Basin Creek Mine

Plant in Jefferson county in Montana, United States with commodity 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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  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. Reserves and resources
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10245976
MAS/MILS ID 0300490124
Record type Site
Current site name Basin Creek Mine
Alternate or previous names Paupers Dream, Paupers Dream Project, Columbia, Luttrell

Comments on the site names

  • AKA PAUPERS DREAM

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -112.29669, 46.4216 (WGS84)
Elevation 2268
Location accuracy 10(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lewis and Clark(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Three Brothers(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Butte North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Missouri(hydrologic unit)

Upper Missouri(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri-Marias(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Helena-Lewis and Clark 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 Montana Jefferson
United States Montana Lewis and Clark

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 008 N 006 W 25 NWNWNE Montana

Comments on the location information

  • Political location in record is Lewis and Clark county. However, lat/long falls just inside adjacent Jefferson county. Due to the inclusion of Paupers Dream mine in this record and the extensive workings visible in both counties, Jefferson county was added to the record and promoted to first place.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Arsenopyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidized

Analytical data

Result 0.1 OZ/TON A

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 104
USGS model code 25a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Au-Ag
Mark3 model number 45

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -112.29669, 46.4216

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name Boulder Batholith

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Most Concentrated In (Vertically Sheeted) Joint Zones

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1865
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1902
Plant type Leach
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Rimini

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Pegasus Gold Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Montana
    Year 1991
    First year 1989
  • Type Operator
    Owner Basin Creek Mining
    Home office Montana
    Year 1996

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Description Au 26000 Oz
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 808690.5g
  • Year 1990
    Description Au 26500 Oz
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 824242.24g
  • Year 1991
    Description Shut Down On Care & Maintenance
  • Year 1994
    Description Gold Production 700 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 21772.43g

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Total resources 4536000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.24 g/mt Gold Major 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Total resources 6804000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.31 g/mt Gold Major 1990

Comments on the workings information

  • AN OPEN PIT ABOUT 50 FT WIDE, 200 FT LONG, AND 20-30 FT DEEP, AN ADIT THAT EXTENDS UNDER THE PIT FROM A POINT ABOUT 350 FT FARTHER N, AND A NUMBER OF SHALLOW PITS AND SHAFTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    PEGASUS GOLD INC. FORM 10-K 1995, P.7.

  • Reserve-Resource

    PEGASUS GOLD INC. 1994 ANNUAL REPORT. P11.

  • Reserve-Resource

    PEGASUS GOLD INC. FORM 10-K 1994. PP6,21.

  • Deposit

    U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 842, 1933, P. 260.

  • Deposit

    U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1151, P. 115-116.

  • Deposit

    RANDOL GOLD DIRECTORY, 1988.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    MONT. BUR MINES, BULL 130, 1992.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AS OF 1996, THE MINE IS IN RECLAMATION AND FINAL CLOSURE IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN 1998. HEAP LEACHING OPERATION. EXPECTED START OF PROD. IN 3RD QTR.1988 ANNUAL AU OUTPUT LEVEL EXPECTED TO BE 34,000 OZ. 1988 RESERVE= 1,202,627 CONT. OZ. MINE SHUT DOWN IN 1991 (CARE AND MAINT).
Deposit THE PRESENCE OF ABUNDANT AU IS A FUNCTION OF THE ORIGINAL AU CONTENT AND DEGREE OF SECONDARY ENRICHMENT. PRIMARY AU ASSOCIATED WITH PYRITE AND ARSENOPYRITE WAS DISSEMINATED IN THE CLOSELY JOINTED, LAMINATED FLOW ROCKS. WHERE THE SULFIDE MINERALS HAVE BEEN OXIDIZED BY WEATHERING THE AU IS FREE.
Deposit Merged data from Deposit ID 10015857 (Paupers Dream Mine)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 26-JUN-97 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Editor 28-JUL-08 Schruben, Paul U.S. Geological Survey Fixed lat/long - county disagreement.

Beyond USGS

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