Silver Summit Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Cobalt, Nickel, Antimony
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 10067850
MRDS ID W000720
Record type Site
Current site name Silver Summit Mine
Alternate or previous names Consolidated Silver, Coeur d'Alene Jumbo
Related records 10266230

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-116.04463, 47.50177 (WGS84) 827 1 MI W OF OSBURN
(click for info)
-116.04463, 47.50177 (WGS84) 772 At west end of Osburn, Idaho

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Kellogg East(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Coeur D'Alene(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Spokane(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Coeur d'Alene(hydrologic unit)

Spokane(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 048N 003E 13,14,23 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • ON S SLOPE OF COEUR D'ALENE RIVER. WORKINGS CONNECT WITH THOSE OF THE POLARIS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Cobalt Critical Tertiary
Nickel Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Arsenopyrite Gangue
Polybasite Trace
Gersdorffite Trace

Alteration

  • (Local) Bleaching of hematite-bearing quartzite around some veins.
  • (Local) Disseminated carbonates form halos around veins.

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 Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name St. Regis Formation
    Rock description St. Regis Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Meta-Argillite
    Rock unit name St. Regis Formation
    Rock description St. Regis Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.04463, 47.50177
(2) -116.04463, 47.50177

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Silver Syndicate Fault (N45W 70SW) shows left-lateral movement.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Polaris Fault (N50W) 50-65SW shows right-lateral movement.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Big Creek Anticline - ore deposit within overturned north limb.

Ore body information

  • Name Silver Summit Vein System
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N75 DEG W
    Dip 70 DEG S
    Length 213.36M
    Width 107
    Depth to bottom 1371.6M

Comments on the ore body information

  • Orebodies found on several siderite-tetrahedrite veins (Silver Summit Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 veins) within the Silver Summit Fault/Vein System. Orebodies were mined up to 213 meters stope length, up to 7.6 meters stope width, and 137 meters pitch length.
  • One small ore shoot on the Chester vein near the Chester end line was also mined.
  • No commercial mineralization was found on the Sunshine-Polaris Fault System within the property.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Sunshine-Polaris Fault
  • Silver Summit Fault
  • Veins narrow as they approach, and pinch out as they enter, shale horizons.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THIN BEDDED QUARTZITES & ARGILLITES. BEDS STRIKE N50 DEG E, DIP 65 DEG NW ; GEOL.DESC: TETRAHEDRITE ORE LIES IN SIDERITE VEINS, TREND N. 70-80 DEG. W., DIP 65-70 DEG. S., IN BLEACHED ZONE IN ST. REGITHIN BEDDED QUARTZITES & ARGILLITES. BEDS STRIKE N50 DEG E, DIP 65 DEG NW ; GEOL.DESC: TETRAHEDRITE ORE LIES IN SIDERITE VEINS, TREND N. 70-80 DEG. W., DIP 65-70 DEG. S., IN BLEACHED ZONE IN ST. REGIS FORMATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1948
Discoverer Polaris Mining Co.
Mining method Shrinkage Methods - Overhand Shrinkage
Year of first production 1948
Year of last production 1969
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1948-1969

Mining district

District name Evolution

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Coeur d'Alene Jumbo Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1916
    Last year 1920
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Silver Summit Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1927
    Last year 1952
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Polaris Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1952
    Last year 1958
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1958
    Last year 1967
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Consolidated Silver Corp.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1967
    Last year 1995
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner American Smelting and Refining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1969
    Last year 1976
  • Type Joint Venture Partner
    Owner Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.
    Interest 50
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1980
    Last year 1988
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Asarco, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1989
    Last year 1992
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Sunshine Precious Metals Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Boise, Idaho
    First year 1995
    Last year 2002
  • Type Owner
    Owner American Reclamation Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Los Angeles, California
    First year 2003
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Sterling Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 2003
  • Type Lessee/Operator
    Owner Stratton Silver Summit, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Wallace, Idaho
    First year 1928
    Last year 1932

Production statistics

  • Year 1983
    Period 1948-1969
    Material Ore Milled
    Ore mined 724624mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major smelter recovery Silver Silver 620mt 874g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Ores contained up to 1 wt-percent nickel and 0.4 wt-percent cobalt. Cobalt was reocvered from zinc concentrates at the Sullivan zinc refinery, Kellogg, Idaho. Ore tonnage and metal recovery reported by Mitchell and Bennett (1983) from US Bureau of Mines data. Grades calculated from US Bureau of Mines data using historic mill recovery factors.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Name Proven and probable reserves
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 60781mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.5 wt-pct Copper Minor 1980
    Silver 686 g/mt Silver Major 1980

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVE FIGURES GIVEN AT END OF YEAR.
  • KNOWN ORE BODY MINED OUT; OTHERS POSSIBLE; STUDY NEEDED.
  • Data from Hecla Mining Co. Annual Report for 1980.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Silver Summit Adit
    Length 1341
  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Silver Summit Shaft

Comments on the workings information

  • To the end of 1963, some 17.7 kilometers of drifts and other lateral workings explored the Silver Summit vein system for 5,486 meters along strike.

Comments on development

  • ASARCO (1971) DRILLED 4 DDH FOR TOTAL OF 4859 FT. 80 PATENTED, 19 UNPATENTED CLAIMS. PROPERTY IS ONLY MAINTAINED ON A STANDBY BASIS (1975).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LENGTH REFERS TO NO. 3 VEIN EAST; THE NO. 3 VEIN WEST IS 400 FT. LONG; ALTITUDE OF THESE 2 ORE SHOOTS RANGES FROM -100 TO -700 (?) (BELOW SEA LEVEL).
Deposit CONSOLIDATED SILVER IS A CONSOLIDATION OF HECLA'S SILVER SUMMIT WITH 7 ADJOINING PROPERTIES AS OF 1969.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1972 Coury, Anny B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1977 Miller, Pat U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-APR-1977 Schruben, Paul G. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 15-OCT-1990 Western Field Operations Center U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 01-MAR-2005 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

External references