1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Standard Gold Mine

Producer in Pershing county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Arsenic, Barium-Barite
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Production statistics
  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 10310412
MRDS ID M060330
Record type Site
Current site name Standard Gold Mine
Alternate or previous names Gold Standard, Standard, Lally, Cordex, South Pit, North Pit, Star, Buffalo Canyon

Comments on the site identification

  • This deposit encompasses the area covered by MRDS records #M060330 and M060383 which describe the previously existing historic gold mine. This record supersedes the earlier records and all material in the earlier records has been incorporated into this new record.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -118.22834, 40.50213 (WGS84)
Elevation 1710
Relative position The mine is located on the northwest flank of the northern end of the Humboldt Range, about 42 km NNE of Lovelock. Lat/long coordinates are for the midpoint between the two Standard Mine sites in USGS GNIS.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pershing(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Star Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Eugene Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Lovelock(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Humboldt(hydrologic unit)

Humboldt(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NV)

Bureau of Land Management NV BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Pershing

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 031N 033E 35 Nevada
Mount Diablo 030 033 01 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The Standard Mine Project lies approximately four to five miles south of the Florida Canyon Mine. The project is a series of discrete shallow oxide deposits (Cordex, South Pit, North Pit, Star, and Buffalo Canyon) located on ridges of the foothills of the Humboldt Range.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: Gold
  • Gangue Materials: Fe oxides, barite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Barite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Strong silicification of host rock.

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 unit name Natchez Pass Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Triassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
    Rock unit name Grass Valley Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Phyllite
    Rock unit name Grass Valley Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Rochester Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Natchez Pass Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Triassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Phyllite
    Rock unit name Grass Valley Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Rock type qualifier air-fall
    Rock unit name Rochester Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Permian

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -118.22834, 40.50213
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description The rocks in the area have been subjected to three periods of thrust faulting; intense folding of sediments in upper plates of thrust faults; normal faulting.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Regional thrust faulting

Ore body information

  • Length 289.56M
    Width 76.2M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • A northerly striking normal fault controlled the movement of mineralizing fluids which spread along the youngest thrust fault and formed the South Pit orebody. Similarly, a north-striking fracture zone formed a conduit along the thrust contact below the impermeable Grass Valley Shale, to form the North Pit orebody.

Comments on the geologic information

  • A northerly striking normal fault controlled the movement of mineralizing fluids which spread along the youngest thrust fault and formed the south pit orebody. Similarly, a north-striking fracture zone formed a conduit along the thrust contact below the impermeable Grass Valley Shale, to form the North Pit orebody.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1932
Year of first production 1939
Year of last production 1949
Production years 1939-1949

Mining district

District name Imlay District
District name Rye Patch District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area
Area name WInnnemucca BLM District
Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Apollo Gold Corporation
    Year 2004
  • Type Owner
    Owner Pacific Syndicate
    First year 1936

Production statistics

  • Year 1951
    Period 1932-1951
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2.7 Grams Au Per Metric Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 3g/mt

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 914.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • Initially, the deposit was opened by three tunnels, several shafts, crosscuts and drifts. The mine was later developed by two pits about 650 m apart, with additional pits and heap leach facility planned for 2004.

Comments on other economic factors

  • From 1932 through 1951, the mine production was 46,602 oz Au; 102,721 oz Ag (about 1.45 metric tonnes gold, 3.19 metric tonnes silver)
    Standard?s reserves as of December 31, 2002 consisted of 17.2 million tons (15.6 million tonnes) at a grade of 0.019 oz gold/ton (0.65 grams gold / tonne), for approximately 318,300 contained ounces of gold.
    Proven and probable reserves of 404,100 ounces of gold were reported by the end of 2003.

Comments on development

  • The Standard mine was owned by Pacific Syndicate in 1936, when reported on by Vanderburg. The Standard Mine was active from1939-42 and 1946-49. Approximately 680,000 metric tons of ore were mined from 2 pits (Gold Standard and Lally pits) about 650 m apart. Ore grade averaged 2.7 grams per metric ton. The ore was processed through a 544 metric ton per day cyanide mill with recoveries on the order of 92-95% from a coarse grind. In 1949, increased cost and slope failure in the south pit forced the Standard Cyaniding Company to close the mine. Cordex Exploration Company initiated an exploration program in 1981 to identify additional mineralized areas near the site of the Standard Mine. Geochemical sampling of jasperoid and surrounding rock in both the north and south pits revealed anomalous concentrations of Au, Ag, and As. Even at a distance from the pits, many of the jasperoid bodies were found to contain anomalous levels of Au. The Standard Mine is considered to be the first "Carlin-type" disseminated gold deposit to have been put into production in Nevada.
    The property was owned by Pegasus Gold Corp. in1984, and later by Florida Canyon Gold MIning Corp., and currently by Apollo Gold Corporation. An exploration program consisting of over 89,000 feet of reverse-circulation drilling was successful in developing several orebodies iscovered within this property in 2002 and adding 318,400 oz of gold in the proven and probable mineral reserve categories. Reverse circulation drilling at the Standard Mine project (including Buffalo Canyon) totaled 25,400 feet drilled in the fourth quarter 2003, with four core holes completed earlier in the year for metallurgical samples. This total includes 61 holes in the South Pit and 15 in the North Pit. These efforts resulted in proven and probable reserves of 404,100 ounces of gold. In 2003 Apollo completed the Phase I exploration drilling program in the Buffalo Canyon area. Buffalo Canyon is a newly acquired property consisting of 480 acres located immediately south and adjacent to the Standard Mine project. A total of 5,040 feet of reverse circulation surface drilling in 13 holes was completed at Buffalo Canyon with encouraging results.
    In February, 2004, the Standard Mine Project was reported to be in the final permitting stages for an open pit, heap leach mine; to be operated in conjunction with Apollo Gold Corporation?s Florida Canyon Mine four miles to the north. Leach pad construction was expected to be completed late in 2004, with initial gold production forecast for 2005.
    Buffalo Canyon, adjacent to the Standard Mine, will be operated as a satellite pit sometime after the Standard Mine is brought into production.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The Standard Mine project is a series of discrete shallow oxide deposits (Cordex, South Pit, North Pit, Star, and Buffalo Canyon). The stratigraphy of the Standard Mine project area is similar to that of Florida Canyon. The deposits consist of structurally controlled gold mineralization primarily along a karst horizon at the contact of the Natchez Pass Limestone and overlying Grass Valley argillites and phyllites. The horizon is characterized by strong silicification and jasperoid breccia. Mineralization locally extends upward into the Grass Valley formation and also occurs within fault structures and shear zones. The deposits tend to be thin (20 -100 feet thick) relative to their large areal extent.
The first-discovered mineralized zone could be traced on the surface for 950 feet and was 50-250 ft wide. Gold and silver occur in a series of brecciated limestone and shale beds.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1973 Johnson, Maureen G. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Reporter 01-DEC-1979 Harner, Joy L. (Roberts, Ralph J.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-MAY-1986 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-DEC-1988 La Pointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-OCT-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 07-MAR-1994 Crandell, William D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Peters, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 29-DEC-1994 Mayerle, Ronald T. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-MAY-2004 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

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