Iron Dike

Past Producer in Baker county in Oregon, 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. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069102
MRDS ID W002495
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Dike

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.85018, 45.02569 (WGS84)
Elevation 549

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Baker(county)

Oregon(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Homestead(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Riggins(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Grangeville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Brownlee Reservoir(hydrologic unit)

Middle Snake-Powder(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Oregon Baker

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Willamette 006S 048E 21 Oregon

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification Of Greenstones

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Rock unit name Wallowa Batholith Satellite Intrusions;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite
    Rock description Wallowa Batholith Satellite Intrusions;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Greenstone
    Rock unit name Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite
    Rock description Elkhorn Ridge Argillite;Elkhorn Ridge Argillite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) Seven Devils Group.

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne Trending Blue Mountains Uplift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Near-Horizontal Fault In Lowest Workings

Ore body information

  • General form LENS, EGG
    Strike N 20 DEG E
    Dip 60 DEG E
    Plunge 50 DEG
    Plunge direction E
    Length 76.2M
    Width 42.67M
    Depth to bottom 219.46M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization Is Grossly Confined To The Center Of A Folded Laharic Unit Although There Is Stockwork Mineralization In Associated Rhyolitic Pyroclastic Rocks.

Comments on the geologic information

  • GREENSTONES ARE PROBABLY CORRELATIVE WITH SEVEN DEVILS VOLCANICS OF IDAHO AND CLOVER CREEK GREENSTONE OF NE BAKER QUADRANGLE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1897
Production years 1908-1934

Mining district

District name Homestead

Land status

Ownership category Private
Area name Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Silver King Mines, Inc.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Texasgulf Inc.

Comments on the production information

  • DEVELOPMENT IS UNDERWAY. ORE IS BEING STOCKPILED. 35 PEOPLE EMPLOYED (1980)

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Total resources 158000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 2.7 wt-pct Copper Major 1979

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 289.56M

Comments on the workings information

  • ORE CUT OFF AT DEPTH BY A NEAR-HORIZONTAL FAULT. ON EITHER SIDE OF HIGH GRADE ORE IS A MUCH LARGER BODY OF DISSEMINATED CHALCOPYRITE IN GREENSTONE, WITH ABUNDANT QUARTZ SEAMS, VEINLETS, & NODULES THAT CONTAIN PYRITE. DEVELOPMENT & MINING IS UNDERWAY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BROOKS, H. C., AND RAMP, L., 1968, GOLD AND SILVER IN OREGON: OREGON DEPT. OF GEOL. AND MIN. INDUSTRIES BULL. 61, P. 93, 100

  • Deposit

    OREGON DEPT. OF GEOL. AND MIN. INDUSTRIES, 1939, OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK; NORTHEASTERN OREGON, EAST HALF: BULL. 14-A, P. 60

  • Deposit

    FREDERICKSEN, R., GALLAGHER, T.P., AND JUHAS, A.P., 1976, PRECIOUS AND BASE METAL MINERALIZATION AT THE IRON DIKE AND RED LEDGE DEPOSITS (ABS.): PAPER PRESENTED TO THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF

  • Deposit

    BROOKS, H.C. AND OTHERS, 1981, MAP OF THE GEOLOGY AND GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE BOURNE QUADRANGLE, BAKER AND GRANT COUNTIES, OREGON; ODGMI MAP GMS-19

  • Deposit

    OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, 1977, SUMMARY REPORT ON THE IRON DIKE MINE: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES.

  • Deposit

    1901 RECON LINDGREN

  • Deposit

    1914 ORE. BUREAU OF MINES, GEOL.

  • Deposit

    1916 ORE. BUREAU OF MINES. GEOL.

  • Deposit

    1968 COMPILE ORE. DEPT. GEOL. MIN. IND.

  • Production

    BROOKS AND RAMP, 1968, P. 94

  • Reserve-Resource

    PRESS RELEASE, BAKER, OR. RECORD COURIER, 3-22-79

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit RECORD (W017032) AND (M014603) MERGED AND DELETED FROM THE OREGON FILE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1974 Reeves, James R. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1982 Bradley, Robin (Walker, George W.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1993 Gray, Jerry J. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references