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Big Squaw Creek Fluorspar Deposit

Occurrence in Idaho county in Idaho, United States with commodities Fluorine-Fluorite, Quartz, Clay
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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. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10071476
MRDS ID W014891
MAS/MILS ID 0160490177
Record type Site
Current site name Big Squaw Creek Fluorspar Deposit
Alternate or previous names Noussan Mine, Smothers Property, Sunnyside, Smothers Fluorspar Prospect\n\n

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -114.96926, 45.47908 (WGS84)
Elevation 1067
Relative position 13.5 MI NE OF CHAMBERLAIN AIR STRIP

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Idaho(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Devils Teeth Rapids(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Bighorn Crags(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Elk City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Salmon-Chamberlain(hydrologic unit)

Salmon(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bitterroot National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Idaho

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 025N 012E 27 SWSWNE Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • 18 Mi Downriver From End Of Road At Corn Creek, Between Big Squaw Creek And Smith Gulch.
  • Also In Sec 22.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Primary
Quartz Tertiary
Clay Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Fluorite Occurs In Both Massive And Coarse Granular Forms. It Grades From Transparent & Colorless To Translucent And Light Green & Purple

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Iron - Oxide Stains

Analytical data

Result NO. 1 ORE SHOOT AVG. 67.5% CAF2
Result NO. 2 ORE SHOOT AVG. 73.93% CAF2
Result NO. 3 ORE SHOOT AVG. 70.5% CAF2
Result FLUORITE STRINGERS CONSTITUTE LESS THAN 3% OF THE ROCK

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Gneissic Quartz Monzonite
    Rock description Gneissic Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Pre Belt-Biotite Gneiss
    Rock description Pre Belt-Biotite Gneiss
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -114.96926, 45.47908
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Brecciation
Structure description Brecciation
Type of structure Local
Structure name Fracture Zone
Type of structure Local
Structure name Faulting

Ore body information

  • General form NARROW STRINGERS TO MASSIVE QUARTZ BODIES
    Strike N 10 DEG W
    Dip 60 DEG E
    Thickness 4.27M
    Length 609.6M
    Width 7.62M
  • General form STRINGERS
    Length 1609.3M
    Width 1.52M
  • General form LINEAR
    Strike N 10 DEG W
    Dip 60 DEG E
    Length 329M
    Width 4.3M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 100M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracturing

Comments on the geologic information

  • Gneiss Banding Strikes N 55 - 75 Deg W And Dips 80 Deg NE; Across The Salmon River To The South, Cater ( 1973 , USGS Bulletin 1304 ) Labels Weis' Precambrian Gneissic Quartz Monzonite As Cretaceous Quartz Monzonite Of The Idaho Batholith
  • Numerous Quartz Veins Trend N 10 Deg E To N 30 Deg W And Dip 80 Deg Ne To 78 Deg NW
  • Fracture Zone On W Side Of River Offset 1 1/2 Mi By Fault; Fractured Zone Striking N 10 - 15 Deg E. Material Is On The Hanging Wall Of A Quartz Vein In Biotite Gneiss.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1860

Mining district

District name Salmon River District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Bitterroot National Forest
Ownership category National Primitive Area
Area name Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Don L. Smith

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Total resources 90000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Fluorine-Fluorite CaF2 70 wt-pct Fluorine Major 1972

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Ore Is Submarginal Due To Remote Location Of The Property.

Comments on the workings information

  • Trenching And 700 Ft. Of Diamond Drilling In Two Holes

Comments on development

  • Geologic Mapping, Trenching, Sampling, And Diamond Drilling Conducted In 1957 - 1958 Under A Dmea Contract.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Weis, P. L., Schmitt, L. J., And Tuchek, E. T., 1972; Mineral Resources Of The Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 1353-C, P 30 - 3

  • Deposit

    1943 Recon C. P. Ross, Bulletin 1353-C

  • Deposit

    1943 Recon USBM, USGS Bulletin 1353-C

  • Deposit

    1957 Other Defense Minerals Exploration Administration

  • Deposit

    1970 Recon P. L. Weis And Others, Bulletin 1353-C

  • Deposit

    1968 Geolmap Weis & Schmitt

  • Deposit

    1968 Geophys Davis, W. E. Aeromagnetic Survey

  • Deposit

    Cater, F. W., And Others, 1973, Mineral Resources Of The Idaho Primitive Area And Vicinity, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 1304, 431 P

  • Deposit

    WFOC Mineral Property File 0160850177

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit No. 1 Ore Shoot Is 183 M. Long And Averages 2.2 M. In Width. No. 2 Ore Shoot Located 76 M To The North Is 79 M. Long And Averages 2.4 M. In Width. No. 3 Ore Shoot Located Still Further North Is 67 M. Long And Averages 2.17 M. In Width.; Quartz Vein Described Above

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1974 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-MAY-1975 Schruben, Paul G. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-JUL-1976 Duncan, Daniel G. (Miller, Pat) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 25-NOV-1983 Western Field Operations Center (WFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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