Western Hog Ranch Mine

Producer in Washoe county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Mercury, Uranium
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10047581
MRDS ID M242957
Record type Site
Current site name Western Hog Ranch Mine
Alternate or previous names Hog Ranch Mine, Hog Ranch Gold Mine, Hog Ranch Occurrence, Krista Pit, East Deposit, Geib Pit, Bell Springs Deposit, NBMG Sample Site 2410, Locality No.6.
Related records 10310380

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.4513, 41.15793 (WGS84)
Elevation 1908
Relative position NORTH END OF GRANITE RANGE ABOUT 35 MILES N OF GERLACH

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Washoe(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Butte Spring(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

High Rock Canyon(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Vya(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Smoke Creek Desert(hydrologic unit)

Black Rock Desert(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CA)

Bureau of Land Management CA BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Washoe

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 037N;038N 022E;023E 02,03,07,06,11,19,24,25,26 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • UTM IS TO CENTRAL PORTION OF THE KRISTA PIT, ONE OF SEVERAL PITS AT HOG RANCH.; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = VYA (1970) 1:250000; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = BUTTE SPRING (1979) 1:24000

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Mercury Tertiary
Uranium Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • GOLD OCCURS AS FINELY DISSEMINATED FLECKS, AND IN SOME PLACES, IS ASSOCIATED WITH PYRITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Gangue
Chalcedony Gangue
Clay Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal: Silicification, Opalization, Kaolinization (All Pervasive)

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 104
USGS model code 25a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 45

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 15.1
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 15.1

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.4513, 41.15793

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Basin/Range Structural Province; Possible Collapse Caldera Or Failed Caldera System
Type of structure Local
Structure description Possible Major Ring-Fracture System - Cottonwood Creek Volcanic Center.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fractures

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE HOG RANCH PROPERTY IS LOCATED IN THE TRANSITIONAL ZONE BETWEEN THE COLUMBIA PLATEAU PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE TO THE NORTH, AND THE BASIN AND RANGE PROVINCE TO THE SOUTH. THE REGION EXHIBITS CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH PROVINCES. THE KRISTA PIT EXHIBITS A TYPICAL DISSEMINATED HOT-SPRING AU-AG DEPOSIT WHICH HAS STRONG STRUCTURAL CONTROL. GOLD VALUES ARE LARGELY FOUND, AND ARE HIGHEST IN THE MORE INTENSELY SILICIFIED (CHALCEDONY) ROCKS. PROBABLE NEAR SURFACE MINERALIZATION. SLIGHTLY ANOMALOUS RADIOACTIVITY HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM PETRIFIED WOOD IN LATE MIOCENE SEDIMENTARY ROCKS. URANIUM OCCURRENCES ALONG HOG RANCH CREEK WHICH EXTEND FOR SEVERAL MILES; +/-3000 M.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Year of first production 1986

Mining district

District name Leadville District (Closest One)

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Contractor: Ledcor Construction Inc.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Western Goldfields ; Western Mining Corp. Usa
    First year 1988

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Material ORE-AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.41 G/Tonne Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 1g/mt

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Total resources 4000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.282 g/mt Gold Major 1988

Comments on the workings information

  • 4 OPEN PITS: KRISTA, EAST, GEIB, AND BELL SPRINGS. CRUSHING AND HEAP LEACH FACILITY AND AU RECOVERY PLANT.

Comments on development

  • EXPL.COM: THE AREA UNDERWENT EXPLORATION FOR URANIUM PRIOR TO THE GOLD DISCOVERY. STAKED ABOUT 1980, OPTIONED BY NORANDA ABOUT 1984, WHO, WITH FERRET EXPLORATION DID EXTENSIVE DRILLING AND EXPLORATION ON IT. IN AUG. 1984, GEOMEX OWNED A 63% WORKING INTEREST IN HOG RANCH AND WAS DOING MORE DRILLING AND METALLURGICAL TESTING ON IT. IMPERIAL METALS HAD ACQUIRED AN INTEREST IN HOG RANCH BY FEB, 1986. WESTERN GOLDFIELDS AND FERRET EXPLORATION ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY AND WERE SEEKING OPERATION PERMITS IN MARCH 1986 WHICH WERE GRANTED WITH OPERATIONS COMMENCING IN APRIL, 1986. IN AUGUST 1986, OROFINO RESOURCES ACQUIRED A 10% INTEREST IN IT WITH OTHER PARTNERS WESTERN GOLDFIELDS, 50% ; GEOMEX MINERALS, 30%; AND MONTAGU MINING INVESTMENTS, 10%. LEACH PADS WERE BEING FILLED IN SEPT, 1986. IN APRIL 1987, ROYAL RESOURCES CORP BOUGHT UP ALL MONTAGU'S STOCK INCLUDING ITS 10% HOG RANCH INTEREST. FIRST POUR WAS IN LATE 1986 WITH EXPECTED PRODUCTION OF 50,000 OZ AU/YEAR. WESTERN GOLDFIELDS
  • INCREASED ITS INTEREST TO 65%. INITIAL MINING WAS MOSTLY AT THE KRISTA PIT WITH CONTINUED WORK TO DEVELOP ORE SOUTH OF KRISTA. FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR BELL SPRINGS DEPOSIT 4 MILES SW OF KRISTA PIT WAS UNDERWAY WITH PLANS TO START DEVELOPMENT ON IT IN 1988. ; TOTAL$: 7.7 ; ECON.COM: TOTAL PROJECT CAPITAL COST OF $7.7 MILLION. IN 1987, TOTAL UNIT COST PER TON OF ORE WAS $10.76 AND DIRECT OPERATING COST PER OUNCE OF AU WAS $214. AVERAGE STRIP RATIO IS 1.1:1. THE MINE PRODUCES DORE BARS CONTAINING 95% AU. THREE GRADE CATEGORIES ARE USED: ORE ( 0.025 OPT AU), RUN OF MINE MATERIAL (0.01 AND < 0.025 OPT AU), AND WASTE (<0.01 OPT AU). ORE IS CRUSHED TO MINUS 1.5 IN. IN TWO STAGES AND AGGLOMERATED WITH CEMENT, LIME, AND CYANIDE SOLUTION PRIOR TO STACKING ON THE HEAP LEACH PAD. RUN OF MINE MATERIAL IS TAKEN TO THE PAD AND IS STACKED ON TOP OF EXHAUSTED HEAPS FOR LEACHING. ESTIMATED AU RECOVERY FOR THIS MATERIAL IS 40%. IT PAYS FOR ITS MINING AND REAGENT COSTS, AND CONTRIBUTES ABOUT $1 PER TON
  • TO REVENUE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HARVEY, D.S., NOBLE, D.C., MCKEE, E.H., 1986, HOG RANCH PROPERTY: IN ISOCHRON WEST, NO 47.

  • Deposit

    DROSSULIS, KIM, 1988, GEOLOGY OF THE HOG RANCH MINE, WASHOE CO., NV: IN GSN 1988 SPRING FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK.

  • Deposit

    NBMG MINING DISTRICT FILE 314: NUMEROUS PRESS CLIPPINGS

  • Deposit

    NBMG MI-1987, 1988

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    JONES, R.B., 1984, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION

  • Deposit

    GARSIDE, L.J., 1973, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES IN NEVADA: NBMG BULL 81.

  • Deposit

    STAFF, 1988, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINE OPERATIONS ACTIVE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1987: NEVADA DIVISION OF MINE INSPECTION, 84P.

  • Deposit

    STAFF, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY: NBMG SPEC. PUB. MI-1990, P. 25 AND 44.

  • Deposit

    WESTERN MINING CORP, 1990, NUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1989-1990.

  • Deposit

    WESTERN MINING CORP, 1991, ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1990-1991.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Deposit

    NEVADA DIVISION OF MINERALS, 1994

  • Production

    NBMG MI-1987 NBMG MI-1990 P. 25. LINES 6-7: WESTERN MINING CORP, 1990, ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1989-1990. LINES 10-13: WESTERN MINING CORP, 1991, ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1990-1991. NBMG MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    NBMG MI-1993

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GOLD MINERALIZATION IS RELATED BOTH SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY TO PERALKALINE SILICIC VOLCANISM AND WITH A PROBABLE RING-FRACTURE SYSTEM. OPALITIC VEINING.
Deposit THIS RECORD IS AN UPDATED VERSION INCLUDING DUPLICATE INFORMATION FROM M232557, W700443, AND W700584, WHICH HAVE BEEN DELETED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1988 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1991 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-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.

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.