Butte placer

Past Producer in Silver Bow county in Montana, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Production statistics
  15. Bibliographic references

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10400175
Record type Site
Current site name Butte placer
Alternate or previous names Silver Bow Placer

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.52989, 46.0249 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Silver Bow(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Butte North(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Butte North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Butte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Clark Fork(hydrologic unit)

Pend Oreille(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Silver Bow

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel
    Rock type qualifier GRAVEL
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Quaternary

Nearby scientific data

(1) -112.52989, 46.0249

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name Boulder Batholith
Type of structure Local
Structure name NUMEROUS FAULTS.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • STREAM BEDS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Placer
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1864
Discoverer Frank Ruff, Bud Baker, Peter Slater
Year of first production 1864
Year of last production 1959

Mining district

District name Butte

Production statistics

  • Year 1959
    Period 1864-1959
    Material Au
    Ore mined 11mt
    Accuracy Accurate

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION FROM SILVER BOW CREEK WAS LESS THAN $1,000,000 AT $20.67/OZ GOLD. IT WAS ONLY 580 TO 700 FINE (THE LEAST PURE PLACER IN MONTANA). THE SUMMIT VALLEY MINING DISTRICT ALSO YIELDED AN ADDITIONAL $1,500,000 IN GOLD FROM 1864 TO 1867. ROCKER, BROWNS GULCH AND YANKEE DOODLE CREEK HAD NEGLIGIBLE GOLD (LYDEN, 1948).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    KOSCHMANN, A.H., AND BERGENDAHL, M.H., 1968, PRINCIPAL GOLD-PRODUCING DISTRICTS OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 610, P. 169-170.

  • Deposit

    LYDEN, C.J., 1948, THE GOLD PLACERS OF MONTANA: MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MEMOIR 26, P. 143-146.

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.