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Surprise Group

Prospect in Lemhi county in Idaho, United States with commodities Uranium, Copper, Iron, Silver
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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. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10042408
MRDS ID M060182
MAS/MILS ID 0160590124
Record type Site
Current site name Surprise Group
Alternate or previous names Wilhite Uranium, Bitterroot Uranium Co., Mathis-Dean Property

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -113.96703, 45.55629 (WGS84)
Elevation 1615
Relative position 2.0 MI DUE W OF GIBBONSVILLE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lemhi(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Gibbonsville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wisdom(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Dillon(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Salmon-Panther(hydrologic unit)

Salmon(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Salmon-Challis 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 Idaho Lemhi

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 026N 021E 21,23,27,28 E2 (28) Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • 1 Mi W Of U.S. 93 On Friedorf Gulch Trail. ; Info From Land.St :(1978)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Copper Tertiary
Iron Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Scattered Autunite In Sheared Quartz Vein; One Small Piece Chalcopyrite; No Primary Uranium Mineral Found.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Torbernite Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Shearing
  • (Local) Sericitization
  • (Local) Leaching

Analytical data

Result 77 SAMPLES AVERAGED 0.033% O3O8
Result ONE SAMPLE ASSAYED 0.30% U3O8 ASSAYED CHEMICALLY 0.374 U3O8. DELLA VALLE LISTS 65 SAMPLES WHICH ASSAYED 0.0031 - 0.3121 % U
Result SURPRISE SHEAR ZONE RECORDED ANOMALOUS READINGS OF 16 , 18 , AND 24 PPM U

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Lemhi
    Rock description Lemhi
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Ignimbrite
    Rock unit name Challis Volcanics

Nearby scientific data

(1) -113.96703, 45.55629
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Fault
Type of structure Regional
Structure name Nw Trend, Ne Dip
Type of structure Local
Structure name Brecciation
Type of structure Local
Structure name Gouge
Type of structure Local
Structure name Seams

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR , IRREGULAR, BUNCHES
    Strike N 50 W
    Dip 90
    Thickness 18.29M
    Length 1219.2M
    Width 12.19M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracture Zone
  • Shear Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • Original Structures entry:
    Local - Vein Cut Off By Fault Striking N 70 Deg W Dipping 70 Deg Ne ; Brecciation . Broad Gouge Bands. Local Broad Seams Of Fe. Foliation Strikes N 48 Deg W, Dips 38 Deg Sw. Brecciation.
    Regional - Nw Trend, Ne Dip
  • Original concentration process entry:
    U Was Leached From Ignimbrite (Challis Volcanics) And Precipitated In Alkaline - Reducing Environment Of The Quartzite
  • Original alteration entry:
    Local - Strong Shearing , Sericitization, Leaching
  • Original ore control entry:
    Complex Fracture Zone Strikes N 45 - 60 Deg W, Dips 65 - 80 Deg Ne. Main Shear Zone The Surprise, Other Minor Mineralized Shear Zones Include The Johnson Gulch And The Moon

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1952
Discoverer C.C. Mathis , R. W. Dean

Mining district

District name Gibbonsville District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Salmon National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Whilhite
    Home office Idaho
  • Type Operator
    Owner Gulf Mineral Resources, Inc. (1970 )

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1955
    Total resources 68000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Uranium U3O8 0.04 wt-pct Uranium Trace 1955

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 335.28M
    Overall depth 68.58M

Comments on the workings information

  • Mine Developed By An Adit Drift With Several Crosscuts. 5 Dozer Trenches.

Comments on development

  • Gulf Conducted Direct Exploration, Geophysical, And Geochemical Work In 1970 ; Econ.Com: Mineralization Dies Out Quickly With Depth

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Cook, E.F., 1957, Radioactive Minerals In Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geol. Mineral Resources Rpt. No. 8, P. 1

  • Reserve-Resource

    Anderson, A. L., 1958 , Idaho Bur Mines And Geology Pamph 115 , 81 P. Staley, W. W., 1955 , Idaho Bur Mines And Geology Open - File Rept.

  • Deposit

    Umpleby, USGS Bull 528.

  • Deposit

    Anderson, A. L., 1958 , Uranium, Thorium, Columbium, And Rare Earth Deposits In The Salmon Region, Lemhi County, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 115 , 81 P.

  • Deposit

    Della Valle R. S., 1975, Uranium Mineralization In Lemhi County. Idaho: New York City, Queens College, M. S. Thesis, 125 P.

  • Deposit

    1957 Direxpl Bitterroot Uranium Co.

  • Deposit

    1958 Recon Weis, Armstrong, Rosenblum, Bulletin 1074-B

  • Deposit

    1970 Direxpl Gulf Mineral Resources, Inc, Della Valle Thesis

  • Deposit

    Powers, H.A., 1955, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Open File Report

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1973 Puffett, Willard P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1980 Loen, Jeffrey S. (Pearson, Robert C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 13-MAR-1995 Western Field Operations Center (WFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site