Spotted Horse Mine

Producer in Fergus county in Montana, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Tellurium
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. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10071386
MRDS ID W014732
Record type Site
Current site name Spotted Horse Mine
Alternate or previous names Spotted Horse Claim, Kentucky Favorite Claim, Gold Hill, McGinnis, Bonanza, Smith Cut, Magin

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -109.21107, 47.17631 (WGS84)
Elevation 1615
Relative position ABOUT 1 MILE EAST OF MAIDEN, MONTANA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fergus(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Judith Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Lewistown(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Lewistown(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Box Elder(hydrologic unit)

Musselshell(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri-Musselshell(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management MT)

Bureau of Land Management MT BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Fergus

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 016N 020E 05 Montana

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Tellurium Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Sylvanite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Fluorite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Roscoelite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Sericitization, Argillization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 84
USGS model code 22b
Deposit model name Alkaline Au-Te (Au-Ag-Te veins)
Mark3 model number 80

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Syenite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Cret-Tert
    Rock description Cret-Tert
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Madison Series, Massive Limestones;Pilgrim Lms, Green Shale, Grey Thin Bedded Limestone;Colorado Group, Black Shales, And Sandstones
    Rock description Madison Series, Massive Limestones;Pilgrim Lms, Green Shale, Grey Thin Bedded Limestone;Colorado Group, Black Shales, And Sandstones

Nearby scientific data

(1) -109.21107, 47.17631

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Judith Mts. - Domal Structures Intruded By Cret-Tert. Stocks
Type of structure Local
Structure description Gold Hill Quartz Monzonite Stock, A Syenite Porphyry Dike, Three Faults Or Fault Systems Intersect In The Mine Area, The Large East-West Warm Springs Creek Fault, A Northeast Fault System, And A Northwest Fault System

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR SHOOTS AND PIPES

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Contacts Of Quartz Monzonite, Syenite, Limestone; And Breccias Produced By Faulting, One Instance Of Cave Filling.

Comments on the geologic information

  • SPOTTED HORSE, MAGINNIS, AND CUMBERLAND ON GOLD HILL SYENITE PORPHYRY - MADISON LIMESTONE CONTACT

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1881
Discoverer Anderson And Jones
Mining method Open Stope - Other Open Stope Methods
Plant type Leach
Milling method Leach-Precipitation

Mining district

District name Warm Springs District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Viking Exploration, Inc.,
    Home office 820 Denver Center Bldg., Denver, Co. 80203
  • Type Owner
    Owner 1st Trust Co. Of Mt (Trustee)
    Home office Great Falls, MT 59401

Production statistics

  • Year 1935
    Period 1883-1935
    Material AG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.25 - 5 Toz/St
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 74g/mt
  • Year 1935
    Period 1909 - 1935
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.0005 %
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Copper Copper 0wt-pct
  • Year 1935
    Period 1909 - 1935
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.85 Toz/St
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 24g/mt
  • Year 1935
    Period 1909 - 1935
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.92 Toz/St
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Gold Gold 26g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • EARLY MINE PRODUCTION RECORDS UNAVAILABLE, BUT ESTIMATES UP TO 1902 VALUE PRODUCTION AT $3,000,000.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 1524M
    Overall depth 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE SINCE 1968 HAS BEEN REPORTED AS DEVELOPING. PRIOR TO THIS DEVELOPMENT WORKINGS INCLUDED SEVERAL ADITS, AND A 450 FT. SHAFT, 8 LEVELS, A 135' WINZE FROM THE 7TH LEVEL TO THE 8TH LEVEL WITH A 350 FOOT HAULAGE LEVEL FROM THE WINZE, WHICH IS IN THE DISCOVERY STOPE, TO THE SHAFT. MAJOR STOPES, THE BONANZA STOPE, DISCOVERY STOPE, AND LIME CRACK, AND NUMEROUS SMALLER STOPES. A 750 FOOT CROSS CUT FROM THE SECOND LEVEL OF THE SPOTTED HORSE SHAFT TO THE CAVED KENTUCKY FAVORITE SHAFT, AND 2 STOPES. APPROXIMATELY 3000 FEET OF DRIFTS CONNECT THE SPOTTED HORSE SHAFT WITH VARIOUS STOPES ON VARIOUS LEVELS, WELL OVER 1000' OF EXPLORATORY DRIFTING HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. CURRENT DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION CONSISTS OF INSTALLING A HOIST IN THE SPOTTED HORSE SHAFT, SAMPLING THE OLD STOPES, APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET OF EXPLORATORY DRIFTING, AND WELL OVER 5,000 FEET OF UNDERGROUND DIAMOND DRILLING.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ROBERTSON, A. F., 1950, MINES & MINERAL DEPOSITS - FERGUS COUNTY, MT, U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INF. CIRC. 7544.

  • Deposit

    LAWSON, D. C., 1974, DIRECTORY OF MINING ENTERPRISES FOR 1974, MT BUREAU OF MINES & GEOLOGY BULL. 95.

  • Deposit

    CORRY, A. V., 1933, SOME GOLD DEPOSITS - BROADWATER, BEAVERHEAD, PHILLIPS, FERGUS CO., MT BUREAU OF MINES & GEOLOGY MEMOIR 10.

  • Deposit

    FORREST, R. A., 1971, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE WARM SPRINGS - GILT EDGE DISTRICT, FERGUS COUNTY, MONTANA M.S. THESIS. MONT. TECH

  • Production

    ROBERTSON, 1950, U.S.B.M. INF. CIRC. 7544.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE ORE WAS ORIGINALLY TREATED IN A STAMP MILL AND AMALGAMATED WITH MERCURY. AT A LATER DATE THE TAILINGS WERE TREATED IN A CYANIDE MILL. NUMEROUS LEASORS IN THE PERIOD 1912 - 1935 OPERATED SUCCESSFULLY BY SCRAPING THE OLD STOPE WALLS, LEAVING LITTLE ORE AND DOING NO DEVELOPMENT WORK.
Deposit Merged data from Depodit ID 10293638

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1976 Mlynarczyk, Meg S. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references