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Generator Hill Deposit

Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Mercury, Antimony, Barium-Barite, Arsenic
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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. 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. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10111452
MRDS ID M232823
Record type Site
Current site name Generator Hill Deposit
Alternate or previous names Bell Mine
Related records 10310527, 10310566

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.00091, 41.39546 (WGS84)
Elevation 2377
Relative position APPROX 4.5 MILES SSW OF INDEPENDENCE MOUNTAIN (EL. 8198).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Jacks Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tuscarora(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

McDermitt(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Owyhee(hydrologic unit)

Middle Snake-Boise(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Humboldt-Toiyabe 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 Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 041N 053E 34 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • UTM'S TO NEAR CENTER OF THE GENERATOR PIT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1972; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = WELLS (1970) 1:250000; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN (1982) 1:24000

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Mercury Secondary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE CONTAINS VERY LOW TO ESSENTIALLY NO AG, HIGH IN SB, AS, HG,AND SOME SAMPLES HAVE TL. ORE IS CARBONACEOUS AND CONTAINS SOME BARITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Stibnite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Oxidation Of Sulphides, Bleaching, Argillization, Decalcification

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 172
USGS model code 26a
Deposit model name Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 15

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hanson Creek Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation
    Rock description Hanson Creek Formation;Roberts Mountains Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.00091, 41.39546
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Breccia Zone, Faults, Fractures

Ore body information

  • Name GENERATOR HILL DEPOSIT
    General form TABULAR
  • General form TABULAR
  • General form TABULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracture Zones, Bedding Planes

Comments on the geologic information

  • FRACTURE ZONE 12 TO 18" WIDE CONTAIN SINGLE CRYSTALS, PODS, & VEINLETS WITHIN THE BRECCIATED FOOTWALL LIMESTONE. ORE ALSO OCCURS ALONG BEDDING PLANES USUALLY WITHIN 10' OF THE FRACTURE ZONE. A SAMPLE OF STOCKPILED ORE CONTAINED 17% STIBNITE, AND .5 OZ SILVER PER TON. UPPER PLATE ROCKS ARE EXPOSED IN SEVERAL WINDOWS. JASPEROIDS AND JASPEROID BRECCIAS ARE ABUNDANT AND IMPORTANT IN PROSPECTING. ACCORDING TO COMPANY GEOLOGISTS, THERE IS NO WAY TO DISCERN A AU-BEARING JASPEROID FROM A BARREN ONE. THE JASPEROIDS ABOVE THE MARLBORO AND GENERATOR PITS ARE ANOMALOUS IN AU AS WELL AS SB AND BA. OUTCROPS OF JASPEROID CONTAIN ABUNDANT BARITE, STIBNITE AND CALCITE IN PODS AND VUGS. ROCKS SHOW OPEN-SPACE TEXTURES WITH MANY VUGS AND CROSSCUTTING VEINLETS OF DRUSY QUARTZ. THE E-W TRENDING GENERATOR JASPEROIDS SHOW MULTIPLE BRECCIATION OR FRACTURING AND ARE CUT BY MANY QUARTZ VEINLETS. BARITE CRYSTALS UP TO 0.5 IN COMMONLY FILL FE-STAINED QUARTZ-ENCRUSTED VUGS. THE MARLBORO JASPEROIDS REPORTEDLY RAN
  • 0.1-0.04 OZ/T AU. THEY COVER THE ENTIRE HILLSIDE N OF THE MARLBORO PIT. JASPEROIDS OCCUR OVER, UNDER, ADJACENT TO, AND FAR FROM THE OREBODIES. IN THE GENERATOR PIT, THE JASPEROIDS ARE MINED.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1918
Year of first production 1918

Mining district

District name Independence Mountains; Jerritt Canyon; Burns Basin

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Independence Mining Co., Inc.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Joint Venture- Independence Mining Co. (70 %) And Fmc Gold Co. (30%)

Comments on the production information

  • MILL OUTPUT (1982) IS 800 OZ/DAY AU. A MINE LIFE OF 10 YEARS IS PROJECTED BUT WILL PROBABLY BE EXTENDED WITH DISCOVERY OF NEW OREBODIES.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Name GENERATOR PIT ONLY
    Estimate year 1982
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.647 g/mt Gold Major 1982

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 24.38M
    Overall depth 8.84M

Comments on the workings information

  • 2 ADJOINING OPEN PITS: THE GENERATOR AND THE MARLBORO CANYON WITH ONE MORE PIT PROJECTED TO THE SE TO EXPLORE THE DEFINED ALCHEM OREBODY. IN 1982, ACTIVE MINING GOING ON IN THE GENERATOR PIT AND STRIPPING IN THE MARLBORO PIT. ORE IS HAULED 7.5 MILES TO THE MILLSITE WHERE ORE IS CRUSHED, TREATED OR CYANIDE LEACHED AT THE MILLSITE.

Comments on development

  • IN MID-1970'S, FMC SHOWED AN INITIAL INTEREST IN THE AREA DUE TO THE OCCURRENCE OF ANTIMONY DEPOSITS AS CITED BY LAWRENCE (1963, NBMG BULL 61). WHEN GOLD WAS DISCOVERED BY SAMPLING SURFACE EXPOSURES AND DRILLING, FMC ASKED FREEPORT GOLD CO. (NOW INDEPENDENCE MINING CO.) TO JOINT VENTURE WITH THEM. CONSTRUCTION OF MINE BEGAN IN 1980, AT A COST OF ABOUT 105 MILLION DOLLARS. IN 1983, THE MINE AND MILL TOGETHER EMPLOYED ABOUT 272 PERSONS. THEIR CLAIM BLOCK INCLUDES 374 SECTIONS ALONG THE CREST OF THE INDEPENDENCE RANGE WHERE ADDITIONAL EXPLORATORY DRILLING WAS ONGOING BY 5 RIGS IN 1982. PRODUCING MINE SINCE 1981-SEE PRODUCTION COMMENTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MKS, WELB AMS FILE (1979) USBM

  • Deposit

    HAWKINS, ROBERT B., (1973), THE GEOLOGY & MINERALIZATION OF THE JERRITT CREEK AREA, NORTHERN INDEPENDENCE MTS, NEV., IDAHO STATE UNIV, MS THESIS 104 P.

  • Deposit

    GARSIDE, L. J.; BENTZ, J.; SMITH, P., BROOKS, S., 1982, FIELD EXAMINATION AND MINE TOUR REPORT, 8/13/82.

  • Deposit

    HAWKINS, R. B., 1982, DISCOVERY OF THE BELL GOLD MINE, JERRITT DISTRICT, ELKO CO, NV: MINING CONGRESS JOURNAL, FEB 1982, P. 28-32; ALSO REFERENCES LISTED THEREIN.

  • Deposit

    BONHAM, H.F., 1986, NBMG MAP 91.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1987, MI-1986.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1988, MI-1987.

  • Deposit

    BENTZ, J., GARSIDE, L., SMITH, P. AND BROOKS, S., 1982, FIELD EXAMINATION AND MINE TOUR REPORT, AUG, 1982.

  • Reserve-Resource

    BONHAM, H.F., 1988.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FRACTURE ZONE CONTAINS CRYSTALS, PODS, & VEINLETS IN BRECCIATED FOOTWALL LIMESTONE. ORE ALSO OCCURS ALONG BEDDING PLANES USUALLY WITHIN TEN FEET OF THE FRACTURE ZONE.
Deposit LOCATED NEAR THE HEAD OF BURNS CREEK. HISTORIC SB DEVELOPMENT CONSISTED OF A 29 FT. SHAFT, 80FT OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS, AND AN OPEN PIT. 20 TONS OF ANTIMONY WAS PRODUCED IN1918, 12 1/2 TONS IN 1945. THE SB MINE WAS OWNED BY D. WILLIAMS AND D. ANDRAE IN 1957. FOR MINE MAP SEE LAWRENCE 1963 P.47. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1980 Kirkham, Richard A. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-JAN-1993 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) 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

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.