Betty O'Neal Mine

Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Lead, Gold, Zinc
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. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044093
MRDS ID M231420
Record type Site
Current site name Betty O'Neal Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.88955, 40.45518 (WGS84)
Elevation 1753
Relative position 15 MILES BY ROAD S. 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

Crippen Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Crescent Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Reese(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 030N 045E 02 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • ON NW SLOPE OF SHOSHONERANGE

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cerargyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Polybasite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stephanite Ore
Barite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Bleaching, Silicification

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 Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Granodiorite, Quarte Monconite
    Rock description Granodiorite, Quarte Monconite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Valmy Formation
    Rock description Valmy Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.88955, 40.45518

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Roberts Mtn Thrust At Great Depth; Lewis Thrust
Type of structure Local
Structure description Nw And Nin-Trending Faults, Yankey Dip-Slip Fault

Ore body information

  • Strike 53/E
    Dip 20TO50NE

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Shears, Fractures, Crushed Zones

Comments on the geologic information

  • ORE DEPOSITION PROBABLY CONTROLLED BY A COMBINATION OF STRUCTURE (FAULTS & FRACTURES) AND STRATIGRAPHY-PERMEABLE SAND STONE, LIMESTONE, IN CONTACT WITH LESS PERMEABLE SHALE BEDS. TWO STAGE OF MINERALIZATION; AN EARLY BARITE STAGE CARRYING LITTLE OR NO SILVER, AND A LATER QUARTZ STAGE, ACCOMPANIED BY ORE SULPHIDES.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1880

Mining district

District name Lewis District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Pa

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION LISTED IS FOR ENTIRE LEWIS DISTRICT, BUT NEARLY ALL PRODUCTION WAS FROM BETTY O'NEAL MINE SPECIFICALLY: 4,204,657 OZ. AG; 298,280 LB. CU; 1,670,502 LB. PB. PEAK PRODUCTION YEARS WERE FROM 1922 TO 1928 WHEN IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SILVER PRODUCERS IN THE STATE.

Comments on the workings information

  • AT LEAST ONE SHAFT AND THE GETCHELL TUNNEL

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PAYNE, A.L., 1967, GEOL. REPORT ON THE BETTY O'NEAL SILVER MINE, LEWIS MINING DISTRICT, LANDER CO, NEVADA; UNPUBLISHED REPORT ON FILE AT NEV. BUREAU OF MINES & GEOL.

  • Deposit

    VANDERBURG, W.O, 1939, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN LANDER CO., NEV., USBM. INFO. CIRCULAR 7043

  • Deposit

    STAGER, H.K., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LANDER CO.; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES & GEOL, BULL. 88, PART II

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, W.H., 1910, A RECONNAISSANCE OF SOME MINING CAMPS IN ELKO, LANDER, AND EUREKA COUNTIES, NEVADA; U.S.G.S. BULL. 408

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE DEPOSITION POCCURRED IN TWO STAGES: AN EARLY BARITE STAGE CARRYING LITTLE OR NO SILVER AND A LATER QUARTE STAGE, ACCOMPANIED BY ORE SULFIDES.
Deposit DISCOVERED IN 1880, MINING OF HIGH-GRADE ORE PROGRESSED TO 1882, WHEN A COMBINATION OF BAD EXPLOSION, BAD GROUND, AND WATER CONDITIONS FORCED CLOSURE. EFFORTS BEGAN IN 1910 TO UNWATER THE SHAFT, AND PRODUCTION WAS ERRATIC AND MOSTLY UNRECORDED UNTIL 1920. N.H. GETCHELL IN 1920 FORMED A STOCK COMPANY AND GEGAN THE GETCHELL TUNNEL AND 100-TON FLOTATION MILLS. MINING CONTINUED TO 1967 MORE EXPLORATION WAS DONE TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY OF REOPENING THE MINE. NORANDA COMPANY

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 La Pointe, D. D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.