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Montanore

Plant in Sanders county in Montana, United States with commodities Copper, Silver
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Mineral rights holdings
  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 10124691
MAS/MILS ID 0300890154
Record type Site
Current site name Montanore
Alternate or previous names Noxon Project, Rock Lake Deposit
Related records 10048814

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -115.64363, 48.07487 (WGS84)
Elevation 1780
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Sanders(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Elephant Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Libby(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Kalispell(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Kootenai(hydrologic unit)

Kootenai(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Kootenai National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Sanders
United States Montana Lincoln

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 027 N 031 W 30 Montana

Comments on the location information

  • Lat/long was changed by 940 m on 9/10/2008 to agree with new coordinates for duplicate record 10048814, which had a lat/long - county conflict. Original coordinates were: lat/long NAD27 48-4-10N 115-38-16W (48.0694 -115.6378); UTM N5324697 E601481 Z11N; PLSS line# 1: Meridian- Montana Principal, TWNSHP 027 N, RNG 031 W, Sect 30, Sect_fract <blank>. New lat/long is from Boleneus et all, 2005. Deposit extends into Lincoln county so Lincoln was added to the list of county names.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Covellite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Digenite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Malachite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 200
USGS model code Unassigned
Deposit model name Sediment-hosted Cu, Revett
Mark3 model number 64

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock type qualifier SANDSTONE (QUARTZITE AND SILTITE)
    Rock unit name BELT SUPERGROUP - REVETT FORMATION

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -115.64363, 48.07487
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name BULL LAKE FAULT, SNOWSHOE FAULT, ROCK LAKE FAULT

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Thickness 27M
    Length 2400M
    Width 500M
    Depth to top 300M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Type of Orebody #2 STRATIFORM
    Primary mode of Origin RESIDUAL CONCENT
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Secondary Ore Control FAULTING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 30
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 861110
  • Area 260HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 260
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Controls for ore emplacement

  • PORE-SPACE FILLING AND GRAIN COATINGS

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE MAJOR FAULTS, HIGH AND LOW ANGLE REVERSE STRUCTURES, ARE RELATED TO WEST-DIRECTED THRUSTING. ONLY THE LARGEST, THE LIBBY LAKES FAULT SPLAYS, ARE VISIBLE AT THE SURFACE. ANOTHER LARGE FAULT, THE ROCK LAKE FAULT, IS A STEEPLY DIPPING, WEST SIDE UP, NORMAL STRUCTURE LOCATED ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE AREA. IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FAULT AS IT IS THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE MONTANORE MINERALIZATION. BASED ON STRATIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, THE ROCK LAKE FAULT HAS ABOUT 2,500 FT OF DIP-SLIP MOVEMENT.(ADKINS, N.D.)



    THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FOLD IS THE ROCK LAKE SYNCLINE. IT IS A PLUNGING, ASYMMETRICAL FOLD OVERTURNED TO THE WEST AND OPEN TO THE NORTH. THE EASTERN LIMB IS STEEPLY OVERTURNED, AND TRUNCATED ON TOP BY THE LIBBY LAKES FAULT SPLAYS. THE WESTERN, LOWER LIMB, WHICH HOSTS THE DEPOSIT, IS FAIRLY FLAT AND TERMINATES ON THE WEST AGAINST THE ROCK LAKE FAULT. TO THE EAST OF THE ROCK LAKE SYNCLINE, IN THE UPPER LIBBY CREEK AND RAMSAY CREEK DRAINAGES, THE ROCKS ARE DISTORTED INTO BROAD ANTICLINES AND SYNCLINES. ALL THE FOLDS APPEAR TO HAVE FORMED IN RESPONSE TO WEST-DIRECTED THRUST FAULTING. (ADKINS, N.D.)
  • ACCORDING TO U.S. BORAX GEOLOGISTS, THE MAIN MINERALIZED HORIZON IS CONFINED PRIMARILY TO THE UPPER PART OF THE LOWER REVETT FORMATION AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, TO THE MIDDLE OF THE REVETT IN THE NORTHERN AREA (MCNARY, NO DATE, U.S. BUREAU OF MINES).

    BELT SUPERGROUP STRATA IN THE PROJECT AREA CONSISTS OF GREENSCHIST-GRADE METAMORPHOSED SEDIMENTARY ROCKS ASSIGNED , IN ASCENDING ORDER, TO THE PRICHARD, BURKE, REVETT, ST. REGIS AND WALLACE FORMATIONS (ADKINS, NO DATE).

    THE MINERALIZED ZONE OR LODE ON HR 133 AND HR 134 OCCURS IN THE UPPER PART OF THE LOWER REVETT FORMATION, AND LARGELY CONFORMS TO (PARALLELS) THE QUARTZITE BEDS IN WHICH IT IS CONTAINED. THESE QUARTZITE BEDS WITH THE CONTAINED MINERALIZATION HAVE A DOWNWARD COURSE (IE. PLUNGE) TO THE NORTHWEST FROM BETWEEN 12 TO 17 DEGREES. THEY STRIKE TO THE NORHTEAST. THE CENTERLINE OF HR 133 AND HR 134 PARALLELS THE COURSE OF THE OUTCROP OF THE MINERALIZATION, WHICH IS ABOUT N 56 E. (BURNSIDE ET AL, 1993).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1977
Mining method Open Stope - Room and Pillar
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Comments on exploration

  • AS REPORTED IN MISSOULIAN, SEPTEMBER 11, 1988:

    1984 - TWO DRILL HOLES BY U.S. BORAX.

    U.S. BORAX EXPLORATION (PACIFIC COAST MINES, INC.) 1985-1988. FROM 1985 TO 1987 BORAX DRILLED 25 CORE HOLES FROM 8 SITES.

    FEBRUARY 1988 - MONTANA RESERVES OPTIONS PROPERTY FROM US BORAX AND TWO OTHER CANADIAN COMPANIES.

    SEPTEMBER 1988 - MONTANA RESERVES COMPANY (FRANK DUVAL AND HARRY MAGNESON) JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN NORANDA MINERALS (55%) AND MONTANA RESERVES CO. (45%).

    1989 - EVALUATION ADIT STARTED ALONG LIBBY CREEK, OUTSIDE OF THE CABINET MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS. NORANDA CEASES CONSTRUCTION OF THE ADIT IN NOVEMBER 1991 BECAUSE OF WATER QUALITY CONCERNS (NITRATES FROM BLASTING) (BURNSIDE, ET AL., 1993)

Mining district

District name Silver Butte

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Noranda
    Interest 100
    Home office Montana
    Year 1994
    First year 1994
  • Type Owner
    Owner Montana Reserves
    Interest 45
    Home office Montana
    Year 1990
  • Type Owner
    Owner Montana Reserves Co.
    Home office Montana
    Year 1990
  • Type Operator
    Owner Noranda Montanore
    Home office Montana
    Year 1990

Reserves and resources

  • Type Milling
    Estimate year 2000
    Total resources 136000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper CU 0.776 wt-pct Copper Major 2000
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1986
    Inferred 97000000mt ore
    Total resources 97000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.9 wt-pct Copper Major 1986
    Silver Ag 65.1399 g/mt Silver Minor 1986
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Total resources 128822400mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.9 wt-pct Copper Major 1990
    Silver Ag 59.1 g/mt Silver Minor 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 0
    Demonstrated 129000000mt ore
    Total resources 129000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.9 wt-pct Copper Major 0
    Silver Ag 65.14 g/mt Silver Minor 0
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Demonstrated 139000000mt ore
    Total resources 139000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.7 wt-pct Copper Major 1996
    Silver Ag 62.2 g/mt Silver Minor 1996

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • AKA ROCKLAKE OR NOXON. 1994 RESERVES FROM NORANDA ANNUAL REPORT. E/MJ, 3/89, P7.
  • ESTIMATED BY NORANDA TO CONTAIN AT LEAST 300 MILLION OUNCES OF SILVER AND 2.5 BILLION POUNDS OF COPPER

    THE GEOLOGIC RESERVES OF THE DEPOSIT ARE ESTIMATED AT OVER 200,000,000 TONS. ABOUT 134,500,000 TONS OF ORE AT A GRADE OF 0.74 PERCENT CU AND 1.93 OUNCES PER TON AG ARE WITHIN THE EXTRALATERAL RIGHTS APPURTENANT TO VALIDATED MINING CLAIMS OWNED BY NORANDA AND THAT COVER THE APEX OF THE DEPOSIT. (ADKINS, N.D.)

    THE MONTANORE MINE CONTAINS AN ESTIMATED 142 MILLION ST ORE AT AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 0.78% COPPER AND 2.1 OZ/ST SILVER. MINE RECOVERIES ARE ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY 220 MILLION OZ SILVER AND 1.5 BILLION LB COPPER. (E&MJ, FEBRUARY,1989)

    NORANDA MINING COMPANY (NMC) ESTIMATED TOTAL GEOLOGIC RESERVES AT NOT LESS THAN 134,535,193 TONS, WITH AVERAGE GRADES OF 1.93 OPT SILVER, A ND 0.74% COPPER (14.8 POUNDS PER TON). THIS ESTIMATE CONSISTS OF DEMONSTRATED RESERVES USING A MINIMUM 14 FOOT VERTICAL MINING HEIGHT AND A SPECIFIED NET SMELTER RETURN (NSR) CUTOFF VALUE. IT INCLUDES ORE SOLELY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES (INCLUDING EXTRALATERAL RIGHTS) OF MINING CLAIMS HR 133 AND HR 134. (FROM THE MINING VALIDITY REPORT BY BURNSIDE ET AL., 1993).

    NMC EXPECTS TO RECOVER ABOUT 67% IF THEIR TOTAL ESTIMATED GEOLOGIC RESERVES, WITH 28% LEFT TO SUPPORT MINE WORKINGS AND 5% LEFT AS BARRIERS ALONG ROCK LAKE AND THE ROCK LAKE FAULT. BASED ON THIS 67 PERCENT RECOVERY, NMC ESTIMATES MINEABLE RESERVES AT APPROXIMATELY 90,138,580 TONS OF ORE AT THE SAME GRADES AS THAT STATED AS GEOLOGICAL RESERVES. NMC ESTIMATES MINE DILUTION WILL BE 5% OF THE MINABLE TONNAGE (4,506,929 TONS), WITH AVERAGE GRADES OF 0.60 OPT SILVER AND 0.26 % (5.22 POUNDS PER TON) COPPER. AT 67% ORE RECOVERY AND 5% SUB-ORE DILUTION, NMC ESTIMATES THEY WILL EXTRACT NOT LESS THAN 94,645,509 TONS WITH AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 1.87 OPT SILVER AND 0.72% (14.4 POUNDS PER TON) COPPER. (FROM THE MINING VALIDITY REPORT BY BURNSIDE ET AL., 1993).
  • RESOURCE IS INSITU, RECOVERABLE ORE EQUALS 5,440,000 MT . RESOURCE REPORTED IN COLUMN TWO IS IN-SITU IDENTFIED ORE. . RESOURCE REPORTED IN COLUMN THREE IS IN-SITU ORE FROM THE ROCK LAKE, ROCK PEAK, AND HORIZON BASIN CLAIM GROUPS. . RESOURCE REPORTED IN COLUMN FOUR IS IN-SITU IDENTIFIED ORE FROM THE ROCK LAKE, ROCK PEAK, AND HORIZON BASIN CLAIM GROUPS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 9904M
    Overall depth 152M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Swell Factor .61
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 70
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 1
    Length of Inclines (m) 9752
    Slope of Inclines 8
    Number of Inclines 3
    Avg. Length of Adits (m) 0
    1st Condition of Workings NO MINE ENTRY
    Capacity 7710
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 5.9
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1986

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    NORANDA MINERALS INC., 1995 ANNUAL REPORT, P.39.

  • Deposit

    JAYNE, D. I. SILVER AND GOLD RESOURCES OF THE ROCK CREEK

  • Deposit

    DEPOSIT-MINERAL PROPERTY EVALUATION FILE REPORT. U.S.BUREAU

  • Deposit

    OF MINES - WESTERN FIELD OPERATOIONS CENTER, SEPT.1984, 30PP

  • Deposit

    JAYNE, D.I. THE TROYMINE - MINERAL PROPERTY EVALUATION

  • Deposit

    FILE REPORT. U.S. BUREAU OF MINES - WESTERN FIELD OPERATION

  • Deposit

    CENTER, AUG. 1984, 39 PP.

  • Deposit

    PACIFIC COAST MINES INC. CONCEPTUAL PLAN OF OPERATION -

  • Deposit

    NOXON PROJECT. PACIFIC COAST MINES INC., JAN. 15, 1986,

  • Deposit

    25 PP.

  • Deposit

    UNITED STATES BORAX AND CHEMICAL CORPORATION. MISCELLAN-

  • Deposit

    EOUS GEOLOGIC AND DRILL HOLE INFORMATION. U.S. BORAX

  • Deposit

    CHEMICAL CORPORATION, 1986.

  • Deposit

    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE - NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMO-

  • Deposit

    SPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. MONTHLY NORMALS OF TEMPERATURE,

  • Deposit

    PRECIPITATION, AND HEATING AND COOLING DEGREE DAYS, 1941-70.

  • Deposit

    1973; 13 PP.

  • Deposit

    U.S. FOREST SERVICE. CABINET MOUNTAINS MINERAL ACTIVITY

  • Deposit

    COORDINATION REPORT - KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST. U.S. FOREST

  • Deposit

    SERVICE, FEB. 1986.

  • Deposit

    U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND U.S. BUREAU OF MINES. MINERAL

  • Deposit

    RESOURCES OF THE CABINET MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS, LINCOLN AND

  • Deposit

    SANDERS COUNTIES, MONTANA. U.S. GEOL. SURV. BUL. 1501,

  • Deposit

    1981, 77 PP.

  • Deposit

    MONT. BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. BULLETIN 129, 1991.

  • Deposit

    SEG NEWSLETTER. MONTANORE. JAN. 1992, P. 23.

  • Deposit

    NORANDA MINERALS INC., 1994 ANNUAL REPORT, P.39.

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER, 3-21-94, V80 N3, P.14.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD, 3-16-94, P.5.

  • Deposit

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, 2-26-94, P.8.

  • Deposit

    NORANDA INS., 1993 ANNUAL REPORT, P.19.

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER, 11-15-93, P.3.

  • Deposit

    ROCKY MTN PAY DIRT, 5-93, P.17A.

  • Deposit

    ROCKY MTN PAY DIRT, 6-93, P.16A.

  • Deposit

    ROCKY MTN PAY DIRT, 10-93, P.19A.

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER, 10-11-93, P.16.

  • Deposit

    ROYAL MINERALS, INC. PRESS RELEASE, 2-23-94.

  • Deposit

    Boleneus, D.E., Appelgate, L.M., Stewart, J.H., and Zientek, M.L., 2005, Stratabound Copper-Silver Deposits of the Mesoproterozoic Revett Formation, Montana and Idaho; USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2005?5231, cuag_deposit.txt.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT TO BE MINED IS ALSO LOCATED IN: SECTIONS 19, 20 29, 31, AND 32 T. 27 N. R. 31 W. . BORAX CLAIMS COVER PORTIONS OF ORE ALL OF SECTIONS: 26, 27, 34, 35, AND 36,T.28N., R.32W ; SECTIONS: 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 35 AND 36, T.27N., R.32W.; SECTIONS: 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 22, AND 24, T.26N., R.32W.; AND SECTIONS: 5,6, 7, 18, AND 19, T.26N., R.31W. . PROPERTY NOT MENTIONED IN 1995 ANNUAL REPORT.
Deposit MINERALIZATION FORMED PRIMARILY AS PORE-SPACE FILLING AND GRAIN COATINGS AND ALSO AS MINOR, SECONDARY FRACTURE-FILLINGS. SULFIDE CONCENTRATIONS ALONG BEDDING PLANES AND AS HEAVY-MINERAL LAMINATIONS ARE COMMON. THE SULFIDE GRAIN SIZE IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE GRAIN SIZE OF THE HOST SEDIMENTS.



ORIGIN OF THE MINERALIZATION IS UNKNOWN. IN THE SPAR LAKE MODEL OF HAYES AND EINAUDI (1986) , AND HAYES AND OTHERS (1989), WHICH IS INTERPRETED FROM STUDY OF THE SIMILAR SPAR LAKE DEPOSIT LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 17 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST, DIAGENETIC ORE SOLUTIONS MOVED THROUGH PERMEABLE QUARTZITE SAND BODIES, AND METAL DEPOSITION WAS LOCALIZED BY PREORE REACTANTS. THIS HYPOTHESIS MIGHT EXPLAIN THE MONTANORE DEPOSIT. ALTERNATIVELY, WODZICKI (PERS. COMMUN., 1990) ADVANCES THE POSSIBILITY THAT REDUCING, SULFUR-BEARING BRINES FROM THE UNDERLYING PRICHARD FORMATION MAY HAVE ASCENDED THE ROCK LAKE FAULT AND FLOWED INTO THE REVETT FORMATION. THESE BRINES THEN MIXED WITH SALINE, OXIDIZING COPPER-SILVER RICH FLUIDS MIGRATING THROUGH THE REVETT TOWARDS THE MARGIN OF THE BELT BASIN. THIS COMINGLING OF THE TWO FLUIDS IN FAVORABLE BEDS PROXIMAL TO THE FAULT COULD RESULT IN THE PRECIPITATION OF METAL SULFIDES. (ADKINS, N.D.).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 13-JAN-98 Spear, James M. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Editor 10-SEP-08 Schruben, Paul U.S. Geological Survey Changed lat/long because duplicate record 10048814 had a lat/long - county disagreement.

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site