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Big Step Prospect

Occurrence in Bonner county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold, Copper, Molybdenum
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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. 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. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069949
MRDS ID W007751
Record type Site
Current site name Big Step Prospect
Related records 10289917

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.90527, 48.42316 (WGS84)
Elevation 701
Relative position 1.5 MI SW OF DICKENSHEET CROSSOVER (STATE ROUTE TO COOLIN, IDAHO); 18 MI NE OF TOWN OF PRIEST RIVER

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Bonner(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Outlet Bay(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Sandpoint(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Sandpoint(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Priest(hydrologic unit)

Pend Oreille(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

ST(Federal land areas administered by ST)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Bonner

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 059N 004W 31 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION OF ORIGINAL STRIKE AT CHIPMUNK RAPIDS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Gold Primary
Copper Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SILICEOUS AG ORE; ORIGINAL PIT AVERAGED 20 OZ AG/TON. LOCALLY, ASSAYS RANGED 1 TO 172 OZ/TON AG.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Saussuritization? Pyritization Silicification, Kaolinization, Sericitization, Bleaching By Hydrothermal Alteration

Analytical data

Result ASSAYS OF GRAB SAMPLES ACROSS MAIN SHOOT AVERAGED 48 OZ/TON AG
Result 0.3 TO 5% ZN AND PB 0.01 TO 0.04 OZ/TON AU. SOME CU

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Kaniksu Batholith-Granodiorite Porphyry;Quartz Monzonite
    Rock description Kaniksu Batholith-Granodiorite Porphyry;Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) Alluvial deposits.
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Complex Faulting; Ore Shoot Sheared And Disturbed; Gouge Zones; Both Pre - And Post - Mineral Movement.

Ore body information

  • General form MASSES AND STRINGERS
    Strike N 73 DEG E
    Dip NW
    Length 27.43M
    Width 3.05M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault

Comments on the geologic information

  • COOLIN FAULT ZONE STRIKES N 30 DEG E AND DIPS 48 DEG SE; SECONDARY FAULTS STRIKE N 30 TO 35 DEG E AND DIP 53 DEG NW.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1950

Mining district

District name Priest Lake District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Kaniksu National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Phelps Dodge Corp.

Comments on the workings information

  • BULLDOZER, COBRA DRILL AND DYNAMITE BY W. LINDSTROM AND MURRAYS. PHELPS DODGE'S WORK: GRAVITY, RESISTIVITY, I. P., CORE DRILLING DRILL HOLES TO 60 FT, 170 FT, AND 85 FT.

Comments on development

  • CLAIMS INCLUDE 1140 ACRES OF STATE - OWNED LEASED LAND ON E SIDE OF RIVER - SEVERAL CLAIMS ON W. SIDE OF RIVER (FED'L. LAND) INCLUDING ONE AT MISSION FALLS. 3 DDH'S TO 60 FT, 100 FT, AND 85 FT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SAVAGE, C. N., 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF BONNER COUNTY: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY COUNTY REPORT, NO. 6, 131 P.

  • Deposit

    SAVAGE, C. N., 1962, BIG STEP SILVER PROSPECT: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY OPEN - FILE REPORT.

  • Deposit

    1963 DIREXPL PHELPS DODGE CORP.

  • Deposit

    1963 GEOPHYS PHELPS DODGE CORP.

  • Deposit

    1967 GEOLMAP IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES & GEOL. CO. REPT. 6

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SOME OF AG MAY BE SUPERGENE IN ORIGIN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1974 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Phelps Dodge Corp. — acquired by Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Acquired by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold in 2007 in what was then the largest mining-industry deal ever (~US$26 B).

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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