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Wind Mountain Mine

Producer in Washoe county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Clay, Arsenic, Mercury, Sulfur
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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. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10047586
MRDS ID M242963
Record type Site
Current site name Wind Mountain Mine
Alternate or previous names NBMG Sample Sites 476, 477, 2401, Sed Claims, North Wind, Breeze
Related records 10310384

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.39157, 40.4271 (WGS84)
Elevation 1417
Relative position 17 KM SW OF EMPIRE, NV.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Washoe(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Emidio Desert North(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Kumiva Peak(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Lovelock(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Smoke Creek Desert(hydrologic unit)

Black Rock Desert(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 Washoe

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 030N;029N 023E 34;03 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • ON NW FLANK OF LAKE RANGE, ON SOUTH PORTION OF A 7000-FT. LONG NS TRENDING RIDGE. BOUNDED ON WEST BY SAN EMIDIO DESERT. . INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Clay Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Mercury Tertiary
Sulfur Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AG:AU RATIO APPROX. 15:1 METALLURGICAL TESTING INDICATES GOLD OCCURS ON MICROFRACTURE SURFACES AND IS NOT ENCAPSULATED BY SILICA, SUGGESTING GOLD DEPOSITION POSTDATES MOST OF THE SILICIFICATION. THE CLAY USED TO CONSTRUCT HEAP LEACH PADS, ETC. WAS MINED ON SITE FROM ZONES OF ARGILLIZATION. THE CLAY MAY HAVE POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Ore
Calcite Ore
Chalcedony Ore
Cinnabar Ore
Clay Ore
Electrum Ore
Goethite Ore
Hematite Ore
Illite Ore
Jarosite Ore
Kaolinite Ore
Opal Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sulfur Ore
Travertine Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) See Comments

Analytical data

Result THE WIND MOUNTAIN MINERALIZED ZONES OCCUR WITHIN >20 PPM AS AND >170 PPM AU GEOCHEMICAL HALOES THAT ARE UP TO 2.6 KM LONG AND UP TO 0.5 KM WIDE. THE >50 PPM AS AND >340 PPB AU HALOES CORRESPOND CLOSELY TO THE ORE ZONES. THESE GEOCHEMICAL HALOES ARE DEFINED BY COMPOSITE ANALYSES FOR THE UPPER 50 FT. OF BEDROCK INTERCEPT FROM EACH OF 373 DRILL HOLES.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 104
USGS model code 25a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 45

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Dacite
    Rock unit name Pyramid Sequence
    Rock description Pyramid Sequence
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sedimentary Breccia
    Rock unit name Truckee Formation
    Rock description Truckee Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.39157, 40.4271
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description See Comments

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • The Range Front Fault System At The Nw Side Of The Lake Range And Dilation Of Faults Associated With A Gradual Collapse Centered About 800 Meters West Of Wind Mountain Were Responsible For Localizing The Gold-Bearing Hydrothermal Fluids.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE WIND MOUNTAIN MINE IS LOCATED AT THE NE EDGE OF THE SAN EMIDIO KNOWN GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE AREA. TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES C HAVE BEEN ENCOUNTERED OVER AN AREA OF 26 SQUARE KM. ORMAT ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC. OPERATES A GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT 7 KM SOUTH OF THE MINE. NATIVE SULFUR AND CINNABAR OCCUR IN A 200 FT. WIDE STRONGLY ARGILLIZED ZONE IN QUATERNARY GRAVELS FOR 7 KM ALONG THE RANGE FRONT SOUTH OF WIND MOUNTAIN.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1988
Discoverer Amax Gold, Inc.
Year of first production 1989
Production years 1989 - PRESENT (2/92)

Mining district

District name San Emidio Desert District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Amax Gold, Inc.

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.09 Opt Ag Recoverable Grade
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Silver Silver 3g/mt
  • Year 1989
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.009 Opt Au Recoverable Grade
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 0g/mt
  • Year 1989
    Material ORE-AU, AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.02 Opt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 1g/mt
  • Year 1990
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.07 Opt Au Recoverable Grade
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 2g/mt
  • Year 1990
    Material ORE-AU, AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.018 Pt Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 1g/mt
  • Year 1990
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.01 Opt Au Recoverable Grade
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 0g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • AU RECOVERY IN 1989 WAS 43.3% AND IN 1990 WAS 56%.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Total resources 137000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.72 g/mt Gold Major 1988
    Silver Ag 11.4 g/mt Silver Major 1988
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Total resources 10690000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.59 g/mt Gold Major 1990

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • JUNE 1988 FIGURES CALCULATED USING STRIP RATIO OF 0.34:1 AND CUTOFF GRADE OF 0.012 GPT. THESE SAME FIGURES FORMED THE BASIS OF THE DECISION IN 1988 TO PROCEED WITH MINE DEVELOPMENT.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN-PIT, CYANIDE HEAP LEACH.

Comments on development

  • THE EARLIEST PROSPECTORS WERE PROBABLY PREHISTORIC INDIANS WHO COLLECTED SILICA CHIPS FOR TOOLMAKING. THE FIRST MINING CLAIMS WERE STAKED IN THE AREA AROUND 1900. OLD PROSPECT PITS INDICATE NATIVE SULFUR, CINNABAR, AND OPAL WERE OF PRINCIPAL INTEREST. MINOR QUANTITIES OF AU AND AG WERE DISCOVERED IN THE 1930'S AND SEVERAL ADITS AND PROSPECTS WERE EXCAVATED IN A SMALL AREA 1 KM SSE OF WIND MOUNTAIN. PROSPECTING ACTIVITIES FOR SULFUR, CINNABAR, GOLD, SILVER, AND MONTMORILLONITE CONTINUED THROUGH THE 1970'S. IN 1979, TMB ASSOCIATES STAKED THE CORE CLAIM BLOCK. AMAX EXPLORATION, INC., LEASED THE PROPERTY IN 1980 AND DRILLED 10 HOLES. HOLES A-3 AND A-4 INTERSECTED A ZONE 76 METERS THICK THAT AVERAGED 0.79 GPT AU AND 25 GPT AG. AMAX RELINQUISHED THE PROPERTY IN 1982 DUE TO THE OVERALL LOW GOLD VALUES AND APPARENT SMALL SIZE OF THE MINERALIZED AREA. SANTA FE PACIFIC MINING CO. AND CHEVRON RESOURCES CO. HELD PARTS OF THE PROPERTY FROM 1983 TO 1986, AND DRILLED 31 AND 7 HOLES,
  • RESPECTIVELY. NO SIGNIFICANT NEW MINERALIZED ZONES WERE ENCOUNTERED AND THE PROPERTY WAS RETURNED TO THE OWNERS. AMAX REEVALUATED THE PROPERTY IN 1986 AND REACQUIRED THE PROPERTY IN 1987. 28 WIDELY SPACED REVERSE CIRCULATION HOLES AND 4 CORE HOLES WERE DRILLED IN 1987. HOLES A-28 AND A-31, SPACED 122 METERS APART ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, INTERSECTED 78 METERS OF 0.99 GPT AU AND 16.6 GPT AG AND 78 METERS OF 0.93 GPT AU AND 21.5 GPT AG, RESPECTIVELY. EACH OF THESE HOLES CONTAINED 1.5 METER THICK INTERCEPTS OF 161 GPT AU AND 44.5 GPT AU, RESPECTIVELY. 105 ADDITIONAL HOLES WERE DRILLED IN 1988. AN OREBODY CONTAINING 13.7 MILLION METRIC TONS GRADING 0.72 GPT AU AND 11.4 GPT AG WAS DEFINED BY JUNE 1988, AND THE DECISION TO DEVELOP THE MINE WAS MADE. IN 1989, 188 DRILL HOLES TOTALLING 20,591 METERS WERE COMPLETED. MINE CONSTRUCTION WAS DELAYED TO JANUARY 1989, PENDING COMPLETION OF AN ARCHEOLOGICAL MITIGATION SURVEY. ; ECON.COM: CASH OPERATING COSTS WERE $265/OZ AU IN 1989 AND
  • $197/OZ AU IN 1990. TOTAL OPERATING COSTS (INCLUDING DEPRECIATION AND AMORTIZATION) WERE $372/OZ AU IN 1989 AND $310/OZ AU IN 1990. THE PRECIPITATE PRODUCT FROM HEAP LEACHING IS TRANSPORTED TO THE SLEEPER MINE FOR PROCESSING INTO DORE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GARSIDE, C.J., 1983, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD, INC., 1988, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, THE WIND MOUNTAIN PROJECT.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD, SEPTEMBER 7, 1988, "AMAX GOLD PROCEEDING WITH WIND MOUNTAIN PROJECT."

  • Deposit

    PAY DIRT, JULY 1988, "AMAX GOLD SETS NEW NEVADA MINE."

  • Deposit

    WOOD, J.D., 1991, GEOLOGY OF THE WIND MOUNTAIN GOLD DEPOSIT, WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA, IN RAINES, G.L., ET AL, EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN: THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 1051-1061.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERALS INDUSTRY - 1990: NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1990.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, MONTAGU MINING FINANCE, 8/10/91, MINING DATA BASE.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC. ANNUAL REPORT, 1989

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA MINING JOURNAL, OCT. 1989

  • Deposit

    NEVADA DEPT. OF MINERALS, 1994

  • Production

    MINING JOURNAL/MONTAGU MINING FINANCE, 8/10/91, MINING DATA BASE. NBMG MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    NBMG MI-1993

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS IS AN UPDATED RECORD INCLUDING DATA FROM RE00016 WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit DEPOSIT FORMED IN A NEAR SURFACE ENVIRONMENT FROM A HOT SPRING TYPE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM. INDIVIDUAL BEDS RANGE FROM 5 CM TO 1 M THICK. SEVERAL SMALL SUBAQUEOUS BASALT OR BASALTIC ANDESITE FLOWS ARE INTERBEDDED WITH SILTSTONE AND SHALEY LAKE BEDS. 2-3 SQ KM OF PLIOCENE TUFFACEOUS AND VOLCANICLASTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS ARE ARGILLIZED AND SILICIFIED. A SMALL HILL ON THE PROPERTY IS CAPPED BY STONGLY SILICIFIED MATERIAL, PROBABLY SUBAQUEOUS SPRING SINTER AS WELL AS SOME LENSES OF LIGHT GRAY CHALCEDONY. HYDROTHERMAL STOCKWORK BRECCIAS OCCUR AT SEVERAL LOCALITIES, THE LARGEST IS A ZONE 40 M WIDE AND EXTENDS 600 M ALONG A N20W NORMAL FAULT AND THE LAKE RANGE FAULT. THREE MAJOR GOLD MINERALIZED ZONES HAVE BEEN DEFINED BY DRILLING; THE WIND MOUNTAIN OREBODY AND THE CURRENTLY SUBECONOMIC NORTHWIND AND BREEZE GOLD ZONES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-AUG-1991 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

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