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Eureka District Deposits

Producer in Eureka county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum, Tellurium, Iron
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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 10310481
MRDS ID K003373
Record type District
Current site name Eureka District Deposits
Alternate or previous names TL Shaft, Silver Conner Shaft, Ruby Hill Tunnel, Richmond-Eureka Mine, Locan Shaft, Lawton Shaft, KK Consolidated, Jackson Mine, Geddes & Bertrand Mine, Eureka Tunnel, Eureka Consolidated, Dunderberg, Atlas Shaft, Diamond Mine, Consolidated Eureka Mine, Richmond Secret Canyon, Pinto, Silverado, Spring Valley
Related records 60000899

Comments on the site identification

  • This record includes information from earlier records for the major mines of the central portion of the Eureka District: #K003373, M232372, M232364, M232361, M232359, W002902, M232358, M232388, M232349, M232348, M232394, M232347, M232408, M232409, M232341, and M232336 as well as additional information.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.00089, 39.49803 (WGS84)
Elevation 2440
Relative position The Eureka Mining District mines are located within a few miles west and south of the town of Eureka, Nevada.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eureka(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Spring Valley Summit(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Summit Mountain(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Millett(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Diamond-Monitor Valleys(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(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 Eureka

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 019N 053E 22 23 26 27 34 35 Nevada
Mount Diablo 018N 053E 02 03 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • Most of the Eureka Mining District mines are located on several hills on the northeastern flanks of Prospect Mountain at the north end of the Fish Creek Range. UTM is to a large concentration of productive mines centered about three miles SSW of the town of Eureka.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary
Iron Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: argentiferous and auriferous galena, pyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, plumbojarosite, wulfenite, azurite, malachite, arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, scorodite, anglesite, cerussite, smithsonite, bindheimite, mimetite, hemimorphite, auriferous pyrite, native gold, cerargyrite, molybdenite, cerussite, native gold, anglesite, wulfenite
  • Gangue Materials: quartz, halloysite, goethite, calcite, dolomite, aragonite, siderite, hematite, pyrite, limonites, iron oxides,

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Plumbojarosite Ore
Wulfenite Ore
Azurite Ore
Malachite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Scorodite Ore
Anglesite Ore
Cerussite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Bindheimite Ore
Mimetite Ore
Hemimorphite Ore
Gold Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Cerussite Ore
Anglesite Ore
Wulfenite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Halloysite Gangue
Goethite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Aragonite Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Limonite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Ore is oxidized to 1000 feet depth.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Eldorado Fm
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Hamburg Dolomite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Middle Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Rock unit name Dunderberg Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Rock unit name Geddes Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Middle Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Quaternary
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Quaternary
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Quaternary
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry
    Rock type qualifier granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock type qualifier porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.00089, 39.49803
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description compound thrust faults, perhaps in front of deep Roberts Mountains Thrust to west; later block faulting
Type of structure Local
Structure description Complex faulting in limestone and dolomite, major structures are all pre-ore

Ore body information

  • General form tabular, blanket, irregular, pipe-like, pods, beds

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ruby Hill Thrust Fault

Comments on the geologic information

  • Ore occurs in the upper plate of the Ruby Hill thrust, at intersection with Ruby Hill normal fault (N 40 deg W) in limestones with late Mesozoic deformation.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1864
Year of first production 1864
Year of last production 1952

Mining district

District name Eureka District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner numerous

Comments on the workings information

  • The historic mines of the Eureka District were all developed by underground workings with thousands of feet of drifts, adits, shafts, stopes. Water is found at the 2500 foot level in the underground workings, below which sulfide ore occurs.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Production of the Eureka District Mines between 1866 and 1964 was reported to be 2,000,000 short tons of ore containing 615,000 ounces of gold, 14,400,000 ounces of silver, 2,084,360 pounds of copper, 625,000,000 pounds of lead, and 14,387,791 pounds of zinc.
    In 1964, the remaining resource was reported to be 3,132,500 short tons of ore grading 0.16 ounces of gold per ton, 5.65 ounces of silver per ton, 3.7% lead, 8.3 % zinc, and an unknown % copper.

Comments on development

  • Silver was discovered in 1864 and the Diamond Springs District was founded. Silver strikes were made in 1864 by prospectors from Austin proved uneconomical to work because of the high lead content of the ores. Ore was shipped to England and Wales for smelting until 1869, when the first of sixteen successful smelters was constructed and the smelter emissions gave Eureka the nickname "Pittsburgh of the West." Eureka grew in size and mining productivity during the middle 1870s when the Eureka & Palisade Railroad was extended south from the Central Pacific to Eureka. By 1878, Eureka had a population of about 9,000, second largest city in Nevada. Fifty mines produced lead, silver, gold, and zinc that fed the smelters, which could process a total of more than 700 tons of ore a day. By 1879, mining had reached well below the water table, and the increased cost of pumping the water out of the mines began to make mining deeper less profitable. Eureka mining production peaked in 1882, but tailed off rapidly after 1885 and by 1891 the major mines had been shut down.
    Eureka continued to be an important producing district, at least through 1957, though output in later years fluctuated widely, with no production as recently as 1952-53. The district was one of major producers in the west of lead, silver and gold from 1869-90; since this time there has been production every year until 1952. Only zinc was produced only after 1942 until the Ruby Hill (Archimedes) gold deposit was discovered. There are important deep reserves of sulfide lead, zinc and silver, carrying gold, but the water problem has prevented development of these resources.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Deposits are replacement veins, chimneys, irregular masses and bedded deposits in Cambrian limestone along fissures and above a thrust fault in the richest area. Igneous rocks are a small quartz monzonite stock and quartz porphyry dikes of early Cretaceous age; intrusive and extrusive andesite of middle Eocene age; and rhyolite plugs and flows of middle Oligocene age. There are abundant sulfide minerals, but the bulk of the production was from oxidized ores.
The Eureka Consolidated property contained the Champion & Buckeye claims on the south side of Ruby Hill, which were the richest of five mineralized blocks in the district. Water is found at the 2500 foot level in the underground workings, below which sulfide ore occurs. Some ore occurred as pods, replacement veins and irregular replacement bodies in brecciated zones at intersections of faults and fissures, and associated with a system of caves.

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.