The Defense Mine is a tungsten mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada at an elevation of 4,800 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
Elevation: 4,800 Feet (1,463 Meters)
Commodity: Tungsten
Lat, Long: 41.86444, -118.68694
Map: View on Google Maps
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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.
Defense Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Defense Mine
Secondary: Cold Spring Mine
Secondary: Cold Springs
Secondary: NBMG Sample Site 2973
Commodity
Primary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Copper
Location
State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Warm Springs District
Land Status
Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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
Not available
Ownership
Owner Name: Cannon Family
Home Office: 820 6th Ave., Helena, Mt.
Years: 1984 -
Production
Year: 1971
Time Period: 1942-1971
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.5-2.0 % Wo3
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1942
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: W skarn
Orebody
Form: TABULAR
Form: TABULAR
Structure
Type: L
Description: Faults Striking Ne, Dipping Steeply Nw
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Contact
Rocks
Name: Gneiss
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: SAMPLE 2973 SELECTED FROM DUMPS, EXPOSED VEIN IN LOWER ADIT AND CONTACT ZONE, CONTAINS 10 % FE, 0.5 % MG, 10 % CA, 0.1 % TI, 1500 PPM MN, 10 PPM B, 30 PPM BA, 1 PPM BE, 20 PPM CO, 15 PPM CR, 700 PPM CU, 7 PPM MO, 10 PPM NI, 20 PPM PB, 7 PPM SC, 700 PPM SR, 300 PPM V, 70 PPM W, 10 PPM Y, AND 20 PPM ZR.
Materials
Ore: Scheelite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Actinolite
Gangue: Garnet
Comments
Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD HAS BEEN MERGED WITH M242861, WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.
Comment (Development): PROPERTY WAS LEASED FROM 1942 TO 1944 TO C.A. WAGNER AND J.P. JONES WHO MINED ABOUT 3000 TONS OF ORE WHICH WAS MILLED AT THE OLD ASHDOWN MILL ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTH. MINE WAS AGAIN ACTIVE FROM 1953 TO 1956 AND FROM 1969 TO 1971 YIELDING AN ADDITIONAL 1200 UNITS WO3. THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY AT TIME OF FIELD EXAMINATION (1984), BUT MINE WAS STILL IN FAIR CONDITION.
Comment (Deposit): TWO KINDS OF ORE BODIES HAVE BEEN MINED: TACTITE BODIES ALONG THE GRANITE-METAMORPHIC ROCK CONTACT; AND QUARTZ VEINS ALONG FAULTS. MAIN OREBODY WAS IN TACTITE AND CONSISTED OF QUARTZ, EPIDOTE, ACTINOLITE, AND SCHEELITE. SKARN REPLACED A THIN BED OF MARBLE, REMNANTS OF WHICH WERE LEFT ON THE HANGING WALL. OREBODY WAS 25 FEET LONG AT SURFACE, INCREASING TO 85 FEET ON ADIT LEVEL. 100 FEET BELOW SURFACE, OREBODY WAS 75 FEETT LONG, CUT OFF BY A FAULT AT NE END. SCHEELITE WAS ALSO MINED FROM A QUARTZ VEIN 5 FEET WIDE, ABOUT 1200 EEFT SOUTH OF THE ADIT, BUT ITS GRADE WAS ONLY A FEW TENTHS OF A PERCENT WO3. TWO SMALL ORE SHOOTS WERE MINED, REPORTED TO HAVE YIELDED ABOUT 1400 TONS ORE THAT AVERAGED ABOUT 1.0 % WO3.
Comment (Workings): OPEN PIT (GLORY HOLE); SEVERAL LARGE ADITS, 2 SHAFTS, NUMEROUS PROSPECTS, AND 500 FEET OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS.
Comment (Geology): METAMORPHIC ROCKS ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE WEST EDGE OF A GRANITIC STOCK 8 MILES LONG AND 2.5 MILES WIDE. APLITE AND DIORITE DIKES WERE INTRUDED ALONG THE STOCK-SEDMINENTARY CONTACT. SKARN ZONE AND QUARTZ VEINS OCCUPY SOME FAULTS AND OCCURS WITH TACTITE ALONG THE CONTACT. THE METAMORPHIC ROCK IS PRIMARILY MICA SCHIST CONTAINING A FEW LAYERS OF MARBLE AND HORNFELS.
Comment (Location): ON WEST FLANK OF PINE FOREST RANGE. . INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972)
References
Reference (Deposit): QUADE, JACK, 1984, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS: NBMG UNPUBLISHED (TINGLEY) FILE.
Reference (Deposit): WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 59.
Reference (Deposit): STAGER, H. K. AND TINGY, J. V., 1988, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS IN NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 105, P. 96.
Reference (Deposit): STAGER, H.K., IN PREP
Reference (Production): STAGER AND TINGLEY
Nevada Gold
Nevada has a total of 368 distinct gold districts. Of the of those, just 36 are major producers with production and/or reserves of over 1,000,000 ounces, 49 have production and/or reserves of over 100,000 ounces, with the rest having less than 100,000 ounces. Read more: Gold Districts of Nevada.
