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Comet Mine

Past Producer in Jefferson county in Montana, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Uranium, Arsenic, 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. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  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 10105714
MRDS ID W014654
Record type Site
Current site name Comet Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.16755, 46.30962 (WGS84)
Elevation 1951
Relative position ABOUT 10 KM NORTHEAST OF BASIN, MONTANA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jefferson(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Thompson(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Butte North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Boulder(hydrologic unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Jefferson

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 007N 005W 36 Montana

Comments on the location information

  • UTM LOCATION OF COMET SHAFT . AT HEAD OF HIGH ORE CR.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE TENOR FROM 1901 TO 1950 AVERAGED 0.084 OPT AU, 6.4 OPT AG, 3.2% PB, 3.9% ZN, AND 2.2% CU. AVERAGE COPPER CONTENT OF VEIN WAS ABOUT 0.25% AND IRON AVERAGED ABOUT 12% (BECRAFT AND OTHERS, 1963). THE SPHALERITE HAS EXSOLVED CHALCOPYRITE (BECRAFT, 1953). ASSAY INDICATED 2 TO 2.2% URANIUM (BECRAFT, 1953).

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Most Rocks In Shear Zone Altered To Sericite And Clay Minerals. It Is Also Tourmalinized, Many Well-Developed Radial Groups Of Tourmaline. Oxidation Also Occurs.

Analytical data

Result SELECTED SPECIMENS OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL FROM DUMP CONTAINED AS MUCH AS 0.52% U. 0.084 OZ/TON AU, 6.4 OZ/TON AG, 3.2-11.8 % PB, 3.9-7.3 % ZN, 0.9-2.2 % CU. OXIDIZED ORE: 0.24 OZ/TON AU, 16 OZ/TON AG, 15% PB.

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 Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name BOULDER BATHOLITH
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Alkali-Granite (Alaskite)
    Rock unit name BOULDER BATHOLITH
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Quartz Latite Dike(Boulder Batholith);Boulder Batholith, Butte Quartz Monzonite;Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics
    Rock description Quartz Latite Dike(Boulder Batholith);Boulder Batholith, Butte Quartz Monzonite;Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff > Welded Tuff
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -112.16755, 46.30962
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Boulder Batholith; South-Trending Syncline In Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics
Type of structure Local
Structure description Comet - Gray Eagle Shear Zone, Veins Offset By Small Cross-Faults, Roof Pendant Of Volcanic Rocks

Ore body information

  • General form SHOOTS; LENTICULAR
    Strike N 70 W
    Dip NEARLY VERTICAL
    Length 700M
    Width 30M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Comet-Gray Eagle Shear Zone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1874
Year of first production 1880

Comments on exploration

  • 1876 - FIRST MENTION OF COMET MINE IN R.W. RAYMOND?S REPORT ON STATISTICS OF MINES AND MINING ETC.

    1881-1882 - ALTA MONTANA MINING COMPANY OPERATED (FIRST ATTEMPT AT LARGE SCALE MINING); 25 TON PER DAY MILL OPERATED.

    1883 - HELENA MINING AND REDUCTION COMPANY PURCHASED PROPERTY; ALSO KNOWN AS THE ?HELENA AND LIVINGSTON SMELTING AND REDUCTION COMPANY??.

    1884 - COMET CONCENTRATOR CAPACITY INCREASED FROM 35 TO 120 TONS. 20,883 TONS OF ORE PRODUCED.

    1893 - MINE REPORTED TO HAVE SHUT DOWN OR NOT SHUT DOWN IN SILVER PANIC.

    1897 - MINE SHUT DOWN.

    1906 - MONTANA CONSOLIDATED COPPER COMPANY SHIPPED ORE.

    1907 - MCC DEEPENED SHAFT TO 600 FEET.

    1912 - NORTHWESTERN METALS COMPANY.

    1918 - PILGRIM MINING COMPANY.

    1919 - MONTANA CONSOLIDATED MINES COMPANY.

    ? - BASIN-MONTANA TUNNEL COMPANY.

    1925 - 11,876 TONS OLD TAILINGS SHIPPED FROM JIB AND COMET.

    1926 - 977 TONS OF TAILINGS TREATED IN BUTTE. BASIN MONTANA TUNNEL COMPANY WAS ORGANIZED AND ACQUIRED THE COMET.

    1927 - BASIN-MONTANA TUNNEL COMPANY PURCHASES PROPERTY BUT OTHER PEOPLE OPERATE IT UNTIL 1931 WHEN BASIN-MONTANA TUNNEL COMPANY TAKES OVER OPERATION; BUILT 200 TON-PER-DAY FLOTATION MILL.

    1928 - <100 TONS OF ORE SHIPPED, 4,978 TONS OF TAILINGS SHIPPED.

    1929 - 800 TONS OF SULFIDE LEAD ORE FOR SMELTING, 12,000 TONS PB-ZN ORE FOR MILLING, 5,000 TONS OF TAILINGS SHIPPED.

    1930 - 400 TONS SULFIDE LEAD ORE, 9,000 TONS OF PB-ZN ORE.

    1941 - MILL CLOSED AND DISMANTLED



    1963 - OWNER FRANK ROWE

    1966 - PRODUCED 500 TONS OF ORE.

    1967 - INACTIVE

    1982-83 - DEVELOPING

    1985 - INACTIVE

    1986 - HIGH RIVER RESOURCES, LTD. DRILL PROGRAM, 5,165 FEET OF RVC DRILLED; ACQUIRED PROPERTY FROM CONCORDE MINES, LTD.

    1989 - PEGASUS OPTIONS COMET FROM HIGH RIVER GOLD MINES.

Mining district

District name Basin (Cataract, Comet) District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner R. H. Mills, Spokane, Wa

Production statistics

  • Year 1959
    Period 1880-1959
    Material ore
    Ore mined 1327200mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor ZN Zinc Zinc 10828157.05mt
    Minor CU Copper Copper 1067302.84mt
    Major PB Lead Lead 13861782.82mt
    Major AG Silver Silver 397813521.99g
    Major AU Gold Gold 6967179.74g

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION PRIOR TO 1902 ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT $13,000,000. VALUE ASSUMED TO BE IN AU AND AG, PRODUCTION ESTIMATED USING 1902-1952 AU/AG RATIO AND LATE 1800'S METAL PRICES.
  • $13,000,000 PRIOR TO 1911 (KNOPF, 1913). TOTAL PRODUCTION MAY HAVE EXCEEDED $20,000,000 (BECRAFT AND OTHERS, 1963).

    SINCE 1902, PRODUCTION TOTALED:

    496,086 TONS ORE YIELDING 42,443 FINE OZ AU, 3,117,779 FINE OZ AG, 2,235,676 LBS CU, 28,535,228 LBS PB, AND 23,486,020 LBS ZN (KNOPF, 1913);



    TOTAL RECORDED PRODUCTION FROM 1904 TO 1950 WAS 493,444 TONS ORE YIELDING 41,754 OZ AU, 3,152,896 OZ AG, 28,222,300 LBS PB, 23,835,847 LBS ZN, AND 2,234,353 LBS CU (BECRAFT AND OTHERS, 1963) (MAY HAVE SOME PRODUCTION FROM OTHER MINES IN THE AREA INCLUDED).



    1884 - 20,883 TONS ORE (~$600,000) PB - 6,837,031 POUNDS.

    1885 - AU - 76,172.09; AG - 631,430.10; PB - 6,837,031 POUNDS

    1886 - AU - $70,531.99; AG - $546,513.91; ~4,650,000 POUNDS

    1887 - AU - $220,565.44; AG - $675,927.75; ~7,652,250 POUNDS

    1888 - AU - $202,211.51; AG - $1,109,181.50;

    1889 - NO MENTION.

    1928 - <100 TONS OF ORE SHIPPED, 4,978 TONS OF TAILINGS SHIPPED.

    1929 - 800 TONS OF SULFIDE LEAD ORE FOR SMELTING, 12,000 TONS PB-ZN ORE FOR MILLING, 5,000 TONS OF TAILINGS SHIPPED.

    1930 - 400 TONS SULFIDE LEAD ORE, 9,000 TONS OF PB-ZN ORE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 1006750mt ore

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 6000M
    Overall depth 300M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY A 900 FT VERTICAL SHAFT WITH 9 LEVELS WITH MOST MINE DEVELOPMENT ON UPPER 7 LEVELS. ALL INACCESSIBLE IN 1950.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 3 MAIN VEINS OCCUPY A FRACTURED, ALTERED, AND MINERALIZED ZONE ABOUT 150 FT WIDE ON THE 100 FT LEVEL. THE VEINS DIVERGE FURTHER DOWNWARD. AT THE 300 FT LEVEL IT IS 400 FT WIDE.E OF SHAFT THE VEINS ARE CUT BY A QUARTZ LATITE DIKE THAT STRIKES N 20 E AND DIPS 57 W. THE MAX. LENGTH OF ANY ORE BODY IS 600 FT. THE N AND S VEINS CONTAIN LARGE OVERLAPPING ORE BODIES ON DIFFERENT STRANDS OF THE SAME VEIN. THE MIDDLE VEIN CONTAINED ONE ORE BODY THAT WAS MINED FROM 400 FT LEVEL TO THE SURFACE.
Deposit THE COMET MINE HAS BEEN AN UNUSUALLY CONSISTANT PRODUCER. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1976 Krohn, Douglas H. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUN-1981 Wise, Kristine K. (Elliott, James E.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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