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Snowstorm Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold
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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. Workings at the site
  22. Links to other databases
  23. Bibliographic references
  24. General comments
  25. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067173
MRDS ID US16010
Record type Site
Current site name Snowstorm Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
Ore Body -115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF MULLAN
(click for info)
-115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) 1641
-115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) 1582
-115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) 1391
-115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) 1216
-115.72882, 47.48157 (WGS84) 1072

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Lookout Pass(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wallace(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wallace(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Coeur d'Alene(hydrologic unit)

Spokane(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Idaho Panhandle National Forests(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 048N 006E 19,20,29,30,31 Idaho

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Malachite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Sericite Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Azurite Trace
Copper Trace
Silver Trace

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Zone Extends To 1600 Foot Level

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 200
USGS model code Unassigned
Deposit model name Sediment-hosted Cu, Revett
Mark3 model number 64

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Revett Formation
    Rock description Revett Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Osburn Fault Zone
Type of structure Local
Structure description Snowstorm Fault, Granite Peak Syncline

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET, TABULAR
    Strike N 60 DEG W
    Dip 65S
    Plunge VERTICAL TO LOW ANGLE
    Plunge direction EAST
    Thickness 274
    Length 213.36M
    Width 12.19M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization Confined To 40 Ft Thick White Quartzite Member Of The Revett Fm.

Comments on the geologic information

  • SNOWSTORM FAULT CUTS OFF ORE BODY ON THE SOUTHERN END ; GEOL.ENV: M10GEOSYNCLINAL SED ROCKS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1901
Year of first production 1901
Year of last production 1943
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1901, 1904-1915, 1917, 1925-1928, 1943

Mining district

District name Hunter

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Snow Storm Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Larson, Idaho
    First year 1900
    Last year 1916
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Heward, J.H. & Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1904
    Last year 1906
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Snow Storm Mines Consolidated
    Interest 100
    Home office Spokane, Washington
    First year 1916
    Last year 1923
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Snow Storm Leasing Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1926
    Last year 1926
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Oregon-Idaho Mining and Concentrating Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1926
    Last year 1928
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Roberts-Coeur d'Alene Mining and Milling Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1927
    Last year 1927
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Snow Storm Silver-Lead Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1922
    Last year 1931
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner John Sekulic and others
    Interest 100
    First year 1943

Production statistics

  • Year 1983
    Period 1904-1943
    Material Ore
    Ore mined 749861mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major smelter recovery Copper Copper 25025mt 4wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • Ore production and metal recovery from Mitchell and Bennett (1983); grade data calculated from U.S. Bureau of Mines production data using historic mill recovery data.

Reserves and resources

  • Type Tailings
    Name Waste material in dumps at Snowstorm adits Nos. 1, 2, and 3
    Estimate year 1949
    Inferred 42220mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver 38.4 g/mt Silver Minor 1949
    Copper 1.08 wt-pct Copper Major 1949

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Resource estimated by V. Hollister in private report dated 10/1949.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Total Workings
    Area 0.245HA
    Length 213.36M
    Overall depth 487.68M
    Overall length 213.36M
    Overall width 12.19M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS ARE 1912 DATA. IN 1904 ORE WAS 4% CU, 6 OZ/TON AG, 0.1 OZ/TON AU

Comments on development

  • 4 TUNNELS ; ECON.COM: AERIAL TRAMWAY TRANSPORTED ORE TO LARSON TO A 100 TON/DAY CONCENTRATOR. (1912)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ABOVE STRIKE AND DIP REFER TO THE ENCLOSING REVETT FM

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-81 Unknown U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 21-OCT-90 Western Field Operations Center U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 01-MAR-05 Keith R. Long 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