The Last Chance Mine is a mercury mine located in Pershing county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,201 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: 6,201 Feet (1,890 Meters)
Commodity: Mercury
Lat, Long: 40.34, -117.87083
Map: View on Google Maps
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.
Last Chance Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Last Chance Mine
Secondary: Rat Hole Prospect
Secondary: Bluebird Claims
Commodity
Primary: Mercury
Location
State: Nevada
County: Pershing
District: Mount Tobin 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
Type: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: E. W. Simpson, Virgil Olson And Associates
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1940
Discovery Year: 1938
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Hot-spring Hg
Orebody
Form: IRREGULAR
Structure
Type: L
Description: Fault, Fracture Sets (Ne)
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Local Silicification, Bleaching, Argillization Along Joints.
Rocks
Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic
Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Cinnabar
Gangue: Pyrite
Comments
Comment (Workings): GLORY HOLES 130 X 40 X 30 FT. DEEP, 20 X 20 X 40 FT. DEEP. MOST WORK DONE ON N SIDE OF CANYON. WORK PRIOR TO 1944 CONSISTED OF AN ADIT 50 FT ABOVE THE CANYON WITH 225 FT OF- DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS DRIVEN TO TAP 2 SMALL GLORY HOLES. SUBSE-QUENT MINING HAS ENLARGED THE GLORY HOLES SO THEY COALESCED AN-D HAS DEEPENED THEM TO A LITTLE BELOW THE ADIT LEVEL. OTHER WO-RKINGS HIGHER ON THE HILL ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND SEEMINGLY UNP-RODUCTIVE; ACROSS THE CANYON TO THE SOUTH A SHORT ADIT EXTENDS- SOUTHWARD INTO THE HILL.
Comment (Production): A FEW FLASKS HG WERE PRODUCED, 1940-1943
Comment (Geology): CINNABAR OCCURS AS PAINTY FILMS AND VEINLETS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL AMOUNTS OF PYRITE IN FRACTURES AND BEDDING PLANES IN PEBBLY SHALE & SANDSTONE.
Comment (Deposit): PROPERTY WAS LOCATED AND EXPLORED IN 1938. UNDERGROUND WORKINGS TREND N 80 DEGREES W AND CONSIST OF 225 FEET OF DRIFTS & CROSSCUTS WHICH TAP 2 SMALL GLORY HOLES 130 X 40 X 30 FT. DEEP AND 20 X 20 X 40 FEET DEEP. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Comment (Development): ACQUIRED BY H. W. GOULD & CO IN 1940, AND ABOUT 100 TONS ORE WERE MINED, SORTED AND HAULED AND TREATED AT THE MT TOBIN FURNACE, BUT THE GRADE WAS REPORTEDLY TOO LOW TO JUSTIFY CONTINUED MINING. IN 1942, THE PROPERTY WAS SOLD TO W. L. LOW WHO IN 1943 RECOVERED A SMALL AMOUNT OF HG BY RETORTING SORTED ORE. HE HELD THE PROPERTY UNTIL 1949 BUT REPORTED NO FURTHER PRODUCTION. IN 1954, THE GROUND WAS RESTAKED AS THE RAT HOLE CLAIMS BY E. W. SIMPSON, VIRGIL OLSON, AND W. POLKINGHORNE. IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THEY EXPLORED THE PROPERTY BY BULLDOZING, PUT DOWN 2000 FT OF SHALLOW DRILL HOLES, AND ALSO PRODUCED A FEW FLASKS MG FROM ORE TREATED IN A 4-PIPE RETORT. AFTER 1958, NO MINING WAS DONE, AND TITLE WAS ALLOWED TO LAPSE IN 1962. WITH RISING MERCURY PRICES IN 1965, THE AREA WAS RESTAKED BY SIMPSON AS PART OF A GROUP OF 8 BLUEBIRD CLAIMS. SOME MERCURY WAS RECOVERED IN 1967 AND FROM TIME TO TIME THROUGH 1971, THOUGH RECORDS OF PRODUCTION DURING THIS PERIOD ARE INADEQUATE. IN 1971 ITIS REPORTED
Comment (Development): THAT 75 TPD WERE BEING FURNACED FOR THE GENERAL MERCURY CORPORATION OF ARIZONA; HOWEVER, THE FURNACE FOUNDATION SEEN ON THE PROPERTY IN 1980 WOULD HAVE ACCOMMODATED A FURNACE OF NO MORE THAN 25TON CAPACITY AND THE BURNT ORE DUMP CONTAINS NO MORE THAN 500 TONS OF CALCINES. SINCE JAN, 1972 NO MINING HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED.
Comment (Deposit): FILMS, VEINLETS OF CINNABAR IN FRACTURES & ON BEDDING PLANES.; OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A LITTLE PYRITE
Comment (Location): ON BOTH SIDES OF BUSHEE CREEK CANYON; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = MOUNT TOBIN (1961) 1:625000
References
Reference (Deposit): BAILEY AND PHOENIX, 1944, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN NEVADA.; NBMG BULL. 41
Reference (Deposit): JOHNSON, M.G., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA; NBMG BULL. 89
Reference (Deposit): HOLMES, 1965, MERCURY IN NEVADA; IN USBM 1C 8252
Reference (Deposit): GARSIDE, L. J., 1985, FIELD EXAMINATION OF DISTRICT.
Reference (Deposit): NBMG STAFF, 1985, NBMG OFR 85-3.
Reference (Deposit): BAILEY, E. H., RYTUBA, J. J. AND JONES, R.3., 1984, UNPUBLISHED DATA ON HG PROPERTIES OF NEVADA.
Reference (Production): JOHNSON, M.G., 1977
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.
