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Riddle Mine

Producer in Douglas county in Oregon, United States with commodities Nickel, Iron, Cobalt
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Alteration
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Controls for ore emplacement
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Ownership information
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10024510
MRDS ID ISM0232
Record type Site
Current site name Riddle Mine
Alternate or previous names Nickel Mountain

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -123.44338, 42.96371 (WGS84)
Elevation 835

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Douglas(county)

Oregon(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nickel Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Canyonville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Medford(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Umpqua(hydrologic unit)

Southern Oregon Coastal(hydrologic accounting unit)

Oregon-Washington Coastal(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Oregon Douglas

Comments on the location information

  • 7 KM WEST OF RIDDLE, OREGON

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Iron Primary
Cobalt Critical Primary

Alteration

  • (Local) Laterization

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Tropical Weathering Of Ultramafic Rocks

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Laterite, Fractures

Comments on the geologic information

  • UPLIFT, FAULTING, SLUMPING; PLEIS-RECENT; GRNR + LMON + SRPN; JUR OPHIOLITE WEATHERED IN MIO. WEATHERING STOPPED IN PLEIS DEPOSIT UPLIFTED. PARTS WERE SLUMPED OFF FLANK OF UP-LIFT. FRACTURES ARE ZONES OF DEEPER WEATHERING AND HAVE RICH -GARNIERITE ORE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1864
Year of first production 1954
Year of last production 1983

Mining district

District name Riddle District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hanna Mining Co.

Comments on the production information

  • 14,000 MT/YR 14,000 MT/YR1984 GOAL: 7121 MT NI METAL

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1958
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.5 wt-pct Nickel Major 1958
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1954
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.2 wt-pct Nickel Major 1954
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1 wt-pct Nickel Major 1978

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • VERY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE BY GUSTAFSON, 1958. NO OFFICIAL FIGURES REPORTED.

Comments on development

  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. ( LABOR; ENERGY; X; WORLD NICKEL PRICE; LOCAL ENERGY COSTS.). DEVELOPMENT(NO); EXPLORATION(NO); ASSESSMENT(MINE WAS SHUT DOWN IN 1982 DUE TO HIGH ENERGY COSTS AND LOW NICKEL PRICE, BUT WAS REOPENED 3 DEC 83 WITH REDUCED W-AGE CONTRACT. OPERATES USING SPECIAL OFF-PEAK RATES.); PRODUCES FERRONICKEL. ; ECON.COM: MINE WAS SHUT DOWN IN 1982 DUE TO HIGH ENERGY COSTS AND LOW NICKEL PRICE, BUT WAS REOPENED 3 DEC 83 WITH REDUCED W-AGE CONTRACT. OPERATES USING SPECIAL OFF-PEAK RATES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GUSTAFSON, J.R., 1958, THE RIDDLE NICKEL PROJECT: PAPER PRESENTED AT AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING, METALLURGICAL -AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION MEETING. -(RR1)

  • Deposit

    ROWE, W.A., MEJIA, V.M., CUMBERLIDGE, J.T., AND MATTSON, L.A., 1976, GEOLOGY OF THE NICKEL MOUNTAIN MINE, RIDDLE, -OREGON, IN WEISS, ALFRED. ED., WORLD MINING AND METALS TECHNOL-OGY, PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT MMIJ-AIME MEETING, DENVER, COLO.-, P. 25-46.

  • Deposit

    CHACE, F.M., CUMBERLIDGE, J.T., CAMERON, S.L., AND VAN NORT, S.D., 1969, APPLIED GEOLOGY AT THE NICKEL MOUNTAIN MI-NE, RIDDLE, OREGON: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 64, NO. 1, P. 1-16.

  • Deposit

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1955-1981, MINERALS YEARBOOK (NICKEL CHAPTER): WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OF-FICE. (A2-PA4, PC1)

  • Deposit

    SIBLEY, S.F., 1983, NICKEL, IN U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES--1982, P. 106-107. (PA1, PC1)

  • Deposit

    PETERS, H., 1984, HANNA NICKEL TRIES AGAIN: METAL BULLETIN MONTHLY, NO. 161 [MAY], P. 51-59. (PA8)

  • Production

    PA1: RF5, P. 107; PA2-PA4: RF4, 1972-81; PA8: RF6. PC1: RF4, 1955-1981; RF5, P. 107.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS RECORD WAS COMPILED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERALS INVENTORY. THE DATA WERE USED IN PREPARATION OF THE USGS CIRCULAR 930 SERIES OF REPORTS. MINERAL RESOURCE CATEGORIES AND CODES HEREIN ARE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. (SEE NATIONAL RESOURCES FORUM, V. 4, NO. 3, P. 307-313.). SURFACE 3-12 M REFINED, SMELTED TO FERRONICKEL

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1983 Foose, Michael P. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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