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Big Springs Mine

Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, 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 10310525
MRDS ID M242936
Record type Site
Current site name Big Springs Mine
Alternate or previous names Mac Ridge, North Sammy Creek, South Sammy Creek, 701 deposit, 131 deposit, 401 deposit, 601 deposit, Mesona claims, Jack Creek project, Bull Run
Related records 10106937

Comments on the site identification

  • The Big Springs Mine is composed of seven deposits developed by Freeport-McMoran Gold Co. (later Independence Mining Co., now Anglo Gold): Mac Ridge, M242936; North Sammy Creek, W700398; South Sammy Creek, W700399; 701 deposit, 131 deposit, 401 deposit, and 601 deposit.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -115.97557, 41.5605 (WGS84)
Elevation 2380
Relative position The mine is located in the north part of the Independence Mountains about 10 miles north of Jerritt Canyon and 65 miles north of Elko.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

McAfee Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Jarbidge Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wells(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

North Fork Humboldt(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 042N 053E 02, 11, 12 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • Most of the mined deposits are located within a one-square mile area between Sammy Creek and Beadles Creek, south of North Fork of the Humboldt River. The Mac Ridge deposit lies about a half mile farther to the southest on the east side of Mac Ridge. The UTM given is for the approximate center of the largest deposit, North Sammy Creek.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: gold
  • Gangue Materials: pyrite, marcasite,arsenopyrite, arsenical pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, stibnite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Marcasite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Propylitic alteration is common throughout the volcanic rocks of the Dorsey Creek member. Gold mineralization occurs locally when the propylitically altered rocks are overprinted by quartz-sericite-pyrite-dolomite alteration

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 > Argillite
    Rock type qualifier cherty
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock
    Rock type qualifier arenite
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock type qualifier massive
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock type qualifier fossiliferous
    Rock unit name Schoonover Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -115.97557, 41.5605
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Deformation related to the Antler Orogeny is the earliest tectonic event recorded in the Big Springs rocks, during which siliceous western assemblage rocks were emplaced over eastern assemblage carbonate and siltstone along the Roberts Mountain thrust fault. Compressional deformation of the Sonoma Orogeny occurred in the late Permian, during which the foredeep accumulated Schoonover Sequence was thrust over both the allochthonous western and autochthonous eastern assemblage rocks. Sonoma tectonism in the Big Springs area is evidenced by SE-verging overturned folds and imbricate thrust faults, all of which have been cut by later normal faults. A strong N75W fabric is manifested in folds and shears throughout the Independence Range and may be related to the Wells fault. This structural zone may have been reactiviated during the formation of the NW-striking Northern Nevada Rift Zone and Basin and Range extensional faulting.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Deposits are structurally controlled at intersections of NE-trending and E-W-trending fault zones and fold axes. The E-W structure is part of a large ore-controlling shear zone that also truncates the northern mineralized zone at Big Springs. Many of the dikes occur along the NE-trending and E-W-trending fault intersections. A strong N75W fabric is manifested in folds and shears throughout the Independence Range and may be related to the Wells fault. This structural zone may have been reactiviated during the formation of the NW-striking Northern nevada Rift Zone and Basin and Range extensional faulting.

Ore body information

  • General form Irregular

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization at Big Springs was controlled by an E-W shear zone that also truncates the northern mineralized zone .Ore deposits are localized at intersections of NE-trending faults with this E-W-trending fault zone and fold axes.

Comments on the geologic information

  • The deposits occur primarily in allochthonous rocks of the Devonian to Permian Schoonover Sequence, which are cut by diorite and quartz monzonite intrusives which also host ore.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1982

Mining district

District name Independence Mountains
District name Jerritt Canyon District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Humboldt National Forest, Mountain City Ranger District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Queenstake Resources
    Year 2006

Comments on the workings information

  • The mine was developed by several open pits and a heap-leaching facility.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Reserves in 1987 were listed as 3.3 million short tons of ore (1.7 million tons of mill ore and 1.6 million tons of heap leach ore) grading 0.18 opt. From 1987 to 1995 the mine produced more than 13 metric tonnes of gold and 0.44 metric tonnes of silver from over 1,743 metric tonnes of ore (Long and others, 1998).
    In 2006, Gateway Gold Corp. announced that based on recent drill results at the Big Springs Project, resources aggregate 914,000 tons grading 0.345 ounces of gold per ton inferred using a 0.2 opt Au cutoff. (was 904,200 tons grading 0.288 ounces of gold per ton measured+indicated prior to the new round of drilling.)

Comments on development

  • The area was first explored in the early 1980s by Freeport- McMoRan Gold Company. Extensive drilling, mapping, sampling, and construction of access roads were completed by Freeport by 1982. Mining of the Big Springs deposit was initiated by a joint venture between Freeport- McMoRan Gold Company (later Independence Mining Company) and Bull Run Gold Mines, Ltd. The mine was placed into production in September, 1987 and was fully operational by October, 1987. Initial production was from heap-leaching oxidized ore, but second phase construction provided a fluid-bed roasting system and conventional ore-milling facilities. Initially, Freeport planned to process 400,000 tons/year from three deposits at Big Springs to produce about 60,000 oz/year gold. The deposit was mined out in 1994, having produced a total of 386,000 troy ounces of gold from seven separate deposits on the property. Most of the gold was contained in refractory sulfide ore requiring a pre-oxidizing roasting method to enable conventional CIL recovery. Big Springs Project.
    In 2004, Gateway Gold Corp. continued work on its Big Springs project. A new geological model was developed based on the results of last year?s drilling and the company expects drilling this year will validate the model. In 2006, Gateway Gold Corp. announced that based on recent drill results at the Big Springs Project, resources aggregate 914,000 tons grading 0.345 ounces of gold per ton inferred using a 0.2 opt Au cutoff. (was 904,200 tons grading 0.288 ounces of gold per ton measured+indicated prior to the new round of drilling.)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    NBMG MI-1986 - 2004, The Nevada Mineral Industry, 1986.

  • Deposit

    Bonham, H.F., 1986, NBMG Map 91.

  • Deposit

    Prospectus - Freeport Gold, Co. 1985.

  • Deposit

    1983 Annual Report to Stockholders of Bull Run Gold Mines, Ltd.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1988, MI-1987.

  • Deposit

    Numerous Press Releases, NBMG Mining District File 79-A.

  • Deposit

    EIS Report - Big Springs Project, on file at NBMG

  • Deposit

    USDA Forest Service, 1987, Environmental Assessment - Big Springs Project, Elko County, Nevada.

  • Deposit

    LaPointe, D. D., Tingley, J. V., Jones, R. B., 1991, Mineral Resources Of Elko County, Nevada, NBMG Bulletin 106.

  • Deposit

    Adams, O. F., 1996, Stratigraphy, structure, and exploration potential of the Big Springs gold deposits, Northern Independence Range, Nevada in Coyner, A. R., and Fahey, P.L., eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the American Cordillera: Geological Society of Nevada Symposium Proceedings, Reno/Sparks, Nevada, April, p.1-13.

  • Deposit

    Youngerman, A., 1992, Structural control, alteration, and primary mineralization at the Big Springs gold mine, Elko County, Nevada, unpublished M. Sc. Thesis, University of Nevada, 80p.

  • 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.

  • Deposit

    Gateway Gold Corp. press release, 9/16/2004).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The Big Springs mine consists of seven distinct deposits (Mac Ridge, North Sammy Creek, South Sammy Creek, 701 deposit, 131 deposit, 401 deposit, and 601 deposit) plus many additional resource areas of anomalous gold mineralization which were not mined. The deposits are characterized by disseminated, near-surface gold mineralization within 400 feet of the surface. Mineralization is structurally controlled and occurs primarily in allochthonous rocks of the Dorsey Creek and Mikes Creek members of the Schoonover Sequence. Host rocks include thin-bedded to cherty argillite, chert, conglomerate, siltstone, arenite, massive limestone, and fossiliferous limestone. Deposits are structurally controlled at intersections of NE-trending and E-W-trending fault zones and fold axes. The E-W structure is part of a large ore-controlling shear zone that also truncates the northern mineralized zone at Big Springs.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-2003 La Pointe, 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.

External references

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.