1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Victorine Gold Mine

Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Antimony
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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 10310315
MRDS ID M232855
Record type Site
Current site name Victorine Gold Mine
Alternate or previous names Victorine Gold Project, Sumich Deposit, Bimetallic Mine, Phoenician, Kingston Mine, Klondike Mine
Related records 10045171, 10045172, 10047157

Comments on the site identification

  • All material from earlier record M232855 for the historic Victorine mine has been incorporated into the current record.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.13537, 39.22714 (WGS84)
Elevation 2410
Relative position The Victorine Mine is located about 20 miles south of Austin in Kingston Canyon on the eastern flank of the Toiyabe Range.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Brewer Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Smith Creek Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Millett(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Northern Big Smoky Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(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 Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 016N 043E 27 22 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The mine workings are located in Victorine Canyon, a tributary on the north side of Kingston Canyon.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: gold, silver, copper carbonates, argentite, tetrahedrite, chalcopyrite
  • Gangue Materials: iron oxides, galena, sphalerite, pyrite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Silver Ore
Argentite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Gangue
Sphalerite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) 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 Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Broad Canyon sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock type qualifier calcareous
    Rock unit name Broad Canyon sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
    Rock type qualifier calcareous
    Rock unit name Broad Canyon sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Phyllite
    Rock type qualifier graphitic
    Rock unit name Broad Canyon sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock type qualifier sills
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.13537, 39.22714
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description The Kingston Canyon Thrust Fault is exposed just south of the mine area.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Roberts Mountains Thrust Fault

Ore body information

  • General form tabular

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ore has formed along a silicified zone in limestone.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1862
Year of first production 1865
Year of last production 1989
Production years 1865-71;1937-41; 1986-1989

Mining district

District name Kingston District

Land status

Ownership category Private
Ownership category National Forest
Area name Tonopah Forest Service Administrative District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Goldrea Resources Corp.
    Interest 50
    Year 2004
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Stirrup Creek Gold, Ltd.
    Interest 50
    Year 2004

Comments on the workings information

  • The mine is developed by about 3000 feet of workings including two 700-ft adits. The South Drift is 846 feet long, the North Crosscut is 205 feet long; the south crosscut is 366 feet long; and the northeast crosscut is 105 feet long (1983). Surface prospects have also been developed and the deposit has been extensively drilled.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Production from the Victorine deposit during the period 1862-1986 was 570 kilotonnes of ore grading 0.185 ounces of gold per ton. From 1987-88, the mine produced 39,247 ounces of gold and 88,207 ounces of silver. From1987-89, it was reported that a total of 78,000 ounces of gold was produced.

    In 1992, the Victorine deposit was reported to contain 915,000 tons of ore grading , 0.304 ounces per ton gold.
    In 1995, proven and probable reserves were reported at 256,000 tons of ore grading 0.36 ounces per ton gold, plus an additional geologic resource of 31,160 ounces of gold.
    In 2000 and 2001, the deposit was reported to contain 120,000 ounces of gold proven and probable reserves; plus an additional 200,000 ounces of gold as possible reserves.

Comments on development

  • This property has been known by several names since it was first discovered. Gold- and silver-bearing quartz veins were discovered at this site in 1862. The Victorine and Morning Star claims on the prominent gold-bearing quartz vein were patented in 1869 and 1891 respectively. In the early days, the gold ore was mined from the adits and trammed on a track about 1500 feet along contour to ore bins, after which an aerial tram carried the ore to the bottom of the canyon where it was loaded and hauled by horsedrawn wagon to a mill located about two miles down Kingston Canyon. The gold-silver concentrate was then shipped to England for final refining. The mine was examined and underwent metallurgical testing in the 1930s without further development. In 1941, Goldacres mine manager Harry Treweek brought in a crew of workers to channel sample the deposit for assaying and metallurgical testing preparatory to mining, but the onset of World War II thwarted plans to put the mine into production. With rising gold prices in the early 1980s, the entire central Toiyabe Range was actively prospected for precious metals deposits by the Anaconda Company, FMC Corp., and Superior Minerals, followed by numerous other exploration companies. Harry Treweek again promoted the Victorine deposit in the early 1980s, this time to New Beginnings Resources Inc., who formed a joint venture with other companies to bring the mine into production. Several unpublished company reports specifically on the Victorine Mine area by New Beginnings Resources Inc. in Aug.-Sept. 1983, indicate that mine development was in progress at that time extending underground workings under the old Victorine mine. Mapping, sampling and metallurgical testing were being conducted; and ore was being stockpiled at the surface for pilot scale metallurgical testing. At the same time, Homestake Mining Company was actively prospecting Brazos ground in the old Klondike mine area adjoining the Victorine across the canyon to the west along the same structure.
    The Victorine Mine was listed as an active, underground gold-silver mine in 1983, employing 12 persons, operated on a joint venture between Crested Butte Silver Mining Company of Austin, Nevada, U. S. Energy, and New Beginnings Resources.
    In 2000, Western Mine Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Newgold Inc., was actively producing gold from the Victorine Mine in Kingston Canyon. The underground operation had a production capacity of 1,000 ounces of gold per month and anticipated increasing that level to 2,500 ounces per month by mid-2001. The property consists of 130 mining claims, covering 2,200 acres.Construction of a 455 tpd mill to process teh ore was begn in 1984 east of Kingston Village at the mouth of Kingston Canyon. The mill circuit included crushing, grinding and flotation, cyanide treatment and carbon-and-pulp recovery circuit , electrowinning stripping, and refining into dore bars.

    Kingston district - MI-95
    Joint venture partners Verdstone Gold and Stirrup Creek Gold plan a $300,000 surface and underground drilling program to explore the Victorine Mine property beginning in February 1996. Drilling in 1992 discovered the Treasure Island zone and other mineralized zones near the old Victorine Mine workings.
    In 2004, owners were listed as Goldrea Resources Corp. (50%); Stirrup Creek Gold, Ltd. (50%).
    Reclamation was supposed to be progressing in 2005 at the Victorine, according to a NV Division of Minerals annual report.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Stewart, J.H., McKee, E.H., and Stager, H.K., 1977, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Lander County Nevada: NBMG Bull. 88.

  • Deposit

    Sizer, F.L., 1893, Report on the Kingston Group of Mines (Unpub): NBMG Mining District Files

  • Deposit

    Brown, A.H., 1909, Unpublished report on the Kingston Property: NBMG Mining District Files

  • Deposit

    Tingley, J. V., 1981, Field Examination Report, Sept 21, 1981.

  • Deposit

    Unpublished reports to stockholders, 1983, New Beginnings Resources, Inc.

  • Deposit

    NBMG Map 84, 1983, Active Mines and Oil Fields

  • Deposit

    State Division of Mine Inspection, 1983, Directory of Nevada Mine Operations active during calendar year 1983.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • 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

    New genetic and structural interpretation of the quartz-gold deposits in the Kingston District, Nevada; 1998, North American Conference on Tectonic Control of Ore Deposits and the Vertical and Horizontal Extent of Ore Systems : proceedings volume / editors, Geza Kisvarsanyi, Sheldon K. Grant.: University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Mo., p. 103-108.

  • Deposit

    Kuehn, Carl A., 1984, Geology and exploration geochemistry of the Big Creek and Kingston Canyon areas, Toiyabe Range, Lander County, Nevada; M.S. Thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1984, 217 p.

  • Deposit

    Akright, Robert L., 1990, Geology of the Sumich (Victorine) Deposit, Kingston District, Lander County, Nevada. in Discoveries of valuable minerals and precious metals deposits related to intrusions and faults; Case histories of mineral discoveries; Volume 2, p. 353-357, Victor F. Hollister, editor, Littleton, Colo. : Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, 1990.

  • Deposit

    www.newgold.com

  • Deposit

    Northern Miner, 1/15/96.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The Victorine Mine deposit consists of a shallowly-dipping gold-and silver-bearing quartz vein system. The ore occurs as pockets and veinlike masses of quartz along a silicified zone in limestone at the top of a lower Cambrian map unit. The ore zone trends east and in general, dips 20-30 degrees north, conformable to the host rocks. The vein forms a prominent outcrop, 3 to 8 feet thick, which is traceable for more than a mile along strike. The vein system includes a main (lower) vein about 28 fet thick and several smaller veins lying above the main vein. Drill- and surface observations indicate that the main vein follows a thrust fault. Renewed movement along the thrust brecciated the vein material and provided pathways for repeated subsequent vein emplacement. Up to 5 episodes of brecciation and vein emplacement are documented with the richest gold deposition event being one of the later events. The ore-controlling thrust lies below the Roberts Mountains thrust fault and cuts a series of graphitic shales interbedded with limestones. The host rocks along the vein exhibit intense drag-folding.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-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.