Buffalo Valley Molybdenum Prospect

Prospect in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc, Lead

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
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10310568
Record type	Site
Current site name	Buffalo Valley Molybdenum Prospect
Related records	10149701

Comments on the site identification

This is a new record. Do not confuse this deposit with the Buffalo Valley Gold Mine prospect that lies 7 km to the north at the SW tip of Battle Mountain in secs. 33 and 34, T32N, R42E (see MRDS record).

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-117.25129, 40.54237 (WGS84)
Elevation	1520
Relative position	The Buffalo Valley molybdenum prospect is located about 20 miles south of the Valmy exit on Interstate 80 and 20 miles SW of the town of Battle Mountain, Nevada.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cherry Creek SE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Dixie Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(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	Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian	Township	Range	Section	Fraction	State
Mount Diablo	031N	042E	21 28		Nevada

Comments on the location information

The Buffalo Valley molybdenum prospect is located 7 km south of the Buffalo Valley gold mine at the SW tip of Battle Mountain, just southwest of the main Battle Mountain mining district.

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Molybdenum	Primary
Copper	Primary
Zinc Critical	Secondary
Lead	Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

Ore Materials: molybdenite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena
Gangue Materials: pyrite, pyrrhotite, quartz, diopside, wollastonite, garnet, calcite, tremolite-actinolite, quartz, chlorite, epidote, sericite, K-feldspar, biotite

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Molybdenite	Ore
Chalcopyrite	Ore
Sphalerite	Ore
Galena	Ore
Pyrrhotite	Ore
Quartz	Ore
Diopside	Ore
Wollastonite	Ore
Garnet	Ore
Calcite	Ore
Tremolite	Ore
Actinolite	Ore
Quartz	Ore
Chlorite	Ore
Epidote	Ore
Sericite	Ore
Feldspar	Ore
Biotite	Ore
Pyrite	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Alteration consists of varying degrees of contact metamorphism and metasomatism associated with the emplacement and hydrothermal alteration of the Buffalo Valley quartz monzonite porphyry stock. Carbonate sedimentary roacks were altered to cacl-silicate hornfels, quartzite, skarn, wollastonite. More pelitic units were altered to biotite hornfels, siliceous hornfels and quartzite. Hydrothermal alteration of the quartz monzonite stock is strong K-feldspar-botite alteration, sericitic, propylitic, and silicification.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	80
USGS model code	21b
Deposit model name	Porphyry Mo, low-F

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite

Rock type qualifier

porphyry

Rock unit name

Buffalo Valley Stock

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Cretaceous

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Plutonic Rock > Porphyry

Rock type qualifier

quartz monzonite

Rock unit name

Buffalo Valley Stock

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Cretaceous

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite

Rock unit name

Mill Canyon Member of the Havallah Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Permian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Pennsylvanian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Rock unit name

Mill Canyon Member of the Havallah Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Permian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Pennsylvanian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale

Rock unit name

Mill Canyon Member of the Havallah Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Permian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Pennsylvanian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Rock type qualifier

silty

Rock unit name

Mill Canyon Member of the Havallah Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Permian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Pennsylvanian

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Rock type qualifier

calcareous

Rock unit name

Mill Canyon Member of the Havallah Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Permian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Pennsylvanian

Host or associated Associated

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff > Ash-Flow Tuff
Host or associated Associated

Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff > Ash-Flow Tuff

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-117.25129, 40.54237	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Northwest-striking structural zones are manifested by granodiorite porphyry dikes and larger elongated intrusive bodies, aeromagnetic lineaments, and regional alignment of mineralized areas. They generally are subtle features that trend N 30? to 40? W and that become evident only after regional mapping and compilation and are not as obvious as the north-striking fault zones. Three such northwest-striking zones have been delineated in the Battle Mountain mining district. The Northwest-striking structural zones in the Battle Mountain mining district are apparently pre-Late Cretaceous in age based on the orientation and age of the monzogranite of Trenton Canyon. The northwest zones may coincide with shattered hingelines of large-scale folds associated with a regional Jurassic compressional event (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).

Type of structure

Local

Structure description

Northwest-striking structural zones are manifested by granodiorite porphyry dikes and larger elongated intrusive bodies, aeromagnetic lineaments, and regional alignment of mineralized areas. They generally are subtle features that trend N 30? to 40? W and that become evident only after regional mapping and compilation and are not as obvious as the north-striking fault zones. Three such northwest-striking zones have been delineated in the Battle Mountain mining district. The Northwest-striking structural zones in the Battle Mountain mining district are apparently pre-Late Cretaceous in age based on the orientation and age of the monzogranite of Trenton Canyon. The northwest zones may coincide with shattered hingelines of large-scale folds associated with a regional Jurassic compressional event (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).

Ore body information

General form tabular

General form	tabular

Controls for ore emplacement

Mineralization extends from within the quartz monzonite porphry stock outward into the altered, metamorphosed sedimentary country rocks, and is largely vein-controlled with some disseminated sulfides as well.

Comments on the geologic information

Mesozoic structural and magmatic events in the Battle Mountain mining district included formation of a northwest-striking structural fabric, including faults and broad open folds, and emplacement of Late Cretaceous granodioritic to monzogranitic stocks at Trenton Canyon, Buckingham, and probably at the Buffalo Valley molybdenum prospect just to the west of the southwest corner of the mining district. Low-fluorine porphyry molybdenum systems developed with the Late Cretaceous stocks in the mining district (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).
Mesozoic magmatism in the Battle Mountain mining district consisted of emplacement of two or possibly three Late Cretaceous granodioritic to monzogranitic intrusive complexes that generated low-fluorine porphyry molybdenum mineralizing systems of varying intensity. These include the Buckingham system in the Copper Basin area, the monzogranite of Trenton Canyon, and a weak mineral system at the Buffalo Valley molybdenum prospect (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).
Tectonics and magmatism during the Cenozoic in the Battle Mountain mining district changed from one of largely compression to one of extension. Plutons became generally more intermediate in composition and were emplaced at higher levels, giving rise to a number of porphyry copper and molybdenum-copper systems with associated deposits of base and precious metals. Cenozoic structural and magmatic events in the Battle Mountain mining district included development of north-striking normal fault zones, emplacement of late Eocene to early Oligocene granodioritic stocks and dikes throughout the region, and eruption of volcanic and volcaniclastic rock, ranging in age from early Oligocene to Pliocene. Periodic change in extension directions during the Cenozoic resulted in several generations of normal fault sets with variable orientations (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type	Surface
Development status	Prospect
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Small
Significant	Yes

Mining district

District name	Buffalo Valley District
District name	Battle Mountain District
District name	Mill Canyon Distric

Land status

Ownership category	BLM Administrative Area
Ownership category	Private

Comments on the workings information

suface prospect

Comments on other economic factors

From drill and geochemical data, Thomas in 1985 estimated a central core resource of about 10 million tons of material grading 0.06% MoS2 hosted by the intrusive plus a concentric shell of country rock mineralization of about 20 million tons of material grading 0.03% MoS2 and 0.03 % Cu, which would place it in the realm of significant molybdenum deposits.

Comments on development

There is no recorded production from the prospect, although it has been explored by several major companies throughout its history. Rio Tinto examined it in 1963-1965 and drilled nine holes totalling 3153 feet . Parnasse Company explored it in 1970-1971 and drilled four more holes totalling 6050 feet. Phelps Dodge explored it in 1974-1975 and drilled 6 holes totalling 4148 feet, and Noranda explored the property in 1980-1981 drilling 2 more holes totalling 1940 feet.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Roberts, R.J., and Arnold, D.C., Ore Deposits of the Antler Peak Quadrangle, Humboldt and Lander Counties, Nevada: U.S.G.S. Prof Paper 459-B.
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

Doebrich, Jeff, 1995, Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Antler Peak n7.5-minute quadrangle, Lander County, Nevada, NBMG Bull 109, 44 p.
Deposit

Geological Society of Nevada, 1999, Geology and Gold Mineralization of the Buffalo Valley Area, Northwestern Battle Mountain Trend; GSN Special Publication No. 31, 1999 Fall field trip Guidebook.
Deposit

Doebrich, J.L., and Theodore, T.G. (1996) Geologic History of the Battle Mountain Mining District, Nevada, and Regional Controls on the Distribution of Mineral Systems in Coyner, Alan R. and Fahey, Patrick L., editors, Geology and Ore Deposits of the American Cordillera: Geological Society of Nevada Symposium Proceedings, p. 453-483.
Deposit

Wendt, Clancy, 2004, Technical Report on the? ICBM/COPPER BASIN Property, Lander and Humboldt Counties, Nevada, Staccato Gold website: http://www.staccatogold.com/i/pdf/icbm-43-101.pdf
Deposit

Thomas,T. J., 1985, Geology of the Buffalo Valley Prospect, Lander County, Nevada, M.S. Thesis, University of Nevada, Reno, 118 p.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Molybdenite and chalcopyrite mineralization is associated with a celtral zone of stockwork quartz veining, K-spar and sericite alteration in the granodiorite stock and intense silication in the surrounding country rock. Mineralization extends from within the quartz monzonite porphry stock outward into the altered, metamorphosed sedimentary country rocks, and is largely vein-controlled with some disseminated sulfides as well. the Buffalo Valley prospect is a subeconomic Cretaceous quartz monzonite porphyry molybdenum system. Airborne magnetics over the areas of the prospects display broad positive responses that probably correspond to the subsurface extent of igneous rock, altered wallrock, or both (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Molybdenite and chalcopyrite mineralization is associated with a celtral zone of stockwork quartz veining, K-spar and sericite alteration in the granodiorite stock and intense silication in the surrounding country rock.
Mineralization extends from within the quartz monzonite porphry stock outward into the altered, metamorphosed sedimentary country rocks, and is largely vein-controlled with some disseminated sulfides as well.
the Buffalo Valley prospect is a subeconomic Cretaceous quartz monzonite porphyry molybdenum system. Airborne magnetics over the areas of the prospects display broad positive responses that probably correspond to the subsurface extent of igneous rock, altered wallrock, or both (Doebrich and Theodore, 1996).

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-FEB-2005	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.