Pinto Mine

Past Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodity Gemstone
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. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Ownership information
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044814
MRDS ID M232418
Record type Site
Current site name Pinto Mine
Alternate or previous names Watts Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.03871, 39.82685 (WGS84)
Relative position 37 MILES SOUTH 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

Joe Eason Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Edwards Creek Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Millett(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)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NV)

Bureau of Land Management NV BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 026N 044E 16 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gemstone Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Turquoise Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Valmy Formation
    Rock description Valmy Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.03871, 39.82685

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form STRATABOUND

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faluts, Fractures & Bedding Planes

Comments on the geologic information

  • EXCELLENT QUALITY TURQUOISE IS FOUND IN THINLY BEDDED BROWN AND BLACK SHALE TURQUOISE FORMS SEAMS AND MODULES ALONG BEDDING PLANES IN ASSOCIATION WITH LIMONITIC AND CARBONACEOUS ZONES. THE HOST ROCKS ARE RELATIVELY UNALTERED. A WELL DEFINED VERTICLE FAULT STRIKES N65E ALONG THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF THE TRENCH (MORRISSEY, 1968).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1901
Discoverer Jim Watts

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Jim Watts
    First year 1901

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Length 70.1M

Comments on the workings information

  • SEVERAL PITS, TRENCH

Comments on development

  • DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL PITS AND A 230-FT LONG TRENCH.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STAGER H.K. (1977) GEOLOGY & MINERAL RESOURCES OF LANDER CO., N.B.M. BULL 88

  • Deposit

    USBM (WINNEMUCCA) MILS NO. 18, REFERENCE NO. 3801500381

  • Deposit

    MORRISSEY F.R. (1968) TURQUOISE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA, N.B.M. RPT 17

  • Deposit

    MCKEE E.H. & STEWART J. (1968) GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE CEDARS QUAD, USGS OPEN-FILE MAP

  • Production

    MORRISSEY, F.R. 1968.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TURQUOISE IN THINLY-BEDDED BROWN AND BLACK SHALE, AS SEAMS AND NODULES ALONG BEDDING PLANES.
Deposit THE DEPOSIT WAS DESCOVERED BY JIM WATTS IN 1901. DEVELOPEMENT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL PITS AND A 230 FOOT LONG TRENCH. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 Kirkham, Richard A. 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.