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Butte Quicksilver Mine

Past Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodity Mercury
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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. 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. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040302
MRDS ID M055014
Record type Site
Current site name Butte Quicksilver Mine
Alternate or previous names Butte 1 Mine, Butte 2 Mine, Pit 3 Workings, Rand, Bowers, Mayflower, Velvet, Ivanhoe

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.5715, 41.12184 (WGS84)
Elevation 1804

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Willow Creek Reservoir SE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tuscarora(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

McDermitt(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rock(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(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 Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 38N;37N 48E;48E 32,33;04,05 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Alunite Gangue
Chalcedony Gangue
Opal Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 177
USGS model code 27a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Hg

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.5715, 41.12184
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Minor Drag Folds Along Steep Normal Faults

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Thickness 3.05M
    Length 54.86M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Disseminated And Fracture Filling In Opalite

Comments on the geologic information

  • PRE - TERTIARY QUARTZITE AND CHERT NEARLY EVERYWHERE MANTLED BY TERT. VOLCANICS. MIOCENE RHYOLITE AND ANDESITE FLOWS AND TUFF TILTED, BEVELLED, OVERLAIN BY FLAT - LYING RHYOLITIC TUFFS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1917
Production years 1917, 1929-1934, 1936-1937, 1939-1944

Mining district

District name Ivanhoe District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Butte Quicksilver Mining Co.
    First year 1943

Production statistics

  • Year 1957
    Period To 1957
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4-8 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 2711g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • INCLUDES PRODUCTION FROM: BUTTE NO. 1 MINE, BUTTE NO. 2 MINE, VELVET WORKINGS, AND PIT 3 WORKINGS. VELVET WORKINGS MAJOR PRODUCER

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ITEM 1 INFERRED RESERVES AS OF 1943.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 22.86M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS PARTLY OPENCUT. (DEVELOPMENT AS OF 1943) LAST OPERATED 1943.

Comments on development

  • 35 TON ROTARY (1943)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E. H., U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, PERSONAL FILES

  • Deposit

    BAILEY AND PHOENIX, 1944, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 41

  • Deposit

    GRANGER, ET AL, 1957, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF ELKO COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 54

  • Production

    USBM UNPUB DATA

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE DEPOSITION OCCURS IN OPALITE
Deposit SEE BUTTE NO. 1 MINE, BUTTE NO. 2 MINE, PIT 3, AND VELVET WORKINGS FOR MORE DETAILS. ; INFO.SRC : BAILEY E H

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1973 Bergquist, Joel R. U.S. Geological Survey

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.