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Hercules Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Nickel
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10078354
MRDS ID W026644
Record type Site
Current site name Hercules Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-115.81822, 47.54297 (WGS84) 1829 at headwaters of Gorge Gulch
(click for info)
-115.81822, 47.54297 (WGS84) 1718 headwaters of Gorge Gulch
-115.81822, 47.54297 (WGS84) 1559 on west side of Gorge Gulch
-115.81822, 47.54297 (WGS84) 1407 on west side of Gorge Gulch
-115.81822, 47.54297 (WGS84) 832 on north side of South Fork of Coeur d'Alene River

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Burke(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Thompson Falls(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 049N;048N;048N 005E;005E;004E 33,34;03;27 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • AT HEAD OF GORGE GULCH, N OF BURKE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Gold Tertiary
Nickel Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Cerussite Ore
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Arsenopyrite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Andradite Gangue
Grunerite Gangue
Adularia Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Actinolite Gangue
Anglesite Trace
Silver Trace
Plattnerite Trace
Jamesonite Trace
Bournonite Trace
Niccolite Trace
Pyromorphite Trace
Silver Trace

Host and associated rocks

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

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description West Limb of Burke Anticline
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Hercules-Mercury Fault a shear zone cutting west limb of Burke Anticline. Fault steepens and splays at depth. This fault is complementary to a set of NS faults that join the Osburn and Thompson Pass faults.

Ore body information

  • Name Hercules Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N 65 DEG W
    Dip 75 DEG SSW
    Thickness 1040.89M
    Length 243.84M
    Width 15.24M
    Depth to top 1851.66M
    Depth to bottom 810.77M
  • Name Mountain View Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Thickness 183
    Length 122
  • Name Hummingbird Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL

Comments on the ore body information

  • The main Hercules oreshoot, mine through 1925, passed abruptly at depth into a 200 foot thick (vertical) zone of pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralization, then passed into a pyrite only zone.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1889
Year of first production 1901
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1901-1925, 1930-1931, 1934-1935, 1937-1938, 1941, 1945-1960, 1962, 1964-1965

Mining district

District name Lelande

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hercules Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1889
    Last year 1947
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Day Mines Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1947
    Last year 1981
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1981

Production statistics

  • Year 1983
    Period 1901-1965
    Material Ore mined
    Ore mined 3192921mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major smelter recovery Silver Silver 932mt 331g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production data from Mitchell and Bennett (1983) using production data reported to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Grade data from Long (1998).

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Total development through 1960
    Length 31321.55M

Comments on the workings information

  • LENGTH OF WORKINGS A 1961 FIGURE.

Comments on development

  • 136 PATENTED CLAIMS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE CARLISLE-HERCULES MINERAL BELT IS ABOUT 28,000 FT LONG. RAMBLER ORE SHOOT STRIKES W TO S 45 DEG W, DIPS 60 - 80 DEG S, IS ABOUT 400 FT LONG. DEPTHS TO TOP, BOTTOM ARE IN ELEVATION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1975 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-FEB-1978 Hasler, J. William U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 11-MAY-1995 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 08-MAR-2005 Long, Keith R. 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