Saval-Steer Deposit

Prospect in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Antimony

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Public Land Survey System information
Commodities
Materials information
Alteration
Mineral occurrence model information
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Geologic structures
Controls for ore emplacement
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Land status
Ownership information
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10310341
Record type	Site
Current site name	Saval-Steer Deposit
Alternate or previous names	Saval Canyon, Steer Canyon, Lost & Found Prospect, Josie Saval, Williams, Lost
Related records	10097287, 10310565

Comments on the site identification

The Steer Canyon gold deposit encompasses the historic Lost & Found antimony prospect.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-116.00091, 41.36379 (WGS84)
Elevation	2250

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Water Pipe Canyon(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	040N	053E	9, 10, 15, 16		Nevada

Comments on the location information

UTM's and elevation to historic Lost & Found Sb deposit, near center of Steer Canyon gold deposit. (may change this to current portal of the SSX underground mine)

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Antimony Critical	Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

Ore Materials: GOLD
Gangue Materials: stibnite, orpiment, realgar, calcite

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Gold	Ore
Orpiment	Ore
Realgar	Ore
Calcite	Ore
Stibnite	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) silicification, also oxidation of antimony sulfides.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	173
USGS model code	26a.1
Deposit model name	Sediment-hosted Au
Mark3 model number	17

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Rock type qualifier

carbonaceous

Rock unit name

Hanson Creek Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Silurian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Ordovician

Host or associated

Host

Rock type

Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone

Rock type qualifier

calcareous

Rock unit name

Hanson Creek Formation

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Early Silurian
Stratigraphic age (oldest)	Middle Ordovician

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-116.00091, 41.36379	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Local
Structure description	fracture zone

Controls for ore emplacement

fissures and fractures

Comments on the geologic information

The Lost and Found Sb prospect is hosted by blue-gray thin bedded limestone which is silicified near the workings. Stibnite occurs as single crystals and pods up to 3" across within fractures which cut the limestone. This occurrence overlies the disseminated gold orebody

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type	Surface
Development status	Prospect
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Small
Significant	Yes

Mining district

District name	Independence Mountains
District name	Jerritt Canyon District

Land status

Ownership category	National Forest
Area name	Elko District U S Forest Service
Ownership category	Private

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Queenstake Resources

Year 2006

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Queenstake Resources
Year	2006

Comments on the workings information

open pit

Comments on other economic factors

Saval Canyon resources have been included in that of Jerritt Canyon Mines since 1988.In 1988, the remaining resource in the Saval-Steer area deposits was estimated to be about 7 tonnes of gold and an unknown amount of silver contained in 1730 kilotonnes of ore.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Smith, R.M., Mineral Resources of Elko County, Nevada, USGS Open-File Report 1976-56.
Deposit

Lawrence E. F., 1963, Antimony Deposits of Nevada, NBMG Bull. 61.
Deposit

LaPointe and others, 1991, Mineral Resources of Elko County, Nevada, NBMG Bulletin 106.
Deposit

Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Database of significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States; Part A, Database description and analysis; part B, Digital database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-206, 33 p., one 3.5 inch diskette.
Deposit

LONG AND OTHERS, 1998
Deposit

Dewitt, Alexander, 1999, Alteration, geochemical dispersion, and ore controls at the SSX Mine, Jerritt Canyon District, NV; GSN Newsletter, May, 1999.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	ALTERATION, GEOCHEMICAL DISPERSION AND ORE CONTROLS AT THE SSX MINE, JERRITT CANYON DISTRICT, NV Alexander Dewitt, Dept. of Geological Sciences and Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology, UNR The SSX deposit (South Saval Extension) is one of several sedimentary rock-hosted gold deposits of the Jerritt Canyon District. The district is located in the central part of the Independence Mountains, 70 km north-northwest of Elko, Nevada. Geologic units exposed in the SSX underground mine are the Upper Ordovician to Lower Silurian Hanson Creek Formation, a Silurian portion of the Roberts Mountains Formation, and the allochthonous Upper Cambrian and Ordovician Snow Canyon Formation. These rocks are intruded by a Pennsylvanian basalt dike that locally hosts ore. Jerritt Canyon District geologists have divided the Hanson Creek Formation into five distinct units (numbered from youngest to oldest) and the three youngest are exposed at the SSX mine. Most of the gold at the SSX mine is hosted in the Hanson Creek Formation, particularly within the rhythmically interbedded micritic limestone and calcareous siltstone unit (unit 3). There are two important sets of structures that localize ore at SSX. The older set of faults is partially occupied by the basalt dike, and strikes range from N70?W to N50?W with nearly vertical dips. The younger set of major faults cut the dike and its associated west-northwest trending faults and have strikes ranging from N10?E to N50?E, and dips ranging from 60 to 800 NW. The northeast-striking faults have normal offset, and share similar features (e.g. dolomitized wallrocks, carbon enrichment, arsenic and iron sulfides, silicification, and both tectonic and decarbonatization/collapse breccias). The ore mineralization/grade and alteration effects are more substantial with proximity to these structures. Wallrock alteration of sedimentary rocks and the basalt dike was mapped in detail on three underground mine levels. Mapped alteration of sedimentary rocks included decarbonatization, dolomitization, silicification, carbon enrichment, and arsenic sulfide mineralization. Alteration of the dike progresses from deuteric to sericitic to argillic with proximity to northeast-striking faults. Petrographic and microanalytical analyses of samples collected from the SSX mine workings provided data for paragenetic interpretation. An early base metal sulfide event was followed by introduction of pyrite, apatite, carbonates, and silica. Ore-related mineralization produced gold-bearing marcasite, orpiment, realgar, carlinite and kaolinite. Geochemical data provided by Independence Mining Company comprising 33 elements from 164 surface drill-holes (3146 samples) were analyzed. Significant correlation was found for two distinct groups of elements. The first group included Zn, Cd, V, Cu, Mo, Ni, and Ag. The second group included Au, As, Hg, and Tl. Although sample intervals were 50-foot composites on average, distinct zoning of gold, arsenic, mercury and thallium was evident. These elements increase in concentration with proximity to northeast-striking faults. Permeability was the most important factor in localizing gold mineralization. Unit 3 of the Hanson Creek Formation was a favorable lithologic unit due to its numerous permeable silty interbeds. Northwest-striking faults and the basalt dike were equally important in localizing ore fluids. However, orebody geometry, alteration patterns and geochemical data indicate that northeast-striking faults were the most important conduits for gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids (Fig. 1).
Deposit	Fluid flow during the introduction of hydrothermal fluids was focused along the northeast-striking faults. Dissolution of calcite with subsequent dolomite precipitation disrupted sedimentary bedding, resulting in collapse breccias. Fluids spread laterally along the conduits as well as along the Pennsylvanian dike and its parallel structures, generating the alteration zoning in the dike, Hanson Creek Formation and collapse breccias as well as dispersion of ore-related elements.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

ALTERATION, GEOCHEMICAL DISPERSION AND ORE CONTROLS AT THE SSX MINE, JERRITT CANYON DISTRICT, NV

Alexander Dewitt, Dept. of Geological Sciences and Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology, UNR

The SSX deposit (South Saval Extension) is one of several sedimentary rock-hosted gold deposits of the Jerritt Canyon District. The district is located in the central part of the Independence Mountains, 70 km north-northwest of Elko, Nevada. Geologic units exposed in the SSX underground mine are the Upper Ordovician to Lower Silurian Hanson Creek Formation, a Silurian portion of the Roberts Mountains Formation, and the allochthonous Upper Cambrian and Ordovician Snow Canyon Formation. These rocks are intruded by a Pennsylvanian basalt dike that locally hosts ore. Jerritt Canyon District geologists have divided the Hanson Creek Formation into five distinct units (numbered from youngest to oldest) and the three youngest are exposed at the SSX mine. Most of the gold at the SSX mine is hosted in the Hanson Creek Formation, particularly within the rhythmically interbedded micritic limestone and calcareous siltstone unit (unit 3).

There are two important sets of structures that localize ore at SSX. The older set of faults is partially occupied by the basalt dike, and strikes range from N70?W to N50?W with nearly vertical dips. The younger set of major faults cut the dike and its associated west-northwest trending faults and have strikes ranging from N10?E to N50?E, and dips ranging from 60 to 800 NW. The northeast-striking faults have normal offset, and share similar features (e.g. dolomitized wallrocks, carbon enrichment, arsenic and iron sulfides, silicification, and both tectonic and decarbonatization/collapse breccias). The ore mineralization/grade and alteration effects are more substantial with proximity to these structures.

Wallrock alteration of sedimentary rocks and the basalt dike was mapped in detail on three underground mine levels. Mapped alteration of sedimentary rocks included decarbonatization, dolomitization, silicification, carbon enrichment, and arsenic sulfide mineralization. Alteration of the dike progresses from deuteric to sericitic to argillic with proximity to northeast-striking faults.

Petrographic and microanalytical analyses of samples collected from the SSX mine workings provided data for paragenetic interpretation. An early base metal sulfide event was followed by introduction of pyrite, apatite, carbonates, and silica. Ore-related mineralization produced gold-bearing marcasite, orpiment, realgar, carlinite and kaolinite.

Geochemical data provided by Independence Mining Company comprising 33 elements from 164 surface drill-holes (3146 samples) were analyzed. Significant correlation was found for two distinct groups of elements. The first group included Zn, Cd, V, Cu, Mo, Ni, and Ag. The second group included Au, As, Hg, and Tl. Although sample intervals were 50-foot composites on average, distinct zoning of gold, arsenic, mercury and thallium was evident. These elements increase in concentration with proximity to northeast-striking faults.

Permeability was the most important factor in localizing gold mineralization. Unit 3 of the Hanson Creek Formation was a favorable lithologic unit due to its numerous permeable silty interbeds. Northwest-striking faults and the basalt dike were equally important in localizing ore fluids. However, orebody geometry, alteration patterns and geochemical data indicate that northeast-striking faults were the most important conduits for gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids (Fig. 1).

Deposit

Fluid flow during the introduction of hydrothermal fluids was focused along the northeast-striking faults. Dissolution of calcite with subsequent dolomite precipitation disrupted sedimentary bedding, resulting in collapse breccias. Fluids spread laterally along the conduits as well as along the Pennsylvanian dike and its parallel structures, generating the alteration zoning in the dike, Hanson Creek Formation and collapse breccias as well as dispersion of ore-related elements.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-JUN-2003	LaPointe, D.D.	Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Editor	01-SEP-2007	Schruben, Paul G.	U.S. Geological Survey	Converted from S&A FileMaker format to Oracle. Edit checks on rocks, units, and ages with Geolex search, and other fields.

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

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