Contention Mine

Past Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Copper, Gold, Silver
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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044001
MRDS ID M231315
Record type Site
Current site name Contention Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.04066, 40.61296 (WGS84)
Elevation 1722
Relative position 7 MILES WEST OF TOWN OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Galena Canyon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winnemucca(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Reese(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 032N 044E 29 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • 3/4 MILE NNE OF COPPER BASIN TOWNSITE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Intense Hydrothermal, Argillic

Analytical data

Result 1927 AND 1928 ORE SHIPMENTS CONTAINED 19.55% AND 12.81% CU RESPECTIVELY

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Harmony Formation
    Rock description Harmony Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.04066, 40.61296

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Dewitt Thrust Fault
Type of structure Local
Structure description "Pebble Dikes" Containing Fragments Of Both Quartz Monzonite Porphyry And Argillite; Displacement Oby Faults (Contention, Dewitt, Kelly And Middleton Faults

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N60W
    Dip 35 TO 50 NE
    Thickness 24.38M
    Length 914.4M
    Width 609.6M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Kelly & Middleton Faults, Contention Fault Contention Fault Contains Abundant Gouge And Has Had An Important Effect On The Localization Of The Contention Ore Deposit. By Restricting The Downward Movement Of Migrating Copper Solutions-Sayers, Et.A. Fracturing Controlled Downward Movement Of Copper. Bearing Solutions, And Favorable Beds (Sandstone) Intersected By Strong Fracture Patterns Were Loci For High Ore Concentrations.

Comments on the geologic information

  • 1947-ORE-CHALCOCITE INVEINLETS AND DISSEMINTATED THRU' HORNFELS AND SANDSTONE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1927
Year of first production 1927

Mining district

District name Battle Mountain District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • 1927-1954 TOTAL PRODUCTION, 8078 TONS ORE AVERAGING 0.11 OZ./TON AU; 0.36 OZ/TON AG; 7.38% CU; WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF $130,332.

Comments on development

  • RANKED 3RD OF THE COPPER BASING MINES IN PRODUCTION, (PRIOR TO DUVAL'S OPEN PITS) THIS AREA IS NOW ENCOMPASSED BY DUVAL CO.'S COPPER BASIN OPEN PIT. NO RECORD OF PRE-1927 PRODUCTION

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CHALCOCITE IN VEINLETS AND DISSEMINTATED; SECONDARILY ENRICHED
Deposit RANKED 3RD IN PRODUCTION OF THE COPPER BASIN MINES (BEFORE DUVAL'S OPEN PITS) THIS AREA IS NOW ENCOMPASSED BY DUVAL'S OPERATION. NO RECORD OF PRE-1927 PRODUCTION ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 La Pointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Nevada resources

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