1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Idaho Cobalt

Producer in Lemhi county in Idaho, United States with commodities Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Nickel
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Mineral rights holdings
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Reserves and resources
  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 10096235
MRDS ID W013474
MAS/MILS ID 0160590058
Record type Site
Current site name Idaho Cobalt
Included sites Ram Zone, Sunshine Claims, East Sunshine Zone, Cougar Zone

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
Ore Body -114.36122, 45.14539 (WGS84) 2271 100 Center of trace of Ram mineralized zone on Ram claims
(click for info)
Ore Body -114.36367, 45.13047 (WGS84) 100 Center of trace of Sunshine mineralize zone on Sunshine claims

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lemhi(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Gant Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Bighorn Crags(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Elk City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Salmon-Panther(hydrologic unit)

Salmon(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Salmon-Challis National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Lemhi

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 021N 018E 20 SE Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • Along Ridge Between Blackbird And Big Deer Cks.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Cobalt Critical Primary
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Nickel Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Cobaltite Ore
Erythrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Linnaeite Ore
Safflorite Ore
Enargite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Lollingite Gangue
Marcasite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Chlorite
  • (Local) Silicification

Analytical data

Result 11.4% CO, 0.03 OZ AU/TON, .8 % NI

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 102
USGS model code 24d
Deposit model name Blackbird Co-Cu

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Rock description Lcret-Eeo Gabbro
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Belt Supergroup
    Rock description Belt Supergroup-Schist
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
    Rock type qualifier Also contains siltite and quartzite
    Rock unit name Apple Creek Formation, middle unit
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -114.36122, 45.14539
ListMap
Ore Body (2) -114.36367, 45.13047
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Structural Block
Type of structure Local
Structure name Folds
Type of structure Local
Structure name White Ledge Shear

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, LENS , BUNCHES, STRINGERS
    Strike N 25 DEG W
    Dip SW
    Plunge direction N

Comments on the geologic information

  • Cobaltite Replaces Vein Quartz In Schist
  • Original Structures entry:

    Local - Lookout Structural Block, Folds

  • Original alteration entry:

    Local - Chlorite, Silicification

  • Rocks Of The District Consist Mostly Of Interbedded Quartz- Biotite Schist And Fine Grained Quartzite. The Rocks Are Broadly Grouped Into Three North Trending Structural Blocks. Most Of The Ore Deposits Are In The Central (Blackbird) Block. The Blackbird Block Is Delimited On The West By A Steeply Dipping Fault Zone, Along Which Are One Or More Quartz- Feldspar Porphyry Dikes, Post Metamorphic And Probably Tertiary In Age. The Sunshine Area Is Along The Western Border Of The Blackbird Block. The Mineral Shear Zone Lies Nearly Parallel To A Quartz-Feldspar Porphyry Dike And The Border Fault. The Fault Apparently Was Not A Channelway For Mineralizing Solutions Though, Because Prospecting Has Proven The Fault Largely Barren. Ore Bodies Along These Zones Vary Greatly In Size And Shape. Some Of The Ore Bodies Are Veins And Others Are Podlike Bodies That Occur In Groups, But Both Types May Be Found En Echelon Along The Same Shear Zone. Although The Shear Zones Have Acted As The Principal Control Of The Mineral Deposits, The Lithology Of The Folded Sedimentary Rocks As Well As Other Subsidiary Structural Features Such As The Crests Of Folds And High Angle Faults Associated With Folding Apparently Exerted A Second Control. The Ore Bodies Occur At The Intersection Of Northerly And Northwesterly Striking Shear Zones; Also At The Intersection Of These Shear Zones With The North Plunging Folded Quartzite And Schist Beds.
  • Through Sept 1959 The Average Grade Milled Since Milling Started In 1951 Has Been 0.65 Percent Cobalt And 1.67 Percent Copper Gold Is Present From A Trace To A Few Hundredths Of An Ounce Per Ton. Among The Primary Nonmetallic Minerals Are Quartz, Biotite, Chlorite, Calcite, Siderite, Muscouite, Tourmaline, And Several Phosphates In Small Amounts. Secondary Copper Minerals Are Chalcocite And Covellite.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Mining method Combined Methods
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Milling method Unspecified

Mining district

District name Blackbird District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Salmon National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Hanna Mining Co.
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Formation Capital Corp.
    Interest 100
    Home office 999 West Hastings Street\nSutie 1510\nVancouver BC V6C 2W2\nCanada
    Year 1995
    First year 1994
  • Type Operator
    Owner Calera Mining Co.
    Home office Idaho
    Year 1959

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1995
    Total resources 662245mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Cobalt Co 0.9 wt-pct Cobalt Major 1995
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Total resources 907000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Cobalt Co 1.1 wt-pct Cobalt Major 1996
    Gold Au 2.14 g/mt Gold Major 1996
    Copper Cu 0.26 wt-pct Copper Major 1996

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground

Comments on the workings information

  • 150 Ft. Of Workings Are Caved

Comments on development

  • The Property Consists Of 22 Claims, 3 Of Which Are Patented, 3 Are Leased, And 16 Are Held By Location. Diamond Drilling Has Commenced On The Property To Test Cobalt Zones (8-97). 9-10-97:Drilling Continues And Focuses On The Ram Zone. Permiting And Road Access Are In Place.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    Anderson, A.L., 1943, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 61

  • Deposit

    Umpleby, J.B., 1913, Geology And Ore Deposits Of Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 528, 182 P.

  • Deposit

    Anderson, A.L., 1943, Preliminary Report On The Cobalt Deposits In The Blackbird District, Lemhi County, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 61, 34 P.

  • Reserve-Resource

    The Mining Record, Vol 107, #34, Aug. 21, 1996, P20.

  • Reserve-Resource

    Randol Mining Directory 1996/97, P202.

  • Deposit

    Canney, F.C., 1953, Preliminary Report Of Geochemical Investigations In The Blackbird District, Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Open-File Report

  • Deposit

    Trites, A.F., and Tooker, E.W., 1953, Uranium And Thorium Deposits In East - Central Idaho, Southwestern Montana: USGS Bulletin 988-H, P. 174

  • Reserve-Resource

    American Mines Handbook, 1996, P103

  • Deposit

    Baldwin, J.A., October 8, 1976, Personal Communication.

  • Reserve-Resource

    The Northern Miner. "Sun Shines On Formation". 3/24/97. P20.

  • Deposit

    Economic Geology, V 42, No 1, P 22-46

  • Deposit

    USBM, WFOC, Mineral Property File 0160590012 (File 2 Of 3).

  • Deposit

    The Mining Record, V 106, No. 32, 8-9-95, P.1.

  • Deposit

    Formation Capital Corp. News Release, 8-15-97.

  • Deposit

    Formation Capital Corporation News Release, 9-10-97.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Dip Is Steep
General Formation Metals (formerly Formation Capital) has 144 claims surrounding the Blackbird Mine patented claim group, which contains Blacktail, Brown Bear, Chicago, Colubus, etc. patented claims.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-75 Ortman, Dale; Miller, Pat U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 15-SEP-97 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 08-JAN-10 Causey, J. Douglas U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site