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Carlin Gold Mine

Past Producer in Eureka county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Mercury, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Copper, Thallium
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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. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Reserves and resources
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040611
MRDS ID M055452
Record type Site
Current site name Carlin Gold Mine
Alternate or previous names West, Main, South Extension, East Ore Zones
Related records 10295306, 10310467, 10310420

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.32399, 40.91184 (WGS84)
Elevation 1951
Relative position NEAR CREST OF TUSCARORA MOUNTAINS, 20 MI NW OF CARLIN, NV.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eureka(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rodeo Creek NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Battle Mountain(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Humboldt(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Eureka

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 035N 050E 13;14 Nevada

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • AU VALUES OF 0.2 - 0.6 PPM ARE UBIQUITOUS THROUGHOUT HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED ROCKS IN THE POPOVICH FORMATION ABOVE THE OREBODIES HOSTED BY ROBERTS MOUNTAINS FORMATION. NO AU TELLURIDES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN CARLIN ORES. RADTKE (1985) STATES THAT AU IN UNOXIDIZED ORES OCCURS: 1) AS COATINGS OR THIN FILMS ON PYRITE, 2) SPORADICALLY DISTRIBUTED ON SURFACES OF AMORPHOUS CARBON GRAINS, 3) IN ASSOCIATION WITH ORGANIC ACID(S) AS A GOLD-ORGANIC COMPOUND, 4) AS NATIVE AU, 5) DISPERSED AS PARTICLES OF NATIVE AU IN REALGAR OR IN SOLID SOLUTION IN REALGAR, AND 6) IN SOLID SOLUTION IS SPARSE GRAINS OF ELEMENTAL AS. BAKKEN (1990) FOUND NO SUCH AU "FILMS" OR "COATINGS" ON PYRITE. SHE DETERMINED THAT AU IS PRESENT IN THREE HABITS: 1) AS DISCRETE PARTICLES THAT VARY FROM 50-200 ANGSTROMS IN DIAMETER THAT ARE ENCAPSULATED PRIMARILY IN PYRITE, BUT ALSO IN CINNABAR AND QUARTZ, 2) AS FREE AU PARTICLES UP TO 1000 ANSTROMS IN DIAMETER THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH 1M ILLITE, AND 3) WITHIN AS-RICH PYRITE,
  • PROBABLY AS A LATTICE COMPONENT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Realgar Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chalcocite Gangue
Chalcopyrite Gangue
Cinnabar Gangue
Covellite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Galena Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Molybdenite Gangue
Orpiment Gangue
Scheelite Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Sphalerite Gangue
Stibnite Gangue
Tennantite Gangue
Tetrahedrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Decarbonitization, Silicification, Argillization. See Geology Comments.

Analytical data

Result FINE GRAINED GOLD LESS THAN 5 MICRONS, AVERAGE GRADE .31 OZ PER TON. AU:AG RATIO IS ABOUT 20:1.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 172
USGS model code 26a
Deposit model name Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 15

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Unknown;Unknown;Unknown;Unknown;Unknown
    Rock description Unknown;Unknown;Unknown;Unknown;Unknown
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Roberts Mountains Formation;Popovich Formation;Rodeo Creek Unit;Vinini Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation
    Rock description Roberts Mountains Formation;Popovich Formation;Rodeo Creek Unit;Vinini Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.32399, 40.91184
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Carlin Trend, Nnw-Striking. Carlin Occurs In The Lynn Window Of The Roberts Mountains Thrust. Some Workers Believe The Windows In The Thrust Are Due To Doming Of The Paleozoic Sediments By Intrusions At Depth. Carlin Lies Near The Crest Of The N-Nw Striking Tuscarora Mountains Anticline. The Regional Scale Leeville Fault System Consists Of Numerous High Angle Fault Strands That Strike Nnw And Form An Important Ore-Controlling Feature Along The Eastern Edge Of Mineralization.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Three Sets Of High Angle Normal Faults Are Recognized. In Order Of Oldest To Youngest, Their Attitudes Are 1) N60-80w, Dipping Steeply North, 2) N45w To N-S, Dipping In Either Direction From 60 Degrees To Vertical, 3) N40-60e, Dipping 50-80 Degrees Either Nw Or Se. The Third (Youngest) Set Of Faults Have Very Minor Offsets And May Best Be Described As Zones Of Shearing Or Rock Shattering. Igneous Dikes Of Intermediate Composition Have Been Emplaced Along Some Faults.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR FINGERS AND LENSES

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALTERATION COMMENTS: DECARBONITIZATION, SILICIFICATION, ARGILLIZATION. IN THE MAIN ORE ZONE, BAKKEN (1990) HAS IDENTIFIED 5 MAPPABLE ALTERATION TYPES BASED ON PROGRESSIVE CARBONATE DISSOLUTION (TYPES 1, 2, AND 3) AND SILICA REPLACEMENT (TYPES 4 AND 5). HIGH GRADE AU IS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE THREE ALTERATION (COMPLETE CARBONATE REMOVAL AND DOUBLING OF POROSITY). JASPEROIDS OCCUR BOTH ALONG BEDDING PLANES AND AS FAULT FILLINGS DISCORDANT TO BEDDING. THE DISCORDANT JASPEROIDS AVERAGE AROUND 1 M THICK AND MOST OFTEN OCCUPY STRUCTURES STRIKING N40-70E AND DIPPING STEEPLY SOUTH. ALTERATION AND MINERALIZATION PATTERNS TEND TO CENTER AROUND THESE JASPEROID BODIES. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: FIVE TYPES OF UNOXIDIZED ORE ARE DIFFERENTIATED BY RADTKE (1985) ON THE BASIS OF MINERAL CONTENT, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE GOLD: 1) NORMAL ORE, 2) SILICEOUS ORE, 3) CARBONACEOUS ORE, 4) PYRITIC ORE, AND 5) ARSENICAL ORE. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
  • FORMATION OF THE CARLIN DEPOSIT LIKELY OPERATED OVER A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 100,000 YEARS. RADTKE (1985) FAVORS A HOT SPRING MODEL IN WHICH AU WAS DEPOSITED AT SHALLOW LEVELS VIA BOILING OF THE HYDROTHERMAL FLUID. KUEHN (1989) SUGGESTS THAT AU DEPOSITION OCCURRED AT MUCH GREATER DEPTHS (>3 KM) BASED ON STABLE ISOTOPE AND FLUID INCLUSION WORK.
  • TERT; A K-AR AGE DATE OF 57.6 2.5 MA FOR HYDROTHERMAL SERICITE CONTAINING AU IS TAKEN TO BE A MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE AGE FOR AU DEPOSITION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1962
Discoverer John Livermore And Robert Fulton Of Newmont Exploration Co., Ltd.
Year of first production 1965
Year of last production 1987
Production years 1965-1987

Mining district

District name Lynn; Carlin Trend

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Newmont Gold Co.
    First year 1992

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Material ORE AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.223 Opt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 6g/mt
  • Year 1975
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.268 Opt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 8g/mt
  • Year 1987
    Period 1965-1987
    Material ORE - AU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.27 Opt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 8g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • BYPRODUCT MERCURY.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1965
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 8.47 g/mt Gold Major 1965
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1974
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 6.578 g/mt Gold Major 1974
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 9.859 g/mt Gold Major 1976
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1977
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.703 g/mt Gold Major 1977
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 4.913 g/mt Gold Major 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 22.51 g/mt Gold Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.863 g/mt Gold Major 1990

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT MINE. NON-PRODUCTION DECLINE AT SITE.

Comments on development

  • IN 1907, SMALL SCALE GOLD PLACER MINING BEGAN ALONG LYNN CREEK AND CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY TO THE 1980'S. ALSO IN 1907, A SERIES OF NARROW AURIFEROUS QUARTZ VEINS WERE DISCOVERED APPROXIMATELY 1.5 KM NORTH OF THE CARLIN OREBODIES. THESE VEINS WERE DEVELOPED AS THE BIG SIX MINE, WHICH ACHIEVED MAXIMUM PRODUCTION OF ABOUT 500 OZ. OF AU BETWEEN THE YEARS 1935 AND 1936. THE MORNING GLORY PROSPECT WAS LOCATED DURING THE 1920'S IN A QUARTZ-BARITE-STIBNITE VEIN 1.5 KM EAST OF THE CARLIN OREBODIES. AU WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STIBNITE AND ANTIMONY OXIDE MINERALS ALONG A NW-TRENDING SHEAR ZONE, BUT NO PRODUCTION IS RECORDED. BASED ON AN EXPLORATION MODEL DEVELOPED BY THE USGS (ROBERTS, 1960), NEWMONT MINING CORP. CHOSE THE LYNN WINDOW FOR DETAILED EXPLORATION IN 1961. MAPPING AND SAMPLING ALONG THE ROBERTS MOUNTAINS THRUST BEGAN IN THE SPRING OF 1961, FOLLOWED BY CLAIM STAKING IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF THAT SAME YEAR. EXPLORATION DRILLING BEGAN IN JULY 1962, WITH THE FIRST ORE INTERCEPT
  • ENCOUNTERED IN THE THIRD DRILL HOLE IN SEPTEMBER 1962. WHEN AU PRODUCTION BEGAN IN MAY 1965, RESERVES OF 11 MILLION TONS/0.3 OPT AU HAD BEEN DELINEATED. CARLIN WAS IDLED IN 1987 AFTER PRODUCING NEARLY 4 MILLION OZ OF AU.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USBM, 1975, MINERAL INDUSTRY SURVEYS: USBM MERCURY QUARTERLY

  • Deposit

    NOBLE, L.L., RADTKE, A.S., 1978, GEOLOGY OF THE CARLIN DISSEMINATED REPLACEMENT GOLD DEPOSIT, NEVADA, NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY REPORT 32, P. 40-44.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R.J., ET AL, 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCEOF EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA: NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 64.

  • Deposit

    RADTK A.S. AND DICKINSON, F.W., 1976, STRUCTURAL CONTROLS AND GENESIS OF CARLIN TYPE DEPOSITS: OPEN-FILE REPORT 76-I-39.

  • Deposit

    US BUREAU OF MINES (WINNEMUCCA) MILS NO. 299, REF. NO. 3201100027, MINERAL PROPERTY FILE 30.016.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R.J., ET AL, 1971, GOLD-BEARING DEPOSITS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA AND IDAHO: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V6, 14 P.

  • Deposit

    RADTKE, A.S., 1985, GEOLOGY OF THE CARLIN ORE DEPOSIT, NEVADA, USGS PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1267.

  • Deposit

    BAKKEN, B., 1990, GOLD MINERALIZATION, WALL-ROCK ALTERATION, AND THE GEOCHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM IN THE MAIN OREBODY, CARLIN MINE, NEVADA, UNPUBLISHED PH.D. DISSERTATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

  • Deposit

    NEWMONT GOLD COMPANY, ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1990.

  • Deposit

    RYNEER, R., 1992, ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE CARLIN TREND, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 838-843.

  • Deposit

    LEWIS, P., 1992, CARLIN MINE GEOLOGY, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 854-858.

  • Deposit

    KUEHN, C.A., 1989, STUDIES OF DISSEMINATED GOLD DEPOSITS NEAR CARLIN, NEVADA: EVIDENCE FOR DEEP GEOLOGIC SETTINGS OF ORE FORMATION, UNPUBLISHED PH. D. DISSERATION, PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, 350 P.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R. J., 1960, ALINEMENT OF MINING DISTRICTS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA: USGS PROF. PAPER 400-B, ART. 9, P. B17-B19.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Deposit

    NEVADA DIVISION OF MINERALS, 1994y

  • Production

    USBM MINERALS YEARBOOK. LEWIS, P., 1992, CARLIN MINE GEOLOGY, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 854-858. NBMG MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    MCFARLANE, D., 1992, GOLD PRODUCTION ON THE CARLIN TREND, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 841-843. NBMG MI-1993

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS RECORD HAS BEEN MERGED WITH M231428 AND W002894, WHICH HAVE BEEN DELETED.
Deposit THE DEPOSIT CONTAINS FOUR ORE ZONES: WEST, MAIN, SOUTH EXTENSION, AND EAST. THE WEST ORE ZONE CONTAINS A TABULAR VEIN-LIKE BODY, STRIKING ABOUT N60W AND DIPPING 60-70N. IT EXTENDS HORIZONTALLY FOR ABOUT 335 M AND REACHES A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 9 M. THE MAIN ORE ZONE CONTAINS A SERIES OF IRREGULAR OREBODIES ALONG A ZONE 914 M LONG TRENDING S60W ON THE SW SIDE OF POPOVICH HILL, AS WELL AS SEVERAL LARGE CONNECTED SHEETLIKE OREBODIES TRENDING APPROX. E-W FOR ABOUT 460 M AND DIPPING 30-35N ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HILL. THE SOUTH EXTENSION ORE ZONE OCCURS IN EXTENSIVELY SHATTERED CARBONATE ROCKS ALONG CLOSELY SPACED NORMAL FAULTS TRENDING N40-50E, OR AT INTERSECTIONS OF THESE FAULTS WITH OLDER N-S FAULTS. THE EAST ORE ZONE CONTAINS TWO PRINCIPAL OREBODIES ALONG A ZONE WHICH BEGINS AT THE SOUTH SIDE OF POPOVICH HILL AND CONTINUES FOR 730 M TO THE NE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1975 Gassaway, Judith S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1980 Kirkham, Richard A. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-MAY-1990 Jones, D.A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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Authoritative Nevada resources

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