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Tonopah Divide Mine

Producer in Esmeralda county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Copper, Lead, Zinc
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Reserves and resources
  21. Workings at the site
  22. Links to other databases
  23. Bibliographic references
  24. General comments
  25. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10046865
MRDS ID M242087
Record type Site
Current site name Tonopah Divide Mine
Alternate or previous names Gold Mountain, Gold Hill Mine, Falcon Exploration Mine and Mill.
Related records 10310345

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.24008, 37.99688 (WGS84)
Elevation 1875
Relative position ABOUT 5 AIRMILES S10W FROM CENTER OF TONOPAH

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Esmeralda(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mud Lake NW(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Goldfield(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Goldfield(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Ralston-Stone Cabin Valleys(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Esmeralda

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 002N 043E 26 NW OF SW Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • UTM IS TO MINE BUILDINGS SHOWN ON TOPO MAP AT MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1972

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cerargyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Gold Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Powellite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Kaolinite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Minor Silicification, Sericitization, Oxidation, Pyritization; Potassic, Phyllic, Propylitic, Zoned Around Faults & Fractures

Analytical data

Result AVERAGE GRADE-25 OZ/TON AG AND $2.50/TON IN GOLD (ABOUT 0.08 OZ/TON AU)

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 150
USGS model code 25c
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, Comstock
Mark3 model number 16

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Oddie Rhyolite;Divide Andesite
    Rock description Oddie Rhyolite;Divide Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.24008, 37.99688
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Faulting

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N W, (SILVERLODE); N40W (GOLD VEIN)
    Dip VERTICAL, (SILVER LODE); 80W(GOLD VEIN)
    Thickness 6.55M
    Length 152.4M
    Width 137.16M
  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N W, (SILVERLODE); N40W (GOLD VEIN)
    Dip VERTICAL, (SILVER LODE); 80W(GOLD VEIN)

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracturing & Shear Zones; Brecciation Of Rhyolite

Comments on the geologic information

  • LODE IS CUT BY LAYERS OF WHITE SERICITE UP TO SEVERAL INCHES THICK

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1901
Discoverer H.C. Brougher (Silver Discovery); Runge And Rochelle (Gold Discovery)
Year of first production 1918

Mining district

District name Divide District (Gold Mountain District)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Ebco Enterprises, Stephen Eakle, General Manager
    Home office P. O. Box 847, Tonopah, NV 89049
    First year 1983
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Crown Resource Corp. And East-West Minerals, Inc.
    First year 1987

Production statistics

  • Year 1931
    Material AG ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4 Tons Assayed 16 Oz/T Au, 16,000 Oz/T Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Silver Silver 451800g/mt
    Ore Gold Gold 452g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • EARLY ORE SHIPPED TO THE MILL OF THE TONOPAH-MACNAMARA MINING CO. IN TONOPAH (CHIEFLY FROM DEVELOPMENT WORK.) ORE IN 1931 WAS SHIPPED TO THE SELBY SMELTER AND TO THE DESERT MILL AT MILLERS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Total resources 23000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 564.713 g/mt Silver Major 1920
    Gold Au 2.258 g/mt Gold Major 1920

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 8046.5M
    Overall depth 440.44M

Comments on the workings information

  • VERTICAL SHAFT 600 FT DEEP WITH CROSSCUTS TO LODE ON 165, 265, 365, 470, 580 FT LEVELS (1921) DRIFTS RUN ALONG THE LODE FROM THE CROSSCU TS. VERTICAL SHAFT HAD ATTAINED DEPTH OF 1445 FT. BY 1923 OPEN PIT (1981). OPEN PIT IS JUST SE OF THE OLDTONOPAH DIVIDE SHAFT.

Comments on development

  • ORIGINALLY MINED ON A SMALL SCALE FOR GOLDSINCE 1902; A RICH SILVER LODE WAS CROSS CUT UNEXPECTEDLY IN 1917. LISTED AS ANACTIVE, OPEN PIT, GOLD-SILVER MINE IN 1981, EMPLOYING A TOTAL OF 40 PERSONS. TONOPAH-GOLD MTN MINING CO. ORGANIZED IN 1902 TO MINE GOLD. WINGFIELD AND BROUGHERREORGANIZED IT IN 1912 AS THE TONOPAH-DIVIDE MINING A MR. T. WILLIAMSON WAS OWNER AND OPERATOR IN 1931. THIS HAS BEEN THE DISTRICTS BIGGEST PRODUCER. LISTED ASAN ACTIVE OPEN PIT GOLD-SILVER MINE AND MING 35 WORKERS. MUCH EXPLORATION ACTIVITY IN 1970'S AND 1980'S.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ALBERS, J.P. AND STEWART, J.H., 1972, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF ESMERALDA COUNTY, NV; N.B.M.G. BULL. 78.

  • Deposit

    KNOPF, ADOLPH, 1921, THE DIVIDE SILVER DISTRICT, NEVADA; U.S.G.S. BULL. 715, P. 147-170.

  • Deposit

    STATE INSPECTOR OF MINES, 1981, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINE OPERATIONS ACTIVE IN CALENDAR YEAR 1981

  • Deposit

    N B M G REPORT 33, P. 124.

  • Deposit

    GARSIDE, L.J. AND TINGLEY, J.V., 1982, FIELD EXAMINATION, NBMG, 26 MAR 82

  • Deposit

    NBMG BULL 92, P. 121-128

  • Deposit

    SMITH, A.M., AND CARPENTER, JAY, 1931, UNPUBLISHED NOTES ON INSPECTION TRIP TO TONOPAH DIVIDE MINE; NBMG FILE 87, ITEM 1.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD NEWSPAPER, AUG. 26, 1981, "FALCON EXPLARATION REOPENS NEVADA GOLD HILL MINE."

  • Deposit

    TONOPAH TIMES BONANZA, AUG. 6, 1981

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER, 1980 < < 11) TONOPAH TIMES BONANZA, OCT 25, 1974 < < 12) EUREKA SENTINEL, 1972 < <13) WEED, W.H., ED., 1920, THE MINES HANDBOOK, VOL XIV, P. 1162-1164

  • Production

    KNOPF, 1921, P 165.; LINCOLN, F.C., P. 64; BONHAM & GARSIDE, P. 125.

  • Reserve-Resource

    KNOPF, A., 1921, P. 167.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: SILVER-1917; GOLD-1901
Deposit FALCON EXPLORATION/1000 TPD IN 1981-FIRST LOAD OF ORE HAULED JULY 17, 1981, CYANIDE HEAP LEACH OPERATION. OPERATION WAS EXPECTEDTO LAST 5 YEARS IN 1981 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit First Production Year: (AG) 1918
Deposit TONOPAH-DIVIDE LODE HAS WELL-DEFINED WALLS. 13 CLAIMS COVERING 150 ACRES IN 1921 GOLD MOUNTAIN GOLD VEIN IS ON TONOPAH-DIVIDE PROPERTY. GOLD VEIN IS 0.5 FT WIDE, CARRYING $40/TON AU (1921)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1984 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-OCT-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

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