Viola Mine

Past Producer in Lemhi county in Idaho, United States with commodities Lead, Zinc, Silver, Copper, Gold
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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10089296
MRDS ID W015717
MAS/MILS ID 0160590330
Record type Site
Current site name Viola Mine
Alternate or previous names Nicholia-Viola Mine, Nicholia Mine, Viola Zinc Property

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.3478, 44.37684 (WGS84)
Elevation 2621
Relative position 1.75 MI ENE OF NICHOLIA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Clark(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Paul Reservoir(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dubois(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Dubois(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Beaver-Camas(hydrologic unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Caribou-Targhee 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 Idaho Lemhi

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 012N 029E 15,14 W2NW (14) Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • 1.5 Mi NE Of Nicholia (Town); Mine Located At Crest Of Steep Frontal Slope Of Range

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anglesite Ore
Galena Ore
Plumbojarosite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Iron Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sand Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation
  • (Local) Bleaching

Analytical data

Result SAMPLES OF LEAD CARBONATE ORE HAD 20-60% PB AND 5-15 OZ AG/TON
Result A ZINC ORE SAMPLE (SMITHSONITE) ASSAYED 45% ZN, 0.5% PB, TRACE AG

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock description Limestone;Quartzite;Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Folding
Type of structure Local
Structure name Faulting

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, STRINGERS
    Thickness 21.34M
    Length 762M
    Width 15.24M
    Depth to bottom 82.3M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding

Comments on the geologic information

  • Mine Workings Are In Upper Ordovician And Devonian Limestone; The Ordovician Limestone And Quartzite Are Separated In Places By A Fault, In Other Areas They Appear Conformable
  • Original Structures entry:
    Local - Small Folds, Sets Of Minor Faults
  • Original concentration process entry:
    Hydrothermal
  • Original alteration entry:
    Local - Oxidation, Bleaching
  • Original ore control entry:
    Bedding Planes In Limestone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880
Year of first production 1882

Mining district

District name Nicholia District
District name Italian Peak Rare II Area

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Targhee National Forest

Production statistics

  • Year 1925
    Period 1924-1925
    Material CON
    Description Cp_Grade: ^31 % Pb, 7.5 % Zn, 7.5 Oz Ag/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Conc. Silver Silver 212g/mt
    Conc. Zinc Zinc 8wt-pct
    Conc. Lead Lead 31wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • Total Production Estimated At Between $2,500,000 (Umpleby) And $5,000,000 (Bell); Between 1885 And 1887 About 130 Tons Of Ore Smelted Daily; Item 9, Several Carloads; Item 11 Value $1,400,000

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 53.34M

Comments on the workings information

  • Extensive Workings, Now Mostly Caved

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Shenon, P. J., 1928, Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Birch Creek District, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology, Pamphlet 27, 25 P.

  • Production

    Items 8, 9, Shenon, P. J., 1928, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 27; Items 10-12, Anderson, A. L., And Wagner, W. R., 1944, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 70

  • Deposit

    Anderson, A. L., And Wagner, W. R., 1944, Lead-Zinc-Copper Deposits Of The Birch Creek District, Clark And Lemhi Counties, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 70, P. 36-42

  • Deposit

    Umpleby, J. B., 1913, Geology And Ore Deposits Of Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 528, 104 P.

  • Deposit

    U.S. Bureau Of Mines Open-File Report MLA 53-83, 1983, Table 1, No. 15, P. 18.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Lead Ore Localized Within 3 Large, Irregular Bodies; Dips Varied, As Dip Steepened, Ore Was Pinched Out; Zinc Ore Bodies Are Confined To Undersides Of Lead Ore Bodies And Are 1-10 Ft. Thick

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1976 Benjamin, David A.; Miller, Pat U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 19-MAY-1992 Lambeth, Robert H. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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