Hornsilver Mine

Past Producer in Butte county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Zinc, Lead, Copper, Antimony, Bismuth
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. Mineral rights holdings
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10071907
MRDS ID W015671
MAS/MILS ID 0160230005
Record type Site
Current site name Hornsilver Mine
Alternate or previous names Horn Silver, Era-Hornsilver

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -113.57308, 43.5966 (WGS84)
Elevation 1981
Relative position 13.5 MI W OF ARCO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Butte(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Champagne Creek(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Arco(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Idaho Falls(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lake Walcott(hydrologic unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management ID)

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

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Butte

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 003N 024E 11,14 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • Head Of Champagne Creek On S Side Valley

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cerargyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Enargite Ore
Famatinite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Wurtzite Ore
Barite Gangue
Chalcedony Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation
  • (Local) Fe Stains
  • (Local) Silicification
  • (Local) Sericitization

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Challis Volcanics-Andesite
    Rock description Challis Volcanics-Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Cu Basin Formation: Qtzite, Shl, Sla, Limestone
    Rock description Cu Basin Formation: Qtzite, Shl, Sla, Lst

Nearby scientific data

(1) -113.57308, 43.5966

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Minor Faults

Ore body information

  • General form VEINLETS
    Strike N 15 DEG E
    Dip 85 DEG NW
    Width 6.1M
    Depth to bottom 18.29M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Brecciated Zone
  • Fissures

Comments on the geologic information

  • Copper Basin Formation Inferred From Nelson And Ross (1968)
  • Original Structures entry: Minor Faults
  • Original Alteration entry: Oxidation, Fe Stains, Silicification, Sericitization
  • Original Ore Control entry: Brecciated Zone, Fissures

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1883
Discoverer Frank Martin

Mining district

District name Lava Creek District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Patented

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Era Mining And Development Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Era Mining And Development Co.
    First year 1948

Production statistics

  • Year 1887
    Period 1886-1887
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^30 Oz Ag/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Silver Silver 847g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production Above Probably Includes Some From Last Chance Mine; Value Item 8, $149,000; 393.17 Oz Au And Some Cu Produced 1943-1946 Also

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 914.4M
    Overall depth 86.87M

Comments on the workings information

  • Pits, Cuts, Shafts, Caved Tunnels All Inaccessible; Diamond Drill Holes By USBM In 1946

Comments on development

  • 9 Unpatented, 10 Patented Claims

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Vein Several Hundred Yards Long But Only 300 Ft Mined; Vein Strike Ranges From N 10 - 20 Deg E

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1977 Siefken, Robert R. (Miller, Pat) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 30-JAN-1995 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.