South Bullion / Trout Creek Deposit

Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Barium-Barite, Arsenic, Antimony, Mercury

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	10310440
MRDS ID	RE00044
Record type	Site
Current site name	South Bullion / Trout Creek Deposit
Alternate or previous names	Main Zone, North Pod Zone, Southern Zone, Central Zone, Northern Zone, part of the Railroad-Pinon property, Cord Ranch - Pi?on Range
Related records	10055100

Comments on the site identification

This record encompasses all material contained in MRDS records RE00044 and RE00045. The Trout Creek and South Bullion deposits are two parts of the same deposit which have been claimed by different owners in the past and have thus been described under different names in the literature. UTM is to near center of the main project area.
Dark Star is a nearby adjacent property about 2 miles or so east of the main Trout Creek/South Bullion/Pi?on deposit and it has its own MRDS record.
The Pod (and East Jasperoid) deposit area is also controlled by Royal Standard Minerals and included in their Pi?on-Railroad property descriptions, is located about a mile south of Trout Creek and is described in a separate MRDS record.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-116.00174, 40.46352 (WGS84)
Elevation	2200
Relative position	The deposit area is located about 18 miles south of Carlin, Nevada and covers more than 16,000 acres of unpatented, patented and fee lands under control by Royal Standard Minerals.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Papoose Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Crescent Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pine(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	30N	53E	21, 22, 25, 27		Nevada

Comments on the location information

The deposit is located on the west flank of the Pinon Range. The Trout Creek deposit is the northern portion of a single hydrothermal system, the southern portion of which is the South Bullion deposit (record #RE00045). The property boundary between Trout Creek and South Bullion deposits is the section line between sections 22 and 27, T30N, R53E.

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Silver	Primary
Barium-Barite Critical	Tertiary
Arsenic Critical	Tertiary
Antimony Critical	Tertiary
Mercury	Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

Ore Materials: native gold
Gangue Materials: barite, calcite, hematite, jarosite, stibnite, pyrite, alunite, kaolinite, limonite

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Gold	Ore
Calcite	Ore
Hematite	Ore
Jarosite	Ore
Stibnite	Ore
Pyrite	Ore
Alunite	Ore
Kaolinite	Ore
Limonite	Ore
Barite	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Alteration at South Bullion consists of silicification, decalcification, and argillization. Alteration within the Trout Creek portion of the deposit consists predominantly of silicification and hematization.
Gold mineralization is intimately related, both temporally and spatially, to silicification of the Webb Formation. Silicification of the Webb Formation has resulted in 1) replacement of primary calcareous material by authigenic quartz, forming the major portion of the fine grained jasperoid, 2) development of quartz overgrowths, some of which are multiple overgrowths, 3) the in-filling of fractures and vugs by coarse anhedral and euhedral quartz, and 4) pervasive silica flooding along zones of induced secondary porosity and permeability. Portions of the Webb Formation and Devils Gate Limestone are decalcified in an envelope to the jasperoid. An unsilicified portion of the Webb Formation that directly overlies the jasperoid contains numerous fine calcite veinlets; a similar zone occurs directly below the jasperoid and is characterized by massive vein- and cavity-filling sparry calcite. Weak argillic alteration is suggested by the presence of dispersed hydrothermal clays within the Webb Formation and the Chainman Shale at both the local and district scales. Due to the regional extent of the clays, as contrasted to the limited area of gold mineralization, the gold is thought to not necessarily be temporally associated with this weak argillization event.

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 > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone

Rock type qualifier

interbedded

Rock unit name

Webb Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Mississippian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone

Rock type qualifier

calcareous

Rock unit name

Webb Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Mississippian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale

Rock unit name

Webb Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Mississippian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Rock unit name

Webb Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Mississippian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite

Rock unit name

Webb Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Mississippian

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Rock unit name

Devils Gate Limestone

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Late Devonian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Devonian

Host or associated Associated

Rock type

Rock unit name Chainman Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Mississippian

Stratigraphic age (oldest) Early Mississippian
Host or associated Associated

Rock type

Rock unit name Diamond Peak Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Pennsylvanian

Stratigraphic age (oldest) Early Mississippian

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-116.00174, 40.46352	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Tertiary age faults strike NW and NNE. One set of NW-striking, south-dipping reverse faults controlled ore deposition.
Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	The deposit lies within the Mesozoic-age, N- to NW-trending Pinon Range anticline. Tertiary age faults strike NW and NNE. One NW-striking fault set shows reverse displacement and acted as conduits for hydrothermal fluids.

Ore body information

General form tabular

General form	tabular

Controls for ore emplacement

Gold deposition occurred in jasperoid occupying two NW-striking, south-dipping reverse faults and within favorable horizons of the Webb Formation in the hanging walls adjacent to these faults. Gold mineralization is intimately related, both temporally and spatially, to silicification of the Webb Formation.

Comments on the geologic information

The Au:Ag ratio of the ore is about 1: 8.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type	Surface
Development status	Producer
Commodity type	Both
Deposit size	Small
Significant	Yes
Discovery year	1979
Discoverer	L. L. Trease and H. D. Christianson

Mining district

District name	Railroad District
District name	Bullion District
District name	SE Carlin Trend
District name	Robinson Mountain District

Land status

Ownership category	Private
Ownership category	BLM Administrative Area
Area name	Elko BLM Administrative District

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Royal Standard Minerals, Inc.

Year 2006

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Royal Standard Minerals, Inc.
Year	2006

Comments on the workings information

small open pit, advanced exploration workings; drillholes.

Comments on other economic factors

Trout Creek was reported in 1988 to have identified reserves of 1.5 million tons of ore grading 0.04 opt gold.In 2004, Royal Standard reports that South Bullion includes a large gold -silver bearing system with measured, indicated and inferred tonnages of 30.6 million tons of 0.026 opt gold at a 0.01 opt cutoff grade.

Comments on development

No exploration is known to have taken place in the area prior to 1979. The property was staked by L. L. Trease and H. D. Christianson in 1979 on the basis of mineralized jasperoid outcrops. In 1981, Amoco Minerals drilled 31 vertical reverse circulation holes on 200-400 ft. centers. The best intercept was 80 ft. grading 0.032 opt gold. A lack of continuity of mineralization over the wide spaced drilling caused Amoco to drop the lease. In 1983, Freeport Minerals Co. leased the property and drilled 8 holes. The best intercept was 40 ft. grading 0.083 opt gold, although the drilling was otherwise discouraging and Freeport dropped the lease. Teck Resources acquired the property in 1986 and conducted intensive exploration for one year. Teck then optioned its interest to Lord River Gold Mines, Ltd., who continued to fund exploration with Teck as operator. Teck/Lord River had drilled 32 holes in the area by 1989. A soil geochemical survey was donethat showed widespread arsenic anomalies, with gold occurring as isolated point concentrations. Mercury values up to 8100 ppb form thin linear anomalies that are thought to be leakage along structures from mineralization at depth.
In 1995, Royal Standard Minerals acquired Cyprus Gold Exploration's position.
In 1997 it was reported that Cameco Corp., through a joint venture with Royal Standard Minerals, was earning a 51% interest in the Cord Ranch property (Robinson Mountain District) through a positive feasibility study. Fourteen drill holes were completed totaling 11,425 feet.
In 2003, Royal Standard Minerals Inc. reevaluated the data on its Pi?on and Railroad projects to determine the economic potential of the near surface resources. This work concentrated on the Pi?on, Main, and North Pod and the Railroad, Pod, and East Jasperoid deposits included within Royal Standard Mineral's approximately 16,000 acre property. An initial 10-hole (2,620 feet) drilling program completed on the Pi?on Main Zone deposit focused upon extending the near surface portion of the deposit toward the south, southeast and northwest into areas of thin overburden in an effort to determine the gold-silver resource tonnage and grade potentials within these areas for a proposed mine plan. The company continued with a feasibility study on the Pi?on-Railroad project, and planned to complete a draft of a development plan and the filing of the first draft mining permit application to Federal and State agencies for a 5,000-ton/day mine and heap-leach facility before the end of 2003.
The overall grade of the resource included within the mine feasibility study was estimated to be 0.045 opt gold. The dimensions of the Pi?on near surface portion of the measured gold-silver oxide deposit are 1,400 feet along strike, 300 to 600 feet wide and 15 to 150 feet thick.

Royal Standard's evaluation of data from more than 600 drill holes identified several potentially economic low grade (0.02-0.10 opt) bulk-mineable gold deposits including the Pod and South Bullion deposits. South Bullion includes a large gold -silver bearing system with measured, indicated and inferred tonnages of 30.6 million tons of 0.026 opt at a 0.01 opt cutoff grade. The lower grade geologic mineral inventory is in addition to several additional near surface gold deposits on the property. In 2004, RSM conducted a metallurgical column leach testing program of samples from the gold-silver near surface resource at the Pinon deposit that returned favorable test results indicating 72% gold recoveries for this deposit and 54% for silver at a nominal minus 0.25 inch size fraction. RSM also completed the open pit mine development and surface facilities plans for four (4) deposits on the Pinon and Railroad projects that includes an initial 7 million tons of near surface measured oxide gold-silver resource estimate that is part of the larger gold-silver resource
RSM is currently (2006) evaluating the economic potential of the larger, near-surface deposits (Main Zone and North Pod open pit measured oxide gold-the "starter pit") in the South Bullion resource area. There is the potential for a higher grade (0.04 - 0.05 opt) open pit oxide deposit that RSM is currently evaluating for possible development. The Railroad, Pod-East Jasperoid deposits located on the northern portion of the Company's 16,000 acre land package are a high priority project to be further evaluated for their economic potential.
The property was 100% controlled by Royal Standard Minerals (RSM), Inc. in 2006.
RSM?s 2006 current exploration was focused on developing the Main and North Pod near-surface zones in the South Bullion resource area. South Bullion includes a large, gold-silver bearing system with measured, indicated and inferred resources of 30.6 million tons grading 0.026 opt (0.01 opt cut-off). Plans include pursuing a mining permit on this property in 2007 for an open pit heap leach operation.

Comments on the environmental information

The deposit lies within the Pinon Range which occurs within the narrow N-S trending belt which coincides with the position of the Paleozoic continental margin.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Deposit

NBMG MI-88 thru MI-02
Deposit

NBMG Bull. 106
Deposit

Elko Land Status Map 1978
Deposit

Amer. Mines (1996), 1995
Deposit

Thompson, 1999
Deposit

Newmont Ann. Rept. 1988
Deposit

Jackson, P., 1992, Geology and mineralization of the Emigrant Springs Project, Elko County, Nevada, in Buffa, R. and Coyner, A., eds., The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin-Field Trip Guidebook Compendium, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 125-130.
Deposit

Thoreson, R., 1991, Geology and gold deposits of the Rain subdistrict, Elko County, Nevada, in Raines, G.L., et al., eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 635-643.
Deposit

Thoreson, R., 1990, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Rain Subdistrict, Elko County, Nevada, Oral Presentation at Great Basin Symposium, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno/Sparks, April 4.
Deposit

Nevada Dept.of Minerals, 1994
Deposit

Newmont Gold 1993 Sec Form 10k.
Deposit

Jackson, P.R., and Ruetz, J.W., 1991, Geology of the Trout Creek disseminated gold deposit, Elko County, Nevada, in Raines, G.L., et al, eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, the Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 729-734.
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

2004 Royal Standard Minerals website.
Deposit

Putnam, B. R., and Henriques, E. Q. B., 1991, Geology and Mineralization at the South Bullion Deposit, Pinon Range, Elko County, Nevada: Implications for Western United States Cenozoic Tectonics, in Raines, G. L., et al., Eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 713-728.
Deposit

Royal Standard Minerals Inc. press releases, 4/21/2003; 11/3/2003; 11/5/2003.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Three areas of mineralization have been identified within the Trout Creek portion of the deposit: the Southern, Central, and Northern zones. Only the Central and Southern zones are known to contain significant thicknesses of ore-grade gold mineralization. Narrow felsic dikes of unknown age outcrop west and south of the deposit but are not found within it. The South Bullion resource area contains the Main zone and North Pod zone. Jasperoid is developed along the controlling faults and along the contact between the Webb Formation and the Devils Gate Limestone. Jasperoid within the fault hosts small veinlets of calcite, quartz, and barite and shows multiple periods of brecciation and silicification. Gold and associated elements are closely correlated with the degree of silicification. Hematite occurs with jasperoid and in the Devils Gate limestone immediately below the contact with the Webb Formation. The Pinon project deposit occurs in siltstone beds within a graben faulted area. Mineralized oxide zones occur along a 1,300 feet strike length less than 90 feet below the surface. Gold mineralization in the South Bullion portion of the deposit is intimately related, both temporally and spatially, to silicification of the Webb Formation. Silicification of the Webb Formation has resulted in 1) replacement of primary calcareous material by authigenic quartz, forming the major portion of the fine grained jasperoid, 2) development of quartz overgrowths, some of which are multiple overgrowths, 3) the in-filling of fractures and vugs by coarse anhedral and euhedral quartz, and 4) pervasive silica flooding along zones of induced secondary porosity and permeability. Portions of the Webb Formation and Devils Gate limestone are decalcified in an envelope to the jasperoid. An unsilicified portion of the Webb Formation that directly overlies the jasperoid contains numerous fine calcite veinlets; a similar zone occurs directly below the jasperoid and is characterized by massive vein- and cavity-filling sparry calcite. Weak argillic alteration is suggested by the presence of dispersed hydrothermal clays within the Webb Formation and the Chainman Shale at both the local and district scales. Due to the regional extent of the clays, as contrasted to the limited area of gold mineralization, the gold is thought to not necessarily be temporally associated with this weak argillization event.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Three areas of mineralization have been identified within the Trout Creek portion of the deposit: the Southern, Central, and Northern zones. Only the Central and Southern zones are known to contain significant thicknesses of ore-grade gold mineralization. Narrow felsic dikes of unknown age outcrop west and south of the deposit but are not found within it. The South Bullion resource area contains the Main zone and North Pod zone.
Jasperoid is developed along the controlling faults and along the contact between the Webb Formation and the Devils Gate Limestone. Jasperoid within the fault hosts small veinlets of calcite, quartz, and barite and shows multiple periods of brecciation and silicification. Gold and associated elements are closely correlated with the degree of silicification. Hematite occurs with jasperoid and in the Devils Gate limestone immediately below the contact with the Webb Formation.
The Pinon project deposit occurs in siltstone beds within a graben faulted area. Mineralized oxide zones occur along a 1,300 feet strike length less than 90 feet below the surface.
Gold mineralization in the South Bullion portion of the deposit is intimately related, both temporally and spatially, to silicification of the Webb Formation. Silicification of the Webb Formation has resulted in 1) replacement of primary calcareous material by authigenic quartz, forming the major portion of the fine grained jasperoid, 2) development of quartz overgrowths, some of which are multiple overgrowths, 3) the in-filling of fractures and vugs by coarse anhedral and euhedral quartz, and 4) pervasive silica flooding along zones of induced secondary porosity and permeability. Portions of the Webb Formation and Devils Gate limestone are decalcified in an envelope to the jasperoid. An unsilicified portion of the Webb Formation that directly overlies the jasperoid contains numerous fine calcite veinlets; a similar zone occurs directly below the jasperoid and is characterized by massive vein- and cavity-filling sparry calcite. Weak argillic alteration is suggested by the presence of dispersed hydrothermal clays within the Webb Formation and the Chainman Shale at both the local and district scales. Due to the regional extent of the clays, as contrasted to the limited area of gold mineralization, the gold is thought to not necessarily be temporally associated with this weak argillization event.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-NOV-2004	LaPointe, D.D.	Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater	01-DEC-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

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.