Last Chance Mine

The Last Chance Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Mineral county, Montana at an elevation of 4,400 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Last Chance Mine
Secondary: Ben Hur Mine
Secondary: Us Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper

Location

State: Montana
County: Mineral
District: Packer Creek District

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Jupiter Mining Co.

Production

Year: 1951
Year: 1943
Year: 1943
Year: 1940

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Coeur D'Alene Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: POD/LENS

Structure

Type: R
Description: A Major Structural Grain Trends Nw And Consists Of Subparallel Faults And Folds. Major Fault Is The Osburn. This Fault Seems To Demarcate A Change In Folding Form With Folds To The North Showing Signs Of More Intense Structural Deformation Than Those To The South.

Type: L
Description: Ne-Striking Fault Which Dips 65s, Folding.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Hydrothermal Bleaching Is Common Within A Belt Approx. 1 Mi Wide Along The North Side Of The Osburn Fault Zone. It Has Been Used As A Guide To Ore Deposits.

Rocks

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Stibnite
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Production): ABOVE FIGURES RECORD AMOUNT OF ORE PER SHIPMENT RATHER THAN ANNUAL PRODUCTION. IN 1912, PRODUCTION IN EXCESS OF $200,000.

Comment (Development): SOME NEW DEVELOPMENT WORK OCCURRED AROUND 1970

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT IS CONTAINED WITHIN A LOCAL NE STRIKING FAULT

Comment (Workings): WORKINGS CONSIST OF SEVEN LEVELS AND A 2000 FT CAVED TUNNEL. AS OF 1956 , ONLY THREE OF THE LEVELS WERE ACCESSIBLE. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL OPEN CUTS

Comment (Geology): HOST BEDS STRIKE W AND DIP 85 DEG S TO 50 DEG N. NORTH DIPPING BEDS ARE PROBABLY OVERTURNED. REVETT AND WALLACE FORMATIONS SEPARATED BY A FAULT.

Comment (Location): ON A TRIBUTARY OF THE WEST FORK OF PACKER CRK, CADASTRAL LINES UNSURVEYED, BUT LINES EXTENDED.

References

Reference (Deposit): CALKINS, F. C. AND JONES, E. L. JR., 1914 , ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE REGION AROUND MULLAN, IDAHO AND SALTESE, MONTANA: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 540 , P. 192 .

Reference (Deposit): WALLACE, R. E. AND HOSTERMAN, J. W., 1956 , RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN MINERAL COUNTY MONTANA: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1027-M, PP. 588 , 601 , 604 .

Reference (Production): WALLACE, R. E. AND HOSTERMAN, J. W., 1956 : US GEOL SURVEY BULL. 1027-M, P. 604 .

Reference (Deposit): LAWSON, D. C., 1972 : DIRECTORY OF MINING ENTERPRISES FOR 1971 : MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULL. 86 , P. 14 .

Principal Gold Districts of Montana

In Montana, 54 mining districts have each have produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold. The largest producers are Butte, Helena, Marysville, and Virginia City, each having produced more than one million ounces. Twenty seven other districts are each credited with between 100,000 and one million ounces of gold production. Read more: Principal Gold Districts of Montana.