Tip Top Mine

Past Producer in Deer Lodge county in Montana, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Lead, Tungsten, 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. 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. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10070444
MRDS ID W013384
Record type Site
Current site name Tip Top Mine
Alternate or previous names Abbot, Bretz, Farmers Mine, New Year, Emma

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -113.14702, 46.20906 (WGS84)
Elevation 2210
Relative position ABOUT 18 KM WEST OF ANACONDA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Deer Lodge(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Silver Lake(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Philipsburg(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Clark Fork(hydrologic unit)

Pend Oreille(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(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 Deer Lodge

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 005N 012W 06 Montana

Comments on the location information

  • UTM LOCATION OF INCLINED SHAFT ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1971)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Lead Primary
Tungsten Critical Secondary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • TUNGSTEN PRODUCTION CAME FROM TWO SMALL, NEAR SURFACE STOPES AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE VEIN STRUCTURE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result 3 TO 5 FOOT SAMPLE LENGTH SHOW 0.01 TO 0.7% WO3
Result 0.05 TO 0.5% CU
Result 0.4 TO 15 OZ/ST AG

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hasmark Formation
    Rock description Hasmark Formationt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -113.14702, 46.20906

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Phillipsburg Batholith; Phillipsburg Overthrust
Type of structure Local
Structure description Shear Zone, 2 - 3 M Wide Strikes N 45 W, Dips 55 Ne, Long, Narrow, North - Trending Hoist Of Hasmark Limestone

Ore body information

  • General form LENSES
    Strike N 50 W
    Dip 55 NE
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Biotite Granite Intrusive; Shear Zone 2 - 3 M Wide

Comments on the geologic information

  • SMALL OUTLIERS OF BIOTITE-GRANITE OCCUR ABOUT 0.5 MI E AND W OF DEPOSIT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875

Mining district

District name Johnson Basin District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Tip Top Mining Co.,
    Home office 700 Griffith St., Las Vegas, Nv.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Union Bank And Trust Co.,
    Home office Helena, Mont.

Comments on the production information

  • SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS OF AG, CU, PB (1870-1900).

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 100M
    Overall depth 50M
    Overall length 45.72M
    Overall width 20M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY SHAFT INCLINED 70 DEG NE, 60 M LONG WITH SOME DRIFTS; AN OPENCUT, 20 M X 10 M WITH A 30 M DRIFT, AND SEVERAL OTHER CUTS AND BULLDOZER TRENCHES

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 84, P. 22, 24, 26.

  • Deposit

    USBM REP INVES 5612, P. 43-48.

  • Deposit

    USGS PP 78, P. 244-45.

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 14, P. 11.

  • Deposit

    USGS-USBM MINERAL YEARBOOKS 1954-1957

  • Production

    WALKER, USBM RI 5612; EARLL, MBMG BULL. 84USGS-USBM YEARBOOKS 1954-1957.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUARTZ LENSES IN A SHEAR ZONE THAT IS 5-10 FT WIDE AND FOLLOWS BEDDING PLANE OF THE LIMESTONE. MINOR AMOUNTS OF SCHEELITE ALSO OCCUR IN SMALL QUARTZ STRINGERS THAT CROSS THE SHEAR ZONE AND AS DISSEMINATED CRYSTALS IN QUARTZ-FREE DOLOMITE.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1870'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1976 Krohn, Douglas H. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1980 Wise, Kristine K. (Elliott, James E.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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