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Mercur Mines

Past Producer in Tooele county in Utah, United States with commodities Gold, Arsenic, Mercury, Silver, Antimony, Iron
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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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012705
MRDS ID D008544
Record type Site
Current site name Mercur Mines

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.21024, 40.31855 (WGS84)
Elevation 2134
Relative position ABOUT 60 FT. S 21 W OF MERCUR

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Tooele(county)

Utah(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mercur(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Rush Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Tooele(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rush-Tooele Valleys(hydrologic unit)

Great Salt Lake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Great Salt Lake(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Utah Tooele

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Salt Lake 006S 003W 07;08 W2 OF NW (08) Utah

Comments on the location information

  • INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1977)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Arsenic Critical Primary
Mercury Secondary
Silver Secondary
Antimony Critical Secondary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Orpiment Ore
Pyrite Ore
Realgar Ore
Stibnite Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Talc Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Dolomitization, Limonitization, Sericitization, And Silicification

Analytical data

Result ORE ANALYSIS: 89.29% 5.OZ
Result 0.38% T.OZ
Result 2.02% A12O3
Result 1.45% FE203
Result 0.02% FEO
Result 0.45% CAO
Result 0.72% BAO
Result 0.23% MGO
Result 0.47% K2O
Result 0.08% MA,O
Result TRACE L.O
Result 1.72% H2O
Result 0.44% SO2
Result 0.08% P2O5
Result 1.6% AS2O5

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Great Blue Limestones;Long Trail Shale Member Of The Great Blue Limestone
    Rock description Great Blue Limestones;Long Trail Shale Mbr. Of The Great Blue Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Basin And Range
Type of structure Local
Structure description Fractures, Fissures, Faults And Folds

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike NW
    Dip 10E TO 20E
  • General form IRREGULAR
    Dip 10E TO 20E

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fissures-Stricking Ene-Wsw; N-S, And Dipping Very Steeply Due West.

Comments on the geologic information

  • WALLROCKS ARE DEFORMED, CRUMPLED, AND ALTERED. LIMESTONES ARE DARK GRAY, CHERTY, DOLOMITIZED, SILICIFIED, ADN IMPREGNATED WITH QUARTZ, JASPEROID AND CALCITE VEINS. SHALES ARE GREENISH TO BLACK, CARBONACEOUS, SILICEOUS, SERICITIC, KAOLIMITIC AND PULVERIZED. EFFECTS OF LIMONITIZATION ARE COMMON ON HOST ROCKS. ORE MINERALS ARE INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED WITH JASPEROID AND QUARTZ VEINS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1879
Discoverer Arie Pinedo

Mining district

District name Mercur District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Consolidated Mercur Mines Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Getty Oil Co.

Comments on the production information

  • THE TOTAL GROSS VALUE OF ORE WAS ESTIMATED AS $16,500,000.

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS ARE ALL CAVED AND INACCESSIBLE; SEVEN ADITS (NAMELY, UNCLE SAM TUNNEL, NIMROD TUNNEL, NIMROD NO. 2 TUNNEL, MERCUR TUNNEL, APEX TUNNEL, RESOLUTE TUNNEL, AND RUBY TUNNEL); ONE VERTICAL SHAFT; SEVERAL PITS AND TRENCHES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BISSELL,H.J.,ET. AL.,1959, GUIDEBOOK TO THE GEOLOGY OF UTAH, NO.14, UT. GEOL. SOC.: U.G.M.S. BULL.14,262P.

  • Deposit

    GILLULY,J.,1932,GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE STOCKTON AND FAIRFIELD QUADRANGLES: U.S.G.S. PROF. PA.173,167P.

  • Deposit

    BUTLER,B.S.,ET. AL.,1920, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF UTAH: U.S.G.S. PROF. PA. 111, 672P.

  • Deposit

    SPURR,J.E.,1895, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE MERCUR MINING DISTRICT,UTAH: U.S.G.S. 16TH. ANN. REPT.,PT.2, 454P.

  • Production

    GILLULY, J., 1932, P.137-138

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINERALIZED ZONE IS LOCATED IN ALTERED WALLROCKS. THE OXIDIZED ORE IS LIGHT COLOURED AND MORE FN'ABLE THAN THE UNOXIDIZED (BASE) ORE. IT LACKS SULFIDES AND CONTAINS SULFATES INCLUDING GYPSUM, SCORODITE, AND MELELTERITE.
Deposit GOLD IS NOT VISIBLE IN THE ORES, AND IS CONCENTRATED IN THE CARBON-RICH PORTIONS OF THE ALTERED ZONES. THE ORE IS SOFT AND PULVERIZED, LIGHT YELLOWISH OR GRAYISH IN COLOR. THE ORE IS FORMED BY THE IMPREGNATION AND REPLACEMENT OF THE WALLROCKS; AND THE FISSURE-FILLINGS ARE NEGLIGIBLE. NEVERTHELESS THESE FISSURES WERE OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN LOCALIZING THE DEPOSITS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1981 Mohammad, Hasan Utah Geological and Mineral Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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