Candelaria Mine

Producer in Mineral county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Barium-Barite, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Antimony

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Public Land Survey System information
Commodities
Materials information
Alteration
Mineral occurrence model information
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Geologic structures
Ore body information
Controls for ore emplacement
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Land status
Ownership information
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10310430
MRDS ID	W016422
Record type	Site
Current site name	Candelaria Mine
Alternate or previous names	Candelaria Partners Mine, Lucky Hill pit, Mount Diablo pit, Northern Belle pit
Related records	10072147, 10197974

Comments on the site identification

This is a new record for the Candelaria Mine significant deposit. It incorporates all pertinent material from earlier record for Candelaria #W016422 which may be kept in the database for historic mine production and development data. The current project area encompasses a broader area.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-118.08427, 38.14993 (WGS84)
Elevation	1830
Relative position	The Candelaria Mine is located in west central Nevada about 55 miles south of Hawthorne.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mineral(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Candelaria(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Excelsior Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Walker Lake(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Fish Lake-Soda Spring 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	Mineral

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian	Township	Range	Section	Fraction	State
Mount Diablo	003N	035E	03 04		Nevada
Mount Diablo	004N	035E	33		Nevada

Comments on the location information

The Candelaria mine is located in the Candelaria Hills, about 15 miles south of Mina.

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Silver	Primary
Gold	Secondary
Lead	Secondary
Barium-Barite Critical	Secondary
Iron	Tertiary
Copper	Tertiary
Zinc Critical	Tertiary
Antimony Critical	Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

Ore Materials: mainly native silver and cerargyrite, with minor argentiferous galena, acanthite, tetrahedritr, covellite, jamesonite, bindheimite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite
Gangue Materials: quartz, tourmaline, manganiferous ferrodolomite, barite, pyrite, iron oxide, jarosite

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Silver	Ore
Cerargyrite	Ore
Galena	Ore
Acanthite	Ore
Tetrahedrite	Ore
Covellite	Ore
Jamesonite	Ore
Bindheimite	Ore
Pyrite	Ore
Arsenopyrite	Ore
Sphalerite	Ore
Chalcopyrite	Ore
Tourmaline	Ore
Barite	Ore
Pyrite	Ore
Jarosite	Ore
Quartz	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Some rocks are sericitized, carbonatized, argillized and silicified due to hydrothermal action pre-dating or accompanying ore deposition.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	75
USGS model code	19c
Deposit model name	Distal disseminated Ag-Au
Mark3 model number	18

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite

Rock unit name

Palmetto Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Ordovician

Host or associated Host

Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale

Rock unit name Diablo Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
Host or associated Host

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock

Rock unit name Candelaria Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Triassic

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock

Rock unit name

Pickhandle Gulch complex

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Mississippian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Early Triassic

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock

Rock type qualifier

altered

Rock unit name

Pickhandle Gulch complex

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Mississippian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Early Triassic

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Rock unit name

Palmetto Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Ordovician

Host or associated Associated

Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite

Rock unit name Diablo Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale

Rock unit name

Candelaria Fm

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Triassic

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Rock unit name

Pickhandle Gulch complex

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Mississippian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Early Triassic

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock

Rock unit name

Pickhandle Gulch complex

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Mississippian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Early Triassic

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock

Rock type qualifier

altered

Rock unit name

Pickhandle Gulch complex

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Mississippian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Early Triassic

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-118.08427, 38.14993	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	Golconda thrust, Pickhandle Gulch thrust, and thrust-related Lower Candelaria shear. Area rocks have been subjected to a successive sequence of recurrent faulting. folding and faulting, with resultant deformationin the Walker Lane structural zone.
Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Pickhandle Gulch Thrust; Candelaria Shear, Alpha, Beta, Bigfoot, East Diablo, County Line and Eastern faults all cut rocks in the mine area. Areas of greatest structural discontinuity coincide with most intense rock alteration and the greatest number of veins.

Ore body information

General form veins, veinlets, lenses, shoots

General form	veins, veinlets, lenses, shoots

Controls for ore emplacement

Ore exhibits strong structural control and genetic relation to a suite of calc-alkalic intrusions.

Comments on the geologic information

The horizon most favorable to veins is just above the Diablo grit bed, and comprises the lower part of the Candelaria Formation but ore formed in other horizons in the district as well.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type	Surface-Underground
Development status	Producer
Commodity type	Both
Deposit size	Medium
Significant	Yes
Discovery year	1863
Discoverer	early Spaniards
Year of first production	1864
Year of last production	1999
Production years	1864-1999

Mining district

District name	Candelaria District

Land status

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

Ownership information

Type Owner

Owner Silver Standard Resources

Year 2004
Type Operator

Owner Silver Standard Resources and the company's subsidiary, Candelaria Mining Company

Year 2004

Type	Owner
Owner	Silver Standard Resources
Year	2004

Type	Operator
Owner	Silver Standard Resources and the company's subsidiary, Candelaria Mining Company
Year	2004

Comments on the workings information

Two pits, the Lucky Mill and Mount Ddiablo, were being mined at the time of examination in 1984. The mine plan called for the merging of the two into a single pit which was to, on completion, measure 4000 ft by 1200 ft by 400 ft deep. Kinross mined from teh northern Belle pit in the 1990s. Ore was crushed, agglomerated and heap-leached, precipitated, dried, and smelted into dore.

Comments on other economic factors

The Candelaria Mine has been an intermittent producer since 1864 with total production of 68 million ounces of silver. Modern-day production has been about 42 million ounces of silver from 1982 to 1999.
At the time theat Silver Standard took over the propertyin 2002, there were remaining reserves, measured and indicated, of 13,623,000 tonnes grading 3.23 opt silver and 0.003 opt gold for a total of 44 million ounces of silver and 40000 ounces of gold. There was an additional inferred resource of 55,681,000 tonnes grading 1.49 opt silver and 0.002 opt gold, totalling 82.8 million ounces of silver and 10,000 ounces of gold.

Comments on development

The Candelaria Mine has been an intermittent producer since 1864 from high-grade silver vein deposits. In 1976, Congden and Carey (CoCa mines) and Occidental Minerals formed a partnership to explore the Candelaria District, long known to have large tonnages of unexploited ore remaining near the surface. After 4 years of exploration and feasibility studies, the mine opened in 1980. Depressed silver prices forced closure of the mine in 1982. Silver prices rose again and Occidental Minerals was bought out by Nerco Minerals Co. which reopened the mine in Feb 1983, and continued to mine the deposit through the 1980s. The mine was being operated as an active open pit mine in 1983, with crushing, screening, and heap leach operations, employing a total of 154 persons. Kinross acquired the property in 1994 through a merger and mined the Northern Belle open pit until it began to close the mine in 1997 and metal recovery from the heaps stopped in January 1999. Kinross completed reclamation and closure activities at the site in 2002. Also in 2002, Kinross transferred ownership of the Candelaria Mine to Silver Standard Resources. The facility was essentially in post-closure monitoring status at the time the transaction was completed.
In 2004, Silver Standard was arranging required reclamation bonding and transfer of all operating and environmental permits to the company's subsidiary, Candelaria Mining Company. Silver Standard had undertaken metallurgical and engineering scoping studies to assess the capital costs and minimum silver prices for production. Much higher silver recoveries could be generated with completion of a conventional mill whose economics become increasingly attractive with higher silver prices. The company placed the property on a care-and-maintenance basis until silver prices improve.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Knopf, Adolf, 1922 , The Candelaria Silver District, Nev., Contributions to Economic Geology, USGS Bull. 735 .
Deposit

Page, B. M., 1959 , Geology of the Candelaria Mining District, Mineral Co., Nev., NBMG Bull. 56 .
Deposit

Ross, D. C., 1961 , Geology and Mineral Deposits of Mineral Co., Nev., NBMG Bull. 58 .
Deposit

Tingley, J. V., 1983, Field Examination, 10/1/83
Deposit

NBMG District File 195 Item 2, Candelaria Partners Mine Tour Booklet, 1983.
Deposit

NBMG District File 195, Press Clippings.
Deposit

NBMG, 1983, Map 84, Map 91, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Deposit

Active Mines and Oil Fields, 1983,State Division of Mine Inspection, Directory of Nevada Mine Operations Active During Calendar Year 1983.
Deposit

Moeller, Stuart, A., 1986, in GSN 1986 Fall Field Trip Guide
Deposit

Moeller, Stuart, A., 1988, in GSN Symposium Technical Volume p.135.
Deposit

NBMG, MI-1993-2002
Deposit

Nevada Division of Minerals, 1994
Deposit

Thomson,B., Aftalion., M, McIntyre, R.M., and Rice, C., 1995, Geochronology and tectonic setting of silicic dike swarms and related silver mineralization at Candelaria, western Nevada; Bulletin of the Society of Economic Geologists, vol. 90, no. 8, pp. 2182-2196
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

Thomson B. ; Fallick A.E. ; Boyce A.J. ; Rice C. , 2000, The Candelaria silver deposit, Nevada - preliminary sulphur, oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry , in Mineralium Deposita 29, no.4 (1994) p. 318-329.
Deposit

Chavez, William X, Jr; Purusotam, Shrestha, 1988, Precious metal and ore-associated mineralogy of the Candelaria silver mine, Mineral County, Nevada; in Bulk mineable precious metal deposits of the Western United States; symposium proceedings, Schafer, Robert W; Cooper, James J; Vikre, Peter G., eds
Deposit

Moeller, Stuart A , 1988, Geology and mineralization in the Candelaria District, Mineral County, Nevada; in Bulk mineable precious metal deposits of the Western United States; symposium proceedings, Schafer, Robert W; Cooper, James J; Vikre, Peter G., eds.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Ore occurs as vein deposits. Varieties of veins found in the district include: 1) quartz veins 1 to 12 inches thick 2) silver-bearing veins with some quartz or dolomite gangue occurring along mineralized faults (these were the most productive) 3) tourmaline-copper-bearing veins developed along faults where fault features have been obliterated ( unproductive ) 4) barite veins. Some veins are broken by complex fissures. The veins are variably concordant or discordant with the country rock. Sixty five percent of the open pit ore is hosted by the Candelaria Formation in areas deformed by the lower Candelaria Shear. About a quarter of the ore is related to the Pickhandle Gulch thrust fault and is hosted by the altered mafic and ultamafic rocks of the Pickhandle Gulch complex. Historically, the grade of the ore diminished with depth. The orebodies are variably oxidized, associated within an east-trending stockwork vein system within the Candelaria Shear which is generally parallel to the bedding of the host Candelaria Formation. The main orebodies vary from 80 to 120 feet (24 to 37 metres) in thickness. There was some limited turquoise production in the district. The tourmaliniferous nature of the ore is indicative of high temperature formation.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Ore occurs as vein deposits. Varieties of veins found in the district include: 1) quartz veins 1 to 12 inches thick 2) silver-bearing veins with some quartz or dolomite gangue occurring along mineralized faults (these were the most productive) 3) tourmaline-copper-bearing veins developed along faults where fault features have been obliterated ( unproductive ) 4) barite veins. Some veins are broken by complex fissures. The veins are variably concordant or discordant with the country rock. Sixty five percent of the open pit ore is hosted by the Candelaria Formation in areas deformed by the lower Candelaria Shear. About a quarter of the ore is related to the Pickhandle Gulch thrust fault and is hosted by the altered mafic and ultamafic rocks of the Pickhandle Gulch complex. Historically, the grade of the ore diminished with depth. The orebodies are variably oxidized, associated within an east-trending stockwork vein system within the Candelaria Shear which is generally parallel to the bedding of the host Candelaria Formation. The main orebodies vary from 80 to 120 feet (24 to 37 metres) in thickness.
There was some limited turquoise production in the district.
The tourmaliniferous nature of the ore is indicative of high temperature formation.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-AUG-2006	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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