Pennsylvania Mine Project

Past Producer in Lincoln county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Barium-Barite

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	10310471
MRDS ID	M241647
Record type	Site
Current site name	Pennsylvania Mine Project
Alternate or previous names	Tom Johnston Property (in part), Alta Claims (in part), Independence, Jumbo Claim area?, Pennsylvania Mine north, Pennsylvania Mine south, Culverwell adit
Related records	10046480

Comments on the site identification

This record is a new record for the current Pennsylvania Mine Project that includes all material in earlier MRDS records M241647, M241648, M032085, and M032086 as well as additional new information.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-114.47555, 37.41358 (WGS84)
Elevation	1750
Relative position	The Pennsylvania Mine is located about 12 miles south from Caliente in the west part of the Clover Mountains.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lincoln(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ella Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Clover Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Caliente(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Meadow Valley Wash(hydrologic unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(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	Lincoln

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian	Township	Range	Section	Fraction	State
Mount Diablo	006S	067E	22		Nevada

Comments on the location information

The Pennsylvania Mine is located in a tributary to Pennsylvania Canyon about three miles south of Ella Mountain and 7 miles north of the railroad siding at Elgin.

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Silver	Primary
Copper	Primary
Barium-Barite Critical	Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

Ore Materials: chalcopyrite, malachite, azurite, brochantite, gold, other very fine-grained gray sulfides
Gangue Materials: clay, iron oxides, quartz, pyrite, calcite

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Chalcopyrite	Ore
Malachite	Ore
Azurite	Ore
Brochantite	Ore
Gold	Ore
Quartz	Ore
Pyrite	Ore
Calcite	Ore
Clay	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Argillization and silicification are the dominant alteration types in the mine area. Host rocks in the mine area are thoroughly kaolinized and silicified. Chloritically altered intrusive outcrops nearby.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	85
USGS model code	22c
Deposit model name	Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number	46

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated Host

Rock type Sedimentary Rock

Rock type qualifier fine clastic and conglomeratic
Host or associated Host

Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Sedimentary Rock
Rock type qualifier	fine clastic and conglomeratic

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Rock type qualifier

altered ash-flow tuff

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Miocene

Host or associated Host

Rock type

Rock unit name Prospect Mountain Quartzite

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Stratigraphic age (oldest) Neoproterozoic
Host or associated Host

Rock type

Rock unit name Pioche Shale

Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Cambrian

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite

Rock type qualifier

altered intrusive

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Tertiary

Host or associated Associated

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
Host or associated Associated

Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry

Rock type qualifier andesite
Host or associated Associated

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff

Rock type qualifier andesite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Plutonic Rock > Porphyry
Rock type qualifier	andesite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
Rock type qualifier	andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-114.47555, 37.41358	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	The Caliente caldera complex consists of an 80 km E-W by 35 km N-S area of nested calderas in this part of the southeastern Great Basin. It is bounded on its north and south sides by E-W shear zones that provided magmatic pathways for stratovolcanoes, volcanic domes, breccia pipes, and other volcanic vents. The E-W zones also provided fluid pathways that resulted in adjacent hydrothermal gold deposits of the Pennsylvania, and other mining districts. The E-W shear zones are interpreted as transverse zones, which are broad belts of accommodation that enabled crust north and south of them to extend at different rates, amounts, and methods.
Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Rocks in the mine area are cut by both NE- and NW- striking faults.

Ore body information

General form tabular

General form	tabular

Controls for ore emplacement

E-W shear zones associated with the Caliente caldera complex provided fluid pathways that resulted in adjacent hydrothermal gold deposits of the Pennsylvania and other mining districts.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

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

Mining district

District name	Pennsylvania District

Land status

Ownership category	BLM Administrative Area
Area name	Ely BLM administative district

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Royal Standard Minerals

Year 1997

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Royal Standard Minerals
Year	1997

Comments on the workings information

The workings in the Pennsylvania District are all on the same vein system. 1980s trenching and bulldozer work obliterated the original old workings, which consisted of the Culverwell SE-trending adit, 2 inclined shafts, several prospect pits, several connecting shallow prospects trenches, and short drifts. There were the remains of a track near the adit portal. Prospect above the adit is a caved shaft inclined about 40NE. Development since the 1980s included a small shallow open-pit mine and ore stock piles of reworked dump material from other minesites in district. Fairly modern crushing and sorting equipment were present on the minesite. There were old charcoal kilns, (smelters) on site, several leach ponds in the drainage and canisters of chemicals. There had been recent shallow surface scraping in the drainage area. There were old timbers and piles of ore in the mine area
In 1983, there were 3-4 small, mostly caved NE-trending prospects 3-7 years old, and 2 NW-trending bulldozer cuts above the adits. There was fairly recent trenching and bulldozing in the vicinity of the prospects, and the main ore shoot was mined 450 feet down dip.

Comments on other economic factors

Based on previous drilling, the high-grade Jumbo zone was believed to contain 10,000 to 30,000 tons grading 0.126 opt gold. Previous exploration identified a resource of 700,000 tons grading 0.039 opt gold in the central area of the system. The former heap leach pile contains about 50,000 tons of 0.03 opt gold and 0.80 opt silver which may also be classified as reserves.

Comments on development

Early exploration in the district was for silver. The U. S. Government explored it for copper in 1943, driving a "new" incline 230 ft n of the "old" incline, 500 ft down dip from the outcrop, thence 500 feet north and 200 feet south, drifting in quartz breccia with minor mineralization.
Bear Creek Mining Company (Kennecott) began exploration in 1967, staking an additional 26 "Alta" claims around Johnston's claims. Homestake began exploration here in 1968, followed by Western Ventures in 1969 and Cordilleran Exploration in the early 1970s and Westward Energy and Resources, Inc. in 1983. Area is staked and there is recent surface exploration at and adjacent to the mine sites (1983). Although there was no activity at the time of NBMG examination in 1983, several core boxes and modern equipment indicated that the property had been recently drilled. The open pit operation appeared to date from about 1980. Orange flagging on outcrops at west edge of pit indicated recent sampling of the property at that time. Royal Standard Minerals, Inc. acquired the Caliente property in the Pennsyvania Mine area in the 1990s. In 1996, Royal Standard was assessing the ore potential of the partially developed resource on the property. Forty-eight new lode claims were staked to control the entire Pennsylvania quartz vein system, including the high-grade Jumbo open pit and several gold skarn zone targets on the property. Based on previous drilling, the high-grade Jumbo zone was believed to contain 10,000 to 30,000 tons grading 0.126 opt gold. This mineralization remains open down plunge toward the east.Based on assay results from a 1997 sampling program, Royal Standard planned an infill diamond drilling program to prove up and expand the reserve base of the Jumbo zone on its Caliente property. The mile-long gold-bearing sheeted quartz vein-breccia system has been partially developed by the Jumbo pit. Previous exploration identified a resource of 700,000 tons grading 0.039 opt gold in the central area of the system. The former heap leach pile contains about 50,000 tons of 0.03 opt gold and 0.80 opt silver which may also be classified as reserves. Deep exploration and evaluation of several gold skarn targets on the property were also planned.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Bentz, J. and Smith, P., 1983, Field examination report on Sept 13,1983.
Deposit

Tschanz and Pampeyan, 1970, NBMG Bull 73, p. 170-172, Pl. I., Ii.
Deposit

NBMG District Files, Report on Tom Johnson property
Deposit

Grapevine Spring G-E-M Resources Area Technical Report, 1983, for BLM.
Deposit

Snee, Lawrence W. and Rowley, Peter D. , 2000, New 40Ar/39Ar dates from the Caliente caldera complex, Nevada-Utah; at least 10 million years of Tertiary volcanism in one of the world's largest caldera complexes; Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America, vol.32, no.7, pp.461.
Deposit

NBMG MI-1996
Deposit

Denver Mining Record, 8/28/96.
Deposit

Denver Mining Record, 1/29/97.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	The main Pennsylvania deposit consists of a mile-long sheeted quartz vein system and quartz-cemented breccia that was emplaced along a shear zone. The property also contains several gold skarn zone targets. In th emain vein system, intervening wall rock fragments and lenses consist of altered andesite, mapped as Miocene ash-flow tuff. The quartz is light green to tan to gray in color, sugary to massive in texture and characteristically vuggy with some gossany portions. The vugs are filled with euhedral iron-stained prismatic quartz. Fissure-type banding is common as is quartz after calcite texture and coarse white calcite vein material. Most of the veins are subparallel with a general N-NW strike and shallow E-NE dip. The outcrop is sheared (fractured) both parallel to and at a high angle to the sheeted vein system. The dominant NW- shearing and veining reflect a major NE-striking 30E-dipping fault that bounds the inferred southern limit of the Caliente caldera complex. The contact of intrusive with limestone is not well exposed, but orientation is probably NE-SW. Weathered, chloritically altered intrusive outcrops at bottom of trench just NW of the adit. Host rock has iron-stained fractures and carries a small amount of oxidized pyrite. An inclined shaft follows an iron-stained, silicified, gossan replacement zone in altered limestone. Mineralized dump rock is red-black, very dense and composed almost wholly of magnetite. Magnetite also occurs in calcite-veined tactite and as replacement pods in the limestone. Limestone shows various types of alteration including silication, marbelization, and replacement or staining by iron-oxides (gossan). The rock is banded, very dense, and contains lenses and veins of calcite and oxidized pods and crystals of magnetite, copper oxides, pyrite, and chalcopyrite. An elongate prospect in the NW part of mine area exposes propylitized, silicified, brecciated andesitic volcanics cut by mafic dikes and a N25W shear zone 10-30 ft wide that hosts the main Pennsylvania sheeted quartz vein system. Many of the veins are fissure-type, composed of bands of finely crystalline or chalcedonic quartz with open drusy quartz-encrusted centers. The quartz carries the minerals mentioned above and encloses altered andesite and possibly some sedimentary fragments. Some of the fragments are mineralized, containing pyrite, chalcopyrite and iron oxides. Several fragments display early stage vitreous quartz veinlets. The breccia itself is commonly crosscut by late-stage open-centered fissure veins. The rocks exposed in the trenches above the prospects are altered pink-gray, rhyolite ash-flow tuff. Within the trench, the rocks are bleached, argillized (kaolinized?) and sheared. The rocks are hydrothermally altered to bright red, yellow, and orange colors at the northwest end of the trench. They are clay-altered and show calcite and clay veining.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

The main Pennsylvania deposit consists of a mile-long sheeted quartz vein system and quartz-cemented breccia that was emplaced along a shear zone. The property also contains several gold skarn zone targets. In th emain vein system, intervening wall rock fragments and lenses consist of altered andesite, mapped as Miocene ash-flow tuff. The quartz is light green to tan to gray in color, sugary to massive in texture and characteristically vuggy with some gossany portions. The vugs are filled with euhedral iron-stained prismatic quartz. Fissure-type banding is common as is quartz after calcite texture and coarse white calcite vein material.
Most of the veins are subparallel with a general N-NW strike and shallow E-NE dip. The outcrop is sheared (fractured) both parallel to and at a high angle to the sheeted vein system. The dominant NW- shearing and veining reflect a major NE-striking 30E-dipping fault that bounds the inferred southern limit of the Caliente caldera complex. The contact of intrusive with limestone is not well exposed, but orientation is probably NE-SW. Weathered, chloritically altered intrusive outcrops at bottom of trench just NW of the adit. Host rock has iron-stained fractures and carries a small amount of oxidized pyrite.
An inclined shaft follows an iron-stained, silicified, gossan replacement zone in altered limestone. Mineralized dump rock is red-black, very dense and composed almost wholly of magnetite. Magnetite also occurs in calcite-veined tactite and as replacement pods in the limestone. Limestone shows various types of alteration including silication, marbelization, and replacement or staining by iron-oxides (gossan). The rock is banded, very dense, and contains lenses and veins of calcite and oxidized pods and crystals of magnetite, copper oxides, pyrite, and chalcopyrite.
An elongate prospect in the NW part of mine area exposes propylitized, silicified, brecciated andesitic volcanics cut by mafic dikes and a N25W shear zone 10-30 ft wide that hosts the main Pennsylvania sheeted quartz vein system. Many of the veins are fissure-type, composed of bands of finely crystalline or chalcedonic quartz with open drusy quartz-encrusted centers. The quartz carries the minerals mentioned above and encloses altered andesite and possibly some sedimentary fragments. Some of the fragments are mineralized, containing pyrite, chalcopyrite and iron oxides. Several fragments display early stage vitreous quartz veinlets. The breccia itself is commonly crosscut by late-stage open-centered fissure veins. The rocks exposed in the trenches above the prospects are altered pink-gray, rhyolite ash-flow tuff. Within the trench, the rocks are bleached, argillized (kaolinized?) and sheared. The rocks are hydrothermally altered to bright red, yellow, and orange colors at the northwest end of the trench. They are clay-altered and show calcite and clay veining.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-MAR-1984	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.