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Baxter Spring Prospect

Producer in Nye county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Arsenic, Barium-Barite, Phosphorus-Phosphates, Vanadium, Zinc
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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. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310368
MRDS ID M233567
Record type Site
Current site name Baxter Spring Prospect
Alternate or previous names Ralston Valley Claims

Comments on the site identification

  • This record covers a mineralized area described earlier by MRDS record # M233567 from which all pertinent material has been incorporated into the current record. The earlier record should be deleted.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.11786, 38.43826 (WGS84)
Elevation 2100
Relative position The Baxter Spring, or Ralston Valley prospect is located 19 miles south of Round Mountain at the southern tip of the Toquima Range, on the edge of Ralston Valley, about 20 miles northeast of Tonopah.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nye(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Baxter Spring(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tonopah(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Tonopah(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Ralston-Stone Cabin Valleys(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(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 Nye

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 007N 043E 26 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The property consists of 117 claims covering 2,390 acres situated south of Baxter Spring in the south part of the Manhattan
    district at the southern tip of the Toquima Range.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Phosphorus-Phosphates Tertiary
Vanadium Critical Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: gold
  • Gangue Materials: quartz, limonite, hematite, manganese oxides, barite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Quartz Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Barite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Host rocks are pervasively silicified and clay-altered, especially in structural zones.

Analytical data

Result Geochemical samples show anomalous As, Hg,and Au

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 type qualifier carbonaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Gold Hill quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Ordovician
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.11786, 38.43826
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Thrust faults and steeply dipping normal faults cut the rocks in the mineralized area.

Ore body information

  • General form tabular
    Strike (1) N35W (2) N10E (3) N10W
    Dip (1) 35 SW (2) 85 NW (3) 90

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization appears to be controlled by the intersection of vertical shear zones with favorable host rocks.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes

Mining district

District name Manhattan District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Tonopah USFS District
Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Golconda Resources Ltd.
    Year 2005
  • Type Owner
    Owner Southwestern Exploration
    Home office 4500 E. Speedway, Tucson, Az

Comments on the workings information

  • Old prospect pits and shafts dot the landscape in the surrounding area. Recent drilling.

Comments on other economic factors

  • In 1988 it was reported that the property contained one million tons of material grading 0.050 ounces of gold per ton. In 1990, a geologic resource of 5 million tons of material grading 0.050 ounces of gold per ton was reported.

Comments on development

  • Fifty claims over the Baxter Spring area were held by Southwestern Exploration at least to 1974. The claims were drilled by Homestake prior to 1990, who hit a drill intercept of 6.99 oz gold/ ton over 10 feet and several multi-ounce drill intercepts and surface rock samples, on which a potential resource calculation was based. The claims were held by Naneco Minerals, Ltd. in 1991.
    Golconda Resources, Inc. began exploring the Baxter Spring/Ralston Valley area in the mid-1990s and in 1998 Golconda decided to expand its exploration program at the project by drilling deep holes to test for a potential high-grade Carlin-type gold deposit at depth.
    In 2002, 38 claims (760 acres) claims were held by Golconda Resources. Seven shallow holes (maximum depth, 300 feet) drilled by Golconda in the northwestern part of the claim block encountered intercepts several 100 feet thick of quartz-calcite veining, barite, silicification and drusy dissolution breccias accompanied by highly anomalous gold values (best value, 5 feet of 0.083 opt Au). The drilling intercepted the upper, shaley part of the sequence. Deeper drilling is expected to intercept higher gold values in a lower laminated silty limestone, which is thought to be a better host rock for gold mineralization. In 2002, . Golconda Resources Ltd. staked an additional 67 claims in Ralston Valley, bringing their total there to 117 claims covering 2,390 acres. In 2004 Golconda drilled seven reverse-circulation holes on the property to delineate areas where the two mineralizing structures intersect favorable silty limestone sequences. Three holes went from overthrusted Gold Hill quartzite and shale into the granite. One hole got stuck in quartzite at 840ft. Anomalous gold values, especially in several holes indicated the presence of an extensive hydrothermal system. With alteration of the rock increasing towards the gravel-covered valley, Golconda staked the extension of the two gold mineralized structures. Golconda was soliciting venture partners for an expanded 2006 drilling program on the property.

Comments on the environmental information

  • Anomalous gold, silver, arsenic and barium, as well as phosphorus, vanadium and zinc

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Carlin-type gold mineralization occurs in Paleozoic carbonaceous limestones, shales, and siltstones. Seven shallow holes drilled to a maximum depth of 300 feet in the northwestern part of the claim block encountered intercepts several 100 feet thick of quartz-calcite veining, barite, silicification and drusy dissolution breccias accompanied by anomalous gold values (best value, 5 feet of 0.083 opt Au). Mineralization occurs in silicified shear zones with iron oxide and manganese oxide staining and drusy quartz crystals on fracture surfaces. There are two altered, gold-bearing jasperoid zones (250 feet and 450 feet wide) in a Paleozoic limestone-shale sequence. The initial drilling intercepted the upper, shaley part of the sequence. Deeper drilling was expected to intercept higher gold values in a lower laminated silty limestone thought to be a better host rock for gold mineralization. Golconda Resources Ltd. completed the 2004 drilling program on its Ralston Valley claims and reported that it intersected a widespread hydrothermal system in a gravel-covered pediment area.
2004 drilling delineated two mineralized structures: a West structure and an East structure. In the West Structure, one hole intersected a 270-foot thick limy shale sequence at 800 ft below a younger basalt flow. Anomalous gold, silver, arsenic and barium, as well as phosphorus, vanadium and zinc values occurred throughout this zone. Shale below this horizon was barren. Drilling in the East Structure intersected a clay zone from 400 to 500ft, and had to be abandoned at 530ft, but assay results later showed that the clay zone was most likely the hydrothermally-altered eastern structure.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1982 La Pointe, D. D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-OCT-2005 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.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

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