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Polaris Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10266230
MAS/MILS ID 160790035
Record type Site
Current site name Polaris Mine
Related records 10067850

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
Main Entrance -116.05273, 47.50317 (WGS84) 1120 100 West side near head of Polaris Gulch
(click for info)
-116.02471, 47.50829 (WGS84) 772 At west end of Osburn

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Kellogg East(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Coeur D'Alene(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Spokane(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)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management ID)

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

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 048 N 003 E 13,14,15 Idaho

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Lead-antimony sulfides also present in ore in trace quantities.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Tetrahedrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Siderite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Arsenopyrite Gangue
Proustite Trace

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

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -116.05273, 47.50317
ListMap
(2) -116.02471, 47.50829
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Polaris Fault

Ore body information

  • Name Polaris Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Dip 65SE
    Thickness 482
    Length 290
  • Name Chester Vein
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 50-65SW
    Dip 50-65SW
    Thickness 604

Comments on the ore body information

  • Most ore in the Link Zone connecting the Chester and Polaris veins. Polaris vein is part of the Sunshine-Polaris vein system.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Veins in fractures in footwall and hangingwall of Polaris Fault
  • Short, narrow, lensy sphalerite-pyrite-galena orebodies in Wallace Formation

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1884
Discoverer W.B. Heyburn and others
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Year of first production 1887
Year of last production 1957
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1887-1889, 1891, 1895, 1905, 1916-1917, 1919-1923, 1936-1955, 1957

Mining district

District name Evolution

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented
Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner The Polaris Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Spokane, Washington
    First year 1893
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Polaris Development and Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1915
    Last year 1923
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Polaris Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1937
    Last year 1958
  • Type Owner
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1958
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Sunshine Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Yakima, Washington
    First year 1944
    Last year 1955

Production statistics

  • Year 1957
    Period 1916-1957
    Material Ore
    Ore mined 712817mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 785mt 1128g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Compiled from various sources including Mitchell and Bennett (1983) and Polaris Mining Co. Annual Reports.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WILLARD, MAX EMERY, 1938, THE MINERALIZATION AT POLARIS MINE, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO: MOSCOW, UNIVERISTY OF IDAHO, MS THESIS, 30 P.

  • Deposit

    WILLARD, E.M., 1941, MINERALIZATION AT THE POLARIS MINE: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 36, NO. 5, P. 539-550

  • Deposit

    JULIHN, C.E., AND HORTON, F.W., 1936, THE SILVER BELT AND THE SUNSHINE MINE OF THE COEUR D'ALENE DISTRICT: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 6876, P. 14

  • Deposit

    SORENSON, R.E., 1951, SHALLOW EXPRESSIONS OF SILVER BELT ORE SHOOTS, COEUR D'ALENE DISTRICT, IDAHO: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 3, NO. 7, P. 605-611.

  • Deposit

    SHANNON, E.V., 1926, THE MINERALS OF IDAHO: U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 131, P. 99, 166.

  • Deposit

    UMPLEBY, J.B. AND JONES, E.L., JR., 1923, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 732, P. 88-89.

  • Production

    Mitchell, V.E., and Bennett, E.H., 1983, Production statistics for the Coeur d'Alene mining district, Shoshone County, Idaho, 1884-1980: Idaho Geological Survey Technical Report 83-3, 33 p.

  • Deposit

    Fryklund, V.C., Jr., 1964, Ore deposits of the Coeur d'Alene district, Shoshone County, Idaho: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 445, 103 p.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 6-75 THE POLARIS IS NOW PART OF THE SUNSHINE UNIT AREA. HE
Deposit OWNS A 33.25% INTEREST IN PRODUCTION FROM THIS AREA WHICH IS
Deposit OPERATED BY SUNSHINE MINING COMPANY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 15-OCT-1990 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 04-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.

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