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Last Chance Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold
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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. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10107338
MRDS ID W019519
Record type Site
Current site name Last Chance Mine
Alternate or previous names Wardner Mine, Sweeney Mine
Related records 10105938

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-116.14855, 47.51694 (WGS84) 1099 West side of Milo Gulch
(click for info)
-116.1446, 47.51802 (WGS84) 936 On west side of Milo Creek
-116.15731, 47.52342 (WGS84) 961 On east side of Deadwood Gulch
-116.1418, 47.51872 (WGS84) 890 In Milo Gulch
-116.16713, 47.54417 (WGS84) 701 At mouth of Government Gulch

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Kellogg West(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;049N 002E 12;35 Idaho

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The Last Chance orebodies were largely oxidized, with cerussite the principal ore mineral.

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 Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Revett Formation
    Rock description Revett Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description The Cate Fault (strikes NW to N, dips 55SW) is the main shear in the deposit with several branch shears, the Dull Fault being the most important. The Cate Fault and its branch shears are connected by "Link" faults which trend NE.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Deposit is within the NE limb of a WNW-striking anticline. Host sediments strike N60-80W and dip SW. The axial plane of the anticline strikes N16W dips 42W and the axis plunges 34 degrees to N60W.

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 43 DEG W
    Dip 38 DEG SW
    Width 91.44M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault zone which strikes N45W and dips 38SW
  • Orebodies within Revett Formation which consists of 50 percent massive quartzite, interlayered with thin-bedded sericitic quartztie, siltite, and argillite.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1885
Year of first production 1888
Year of last production 1918
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity
Production years 1888-1918

Mining district

District name Yreka

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Emma & Last Chance Consolidated Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1887
    Last year 1888
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Spokane Concentrating Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1888
    Last year 1888
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Last Chance Mining Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Spokane, Washington
    First year 1888
    Last year 1898
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Empire State-Idaho Mining & Developing Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1898
    Last year 1903
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Federal Mining & Smelting Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    First year 1903
    Last year 1918
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Bunker Hill & Sullivan Mining & Concentrating Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office San Francisco, California
    First year 1918
    Last year 1956
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner The Bunker Hill Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Kellogg, Idaho
    First year 1956
    Last year 1968
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Gulf Resources & Chemical Co.
    Interest 100
    First year 1968
    Last year 1982
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Bunker LP
    Interest 100
    Home office Spokane, Washington
    First year 1982

Production statistics

  • Year 1983
    Period 1895-1918
    Material Ore treated
    Ore mined 2581264mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major in concentrates Silver Silver 268mt 4g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production data reported by Mitchell and Bennett (1983) with grade data from Long (1998).

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Total Workings
    Length 1108.86M

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1974 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 15-OCT-1990 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 15-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.

Maps centered on this site