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Ren-Banshee

Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Arsenic, Mercury, 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. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310343
Record type Site
Current site name Ren-Banshee
Alternate or previous names Ren Orebody, West Ren orebody, Banshee orebody

Comments on the site identification

  • In the mid-1990s, ore from the Ren deposit was shipped to the Dee Mine about 2 1/2 miles to the northwest for processing and the two were often linked in the literature as ?Dee-Ren? although they are distinct deposits.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.38796, 41.01487 (WGS84)
Relative position The Ren gold prospect, Elko County, Nevada, is in the northern part of the Carlin trend, two kilometers northwest of the Meikle Mine. Banshee is located between Meikle and Ren, just a few hundred meters NW of the Meikle mine.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Santa Renia Fields(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tuscarora(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

McDermitt(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle 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 036N 049 12 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • UTM is from pit shown in EIS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Mercury Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: gold
  • Gangue Materials: barite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Barite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration includes decalcification and weak silicification in siltstone, and formation of massive jasperoid in the upper part of the limestone unit. Alteration of dikes is mainly sericite-quartz-pyrite, with late pyrite-quartz-kaolinite.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 173
USGS model code 26a.1
Deposit model name Sediment-hosted Au
Mark3 model number 17

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name eastern (carbonate) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock type qualifier calcareous
    Rock unit name eastern (carbonate) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
    Rock unit name eastern (carbonate) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert
    Rock unit name western (siliceous) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name western (siliceous) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
    Rock unit name western (siliceous) assemblage
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.38796, 41.01487
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description steep east-dipping faults
Type of structure Regional
Structure description The area has been affected by regional thrust faulting.

Ore body information

  • General form tabular to irregular

Controls for ore emplacement

  • The later two stages of alteration and mineralization were focused along steep east-dipping faults and dikes, and the nearly flat-lying contact between lower massive limestone and laminated calcareous siltstone.

Comments on the geologic information

  • The Ren mine area is underlain mainly by Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, consisting of limestone, calcareous siltstone, and mudstone of the eastern (carbonate) assemblage, overlain in thrust contact by chert, quartzite, and mudstone of the western (siliceous) assemblage. Cretaceous(?) granodiorite porphyry and hornblende porphyry dikes have intruded the sedimentary rocks along north-striking faults. Three stages of mineralization include a pre- or syntectonic base metal-barite assemblage, a middle stage of Ag- and Sb-rich jasperoid, and a late Au-rich stage responsible for the economic mineralization at the prospect. The latter two stages of alteration and mineralization were focused along steep east-dipping faults and dikes, and the nearly flat-lying contact between lower massive limestone and laminated calcareous siltstone. Mineralization is present between 380 and 500 m below the surface. The element suite characteristic of Au-stage mineralization includes Au, As, and Hg with minor Ag and Hg; Ag and Sb are most enriched in the earlier jasperoid event. Haloes of As and Hg extend at least 80 m above the Au mineralization, but no anomalies are present at the surface. Gold anomalies are more widespread, and extend to shallower depths, but are less coherent.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1989
Production years 1989-?

Mining district

District name Bootstrap District

Land status

Ownership category Private
Ownership category National Forest
Area name Elko District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cameco Gold Inc.
    Year 2002

Comments on the workings information

  • Ren open pit; Banshee to the south, just NW of Meikle was to be accessed by an exploration drift from Meikle workings

Comments on other economic factors

  • In 1989-1990, Ren produced about 20,000 ounces of gold. In the mid-1990s, ore from the Ren deposit was shipped to the Dee Mine about 2 1/2 miles to the northwest for processing, so production records for the Ren deposit alone are incomplete.
    REN?s reserves in 1997 were reported at 43.5 million tons of ore grading 0.046 opt Au (about 2 million ounces).
    In 2006, the resource was reported at 3,028,300 tons grading 0.398 ounces of gold per ton indicated.

Comments on development

  • In 1997, Banshee was owned by Newmont Gold Co. but in 1999, it was part of a multi-property land swap with Barrick wherein Barrick acquired Banshee and other properties. In 1998, REN ownership was held byRomarco Minerals, Inc. and Uranerz USA, Inc. but Ren and West Ren were owned by Cameco Corporation in 2000.

    In 2000-2001, it was reported that the extension of an exploration drift from the Meikle Mine to Banshee had been deferred until the exploration program had better defined the mineralization zone.
    In 2002, Cameco Gold Inc. reported the discovery of high-grade gold mineralization at the REN project. Fourteen holes drilled over a three-year period have returned highgrade intercepts, including assayed grades ranging from 0.23 opt Au over 95 feet to 1.6 opt Au over 80 feet. Exploration results obtained in the previous six months from five of these holes confirmed that the mineralization extends at least 650 feet in length. Mineralization occurs 2,300 to 2,950 feet below surface and further drilling will
    be required to define the extent of mineralization, which remains open in three directions. Cameco planned to accelerate exploration efforts to further delineate the discovery. At that time, Cameco Gold was the operator and majority owner (62.14%) of the REN project, with Homestake Mining Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation, owning the remaining interest (37.86%) in the joint venture.
    In May, 2004, Cameco Corporation is announced the transfer of its gold assets held by its subsidiary Cameco Gold Inc. to a new Canadian company called Centerra Gold Inc. This transfer would include ownership of the Ren property.
    In 2006, Centerra Gold Inc. announced that recent drill results at the REN Project include 876.3-880.9 meters @ 0.125 opt Au
    (RU-105-W1); 874.5-894.4 meters @ 0.032 opt Au (RU- 105-W2) and 857.4-860.5 meters @ 0.164 opt Au (RU-105- W3).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The Ren, West Ren and Banshee orebodies are located generally a half mile to a mile northwest and NNW of the Meikle Mine along the northward extension of the Post Fault. Three stages of mineralization include a pre- or syntectonic base metal-barite assemblage, a middle stage of Ag- and Sb-rich jasperoid, and a late Au-rich stage responsible for the economic mineralization at the prospect. The latter two stages of alteration and mineralization were focused along steep east-dipping faults and dikes, and the nearly flat-lying contact between lower massive limestone and laminated calcareous siltstone. Mineralization is present between 380 and 500 m below the surface. The element suite characteristic of Au-stage mineralization includes Au, As, and Hg with minor Ag and Hg; Ag and Sb are most enriched in the earlier jasperoid event. Haloes of As and Hg extend at least 80 m above the Au mineralization, but no anomalies are present at the surface. Gold anomalies are more widespread, and extend to shallower depths, but are less coherent.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-2004 LaPointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Editor 01-SEP-2007 Schruben, Paul G. U.S. Geological Survey Converted from S&A FileMaker format to Oracle. Edit checks on rocks, units, and ages with Geolex search, and other fields.

Beyond USGS

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

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