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Bootstrap-Capstone-Tara Gold Mine

Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Antimony
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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. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310520
MRDS ID M232818
Record type Site
Current site name Bootstrap-Capstone-Tara Gold Mine
Alternate or previous names Antimony Pete (originally), Antimony Ike
Related records 10045149, 10295132

Comments on the site identification

  • The current deposit encompasses the area formerly mined as the Antimony Pete and Antimony Ike antimony mines, and is formed by three contiguous gold deposits, Bootstrap (MRDS record #M232818), Capstone (MRDS record #RE00026), and Tara.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.41704, 41.01879 (WGS84)
Elevation 1740
Relative position 45 km NW of Carlin, NV

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Santa Renia Fields(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tuscarora(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 036N 049E 03, 10 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The mine is located on the north slope of Round Mountain.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: gold
  • Gangue Materials: clay, quartz, carbonate

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Quartz Ore
Clay Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Host rocks have been affected by pervasive hydrothermal alteration: sericitization, silicification, and argillization. Dikes are sericitized. Within carbonate sediments, cherty replacement silicification along faults and joints diminishes laterally in intensity and grades into argillic alteration. Argillized zones grade into fresh country rock.

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 Siliceous
    Rock unit name Bootstrap Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock type qualifier calcareous
    Rock unit name Bootstrap Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock type qualifier dikes
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock type qualifier dikes
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.41704, 41.01879
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Roberts Mountains Thrust Fault
Type of structure Local
Structure description A complex fault zone is exposed along the crest of the Bootstrap window. Steep north trending faults have been intruded by dikes.

Ore body information

  • General form Stockwork

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ore is localized on a north-striking, high angle fault developed along a competency contrast between massive Devonian Bootstrap carbonates and platform-slope talus debris within the Bootstrap Llimestone. West-dipping, late Cretaceous to Tertiary dikes intruded along the fault. Later tectonism accentuated initial structural breaks, enhancing permeability and porosity. Mineralization is strongly controlled by strata (particularly at Tara) however the dominant control is structural.

Comments on the geologic information

  • The Bootstrap deposits are aligned along the crest of a N-S-trending horst block, comprised primarily of carbonate rocks of the Devonian Popovich Formation and Siluro-Devonian Roberts Mountains Formation, and siliciclastic rocks of the Devonian Rodeo Creek unit. Within the horst block, rock strata are folded into a broad, S20E-trending gently plunging antiform. Resistant carbonate units and silicified rocks forming the east limb of the antiform form a 2-mile-long, 3000-foot wide, 600-foot high ridge known as the Bootstrap Window. Most of the west limb of the antiform has been down-droped by faults and is only exposed on the west side of the Tara deposit. Dikes are up to 15' wide. Gold occurs as microscopic particles along fractures in the dikes, and in the cherts & shales. Limestone in contact with the dike is hornfelsed and partially marbleized

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1914
Year of first production 1918
Production years 1918; 1958-1959; 1974-1984; 1987

Mining district

District name Bootstrap
District name Carlin Trend

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Newmont Exploration Ltd.
    Home office Carlin, NV

Comments on the workings information

  • The mine was developed in the early days by a 24-ft. shaft, a 520-ft. adit, followed by open pits.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Total production from 1948 through 1984 is estimated to be about 780 kilotonnes of ore containing 4 tonnes gold. Production from 1990-1995 was not reported separately. In 1995, the remaining resource was reported as 21,242 kilotonnes of ore containing approximately 35 tonnes gold. This resource includes the Tara deposit.

Comments on development

  • The first reported gold production from the Bootstrap deposit was in 1914 from a small underground operation near the NW corner of the present Bootstrap pit. In 1918, approximately 500 tons of stibnite ore were shipped to the railhead at Dunphy, NV. Gold production resumed in 1958 when Harry Treweek and Marion Fischer began mining a small dike immediately west of the present Bootstrap pit. It was the largest gold producer in Elko County in 1958. In 1967, the property was acquired by Newmont, who completed a development drilling program of 76 holes totalling 4,394 meters in 1969. Newmont began mining in 1974, producing 20,000 oz. gold over the next five years by milling and heap leaching. Intermittent mining of high grade zones continued from 1976-1984, produciing an additional 100,000 oz. gold. It was listed as an active open pit mine employing 2 persons in 1980. Capstone was discovered in 1985 by Newmont and heap-leaching of low grade ore continued in 1987. Additional exploration resulted in the discovery of Tara in 1990. The property was inactive in 1991. Production resumed in 1992 with the opening of the contiguous Capstone deposit, and mining began at the Tara deposit in 1997.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Smith, R.M. (1976-56) Mineral Resources of Elko Co. Nev, USGS Open-File Report

  • Deposit

    Lawrence (1963) Antimony Deposits of Nev., NBMG Bull. 61.

  • Deposit

    State Inspector of Mines (1981) Directory of Nevada Mine Operations Active In 1980

  • Deposit

    Bonham, H.F., 1986, Bulk-Mineable Precious-Metal Deposits and Prospects In Nevada, NBMG Map 91.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1987, The Nevada Mineral Industry 1986, NBMG Special Publication MI-1986

  • Deposit

    Baker, E.D., 1991, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Bootstrap Subdistrict, Elko County, Nevada, in Geology And Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, Raines, G.L., et al., eds., the Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 619-623.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1991, The Nevada Mineral Industry 1990, NBMG Special Publication MI-1990.

  • Deposit

    Newmont Gold 1985 SEC Form 10K

  • Deposit

    E/MJ 8/1986 p. 41

  • Deposit

    Geology and Ore Deposits of Northeastern Nevada; Geological Society of Nevada, 1997 Spring Field Trip Guidebook, Special Publication No. 25, p. 55.

  • Deposit

    Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-206A, 33 p.; 98-206B. one 3.5 inch diskette.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Disseminated gold mineralization occurs along a NNE-trending , west-dipping fault zone over two miles long. Ore is localized on a north-striking, high angle fault developed along a competency contrast between massive Devonian Bootstrap carbonates and platform-slope talus debris within the Bootstrap Limestone. West-dipping, late Cretaceous to Tertiary dikes intruded along the fault. Later tectonism accentuated initial structural breaks, enhancing permeability and porosity.Gold occurs as microscopic particles along fractures in quartz latite and dacite dikes, chert, siliceous mudstone, calcareous siltstone, and shale.Host rocks have been affected by sericitization, silicification, and argillization. Dikes are sericitized. Within carbonate sediments, cherty replacement silicification along faults and joints diminishes laterally in intensity and grades into argillic alteration. Argillized zones grade into fresh country rock. Where several dikes are closely spaced, the ore is mineable by open pit methods.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-2003 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.

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Authoritative Nevada resources

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