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

Contact District Copper Project

Past Producer in Elko county in Nevada, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, 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. Mineral rights holdings
  18. Land status
  19. Ownership information
  20. Production statistics
  21. Reserves and resources
  22. Links to other databases
  23. Bibliographic references
  24. General comments
  25. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310521
Record type Deposit
Current site name Contact District Copper Project
Alternate or previous names Brooklyn Zone, Banner Fissure Zone, Helen B. Smith, old Marshall (Nevada-Bellevue) Mine Area, Marshall Group, Phase 1 Area, Phase 2 Area, Helen Smith, Bluebird, Nevada-Belleview
Related records 10310571

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -114.77639, 41.78056 (WGS84)
Relative position The main mined area is located about one mile NW of the historic town of Contact, Nevada.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Elko(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Contact(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Jackpot(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wells(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Salmon Falls(hydrologic unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Snake(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Elko

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 063E 13, 24 Nevada
Mount Diablo 045N 064E 18, 19 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The Contact Mine is made up of 152 patented claims and 8 unpatented claims covering 4.8 square miles of land along the northern border of Nevada in Elko County.
  • Approximately 1 Mile NE Of Table Top Mountain (Left Center Of Sect. 24, T.45n., R.64e.). Location Information Based On Nbmg'S Unpublished Files And Maps (Joe Tingley Collection); Site Location On Map (Contact, Nv 15' Topo) Represents Center Of 'Group'.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, chrysocolla, copper oxides
  • Gangue Materials: abundant quartz, occasional barite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Barite Ore
Malachite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification generally accompanies mineralization.
  • (Local) Oxidation
  • (Local) 2 Ft. Of Kaolin Gauge On Either Side Of Vein

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 58
USGS model code 18a
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu, skarn-related
Mark3 model number 9

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock type qualifier meta-
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granodiorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -114.77639, 41.78056
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Regular sets of joints, fractures, and faults cut the granodiorite stock.

Ore body information

  • General form Disseminated, replacement, and vein
  • General form Tabular
    Strike N70E
    Dip 55SE
    Thickness 3.05M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • granodiorite contact, intrusive veins, fractures
  • Faults, Dikes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1885
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1913
Milling method Leach-Solvent-Extract-Electrowin
Production years 1913-1930; 1952-1957

Mining district

District name Contact District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented

Land status

Ownership category Private
Area name Wells BLM Administrative District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner F.W. Lewis, Inc.
    Year 2004
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner International Enexco Ltd.
    Home office Vancouver, Canada
    Year 2004
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Golden Phoenix as managing partner until the end of 2004
    Year 2004
  • Type Owner
    Owner Seattle-Contact Copper Co
    Interest 100
    First year 1912
  • Type Owner
    Owner Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Co
    Interest 100
    Home office Nevada

Production statistics

  • Year 1949
    Period 1918-1949
    Material Hagen & Requa (1970) as reported in Lane's 2010 NI 43-101 report.
    Ore mined 31211mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Primary Cu Copper Copper 5wt-pct
  • Year 1965
    Period 1908-1965
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Primary Ag Silver Silver 4mt
    Secondary Au Gold Gold 0.04mt
    Primary Cu Copper Copper 3000mt

Comments on the production information

  • Nearly 1/2 The District'S Production Came From This Mine Alone, 1952-1957, With Copper Content Of The Ore Ranging From 3% To 50%, Generally Averaging Lt10%Cu. Major Production Occurred 1913 To 1930. Total Production Worth Over $2 1/2 Million.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Total resources 7260000mt
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 2010
    Total resources 171185000mt ore
    Remarks Lane et al, 2010, NI 43-101 report. Cu cutoff 0.1%. 455,034 mt cu recoverable Cu resources. 0.266% ore grade is back-calculated from these amounts. \nOf this resource, 49,123,000 mt ore, containing 143,743 mt recoverable Cu are defined as reserves.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.266 wt-pct Copper Primary 2010

Comments on the workings information

  • The Allen No. 2 And Delano No. 1 Comprise The North Tier Of The Claims. The Delano No. 2 And Copper King Nos. 1 & 2 Are In The Middle Tier Of Claims Yielding 2 Veins. The Delano And Copper King Groups Of Claims Host The Bellevue And Nevada-Bellevue Mines. Delano No. 1 And 2 Are Claims Of The Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Company. The Vein(S) (Mostly Pinched And Interrupted By Slate?) Are Discontinuous And Adjacent To Granodiorite Contact; Veins Are Regarded As Eastern And Western Extensions Of Veins From The Nevada-Bellevue Mine, And The Palo Alto And Blue Bird Claims, Respectively (Schrader, 1912, P.121-122).

Comments on other economic factors

  • From 1908 to 1965, the Contact mines produced 0.038 tonnes of gold, 3.95 tonnes of silver, and 2.6 kilotonnes of copper, from an unknown tonnage of ore. In 1973, the Contact deposit was estimated to contain a remaining resource of 7260 kilotonnes of ore containing 167 kilotonnes of copper, and an unknown amount of gold and silver (Long and others, 1998). In 2000: Proven resource: 39.5 Mt, 0.952% Cu (752,080,000 lbs), 0.29 opt Ag (11,467,000 oz). A 2004 resource evaluation of all drill holes and trenches on the property found that the Contact copper deposit holds a mineralized material inventory of 97,427,000 tons averaging 0.54% Cu at a 0.1% cutoff grade. At a 3% Cu cutoff, the mineralized material inventory is 1,777,000 tons averaging 7.17% Cu.

Comments on development

  • Claims were discovered and located in the Contact District in the late 1880s, but no production was recorded until 1913. The Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Co. was organized about 1917, and encompassed 10 claims on which there were 12 small mines and prospects. Major production occurred during the years 1913-30, but nearly half of the Contact District production was made during 1952-57. Most of the district production was from the Marshall (Nevada-Bellevue) Mine, which is located on the Delano and Copper King groups of claims, specifically on the Copper King No. 1 claim. Contact Project. Drilling during 2004 at Golden Phoenix Minerals, Inc.’s Contact copper project focused on the poorly explored North Vein zone, where earlier drilling identified intercepts of 22 feet of 4.35% Cu (including 4 feet of 11% Cu) and 41 feet of 3.03% Cu (including 2 feet of 20% Cu) in two separate holes. 2004 drill holes were placed to confirm and extend this mineralization. Golden Phoenix Minerals learned from this drilling effort that the North Vein becomes absorbed in a large mineralized body that is hosted in highly altered skarn above the granodiorite-limestone contact, identifying a potentially new zone of copper mineralization. Drilling in this zone and the previously identified Brooklyn zone continued in 2005. A resource evaluation of all drill holes and trenches on the property found that the Contact copper deposit holds a mineralized material inventory of 97,427,000 tons averaging 0.54% Cu at a 0.1% cutoff grade. At a 3% Cu cutoff, the mineralized material inventory is 1,777,000 tons averaging 7.17% Cu. Contact features an estimated 61.5 million tons of copper/gold mineralized material at 0.77% Cu and 0.029% Ag. On December 23, 2004, Golden Phoenix terminated the Joint Venture Agreement dated January 28, 1998, by and between the Company and International Enexco, Ltd., and also terminated the Exploration License and Option to Purchase Agreement, dated July 10, 1998, by and between the Company and F.W. Lewis, Inc. The Board of Directors of Golden Phoenix determined that it was in the best interests of the Company to relinquish the Joint Venture Agreement and Exploration License Agreement due to the cost structures of the arrangements and the Company's current financial condition.
  • Patented Claim, Nearly 1/2 The District'S Production Came From This Mine In 1952-1957. Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Co., Organized About 1917, Comprised 10 Claims On Which There Were 12 Small Mines And Prospects. Major Production Was From 1913 To 1930

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Smith, R.M. (1976) Mineral Resources of Elko Co., Nev: USGS OFR 76-56, P 39-45

  • Deposit

    Schrader, F.C. (1935) The Contact Mining District, Nevada: USGS Bull. 847-A.

  • Deposit

    Hope, R.A. & Coats, R.R. (1976) Prelim. Geologic Map of Elko Co., Nev: USGS OFR 76-779

  • Deposit

    Granger, A.E., et. al. (1957) Geology and Mineral Resources of Elko Co., Nevada: Nevada Bur. Mines Bull. 54.

  • Deposit

    LaPointe, D.D., Tingley, J.V., and Jones, R.B., 1991, Mineral resources of Elko County: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Bulletin 106, 236 p.

  • Deposit

    Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-206A, 33 p.; 98-206B. one 3.5 inch diskette.

  • Deposit

    Golden Phoenix Minerals, Inc. press release, 12/7/2004.

  • Deposit

    Schrader, F.C. (1912) A Reconn. Of The Jarbidge, Contact, And Elk Mt. Mining Districts, Elko Co., Nevada: USGS Bul 497

  • Deposit

    Steininger, R. C., 2000, Western United States; SEG Newsletter, April issue, p. 38.

  • Deposit

    Coats, R.R., 1987, Geology of Elko County Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Bulletin 101, 112 p.

  • Deposit

    Wendt, C.J., and Albino, G.V., 1992, Porphyry copper and related occurrences in Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Map 100, 8 p. and 1 plate.

  • Deposit

    Lane, T.A. et al, 2010, Pre-feasibility Study Update for the Contact Copper Project, Elko County, Nevada, USA: NI 43-101 Technical Report, October 1, 2010, 161 pages.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The deposit consists of four 4 or more veins, paralleling the granodiorite contact the veins range from 1 to 10 ft. thick. These four or more of the veins yielded most of the ore. They trend generally east paralleling the granodiorite contact, but one of them cuts across the contact. The copper content of the ore ranged from 3% to 50%, but was generally less than 10% Cu. Mineralization os associated with the igneous intrusion and accompanying contact metamorphism and replacement of the limestone intruded by the granodiorite.
Deposit The Sporadic Mineralization Seems To Be A Replacement Of The Glassy Quartz By Siliceous, Red-Brown Hematite, Associated With The Secondary Copper Mineralization (Schrader, 1912, P.122). The Mineralized Zone Consists Of Discontinuous Veins In White Limestone, Perhaps Marking Extensions Of Fissuring Along The Granodiorite Contact. Site Study Is Part Of Minerlal Survey No. 38547.
Deposit Veins; In Vicinity Of Delano No. 1 Claim Veins Are Approx. 5 Ft.Wide And Average 3.5% (Up To 50%) Copper (Schrader, 1935, P.25).
Deposit Nearly 1/2 Of The Production From The Contact M.D. Was Made During 1952-57, Most Of It From The Marshall (Nevada-Belleville) Mine (Smith, 1976). Copper Content Of Ore Ranges From 3% To 50%, But Generally Containslt10% Cu. The Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Co. (Organized Around 1917) Comprised 10 Claims, On Which There Were 12 Small Mines And Prospects. Major Production Was During The Years 1913-30 (Schrader, 1935, P 23) The Nevada-Bellevue Mine Is Located On The Delano And Copper King Groups Of Claims Specifically On The Copper King No 1 Claim. The Claims Were Discovered And Located In The Late 1880'S, But No Production Was Recorded Until 1913. 4 Or More Of The Veins Yielded Most Of The Ore. They Trend East Paralleling The Granodiorite Contact, But One Of Them Cuts Across The Contact. The Veins Range From 1-10 Ft. Thick, (Granger, A.E., Et. Al., 1957, P 37-8). Mineral Survey No 3854
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1880'S
Deposit This Is One Of The Nevada-Bellevue Copper Mining Company'S Claims, Which Includes The Nevada-Bellevue Mine (Schrader, 1935) The Two Veins On This Property, Situated About 150 Feet Apart And Parallel, Are Regarded As Western Extensions Of The Palo Alto And Blue Bird Veins, At The East End Of The Property An Upper And A Lower Tunnel (70 Feet Apart) Develop The 6-Foot Wide Vein Westward. The Copper Ore Is Best On The Hanging-Wall Side Of The Vein (Schrader, 1912, P 122) Mineral Survey 3854 The Nevada Bellevue (Marshall) Mine Is On This Claim
Deposit Associated Minerals: actinolite, axinite, azurite/malachite, bornite, cerargyrite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, chrysocolla, cuprite, garnet, hematite, pyrite
Deposit Associated Rocks: aplite, breccia, hornfels, monzonite porphyry, skarn, syenite porphyry;rhyolite flow, rhyolite tuff;chert, granodiorite, limestone, quartz monzonite, quartzite, shale, siltstone

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 2003-06-01 LaPointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Editor 2007-09-01 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.
Reporter 1979-10-01 Weimer, Becky S. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 1990-10-01 Jones, David A. (USGS-MIO) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 1982-02-22 Western Field Operations Center (WFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 2010-02-22 Anderson, Claire U.S. Geological Survey

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.