Palo Alto Mine

Past Producer in Elko 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. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045952
MRDS ID M233852
Record type Site
Current site name Palo Alto Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -114.78117, 41.78297 (WGS84)
Elevation 1783
Relative position 2/3 MI. NNW OF CONTACT

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Contact(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Jackpot(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wells(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Salmon Falls(hydrologic unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 064E 18 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -114.78117, 41.78297

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Granodiorite Stock With Assoc. Faults, Fractures

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR, PINCH & SWELL
    Dip 75S
    Plunge direction SOUTH
    Width 1.22M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Granodiorite Contact, Intrusive Dikes, Fractures

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE BODIES ARE IN A SMALL FISSURE VEIN IN ONE OF THE GRANODIORITE TONGUES. QUARTZ VEINS (STRIKE N 60 E DIP 70 SE).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1894

Mining district

District name Contact (48)

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Nevada Copper Co.
    First year 1968

Comments on the production information

  • 1700 TONS ORE PRODUCED. MOST OF THE 300 TONS PRODUCED PRIOR TO 1910 AVERAGED ABOUT 30% CU, $3/T. AU, 8 OZ/TON AG. PRODUCTION IN 1914 AND 1928 RAN 5% CU AND 3 OZ/T. AG.

Comments on the workings information

  • SHAFTS, DRIFTS, STOPES, ETC.

Comments on development

  • PRODUCTION YEARS-PRE 1910, 1914 AND 1928.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SMITH, R.M. (1976) MINERAL RESOURCES OF ELKO CO., NEV: USGS OFR 76-56, P 39-45

  • Deposit

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1912) A RECONNAISSANCE OF THE JARBIDGE, CONTACT, AND ELK MT. MINING DISTRICTS, ELKO CO, NEVADA, USGS BULL 497, P 99-150

  • Deposit

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1935) THE CONTACT MINING DISTRICT, NEVADA: USGS BULL 847-A

  • Deposit

    HOPE, R.A. & COATS, R.R. (1976) PRELIM. GEOLOGIC MAP OF ELKO CO., NEV: USGS OFR 76-779.

  • Production

    SCHRADER, F.C. (1935)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE BODIES IN SMALL FISSURE VEIN IN ONE OF THE GRANODIORITE TONGUES.
Deposit MINE DISCOVERED IN 1894-95 (SCHRADER, 1912, P 120). IT IS WELL DEVELOPED BY SHAFTS, DRIFTS, STOPES, ETC. THE VEIN (MOSTLY PINCHED AND INTERRUPTED) IS AN EASTERN CONTINUATION OF THE MAIN VEIN OF THE NEVADA-BELLEVUE MINE THE VEIN ARERAGES 4 FEET IN WIDTH. THE MINE PRODUCED ABOUT 1700 TONS OF ORE. MOST OF THE 300 TONS PRODUCED PRIOR TO 1910 AVERAGED ABOUT 30 % COPPER, $3.00 IN GOLD, AND 8 OZ. SILVER TO THE TON. PRODUCTION IN 1914 AND 1928 RAN 5 % CA AND 3 OZ. SILVER TO THE TON. (SCHRADER, 1935, P 26) MINERAL SURVEY 3959 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Weimer, Becky S. 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.