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Nevada Mercury Mine

Past Producer in Nye county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Mercury
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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. 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. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310478
MRDS ID M055038
Record type Site
Current site name Nevada Mercury Mine
Alternate or previous names Shoshone Quicksilver, Nevada Cinnabar Mine
Related records 10040323, 10295704

Comments on the site identification

  • The currently described gold deposit is in the vicinity of the Nevada Cinnabar (Shoshone Quicksilver) Mine, MRDS #M055038, from which material has been transferred to the current record along with new material.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.55455, 38.91381 (WGS84)
Elevation 2380
Relative position The Nevada Mercury Mine is located about one mile north of Buffalo Mountain, at the head of Sheep Canyon.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nye(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ione(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Ione Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Tonopah(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Southern Big Smoky Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(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 Nye

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 012N 039E 12 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The Nevada Mercury Mine property consists of 15 claims located about one mile north of Buffalo Mountain, at the head of Sheep Canyon.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Mercury Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: free gold, cinnabar
  • Gangue Materials: chalcedony, clay

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Cinnabar Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Clay Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Argillzation and silicificationof host rocks are common.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 177
USGS model code 27a
Deposit model name Hot-spring Hg

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Rock type qualifier rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock type qualifier tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Triassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock type qualifier agglomerate
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Toiyabe quartz latite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Miocene
    Chronological age 21
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Oligocene
    Chronological age 24
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Oddie Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.55455, 38.91381
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Regional structural trens in the Shoshone Mountains are northerly.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rocks are cut by NW-trending faults.

Ore body information

  • General form tabular

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ore occurs in tuff beneath fault gouge.

Comments on the geologic information

  • Triassic sandstone, shale, limestone, and intrusive diabase are in fault contact with Tertiary andesitic agglomerate and rhyolitic tuffs and flows.Major rock units include : Tertiary volcanics. The Toiyabe overlies Oddie Rhyolite; mine is in Toiyabe quartz latite formation.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1907
Production years 1909-1910, 1914-1918, 1920, 1927-1930, 1935-1938, 1940, 1943-1945

Mining district

District name Union District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Ione Gold Mining Co.
    Year 2002

Comments on the workings information

  • The mine workings in 1949 consisted of an open pit. The mine last produced in 1959 but development was ongoing in 1967. Workings consist of two adjoining glory holes (275 ft x 60 ft x 40 ft; 115 ft x 40 ft x 20 ft), two adits totaling 750 feet, and numerous shallow prospect pits.

Comments on other economic factors

  • In 1994, it was reported that Marshall Earth Resources Inc. had discovered a geologic resource at the Nevada Mercury mine estimated at around 50,000 ounces of gold.

Comments on development

  • The property was purchased by Nevada Cinnabar Company in 1912; operated by LDC Mining Company 1960-1965. The mine was active from 1908-1918 with minor lessee activity intermittently since then.
    The mine was owned by Keough and Larson Development Co. and mined by Big "B" Mining Company in 1967.
    In 1994, it was reported that Marshall Earth Resources Inc. had discovered a geologic resource at the Nevada Mercury mine estimated at around 50,000 ounces of gold. Goldfields Mining Co., who had leased the property during 1992-93, made the initial discovery during their first phase of drilling on the Burro patented mining claim. Marshall was optimistic about the potential for exploration of a large area of disseminated low-grade gold in the vicinity of the discovery.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Bailey, E. H., U. S. Geol. Survey, Personal Files

  • Deposit

    Bailey, E.H., and Phoenix, D.A., 1944, Quicksilver Deposits in Nevada: Nev. Bur. of Mines and Geol., Bull. 41, p. 151-152.

  • Deposit

    Vitaliano, 1963, Cenozoic Geology and Sections of the Ione Quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada: USGS Map MF - 255.

  • Deposit

    Gallagher, 1967, Nevada Mines, Mills, and Smelters in Operation as of July 1, 1967: State Inspector Of Mines, Carson City, Nevada.

  • Deposit

    Holmes, G.H., Jr., 1965, Mercury in Nevada, in Mercury Potential of the U.S.: U.S. Bur. of Mines, Inf. Circ. 8252, p. 254-255.

  • Deposit

    NBMG MI-94 through MI-02.

  • Deposit

    Ione Valley Land Status, 1978

  • Deposit

    Amer. Mines (2001), 2000.

  • Deposit

    Denver Mining Record, 9/7/94

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Ore occurs in tuff beneath fault gouge as veinlets in the tuff.
Triassic sandstone, shale, limestone, and intrusive diabase are in fault contact with Tertiary andesitic agglomerate and rhyolitic tuffs and flows.Major rock units include : Tertiary volcanics. The Toiyabe overlies Oddie Rhyolite; mine is in Toiyabe quartz latite formation.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-2005 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.