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Austin Gold Ventures Gold Mine

Past Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Arsenic, Antimony
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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. Reserves and resources
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310547
MRDS ID W700418
Record type Site
Current site name Austin Gold Ventures Gold Mine
Alternate or previous names Dry Canyon Deposit, Quito Mine

Comments on the site identification

  • This is the same property as MRDS record No. W700418, and MRDS record No. M242948 from which all information was incorporated into this record. Records No. W700418 and M242948 should be deleted as duplicate records.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -117.0918, 39.3847 (WGS84)
Elevation 2620
Relative position The deposit is located about 6-7 air miles south of the town of Austin.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lander(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Austin(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Smith Creek Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Millett(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Northern 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 Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 018N 043E 25 36 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • The deposit is located on the east side of the Toiyabe Range, at the headwaters of Birch Creek. The mill site is on the west side of the Toiyabe Range near the mouth of Dry Creek. UTM is to near the center of the main pit.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Materials: FREE GOLD, AURIFEROUS PYRITE AND ARSENOPYRITE
  • Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Calcite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The deposit is distinctive in its lack of significant hydrothermal alteration of wall rocks. It lacks intense silicification or clay alteration. Small amounts of pyrite, sericite and clay are common in wallrock adjacent to veins, but are not extensively developed.

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 Antelope Valley Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Nine Mile Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Middle Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock type qualifier phyllitic argillaceous
    Rock unit name Valmy Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Ordovician

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -117.0918, 39.3847
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Shallow thrust faults, normal faults and folding have affected the rocks in the mine area.
Type of structure Regional
Structure description The deposit is located in the Birch Creek window through the Roberts Mountains Thrust.

Ore body information

  • General form The four major ore zones are all very narrow, tabular, concentrated along pre-existing structures and about 3600 feet long.
    Strike N-S TO NNE
    Dip STEEPLY EAST TO GENTLY EAST
    Length 1097.28M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization, which are concentrated along pre-existing NNE-trending faults.

Comments on the geologic information

  • The deposit is located in a window of the Roberts Mountains Thrust. Rocks in the mine area include Cambrian to Devonian eastern-facies carbonate rocks exposed in a window through transitional to western-facies siliceous rocks of the Valmy Formation. Known ore-grade mineralization is controlled by the intersection of steeply-dipping faults with structurally prepared favorable host lithologies. While eastern facies carbonate rocks are the best ore host rocks, traces of gold have been intercepted in drill holes in western facies rocks. The deposit consists of four major ore zones, all very narrow and about 3600 feet in strike length. There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization. Veinlets range from microscopic to 15 cm in width, concentrated along pre-existing structures.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1980
Discoverer FMC Corporation
Year of first production 1986
Year of last production 1989
Production years 1986-1989

Mining district

District name BIRCH CREEK DISTRICT
District name BIG CREEK DISTRICT

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Toiyabe National Forest, Austin Ranger District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Austin Gold Venture (Inspiration Inc. and FMC Minerals Corp.)
    Year 1988
  • Type Operator
    Owner Morrison-Knudsen was awarded the contract for mining services
    Year 1986
    First year 1986
  • Type Owner
    Owner Inspiration Inc. and FMC Minerals Corp in a joint venture called the Austin Gold Venture
    First year 1988

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1986
    Total resources 793000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 4.517 g/mt Gold Major 1986
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 544000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.251 g/mt Gold Major 1987

Comments on the workings information

  • The mine is developed by a multiple bench open pit covering 14 acres. Ore is treated in a flotation mill, followed by agitated cyanide leaching of flotation tailings. There is a satellite pit about 1/4 mile to the south of the main open pit. Currently proposed drilling is in areas peripheral to the existing mined area.

Comments on other economic factors

  • Production from 1986 to 1989 was 4.25 metric tonnes of gold and an unknown amount of silver from 933 kilotonnes of ore.
    The deposit produced 191,000 ounces of gold from 1986 through 1989.
    Remaining resources at that time were 4.2 metric tonnes of gold and an unknown amount of silver contained in 609 kilotonnes of ore.

Comments on development

  • First called the Quito prospect, Austin was a ?grass-roots? discovery by FMC Gold Corporation (Meridian Gold's predecessor) in 1980. FMC staked 648 unpatented lode claims on the prospect from 1980 to 1983. FMC also leased 5 patented claims and one millsite for the property. In 1984, FMC entered into a joint venture with Minorco, in which FMC kept a 28% interest, and Minorco was the operator with 72%. In 1985 Inspiration Inc. and FMC Minerals Corp. formed a joint venture called the Austin Gold Venture to develop the deposit. Morrison-Knudsen was awarded the contract for mining services (1986). The plan was to haul 350000 tons ore per year over the crest of the Toiyabes and down Dry Canyon on the west side to a mill in the Reese River Valley. Planned production (1985) of 55000 ounces of gold per year. Start-up was scheduled for mid-May, 1986. The projected mine life was 5 years. Austin Gold Ventures controlled a large claim block surrounding the mine area. First gold was poured in December 1986. The mine employed 121 persons in 1986. Stripping ratio for main pit was greater than 12:1. Ore was mined primarily through open pit methods with a very limited amount of ore delivered from an underground test mine. A total of one million tons of ore were processed through a mill. Tailings were deposited in a clay lined facility. Mine closure was followed by reclamation which was to include closure and rehabilitation of the access road. However, the community expressed an interest in leaving the road open for recreation access to the mountains, so Meridian worked directly with the community, the county and Forest Service to modify the closure plan and leave the road open, which Austin has identified as a feature that would compliment bicycle tourism in the area. By 1989, the deposit was mined out, having produced 191,000 ounces of gold from 1986 through 1989.
    White Knight Gold began exploration of the Quito area in the late 1990s and in 1999, USFS reported that White Knight Gold was planning a 2-3-year exploration project inthat would include road building and drilling in three separate areas in the Birch Creek drainage peripheral to the formerly mined Quito property: the Russ Southwest area (11 drill sites); the Q-4 area (6 holes); and the Spires area (new road building and up to 17 holes). The drilling project was still pending USFS approval in 2001.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    NBMG Mining District File 149, numerous press clippings 1985-1987

  • Deposit

    Droste, K.J., et al., 1988, "The Austin Gold Venture", In Bulk Mineable Precious Metals Deposits of the Western U.S., GSN. Symposium.

  • Deposit

    Bonham, H.F., 1986, NBMG Map 91.

  • Deposit

    Bonham, H.F., 1988, in NBMG MI-1987.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1995, MI-1994

  • Deposit

    Inspiration Resources 1986-1989 SEC Form 10K

  • Deposit

    Inspiration Mines Inc., 1985, Plan of Operation for the Austin Gold Venture, Lander County, NV.

  • 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

    Inspiration Mines Inc., 1985, Plan of Operation for the Austin Gold Venture, Lander County, NV

  • Deposit

    USFS memoranda, 2001.

  • Deposit

    STAFF, 1988, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINE OPERATIONS ACTIVE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1987: NEVADA DIVISION OF MINE INSPECTION, 84 P

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The deposit is located in a window of the Roberts Mountains Thrust. The deposit consists of four major ore zones, all very narrow and about 3600 feet in strike length. There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization. Veinlets range from microscopic to 15 cm in width, concentrated along pre-existing structures. The deposit is distinctive in its lack of significant hydrothermal alteration. It lacks intense silicification or clay alteration. Pyrite, sericite and clay are common in wallrock adjacent to veins, but are not extensively developed.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1988 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-OCT-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-NOV-2006 La Pointe, 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.