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Gooseberry Mine

Producer in Storey county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, 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. 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 10310373
MRDS ID M242407
Record type Site
Current site name Gooseberry Mine
Alternate or previous names Curtiss-Wright Property (in part), 21 unpatented Red Top claims

Comments on the site identification

  • This record is an updated version including all information from earlier record M242407 which should be deleted from the database.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -119.46595, 39.48396 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position Located about 24 km east of Reno, the Gooseberry Mine area can be accessed reached via a road leading south eight miles from Interstate 80 at Tracy-Clark station. Lat/long is for the mine shaft symbol on USGS topo map. Mine shaft is said to be vertical so it probably coincides with the orebody.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lincoln(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Martin Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Carson City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Reno(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Dry Lake Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Storey

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo T19N R22E 25 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The Gooseberry Mine is located in the Virginia Range about 5 miles south of Clark Station. The property consists of 1 patented claim, 560 acres of fee land, 32 unpatented lode and fraction claims and 21 unpatented Red Top claims.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: free gold, electrum, chalcopyrite, argentiferous tetrahedrite, stephanite, native silver, argentite, stephanite, polybasite, sphalerite, galena
  • Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite, dolomite, gypsum, jarosite, adularia, disseminated pyrite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Electrum Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Stephanite Ore
Silver Ore
Argentite Ore
Stephanite Ore
Polybasite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Galena Ore
Quartz Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Jarosite Gangue
Adularia Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration consists of propylitization, pyritization, and local strong argillization of dacite. Potassic and phyllic alteration also reported

Analytical data

Result Grab samples taken from dump at mine (1959) contained gold values ranging from 0.83 to 1.14 oz/t and silver values of 13.02 oz/t to 69 oz/t. Ave. Grade in 1990 194 ozs Au/ton and 7.24 ozs Ag/ton
Result Ave. recovery 90.6% Au and 88.4% Ag.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 150
USGS model code 25c
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, Comstock
Mark3 model number 16

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock type qualifier altered porphyritic
    Rock unit name Kate Peak Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyodacite
    Rock type qualifier flows
    Rock unit name Kate Peak Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Rock type qualifier pyroclastic
    Rock unit name Kate Peak Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
    Rock type qualifier pyroclastic tuffs and volcanoclastic sediments
    Rock unit name Kate Peak Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Miocene

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (2) -119.46595, 39.48396
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Regional structures affecting area rocks are the Talapoosa lineament, a major E-W- trending structural zone and the NW-trending Bear Creek structural zone.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Numerous faults and shears both subparallel to and across vein.

Ore body information

  • General form tabular to pinch and swell
    Strike E-W TO N 70 W
    Dip NEAR VERTICAL TO 80 S
    Thickness 3.66M
    Length 914.4M
    Depth to bottom 441.96M
  • Strike N20W
    Dip 80S
    Thickness 2.5M
    Length 900M
    Width 440M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 SHEAR ZONE
    Type of Orebody #3 DISSEMINATED
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 PROPYLITIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 INTERM ARGILLIC
    Strike And Dip N20W:80S
    Date of Last Modification 850830

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Area rocks have been cut by E-W and NW-striking high angle faults and associated fractures.

Comments on the geologic information

  • Ore occurs in quartz-carbonate veins that range from a few inches up to 10 or more feet in width. Ore minerals are disseminated or form thin bands.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1906
Mining method Combined Methods
Year of first production 1967
Year of last production 1990
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Merrill-Crowe

Mining district

District name Ramsey District (Lyon-Storey Counties)

Land status

Ownership category Private
Ownership category BLM Administrative Area
Area name Carson City BLM Administrative District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Pallas Resources
    First year 1993
    Last year 1998
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Asamera Minerals (U. S.), Inc.
    Home office P.O. Box 2267, Sparks, NV 89432
    First year 1983
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Storey County
    First year 1993
    Last year 1998
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ican Resources Ltd.
    Interest 25
    Home office Canada
    Year 1984
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Scurry-Rainboe Inc. (Sub Westcoast Oil And Gas Corp.)
    Interest 100
    Year 1984
    Last year 1982

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1982
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 6.494 g/mt Gold Major 1982
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.901 g/mt Gold Major 1985
    Silver Ag 274.168 g/mt Silver Major 1985
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Measured 551000mt ore
    Demonstrated 551000mt ore
    Inferred 662000mt ore
    Total resources 1213000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 7.89 g/mt Gold Major 1983
    Silver Ag 333.6 g/mt Silver Major 1983
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1984
    Total resources 454000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 308.6 g/mt Silver Major 1984
    Gold Au 8.5699 g/mt Gold Major 1984
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1984
    Measured 509000mt ore
    Demonstrated 509000mt ore
    Total resources 509000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 349 g/mt Silver Major 1984
    Gold Au 8.91 g/mt Gold Major 1984

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 1450M
    Overall depth 1000M

Comments on the workings information

  • The Gooseberry Mine is developed by a 1450-ft vertical shaft and drifts on the 500, 800 and 1000 ft levels. Mill capacity is 350 st/day, with 85% gold recovery. Developments include the mine, cyanide flotation process mill complex, a laboratory, heap leach pads, mill tailings and a solid waste landfill.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Reserves for the Gooseberry Mine in 1985 were reported to be 216,505 tons of ore grading 0.209 opt gold and 8.08 opt silver.
    Production from 1978-81 was 235 Kilotonnes of ore grading 0.14 opt gold and 7.18 opt silver.
    1985 production was 225 kilotonnes of ore yielding 5,000 ounces of gold and , 225,000 ounces of silver. Asamera halted production after 1985 due to depressed metal prices.

    Past production reported: pre-1980: 36,858 kg silver and 800 kg gold;
    15,551 kg silver in 1980, 4,959 kg silver in 1981, 9529 kg silver and 217 kg gold in 1983.
  • MILL: ON-SITE, ACTIVE, FLOATATION, CYANIDATION OF CONCENTRATES, MERRILL-CROWE ZN PPT, PROCESS RATE; 320 T/D, CONCENTRATES SHIPPED TO ENGLEHARDT INDUSTRIES LOUISIANA.
  • UNDERGROUND MINE SHUT DOWN IN OCT. 1991.

Comments on development

  • A prospector discovered gold and silver at the surface in 1906, and did some trenching and surface work until 1910, when "a Fuller mining man", from back East bought a half interest and soon bought the whole property. The original Gooseberry Shaft was sunk at that time to a depth of 50 ft by hand. In 1928, J.D. Martin, Sr. purchased a half interest in the Gooseberry Mine from "the Fuller man," and together they operated the mine on a small scale, concentrating on development until the early 1930s when they switched from hand operation to a gas engine and air conditioning for the main shaft. The Martin family took over the mine in mid-1930s and for 40 years sank a 70 degree inclined shaft to the 1000-ft level. Over 9000 ft of drifts were driven at 100-ft intervals with the longest at the 1000-ft level extending 2100 feet west and 1640 feet east. Despite all this development, there was no production recorded from 1906 to 1966. Most of the drift material was stockpiled in dumps at surface, with no development of stopes or vein material. In 1974 the Martin family executed a partial sale of the Gooseberry Mine to APCO Minerals Inc. who sampled and began construction of a 350 tpd mill, shaft and plant. West Coast Oil and Gas (subsidiary of Scurry-Rainbow Oil Limited) took over the mine in 1976 and operated the mine until suspending mining operations in 1981. Asamera Minerals purchased the mine in late 1982. Mill capacity was increased to 500 tpd by the end of 1984. Mine closed down to a skeleton crew in 1985, but reopened in 1987 and production continued throughout 1990. Asamera went out of business in 1992.
    In December, 2004, the Carson City BLM reported the recent successful clean up of hazardous waste from the 90-acre Gooseberry Mine/Mill Complex. In an on-going program of cleaning up and rehabilitating abandoned mine sites in Nevada, the BLM contracted with Phillips Services Corporation (PSC) for on-site management of mine wastes, including the identification, removal and proper disposal of more than 100 drums of containerized hazardous wastes. Former mine heap leach tailings pond materials were also isolated in a lined containment trench to prevent the materials from contaminating surface and ground water as a result of storm/rain runoff. The site is now considered safe from hazardous waste. Future mine site rehabilitation (such as building removal and grading) will be conducted as funds become available.
    The former owner and operator of the facility, Pallas Resources (1993-1998) filed for bankruptcy and the private property was deeded to the Storey County Treasurer in June 1998. BLM is working with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) and the Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM) to close and rehabilitate the site.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Bonham, Harold F., 1969, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Washoe and Storey Counties, NV.; NBMG Bull 70,

  • Deposit

    Rose,R.L., 1969, Geology of parts of Wadsworth and Churchill Buttes Quadrangle NV.;NBMG Bull 71, p. 25

  • Deposit

    Rose, R.L., 1959Open File Report on Curtis Wright Property, NBMG District File 183, item 4.

  • Deposit

    NBMG Map 84, 1983, Active Mines and Oil Fields

  • Deposit

    Division of Mine Inspection, Dec. 1983, Directory of Nevada Mine Operations Active During Calendar Year 1983.

  • Deposit

    Brochure on Gooseberry Mine by Asamera Minerals, NBMG District File 183, item 5.

  • Deposit

    NBMG District File 183, Press Clippings

  • Deposit

    Personal communication, 12/88, Gooseberry Mine Foreman.

  • Deposit

    The Mining Record 4/24/91 pp.10-11.

  • Deposit

    The Nevada Mineral Industry 1990: NBMG Spec. Pub. MI-1990.

  • Deposit

    Nevada Dept. of Minerals, 1994

  • Deposit

    Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Database of significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States; Part A, Database description and analysis; part B, Digital database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-206, 33 p., one 3.5 inch diskette.

  • Deposit

    McMaster, Larry, 1995, Stratigraphy, structure, and mineralization along the Talapoosa - Gooseberry trend, Lyon and Story Counties, Nevada [abs.]: Program With Abstracts, Geological Society of Nevada Symposium on Geology and Ore Deposits of the American Cordillera, April 10-13, 1995, Reno/Sparks Nevada, p. 55-56.

  • Deposit

    Perkins, Caroline, 1987, Geological and chemical comparison of two epithermal precious metal systems: the Late Permian Red Rock deposit, Drake Volcanics, New South Wales, Australia, and the Miocene Gooseberry deposit, Kate Peak Volcanics, Nevada: New South Wales, Australia, University of New England, Ph.D. dissertation, 363 p.

  • Deposit

    Royse, 1986, Soil geochemical study of the altered zones associated with the Gooseberry Mine area, Storey County, Nevada: M.S. thesis, University of Nevada, Reno, 105 p.

  • Deposit

    Sprecher, T.A, 1985, Wallrock alteration, vein structure, and preliminary fluid-inclusion studies, Gooseberry Mine, Story County, Nevada: Reno, University of Nevada, M.S. thesis, 93 p.

  • Deposit

    USBM IC 9035.

  • Reserve-Resource

    COTTER, N. ASAMERA IN HIGH GEAR AT GOOSEBERRY MINE. THE NORTHERN MINER (TORONTO), VOLUME 69, NUMBER 25, AUGUST 25, 1983, PP. 1-2.

  • Reserve-Resource

    OLIVEIRA, J. L. ROAD LOG/TRIP GUIDE: GOOSEBERRY MINE. FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK, FIELD TRIP 12. PAPER IN EXPLORATION FOR ORE DEPOSITS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN CORDILLERA, ED. BY J. L. JOHNSON. SYMP. OF ASSOC. EXPL. GEOCHEM., RENO, NV, MAR. 25-28, 1984, PP. FT 12 -1.

  • Reserve-Resource

    NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION (RENO). GOOSEBERRY MINE MODIFIES LEACH CIRCUIT; AT FULL PRODUCTION. NV MIN. ASSOC. BULL., V. 8, NO. 2, 1984, P. 19.

  • Deposit

    CLISBY, H. NEVADA'S PRECIOUS METALS PICTURE LOOKING BETTER ALL THE TIME. BIG SKY PAYDIRT (BISBEE, AZ), NO. 36, SEPT. 1983, PP. 21A- 25A.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL. 45 TOP U.S. SILVER MINES AND 27 LEADING U.S. SILVER MINING COMPANIES. V. 183, NO. 6, 1982, P. 15.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL. THIS MONTH IN MINING: GOLD AND SILVER PROJECTS DOMINATE RECOVERING U.S MINING SCENE. V. 185, NO. 6, 1984, P. 21.

  • Deposit

    LEWIS, A. LEACHING AND PRECIPITATION TECHNOLOGY FOR GOLD AND SILVER ORES. ENG. AND MIN. J., V. 184, NO. 6, 1983, PP. 48-56.

  • Deposit

    ______, GOLD AND SILVER CYANIDATION PLANT PRACTICE, V. II. AIME, 1981, 263 PP.

  • Deposit

    NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION (RENO). NEVADA'S GOOSEBERRY MINE IS PROFILED BY MINE GEOLOGIST. NV MIN. ASSOC. BULL., V. 2, NO. 7, 1978, PP. 12-13.

  • Deposit

    NORTHERN MINER (TORONTO). HOME OIL, SCURRY, AND ASAMERA IN U.S. GOLD-SILVER MINE DEAL. DEC. 2, 1982, PP. 1-2.

  • Deposit

    SCHAFER, R. W. THE MINERALOGY, STRUCTURE, AND ALTERATION PATTERN OF THE GOOSEBERRY MINE, STOREY COUNTY, NEVADA. M.S. THESIS, MIAMI UNIV., OXFORD, OH, 1976, 79 PP.

  • Deposit

    STODDARD, C., AND J. A. CARPENTER. MINERAL RESOURCES OF STOREY AND LYON COUNTIES, NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. BULL. 49, 1950, P. 89.

  • Deposit

    WENATCHEE (WA) WORLD. ASAMERA MINING TO CALL FOR BIDS FOR GOLD MINING SHAFTS, TUNNELS. JUNE 16, 1983, P. 14.

  • Deposit

    NATIONAL ASSESSMENT, 1995, U.S. DEPOSIT DATA BASE, #103, "GOOSEBERRY".

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The deposit consists of a nearly vertical quartz-dolomite veins that range from a few inches up to 10 or more feet in width. The veins follow an east-west zone, which is better developed at the 900-ft level than at surface. The vein can be traced for several hundred feet at the surface. Ore minerals are disseminated in numerous thin quartz veins present in vicinity of the mine with occasional areas of considerable jarosite, gypsum, and disseminated pyrite. Fissure vein, shear zone, disseminated.
Deposit OPERATION CURRENTLY UNDERGOING RECLAIMATION AS OF 12/96.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-84 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-DEC-88 La Pointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-AUG-91 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-94 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 09-DEC-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-DEC-04 LaPointe, D. D Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Editor 01-SEP-07 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.

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 04/01/1999
MSHA mine ID2600249
Mine name (MSHA)GOOSEBERRY
Current operatorPallas Resource Corp
Current controller (parent)Jordan William T
Mine typeUnderground (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.

External references

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.