Scheelite Chief Mine

The Scheelite Chief Mine is a tungsten mine located in White Pine county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,601 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: Scheelite Chief Mine
Secondary: The Chief
Secondary: Tungsten Metals
Secondary: Silver Bell Mine
Secondary: Minerva Mine
Secondary: Indian Silver Mine Ne Portion
Secondary: Chief-Silver Bell Mine.

Commodity

Primary: Tungsten
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Nevada
County: White Pine
District: Shoshone

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Minerva Tungsten Corp.
Years: 1922 -

Production

Year: 1956
Time Period: 1916, 1937-1956
Material type: WO3
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.4- 4.0 Percent Wo3
Year: 1956
Time Period: 1916,1937-56
Material type: W
Description: Cp_Grade: ^ Avg. 1.0 % Wo3
Year: 1948
Time Period: 1911-1948
Material type: PB
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.4-4.0 % Wo3

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1869
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Form: TABULAR TO LENTICULAR

Structure

Type: L
Description: Faults, E Striking, 40-70 Deg N Dipping

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Powellite
Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Malachite

Comments

Comment (Development): MINES WERE OWNED AND OPERATED BY TUNGSTEN METALS CORP. DURING MAIN PERIOD OF PRODUCTION (1936-1945). IN 1918 THE MINERVA TUNGSTEN CORP HAD A 150-TON CONCENTRATING MILL HERE. TUNGSTEN METALS CORP WORKED THIS MINE AS WELL AS THE ORIOLE, WEST EVERITT, EAST EVERITT, AND SILVER BELL UNTIL 1945. ROBERT STOPPER THEN OPERATED THE MINES UNTIL THE EARLY 1950'S WHEN THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED TO COMBINED METALS AND REDUCTION CO UNTIL 1956. THE ORIGINAL SILVER DISCOVERY WAS IN 1869 AND THE PROPERTY WAS ABANDONED IN 1876 UNTIL TUNGSTEN WAS DISCOVERED IN 1915THE USBM DRILLED THE PROPERTY IN 1940-1943, AND SAMPLED IT IN 1980.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): INCLUDES MEASURABLE, INDICATED AND INFERRED ORE, AND INCLUDES SILVER BELL MINE. THESE RESERVES WERE PARTIALLY DEPLETED BY MINING BETWEEN DEC 1, 1943 AND MAY 1945.

Comment (Workings): VEIN WAS MINED 1 TO 10 FEET WIDE, 140 FEET HIGH, FOR A PITCH LENGTH OF 600 FEET IN ONE FAULTED SEGMENT, AND 400 FEET IN ANOTHER.SCHEELITE CHIEF WORKINGS INCLUDE A 1500+ FT ADIT, A SHAFT NEAR THE PORTAL OF THE MAIN ADIT AND 3 UPPER ADITS. SILVER BELL WORKINGS CONSIST OF A 365-FT DEEP SHAFT AND SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET OF DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS ON 5 LEVELS.

Comment (Geology): THE ORE BODY IS A SCHEELITE ORE SHOOT IN VEINS OF QUARTZ OR CALCITE ALONG FAULTS. THE SCHEELITE OCCURS MAINLY IN COARSE CRYSTAL AGGREGATES OR IN VEINLETS IN QUARTZ, COMMONLY ALONG THE FOOTWALL SIDE OF THE VEINS

Comment (Deposit): OTHER MINES DEVELOPED ON SAME SET OF VEINS INCLUDE THE TONY, ZIG ZAG, CANARY YELLOW AND LONE BUCK MINES ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): THE SCHEELITE CHIEF IS A MAJOR QUARTZ VEIN UP TO 30 FT WIDE, BUT ORE SHOOTS ARE 3-12 FT WIDE. THE MAIN ORE SHOOT WAS 70-100 FT HIGH AND WAS MINED FOR OVER 3000 FT. TUNGSTEN ORE BODIES OCCUR AS SHOOTS IN QUARTZ VEINS OCCUPYING FAULTS. SHOOTS RAKE WESTWARD ROUGHLY PARALLELLING BEDDING.

Comment (Production): PRODUCTION DATA FOR ENTIRE DISTRICT. NO INDIVIDUAL MINE RECORD AVAILABLE

Comment (Location): ON N. SIDE OF MINERVA CANYON. UTM IS TO ONE OF MANY WORKINGS ON 8 CLAIMS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1982

References

Reference (Deposit): HOSE, BLAKE, AND SMITH, 1976, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEV. BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 85

Reference (Deposit): STAGER,H.K., NBMG BULL IN PREPARATION ON TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF NEVADA.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG FILE 332, ITEM 2, MINE MAP.

Reference (Deposit): USBM, 1963, UNPUBLISHED DATA, NBMG FILE 332, ITEM 8.

Reference (Deposit): LEMMON, D.M., 1944, USGS OFR, NBMG FILE 332, ITEM 9.

Reference (Deposit): WEED, W.H., ED.,1922, THE MINES HANDBOOK VOL XV, P. 1257

Reference (Deposit): USBM, 1983, MILS DATA.

Reference (Deposit): NEWMAN, E.W., GEEHAN, R.W. AND TRENGOVE, R.R., 1950, USBM RI 4648, 12P.

Reference (Deposit): USBM, 1983, OPEN FILE REPORT MLA 68-83.

Reference (Production): HOSE, ET.AL., 1976. NBM BULL., STAGER, H.K. (IN PREP. JAN. 1984) STAGER, H.K., IN PREP., USBM, 1963, UNPUB. DATA.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): LEMMON,D.M., 1944, USGS OFR

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.