Ruby Mine

Past Producer in Jefferson county in Montana, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Copper
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10042798
MRDS ID M060833
MAS/MILS ID 0300430162
Record type Site
Current site name Ruby Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.43533, 46.19768 (WGS84)
Elevation 1951
Relative position 13 MILES NNE OF BUTTE, MONTANA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jefferson(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Sheepshead Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Butte North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Boulder(hydrologic unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Beaverhead-Deerlodge 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 Montana Jefferson

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 005N 007W 11 Montana

Comments on the location information

  • 6.0 KM NW OF ELK PARK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1954)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Gold Ore
Silver Ore
Calcite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result 6200 TONS AVERAGED 1.836 OZ AU/TON AND 31.296 OZ AG/TON. SOME CONTAINS 5% PB-ZN AND 1% CU.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff > Welded Tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock unit name Lowland Creek Volcanics
    Rock description Lowland Creek Volcanics
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff > Welded Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -112.43533, 46.19768

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Boulder Batholith
Type of structure Local
Structure description Brecciated Pipe-Like Zones At Intersections Of Nw And Ne-Trending Faults.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR-LENTICULAR OR PIPE-LIKE
    Thickness 6.1M
    Length 21.34M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 91.44M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne-Trending, Se Dipping Faults That Cross The Nnw-Trending Main Shear Zones

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Year of first production 1885

Mining district

District name Lowland District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Ruby Silver Mines, Inc.
    Home office 101 W. Granite, Butte, MT

Comments on the production information

  • $1250000 IN PRODUCTION BEFORE 1906, 70% IN AU THE REST IN AG.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • IN ORE SHOOT 500 FT. BELOW OLD PRODUCTIVE WORKINGS
  • THESE ARE IN SMALL ORE SHOOT 500 FT. BELOW OLD PRODUCTIVE WORKINGS

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 3200.4M
    Overall depth 182.88M
    Overall length 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE OF THE ADITS CONNECTS WITH THE COLUMBIA MINE.

Comments on development

  • 10-STAMP MILL WAS BUILT IN 1907. IN 1911 1200 TONS OF 2ND CLASS ORE WAS CRUSHED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SMEDES, H.W., KLEPPER, M.R., PINCKNEY, D.M., BECRAFT, G.E. AND RUPPEL, E.T., 1962, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ELK PARK QUADRANGLE JEFFERSON AND SILVER BOW COUNTIES, MONTANA: USGS MIN. INV. FIELD STUDIES MAP MF-246

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 16, P. 72.

  • Deposit

    USGS BULL 527, P. 125-27.

  • Deposit

    USGS BULL 842, P. 296-97.

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 92, P. 12.

  • Deposit

    1911 GEOLMAP KNOPF, ADOLPH, 1913, USGS BULL. 52

  • Production

    USGS BULL 527, P. 126; MBMG BULL 16, P. 101.

  • Reserve-Resource

    OME FILE

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE ORE BEARING ZONE EXTENDS FROM THE MAIN SHAFT SE TO THE COLUMBIA CLAIM, A DISTANCE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND FT. THE GENERAL TREND IS S 20 E. WITHIN THIS ZONE THE ORE SHOOTS ARE DISCLOSED IN ENCHELON FASHION. THE RUBY SHAFT WAS SUNK ON AN ORE SHOOT THAT WAS 260 FT DEEP, 40 FT LONG, AND 20 FT WIDE. IT WAS TERMINATED ON THE N BY A LOW DIPPING FAULT. TO THE S ANOTHER VEIN WAS FOUND, 170 FT LONG AND 4 FT WIDE.
Deposit APPARENTLY THE RICH ORE SHOOTS IN THE OLD UPPER WORKINGS DO NOT EXTEND IN DEPTH TO THE LONG CROSSCUT DRIVEN IN 1966-67. SMALL ORE BODY FOUND IN LOWER CROSSCUT CONTAINED MORE BASE METAL AND LESS PRECIOUS METAL THAN THE ORES IN THE HIGHER WORKINGS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit Discovery Year: 1870'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-74 Puffett, Willard P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-81 Wise, Kristine K. (Elliott, James E.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-11 Causey, J Douglas U.S. Geological Survey Deleted duplicate record 0300430162 (Dep_ID 10196795)

Beyond USGS

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

External references