| Deposit ID | 10310488 |
|---|---|
| MRDS ID | M055410 |
| Record type | Site |
| Current site name | Getchell Gold Mine |
| Alternate or previous names | North Pit, Center pit, South pit |
| Related records | 10310336, 10310490 |
| Point of reference | Pit |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates: | -117.2513, 41.2079 (WGS84) |
| Elevation | 1710 |
| Relative position | The Getchell Mine is located in Potosi Mining District, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Winnemucca, Nevada. Access to the property is by paved road from the main Interstate Highway, I-80. |
Political divisions (FIPS codes)
Humboldt(county)
Nevada(state)
United States(country)
North America(continent)
Land(continent)
USGS map quadrangles
Adam Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)
Osgood Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)
McDermitt(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)
Hydrologic units (watersheds)
Middle Humboldt(hydrologic unit)
Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)
Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)
Great Basin(hydrologic region)
| Country | State | County |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Nevada | Humboldt |
| Meridian | Township | Range | Section | Fraction | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Diablo | 038N | 042E | 04, 09 | Nevada | |
| Mount Diablo | 039N | 42E | 28, 29, 32, 33 | Nevada |
| Commodity | Importance |
|---|---|
| Gold | Primary |
| Silver | Primary |
| Arsenic Critical | Secondary |
| Tungsten Critical | Tertiary |
| Antimony Critical | Tertiary |
| Mercury | Tertiary |
| Barium-Barite Critical | Tertiary |
| Molybdenum | Tertiary |
| Fluorine-Fluorite Critical | Tertiary |
| Thallium | Tertiary |
| Tellurium Critical | Tertiary |
| Bismuth Critical | Tertiary |
| Tin Critical | Tertiary |
| Lead | Tertiary |
| Zinc Critical | Tertiary |
| Copper | Tertiary |
| Materials | Type of material |
|---|---|
| Gold | Ore |
| Silver | Ore |
| Electrum | Ore |
| Orpiment | Ore |
| Pyrite | Ore |
| Scheelite | Ore |
| Pyrrhotite | Ore |
| Arsenopyrite | Ore |
| Marcasite | Ore |
| Magnetite | Ore |
| Stibnite | Ore |
| Ilsemannite | Ore |
| Cinnabar | Ore |
| Hubnerite | Ore |
| Calcite | Ore |
| Chabazite | Ore |
| Sericite | Ore |
| Chlorite | Ore |
| Barite | Ore |
| Gypsum | Ore |
| Fluorite | Ore |
| Getchellite | Ore |
| Galkhaite | Ore |
| Laffittite | Ore |
| Arsenolite | Ore |
| Guerinite | Ore |
| Haidingerite | Ore |
| Pharmacolite | Ore |
| Weilite | Ore |
| Coloradoite | Ore |
| Bismuthinite | Ore |
| Cassiterite | Ore |
| Molybdenite | Ore |
| Ferrimolybdite | Ore |
| Galena | Ore |
| Sphalerite | Ore |
| Covellite | Ore |
| Chalcocite | Ore |
| Garnet | Ore |
| Epidote | Ore |
| Realgar | Gangue |
| Result | Average ore grade 0.18-0.23 opt Au |
|---|
| Model code | 173 |
|---|---|
| USGS model code | 26a.1 |
| Deposit model name | Sediment-hosted Au |
| Mark3 model number | 17 |
| Host or associated | Host | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale | ||||
| Rock unit name | Preble Formation | ||||
| |||||
| Host or associated | Host | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone | ||||
| Rock type qualifier | silty | ||||
| Rock unit name | Preble Formation | ||||
| |||||
| Host or associated | Associated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granodiorite | ||||
| Rock type qualifier | hornblende | ||||
| Rock unit name | Osgood Mountains pluton | ||||
| |||||
| Host or associated | Associated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Plutonic Rock > Porphyry | ||||
| Rock type qualifier | granodiorite | ||||
| Rock unit name | Osgood Mountains pluton | ||||
| |||||
| Host or associated | Associated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granodiorite | ||||
| Rock type qualifier | porphyry | ||||
| Rock unit name | Osgood Mountains pluton | ||||
| |||||
| Pit (1) | -117.2513, 41.2079 |
|---|
| Type of structure | Regional |
|---|---|
| Structure description | thrust faults to the north and NNW-trending faults. |
| Type of structure | Local |
| Structure description | Gold mineralization is generally found at the intersection of a number of high-angle and low-angle fault sets. The low-angle faults and associated folds are the result of Devonian and Permian-age compressional events and the higher angle faults and fracture sets formed during Tertiary extension. Mineralization is both structurally and stratigraphically controlled. The Getchell fault is a zone of overlapping fractures which have an overall strike of N10W. Hotz and Willden (1964) offer evidence for up to 3500 feet of left lateral strike slip displacement and only a relatively small amount of dip slip movement along the Getchell fault. McCollum and McCollum (1991) indicate that the sense of movement on the Getchell fault is right lateral. The Getchell Fault Zone is a complex system of sub-parallel, high angle faults which is at least 500 m wide. The zone is made up of a number of fault planes, separated by brecciated gouge and characterised by intense clay alteration, and by brecciation in the hangingwall. |
| Type of structure | Local |
| Structure description | The main Getchell deposit within the fault has been drilled to a depth of 600 m down dip from the original surface, and remains open down dip. There is a 'Main Vein' which is a dominant structure with a distinct footwall, complexed by several conjugate veins to the west. Sub-parallel, mineralised structures have also been found up to 200 m into the footwall of this main structure, while alteration, fault gouge and mineralisation occur up to 500 m to the east into its hangingwall (FirstMiss Gold Inc., 1993). Movement on the Getchell Fault has been both normal and dextral strike-slip (McCollum & McCollum 1990). On the basis of the relative displacement of the Palaeozoic sediments and the Cretaceous granodiorite of the Osgood Mountain Stock it is believed that the Getchell Fault is a reactivated older structure (D Bond, Pers. comm., 1993). The most recent displacement has taken place during the Miocene to present Basin and Range movement, representing further reactivation of an older structure. The fault cuts all three main stratigraphic units found within the pit, as well as the Osgood Mountain Stock. Altered blocks of granodiorite, rimmed by the skarn assemblage, are faulted downwards along the footwall structure into the Getchell Fault Zone and subsequently mineralised with gold (FirstMiss Gold Inc., 1993). |
| General form | Individual orebodies are roughly tabular |
|---|---|
| Strike | NNW |
| Dip | 40-60E |
| Thickness | 1000M |
| Length | 2133.6M |
| Width | 60.96M |
| Operation type | Surface |
|---|---|
| Development status | Producer |
| Commodity type | Both |
| Deposit size | Medium |
| Significant | Yes |
| Discovery year | 1933 |
| Discoverer | Edward Knight and Emmet Chase |
| Year of first production | 1938 |
| Year of last production | 1999 |
| Production years | 1938-1945; 1948-1950; 1962-1967; 1985-1999 |
| District name | Potosi District |
|---|---|
| District name | Getchell District |
| Ownership category | Private |
|---|---|
| Ownership category | BLM Administrative Area |
| Area name | Winnemucca BLM Administrative District |
| Type | Owner-Operator |
|---|---|
| Owner | Placer Dome Gold |
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Owner-Operator |
|---|---|
| Owner | Newmont Gold Mining Company |
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Owner-Operator |
|---|---|
| Owner | First Miss Gold Corp. |
| Agency | Database name | Acronym | Record ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS | Mineral Resources Data System | MRDS | M055410 | MRDS dep_id 10040585 merged into this record. |
McCollum, L. B. and McCollum, M., 1991, Paleozoic rocks of the Osgood Mountains, Nevada, in Raines, G. L., et al, eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 735-738.
Bagby, W. C. and Cline, J. S., 1991, Constraints on the pressure of formation of the Getchell gold deposit, Humboldt County, Nevada, as interpreted from secondary-fluid-inclusion data, in Raines, G. L., et al, eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 793-804.
Madden-McGuire, D. J., 1991, Stratigraphy of the limestone-bearing part of the lower Cambrian to lower Ordovician Preble Formation near its type locality, Humboldt County, North Central Nevada, in Raines, G. L., et al, eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 875-893.
Berger, B. R. and Tingley, J. V., 1985, History of discovery, mining, exploration of the Getchell mine, Humboldt County, Nevada, in Hollister, V. F., ed., Discoveries of epithermal precious metal deposits, case histories of mineral discoveries vol. 1, Society of Mining Engineers, New York, P. 49-51.
Berger, B. R., 1985 Geological and geochemical relationships at the Getchell Mine and vicinity, Humboldt County, Nevada, in Hollister, V. F., ed., Discoveries of epithermal precious metal deposits, case histories of mineral discoveries vol. 1, Society of Mining Engineers, New York, p. 51-59.
Dunning, Gail E., 1988, calcium arsenate minerals new to the Getchell Mine, Nevada, The Mineralogical Record, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 253-257.
Erickson, R. L., Marranzino, A. P., Oda-Uteana, and Janes, W. W., 1964, Geochemical exploration near the Getchell Mine, Humboldt County, Nevada, USGS Bulletin 1198-A, 26 pp.
Hardy, R. A., 1940 Geology of the Getchell Mine, AIME Technical Publication No. 1240, 3 Pp.
Wise, F. and Wark, C. W., 1940, Metallurgy and milling practice at Getchell Mine, AIME Technical Publication 1260, 9 Pp.
First Mississippi Corp., Annual Reports for fiscal years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991.
NBMG, 1994, MI-1993
Nevada Division of Minerals, 1994
Getchell - Internet report by Porter Geoconsultancy.
Placer Dome Gold Company website, 2003.
| Subject category | Comment text |
|---|---|
| Deposit | The known gold deposits within the Getchell Trend are Carlin- type, sediment-hosted, replacement deposits containing micron gold. Gold mineralization at Getchell is associated with a curvilinear fault system that strikes NNW and dips 40? to 75? east, on the eastern flank of the Cretaceous Osgood granodiorite stock. The mineralized fault zone and the Cretaceous granodiorite both cut Palaeozoic sediments of the Cambrian Preble and upper Cambrian to lower Ordovician Comus Formations which both belong to the Transition Assemblage, and the Ordovician Valmy Formation of the Western Assemblage. Thermal metamorphism along the intrusive contact formed tungsten bearing garnet-diopside skarns, passing outwards into wollastonite calc-silicates and marble. In the southern parts of the Getchell Mine area the skarn is about 30 m wide adjacent to the granodiorite contact, passing out into marble. Pelitic shales of the Preble and Comus Formations are thermally metamorphosed to cordierite-andalusite bearing hornfels nearest the contact, grading outwards into a biotite-cordierite-andalusite interval, to an outer biotite zone. The Osgood Stock and associated hornfels and skarns are found in both the footwall and hangingwall of the mineralized fault zones. Gold mineralization is found in a number of different rock types generally at the intersection of a number of high-angle and low-angle fault sets. The low-angle faults and associated folds are the result of Devonian and Permian-age compressional events and the higher angle faults and fracture sets formed during Tertiary extension. Mineralization is both structurally and stratigraphically controlled. Gold is associated with arsenic, mercury, and to a lesser extent antimony, and commonly with pervasive decalcification, silicification and carbonaceous alteration. Gold is micron-scale generally intergrown with arsenical pyrite, which in turn, is encrusted in barren, diagenetic pyrite. Late stage realgar and orpiment are commonly associated with high-grade ores. The main deposit is confined to a zone nearly 7000 ft. long at the northern end of the Getchell fault zone. Deep exploration shows that the mineralization persists at least 1 km down-dip on the Getchell fault system and also occurs along the parallel Village fault. Maximum width of ore is 200 ft., with an average width of 40 ft. Within ore zones, gold occurs as native grains that range in size from <1 micron to nearly 1 mm, with smaller grains more abundant than larger grains. Most of the gold is intimately associated with the fine grained quartz-carbon matrix of the altered rock termed "gumbo" by Joralemon (1951). Of the sulfides, pyrite and marcasite are principal hosts to gold. As of 1951, the gold:silver ratio in bullion ranged from 2:1 to 134:1 and averaged 10:1 for the entire bullion production to that date. Joralemon (1951) observed microscopic metallic grains in the Getchell ore that he concluded were native silver, although the particles were so small that conclusive chemical tests were not possible. No other silver minerals have been recognized except for very rare grains of electrum. Geochemical work at the Getchell mine and vicinity has demonstrated that As-W-Hg anomalies occur in rocks and soils over the arsenic-gold deposits and that these anomalies are not broad haloes but are restricted to the mineralized area. The highest metal contents are found in oxidized iron-rich material along fractures and bedding planes in barren bedrock, lesser values in caliche coatings on exposed bedrock, and lowest but still anomalous values in soil. |
| Type | Date | Name | Affiliation | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporter | 01-NOV-1975 | Gassaway, J. S. | Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology | |
| Updater | 01-NOV-1988 | La Pointe, D. D. | Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology | |
| Updater | 01-DEC-1992 | Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Updater | 01-SEP-1994 | Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Reporter | 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. |
Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.
These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.