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

Heavy Spar

Past Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodity Barium-Barite
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10221568
MAS/MILS ID 0320070098
Record type Site
Current site name Heavy Spar
Alternate or previous names Strip Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -116.11512, 40.9366 (WGS84)
Elevation 1685

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Swales Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Battle Mountain(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Humboldt(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NV)

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

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 035 N 052 E 10 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Unknown

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N15E
    Dip 45W
    Thickness 15M
    Length 213M
    Width 91M
    Depth to top 15M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N15E:45W
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 15
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 850903
  • Area 35HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 35
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE BARITE IS CONFINED TO A 40M THICK SILTSTONE WITHIN THE ORDOVICIAN VININI FORMATION COMPOSED OF CHERT AND SHALE. 15 M THICK BARITE ZONE STRIKES N15E AND DIPS 30-60 WEST PROBABLE SOUTHERN EXTENSION OF FISH CREEK DEPOSIT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1953
Year of first production 1981

Mining district

District name Swales Mountain

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Newpark Resources
    ID 2601673
    Interest 100
    Home office Louisiana
    Year 1983
  • Type Operator
    Owner E. R Fegert Inc
    ID 2601673
    Home office Nevada
    Year 1982

Comments on the production information

  • FIRST CLAIM AT HEAVY SPAR DEPOSIT STAKED IN 1953. NO MILL THE MINE CEASED PRODUCTION IN 1983 DUE TO LOW BARITE PRICES. THE HEAVY SPAR MINE MAY BE AN EXTENSION OF THE FISH CREEK DEPOSIT IN SEC.2, T.35N, R.52E.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • NO PUBLISHED RESERVE-RESOURCE DATA
  • MEASURED RESOURCE FROM COMPANY REPRESENTS DRILL DATA ON 30 M CENTERS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 2HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Swell Factor .66
    Percent Waste Rock 79.6
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 15
    Primary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Secondary Material Cover M-HARD ROCKS
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 6
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 45
    Capacity 400
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 0
    Unit Production Cost 23
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 1
    Year of Information 1983

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    87. CLARKE, G. (ED.). BAYRITES IN NEVADA - BACK TO

  • Deposit

    PRE-1974 LEVELS. IND. MIN. (LONDON), NO. 200, MAY 1984,

  • Deposit

    PP. 53-61.

  • Deposit

    185. EVANS, J. G., AND K. B. KETNER. GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE

  • Deposit

    SWALES MOUNTAIN QUADRANGLE AND PART OF THE ADOBE SUMMIT

  • Deposit

    QUADRANGLE, ELKO COUNTY, NEVADA. U.S. GEOL. SURV.

  • Deposit

    MAP I-667, 1971. SCALE 1:24,000.

  • Deposit

    226. GRANGER, A. E., M. M. BELL, G. C. SIMMONS, AND F.

  • Deposit

    LEE. GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF ELKO COUNTY,

  • Deposit

    NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. BULL. 54, 1957, 190

  • Deposit

    PP.

  • Deposit

    283. HORTON, R. C. AN INVENTORY OF BARITE OCCURRENCES IN

  • Deposit

    NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. REP. 4, 1963, 19 PP.

  • Deposit

    349. KETNER, K. B., J. G. EVANS, AND T. D. HESSIN.

  • Deposit

    GEOCHEMICAL ANOMALIES IN THE SWALES MOUNTAIN AREA, ELKO

  • Deposit

    COUNTY, NEVADA. U.S. GEOL. SURV. CIRC. 588, 1968, 13 PP.

  • Deposit

    546. PAPKE, K. BARITE DEPOSITS IN NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES

  • Deposit

    AND GEOL. BULL. 98, 1984, 125 PP.

  • Deposit

    669. SMITH, R. M. MINERAL RESOURCES OF ELKO COUNTY,

  • Deposit

    NEVADA. U.S. GEOL. SURV. OFR 76-56, 1976, 194 PP.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 20-JUL-1988 Overbay, D. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 03/22/1983
MSHA mine ID2601673
Mine name (MSHA)Heavy Spar
Current operatorBarite Mining Inc
Current controller (parent)Newpark Resources Inc
Mine typeSurface (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.