Steamboat Springs Mine

Past Producer in Washoe county in Nevada, United States with commodities Mercury, Sulfur, Silica, Antimony, Silver, Gold
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10043779
MRDS ID M231060
Record type Site
Current site name Steamboat Springs Mine
Alternate or previous names Silica Pit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.75933, 39.38323 (WGS84)
Elevation 1524

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Washoe(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Rose NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Carson City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Reno(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Truckee(hydrologic unit)

Truckee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Humboldt-Toiyabe 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 Nevada Washoe

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 018N 020E 32 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION SW/4, NE/4

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary
Sulfur Secondary
Silica Secondary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Gold Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Metacinnabar Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Opal Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sulfur Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Bleaching, Propylitic

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.75933, 39.38323

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Walker Lane Fault System
Type of structure Local
Structure description Steamboat Hills Fault System (N-S)

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Hot Springs System

Comments on the geologic information

  • HOT SPRINGS WATER ALSO CONTAINS DETECTABLE AMOUNTS OF MERCURY

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Steamboat Springs District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the workings information

  • DISCOVERED IN 1875 BY THOMAS WHEELER, NEVADA QUICKSILVER CO PRODUCED HG AND S "FOR SEVERAL YEARS" FOLLOWING 1877. CINNABAR AND SULFER OCCUR IN BLEACHED, ALTERED, GRANODIORITE, AS FRACTURE FILLINGS & DISSEM IN VEINLETS OF OPAL & CHALCEDONY & AS FRACTURE COATINGS. TOTAL PRODUCTION PROBABLY LESS THAN 100 FLASKS (BONHAM, P 87)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1978 Tingley, J.V. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Beyond USGS

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

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.