Alps Mine

The Alps Mine is a silver, gold, lead, zinc, copper, and antimony mine located in Lincoln county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,076 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: Alps Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Copper
Primary: Antimony

Location

State: Nevada
County: Lincoln
District: Pioche District 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: Alps Mining Co.
Years: 1932 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1871
Discovery Year: 1870
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Highland Thrust Plate, Major Nw Trending Normal Faults

Type: L
Description: Thrust Fault And Faults Cutting Off Ore And Yuba Dike.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitic Alteration Of Yuba Dike.

Rocks

Name: Shale
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Early Cambrian

Name: Shale
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Early Cambrian

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: NBMG SAMPLE 1419 CONTAINED 300 PPM AG, 300 PPM AS, 100 PPM BA. 200 PPM CU, GREATER THAN 20000 PPM PB, 200 PPM SB.

Materials

Ore: Galena
Gangue: Jarosite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ORE BODY FAULTED OFF AT ABOUT 300 FT DEPTH. QUARTZITE HIGHLY BRECCIATED AND CEMENTED BY SILICA STAINED WITH MN-FE OXIDES. PHYLLITIC SHALE OBSERVED ON DUMP ALONG WITH ABUNDANT GOSSAN. GALENA OCCURS AS CLOTS AND STRINGERS IN QUARTZ VEIN WHICH CUTS WHITE QUARTZITE ALONG WITH MINOR PYRITE. COPPER OXIDES AND CRYSTALLINE JAROSITE ALONG WITH MUSTARD YELLOW OXIDES (SB OXIDES?) COAT FRACTURES AND BRECCIA FRAGMENTS. YUBA DIKE EXTENDS TO GENERAL VICINITY OF THE MINE, WHERE IT HAS BEEN INTERSECTED AT DEPTH. ON THE EAST, THE VEIN HAS BEEN CUT OFF BY A FAULT THAT STRIKES N55W, DIP 55SW. 3 VEINS PRESENT, REPORTED TO CONTAIN "5-10 OZ AG TO EACH UNIT OF PB". 2 OF THE VEINS COINCIDE WITH THE HANGING WALL AND FOOTWALL OF THE YUBA DIKE, WHILE THE SO-CALLED "MIDDLE VEIN" IS ALONG A SET OF FRACTURES PARALLELLING THE STRIKE OF AND WHOLLY CONTAINED WITHIN THE DIKE.

Comment (Workings): VERTICAL 2-COMPARTMENT SHAFT WITH CROSSCUTS FROM THE 150, 200, AND 300 FT LEVELS. ALL PRODUCTION WAS FROM ABOVE THE 300 FT LEVEL. 3 OTHER SHAFTS, MANY SURFACE CUTS, TRENCHES, SMALL OPEN PIT IN 1983, STOPES. WORKINGS FOLLOW N30W RANGEFRONT FAULT.

Comment (Geology): ORE OCCURS IN FISSURE VEIN AND BRECCIATED ZONES OF PB CARBONATE IN A QUARTZ GANGUE, WHICH IS USUALLY WHITE. THE MAIN VEIN IS 1 TO 4 FEET THICK. AT DEPTH THE VEIN TERMINATES AGAINST SHALE. HOST ROCKS ARE WHITE TO GREY BANDED QUARTZITE DIPPING SW UP TO 40, PHYLLITIC SHALES. GRANITE PORPHYRY DIKE (YUBA DIKE) 40 FT WIDE, DIP 70S.

Comment (Commodity): UNUSUALLY HIGH GOLD CONTENT FOR PIOCHE ORE

Comment (Reserve-Resource): WITH EXPLORATION, THE DOWNWARD EXTENSION OF THE VEIN MAY BE DISCOVERED, WHERE THE VEIN HAS BEEN DISLOCATED BY MOVEMENT ALONG THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE SHALE AND QUARTZITE

Comment (Production): ORE WAS HIGH GRADE, YIELDING $80/TONS IN AG AND AU (1932).

Comment (Development): ALPS SILVER MINING CO OWNED THE OLD FLORAL MILL. NO ACTIVITY AT TIME OF EXAMINATION IN 1983, BUT TAILINGS HAD BEEN MILLED RECENTLY AND ONE SHAFT WAS BEING USED AS A LANDFILL. ONE OF THE OLDEST MINES IN THE DISTRICT, THE ALPS SHAFT HAD ALREADY BEEN SUNK TO A DEPTH OF 115 FT BY 1871.

Comment (Location): JUST N OF WIDE AWAKE MINE

References

Reference (Deposit): TSCHANZ, C.M., AND PAMPEYAN, E.H., 1970, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LINCOLN CO. NEVADA. NEVADA BUR. OF MINES, BULL 73 P.

Reference (Deposit): WESTGATE, L.G. AND KNOPF, A., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PIOCHE DISTRICT, NEVADA. USGS PROF. PAPER 171 P.

Reference (Deposit): HILL, J.M., 1916, NOTES ON SOME MINING DISTRICTS IN EASTERN NEVADA USGS BULL 648 P.

Reference (Deposit): COUCH, B.F., CARPENTER, J.A., 1943, NEVADA'S METAL AND MINERAL PRODUCTION (1859-1940, IR UNIV OF NEVADA BULL 38, P. 85-89

Reference (Deposit): NBMG DISTRICT FILE 175, ITEM 5.

Reference (Deposit): SHAW, S. F., 1909, ENG AND MIN JOUR, P. 545-548.

Reference (Deposit): ABBOTT, J. W., 1914, MIN AND SCI PRESS, P. 485.

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, P. AND BENTZ, J., 1983, FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT, 8/22/83.

Reference (Deposit): USGS MAP MF-136.

Reference (Deposit): WEED, W. H., 1922, THE MINES HANDBOOK, VOL. 15, P.1130.

Reference (Deposit): 11) USBM, 1983, MILS DATA.

Reference (Production): COUCH AND CARPENTER, 1943; WESTGATE AND KNOPF, 1932. WEED, W. H., 1922, P. 1130. . WEED, W. H., 1922, P. 1130.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): WESTGATE AND KNOPF, 1932

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.