

    1983-84 ANNUAL PRODUCTION: NBMG DISTRICT FILE BROCHURE. 1986-1990 ANNUAL PRODUCTION: PEGASUS GOLD, INC., ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990. 1987 GRADE DATA FROM E AND MJ. MI-1991 LISTS 1989 PRODUCON AS 30,266 OZ AU AND 32,835 OZ AG. MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    UNPUB. REPORT, 1983.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit RELIEF CANYON MINE DEVELOPMENT ENCOMPASSED THE INACTIVE BOHANNAN FLUORITE PROSPECT (RECORD M060411). THIS RECORD INCLUDES THE DATA FROM RECORD M060411, WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1984 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-DEC-1990 Berger, Mary A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1993 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.

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.