The Empire Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Albany county, Wyoming at an elevation of 9,039 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: 9,039 Feet (2,755 Meters)
Commodity: Silver, Gold
Lat, Long: 41.274, -106.18300
Map: View on Google Maps
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Mine Description
In 1896, two copper prospect tunnels were driven along iron stained shear planes in a shear zone paralleling schistosity and foliation of the adjacent biotitic and hornbleodic schists and gneisses. The upper drift penetrates the shear zone for about 100 feet and the lower drift about 170 feet. Sulphides taken from two crosscutting fracture systems and assayed in 1923 reportedly contained platinum metals along with gold and silver. Hess (1926, p. 130-132) reports the following value ranges: silver, a trace to 0.986 oz. per ton; gold, a trace to 0.06 oz. per ton; platinum, a trace to 1. 04 ozs. per ton; iridium (as determined may also include some rhodium, ruthenium, and/or osmium) up to 2.84 ozs. per ton; and palladium, up to 9.08 ozs. per ton. A third tunnel was driven through talus into mafic schists and gneisses several hundred yards south of the first two drifts. Samples collected by Hess (1926, p. 32) from fault gouge in this tunnel showed little more than traces of platinum and gold and less than an ounce of silver per ton.
Source: The Centennial Ridge Gold-Platinum District, Albany County, Wyoming, 1968. The Geological Survey of Wyoming.
Empire Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Empire Mine
Secondary: Schnitzler
Secondary: Centennial Ridge District
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Platinum
Tertiary: Palladium
Tertiary: Osmium
Tertiary: Ruthenium
Tertiary: Rhodium
Tertiary: Iridium
Location
State: Wyoming
County: Albany
District: Centennial Ridge District
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
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: VEINS
Structure
Type: R
Description: Mullen Creek-Nash Fork Shear Zone
Type: L
Description: Fracture Systems
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Gneiss
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Name: Gneiss
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: AG=TR-33.8 PPM, AU=TR-2.06 PPM, PT=TR-35.7 PPM, IR=TR-97.4 PPM, PD=TR-2,186 PPM IN RUSTY ROCK SAMPLES (CONVERTED FROM ORIGINAL OZ/TON, HESS 1926, P. 130-132)
Materials
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): PT-BEARING SULFIDES ARE IN LOWER ADIT; UNPUBLISHED MODEL NAME: NEW RAMBLER CU-AU-PGE.
Comment (Production): NO PRODUCTION FIGURES AVAILABLE, SMALL PRODUCTION PRESUMED
Comment (Development): ADITS BEGUN IN 1896
Comment (Location): IN MEDICINE BOW NATIONAL FOREST
Comment (Workings): 2 ADITS
Comment (Deposit): "In 1896, two copper prospect tunnels were driven along iron stained shear planes in a shear zone paralleling schistosity and foliation of the adjacent biotitic and hornblendic schists and gneisses. The upper drift penetrates the shear zone for about 100 feet and the lower drift about 170 feet. Sulphides taken from two crosscutting fracture systems and assayed in 1923 reportedly contained platinum metals along with gold and silver. Hess (1926, p. 130-132) reports the following value ranges: silver, a trace to 0.986 oz per ton; gold, a trace to 0.06 oz per ton; platinum, a trace to 1.04 oz per ton,; iridium (as determined may also include some rhodium, ruthenium, and/or osmium) up to 2.84 oz per ton; and palladium, up to 9.08 oz per ton. A third tunnel was driven thorugh talus into mafic schists and gneisses several hundred yards south of the first two drifts. Samples collected by Hess (1926, p. 32) from fault gouge in this tunnel showed little more than traces of platinum and gold and less than an ounce of silver per ton." (McCallum, 1968, p. 11)
References
Reference (Deposit): HAUSEL, W.D., 1989, THE GEOLOGY OF WYOMING'S PRECIOUS METAL LODE AND PLACER DEPOSITS: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING BULLETIN 68, P. 95.
Pages: p. 95.
Reference (Deposit): HAUSEL, W.D., 1980, GOLD DISTRICTS OF WYOMING: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 23, P. 37.
Pages: p. 37.
Reference (Deposit): MCCALLUM, M.E., 1968, THE CENTENNIAL RIDGE GOLD-PLATINUM DISTRICT, ALBANY COUNTY, WYOMING: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING PRELIMINARY REPORT 7, P. 9, 11.
Pages: p. 11, pl. 1.
Reference (Deposit): HESS, F.L., 1926, PLATINUM NEAR CENTENNIAL, WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 780-C, P. 130-132.
Pages: p. 130-132.
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