Sunnyside

Plant in Valley county in Idaho, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10193589
MRDS ID W013903
MAS/MILS ID 0160850158
Record type Site
Current site name Sunnyside
Alternate or previous names See Thunder Mountain 0160850625, See Dewey 0160850154, Also Dewey Dome.
Related records 10070806

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -115.13155, 44.95458 (WGS84)
Elevation 2438
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valley(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rainbow Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Pistol Creek(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Challis(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Middle Fork Salmon(hydrologic unit)

Salmon(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Payette 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 Valley

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 019 N 011 E 29 C N2SE Idaho

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -115.13155, 44.95458

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 8M
    Length 0M
    Width 0M
    Depth to top 15M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Minimum Depth to Top 9
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 15
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 9
    Date of Last Modification 960606

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE BODY IS A BLANKET DEPOSIT IN THE TOP 20-30 FEET OF A RHYOLITE FLOW BRECCIA

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1899
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1902
Plant type Leach
Milling method Heap Leach-Merrill-Crowe

Comments on exploration

  • SOME EXPLORATION IS TAKING PLACE AS OF 1993 ALONG WITH WORK DONE ON THE ADJACENT DEWEY DOME THUNDER MOUNTAIN PROPERTIES.

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Payette National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Thunder Mountain Gold, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Washington
    Year 1996
  • Type Owner
    Owner Coeur D'Alene Mines Corp.
    ID 1001475
    Interest 100
    Home office Idaho
    Year 1992
    First year 292
  • Type Operator
    Owner Thunder Mtn Gold Inc.
    ID 1001475
    Interest 100
    Home office Idaho
    Year 1992
    First year 1992
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Coeur D'Alene Mines Corp.
    ID 1001475
    Interest 100
    Home office Idaho
    Year 1986
    First year 1986
    Last year 1992

Comments on the production information

  • HEAP LEACH OPERATION PRODUCED 17,315 OZ AU FROM TREATING 529,500 MT ORE IN 1989. CLOSED IN 1990; RECLAMATION IN 1991.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1900
    Demonstrated 2322570mt ore
    Total resources 2322570mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.83 g/mt Gold Major 1900

Comments on the workings information

  • WASTE CLAYS MAY HAVE EROSION POTENTIAL. <2% SULFIDE.

Comments on other economic factors

  • ON-OFF CN HEAP-LEACH OPERATION. AFTER AU-AG LEACHING, THE HEAPS ARE IRRIGATED WITH ALKALINE-CHLORINE SOLN UNTIL DRAINAGE CONTAINS < 0.20 MG/L OR LESS FOR 24 HR PERIOD. PROCESSED ORE IS THEN REMOVED FROM LEACH PAD AND BACKFILLED TO MINED OUT PITS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USGS BULL 1304, P 69+

  • Deposit

    MSHA REPORT DATED JULY, 1982.

  • Deposit

    ID DIV. OF AIR QUALITY. THUNDER MTN. MINE AIR QUALITY

  • Deposit

    PERMIT, MAY, 1986, 9 PP.

  • Deposit

    IBMG PAMP. 44, P40.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GOOD POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE PRODUCTION BUT UNDER PRESENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IS CONSIDERED MARGINAL. ESTIMATED MARGINAL RESERVES ARE 2,107,000 TONS RANGING FROM 0.16-0.18 OUNCE GOLD PER TON PER R.J. MCRAE. G.E. ZIEGLER ALSO ESTIMATES AN ADDITIONAL 25 MILLION TONS OF POSSIBLE ORE CONTACT: ANNE MARIE OBERLY, (208) 385-0373. WILL NOT BE ANALYZED IN THE 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY (TOO SMALL). 12-90-RESERVES EXHAUSTED. MINE CLOSURE TO BE COMPLETED 1992.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 30-DEC-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 07/23/1991
MSHA mine ID1001475
Mine name (MSHA)Sunnyside
Current operatorCoeur-Thunder Mountain Inc
Current controller (parent)Coeur Mining, Inc.
Mine typeSurface (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

External references