Elkhorn

Past Producer in Jefferson county in Montana, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Copper, Bismuth
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069281
MRDS ID W002871
Record type Site
Current site name Elkhorn

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -111.95087, 46.28323 (WGS84)
Elevation 1981
Relative position 9 MILES EAST OF BOULDER

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jefferson(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Elkhorn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Townsend(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

White Sulphur Springs(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Boulder(hydrologic unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Jefferson

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Primary
Copper Primary
Bismuth Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuthinite Ore
Bournonite Ore
Galena Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetradymite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Aragonite Gangue
Diopside Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Serpentine Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation

Analytical data

Result 10-25 OZ/TON AG, 34-64% PB.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Turnley Formation, Metamorphosed Shale;;Limestones, Shale;Madison Formation, Limestone; Quadrant Formation, Quartzite
    Rock description Turnley Formation, Metamorphosed Shale;;Limestones, Shale;Madison Formation, Limestone; Quadrant Formation, Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -111.95087, 46.28323

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Boulder Batholith
Type of structure Local
Structure description Extensive Folding Axis N-S With Prevailing Eastward Dip.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Thickness 48.77M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Along Bedding Plane On Underside Of Fold Under A Metamorphosed Shale

Comments on the geologic information

  • INBEDDED IN THE ANDESITE ARE MARBLE BLOCKS (PERHAPS FROM THE MADISON LIMESTONE OR INTERSTRATIFIED LENSES OF LIMESTONE)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Year of first production 1875

Mining district

District name Elkhorn

Comments on the production information

  • TOTAL = $14,000,000 - $1,500,000 AU

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 701.04M
    Overall depth 533.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • ELKHORN MINE IS A SADDLE-REEF TYPE OF ORE BODY.

Comments on development

  • MINES: ELKHORN, GOLDEN CURRY, QUEEN

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WEED, W.H., 1901, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE ELKHORN MINING DISTRICT, JEFFERSON CO., MONTANA, 22 ANN. REPT. USGS P. 399-549

  • Deposit

    KNOPF, A., 1913, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE HELENA MINING REGION, MONTANA USGS BULL. 527. P. 128-139.

  • Deposit

    PARDEE, J. T. AND F. C. SCHRADER, 1933, METALLIFEROUS DEPOSITS OF THE GREATER HELENA MINING REGION, USGS BULL. 842 P. 299-303.

  • Deposit

    1901 GEOLMAP WEED, W.H., COMPLEX GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION

  • Deposit

    1913 COMPILE KNOPF, A.

  • Deposit

    1933 COMPILE PARDEE & SCHRADER

  • Production

    PARDEE & SCHRADER

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit IN ELKHORN MINE THERE IS A COMPLETE ABSENCE OF METASOMATIC GANGUE MINERALS.
Deposit BIGGEST MINES: PLACK BESS, CARDIFF, EMMA LOOK FOR FAULT PATTERNS ON IMAGERY; NS, EW, ENE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1975 Bilbey, Sue A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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