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Gold Hunter Mine

Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Antimony
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Reserves and resources
  21. Workings at the site
  22. Links to other databases
  23. Bibliographic references
  24. General comments
  25. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10078405
MRDS ID W026716
Record type Site
Current site name Gold Hunter Mine
Alternate or previous names Hunter Ranch Property

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-115.78292, 47.48237 (WGS84) 1223 East side of Gold Hunter Gulch
(click for info)
-115.78292, 47.48237 (WGS84) 1019 On south side of South Fork 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

Mullan(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wallace(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 048N 005E 35,26 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • IN HUNTER GULCH BETWEEN INDEPENDENCE LEAD MINES CO. AND ABOT MIN. CO.

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Arsenopyrite Gangue
Boulangerite Trace
Stibnite Trace
Diaphorite Trace

Alteration

  • (Local) Sericite; Disseminated carbonate forms halos around veins.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Wallace Formation
    Rock description Wallace Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name St. Regis Formation
    Rock description St. Regis Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Revett Formation
    Rock description Revett Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -115.78292, 47.48237
ListMap
(2) -115.78292, 47.48237
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Gold Hunter vein is hosted by a small fault sympathetic to the Osburn Fault immediately south of the mine.

Ore body information

  • Name Gold Hunter Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N 65 DEG W
    Dip 80 DEG S
    Length 304.8M
    Width 60.96M

Comments on the ore body information

  • Outcrop of the Gold Hunter vein is 1 kilometer long and 23 meters wide consisting of gossan.
  • The upper portion of the vein, mined out by 1947, was an ore zone hosted by Wallace Formation quartzite up to 610 meters long and 76 meters wide. Individual ore shoots were up to 91 meters long and 12 meters wide. This ore zone frayed out below the 1700 (518 meter) level. The ore zone was bounded to the wast by a fault and terminated abruptly to the west.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Shear Zone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1884
Discoverer J.G. Hunter and F.A. Moore
Year of first production 1887
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1887-1893, 1895-1897, 1900-1952, 1954, 1997-Present (2005)

Mining district

District name Hunter

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Gold Hunter Mining & Smelting Co
    Interest 100
    Home office St. Paul, Minnesota
    First year 1887
    Last year 1925
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Gold Hunter Mines, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Chicago, Illinois
    First year 1925
    Last year 1955
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Gold Hunter Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1955
    Last year 1962
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Day Mines, Inc
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1962
    Last year 1981
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1981
  • Type Owner
    Owner Independence Lead Mines Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1929
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Hunter Lease
    Interest 100
    Home office Mullan, Idaho
    First year 1933
    Last year 1947
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1975
    Last year 1977
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1991

Comments on the ownership information

  • Hunter Ranch is a unitization of the Gold Hunter and Clear Grit Groups, owHunter Ranch is a unitization of the Gold Hunter and Clear Grit Groups, owned by Day Mines, Inc. with the eastern portion of the Independence Lead Mines Co. property efffected in 1965. Taken over in 1981 by Hecla Mining Co. through merger with Day Mines, Inc.

Production statistics

  • Year 2005
    Period 1887-1954
    Material Ore Treated
    Ore mined 3089926mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Lead Lead 9wt-pct
  • Year 2005
    Period 1997-2003
    Material Ore Milled
    Ore mined 965483mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 558g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production data to 1954 from Hecla Mining Co. records and other sources.
  • Production data since 1997 from Hecla Mining Co. and Independence Lead Mines Co. annual reports.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Name Proven and Probable Reserves at Year End
    Estimate year 2003
    Total resources 598180mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc 2.4 wt-pct Zinc Major 2003
    Silver 528 g/mt Silver Major 2003
    Lead 8.4 wt-pct Lead Major 2003

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Proven and probable reserves reported by Hecla Mining Co. in its 2003 annual report.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Original Gold Hunter Mine
    Length 16093M
    Overall depth 804.67M

Comments on the workings information

  • LENGTH WORKINGS A 1962 FIGURE. WORK AT DEPTH OF 700 FT BELOW SEA LEVEL ( 1976 )

Comments on development

  • From 1975 to 1977, Hecla Mining Co. searched for a downward extension of the Gold Hunter vein on the Hunter Ranch property via the Lucky Friday mine workings, but not having taken into accoun the rake of the Gold Hunter orebodies, found nothing.
  • In 1991, Hecla Mining Co. discovered several mineralized structures 260 meters below the old Gold Hunter workings. From 1992 to 1993, the new deposit was explored via the Lucky Friday 4050 level. From 1994 to 1996, Hecla developed the deposit via the Lucky Friday 4900 level and subsequently began mining in 1997. So far, all ore extracted has been on Independence Lead Mines Co. ground.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GEM-GOLD HUNTER MINERAL BELT ABOUT 30,000 FT LONG. THREE NEARLY PARALLEL LODES IN GOLD HUNTER MINE: NORTH LODE STRIKES N 85 DEG W; MIDDLE AND SOUTH LODES STRIKE W TO S 80 DEG W
Deposit DAY MINES' GOLD HUNTER AND CLEAR GRIT GROUPS OF CLAIMS COMPRISING 181.2 ACRES UNITIZED IN 1968 WITH 227.9 ACRES OF THE EASTERN PORTION OF INDEPENDENCE PROPERTY ON A 50 - 50 BASIS. HECLA OPERATES HUNTER RANCH PROPERTY (OWNED BY DAY MINES) UNDER A 50 - 50 JOINT-OPERATING AGREEMENT. ABOT'S SILVER REEF CLAIMS ARE ALSO UNITIZED WITH THE GOLD HUNTER IN THE DIA (DAY INDEPENDENCE ABOT) PROJECT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1975 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-FEB-1978 Hasler, J. William U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 03-JAN-1987 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 11-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

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