Carlin Gold Mine

Site Name

Primary: Carlin Gold Mine
Secondary: West
Secondary: Main
Secondary: South Extension
Secondary: East Ore Zones

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Mercury
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Thallium

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Eureka
District: Lynn; Carlin Trend

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Newmont Gold Co.
Years: 1992 -

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Production

Year: 1975
Material type: AU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.268 Opt Au
Year: 1974
Material type: ORE AU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.223 Opt Au
Year: 1987
Time Period: 1965-1987
Material type: ORE - AU
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.27 Opt Au

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1965
Year Last Production: 1987
Discovery Year: 1962
Discovery Method: Other
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag

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Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR FINGERS AND LENSES

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Carlin Trend, Nnw-Striking. Carlin Occurs In The Lynn Window Of The Roberts Mountains Thrust. Some Workers Believe The Windows In The Thrust Are Due To Doming Of The Paleozoic Sediments By Intrusions At Depth. Carlin Lies Near The Crest Of The N-Nw Striking Tuscarora Mountains Anticline. The Regional Scale Leeville Fault System Consists Of Numerous High Angle Fault Strands That Strike Nnw And Form An Important Ore-Controlling Feature Along The Eastern Edge Of Mineralization.

Type: L
Description: Three Sets Of High Angle Normal Faults Are Recognized. In Order Of Oldest To Youngest, Their Attitudes Are 1) N60-80w, Dipping Steeply North, 2) N45w To N-S, Dipping In Either Direction From 60 Degrees To Vertical, 3) N40-60e, Dipping 50-80 Degrees Either Nw Or Se. The Third (Youngest) Set Of Faults Have Very Minor Offsets And May Best Be Described As Zones Of Shearing Or Rock Shattering. Igneous Dikes Of Intermediate Composition Have Been Emplaced Along Some Faults.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Decarbonitization, Silicification, Argillization. See Geology Comments.

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: FINE GRAINED GOLD LESS THAN 5 MICRONS, AVERAGE GRADE .31 OZ PER TON. AU:AG RATIO IS ABOUT 20:1.

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Materials

Ore: Realgar
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Tetrahedrite
Gangue: Cinnabar
Gangue: Scheelite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Sphalerite
Gangue: Stibnite
Gangue: Covellite
Gangue: Orpiment
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Chalcocite
Gangue: Tennantite
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Molybdenite
Gangue: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Galena
Gangue: Dolomite

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Comments

Comment (Production): BYPRODUCT MERCURY.

Comment (Development): IN 1907, SMALL SCALE GOLD PLACER MINING BEGAN ALONG LYNN CREEK AND CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY TO THE 1980'S. ALSO IN 1907, A SERIES OF NARROW AURIFEROUS QUARTZ VEINS WERE DISCOVERED APPROXIMATELY 1.5 KM NORTH OF THE CARLIN OREBODIES. THESE VEINS WERE DEVELOPED AS THE BIG SIX MINE, WHICH ACHIEVED MAXIMUM PRODUCTION OF ABOUT 500 OZ. OF AU BETWEEN THE YEARS 1935 AND 1936. THE MORNING GLORY PROSPECT WAS LOCATED DURING THE 1920'S IN A QUARTZ-BARITE-STIBNITE VEIN 1.5 KM EAST OF THE CARLIN OREBODIES. AU WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STIBNITE AND ANTIMONY OXIDE MINERALS ALONG A NW-TRENDING SHEAR ZONE, BUT NO PRODUCTION IS RECORDED. BASED ON AN EXPLORATION MODEL DEVELOPED BY THE USGS (ROBERTS, 1960), NEWMONT MINING CORP. CHOSE THE LYNN WINDOW FOR DETAILED EXPLORATION IN 1961. MAPPING AND SAMPLING ALONG THE ROBERTS MOUNTAINS THRUST BEGAN IN THE SPRING OF 1961, FOLLOWED BY CLAIM STAKING IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF THAT SAME YEAR. EXPLORATION DRILLING BEGAN IN JULY 1962, WITH THE FIRST ORE INTERCEPT

Comment (Development): ENCOUNTERED IN THE THIRD DRILL HOLE IN SEPTEMBER 1962. WHEN AU PRODUCTION BEGAN IN MAY 1965, RESERVES OF 11 MILLION TONS/0.3 OPT AU HAD BEEN DELINEATED. CARLIN WAS IDLED IN 1987 AFTER PRODUCING NEARLY 4 MILLION OZ OF AU.

Comment (Commodity): AU VALUES OF 0.2 - 0.6 PPM ARE UBIQUITOUS THROUGHOUT HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED ROCKS IN THE POPOVICH FORMATION ABOVE THE OREBODIES HOSTED BY ROBERTS MOUNTAINS FORMATION. NO AU TELLURIDES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN CARLIN ORES. RADTKE (1985) STATES THAT AU IN UNOXIDIZED ORES OCCURS: 1) AS COATINGS OR THIN FILMS ON PYRITE, 2) SPORADICALLY DISTRIBUTED ON SURFACES OF AMORPHOUS CARBON GRAINS, 3) IN ASSOCIATION WITH ORGANIC ACID(S) AS A GOLD-ORGANIC COMPOUND, 4) AS NATIVE AU, 5) DISPERSED AS PARTICLES OF NATIVE AU IN REALGAR OR IN SOLID SOLUTION IN REALGAR, AND 6) IN SOLID SOLUTION IS SPARSE GRAINS OF ELEMENTAL AS. BAKKEN (1990) FOUND NO SUCH AU "FILMS" OR "COATINGS" ON PYRITE. SHE DETERMINED THAT AU IS PRESENT IN THREE HABITS: 1) AS DISCRETE PARTICLES THAT VARY FROM 50-200 ANGSTROMS IN DIAMETER THAT ARE ENCAPSULATED PRIMARILY IN PYRITE, BUT ALSO IN CINNABAR AND QUARTZ, 2) AS FREE AU PARTICLES UP TO 1000 ANSTROMS IN DIAMETER THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH 1M ILLITE, AND 3) WITHIN AS-RICH PYRITE,

Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD HAS BEEN MERGED WITH M231428 AND W002894, WHICH HAVE BEEN DELETED.

Comment (Commodity): PROBABLY AS A LATTICE COMPONENT.

Comment (Geology): TERT; A K-AR AGE DATE OF 57.6 2.5 MA FOR HYDROTHERMAL SERICITE CONTAINING AU IS TAKEN TO BE A MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE AGE FOR AU DEPOSITION.

Comment (Geology): ALTERATION COMMENTS: DECARBONITIZATION, SILICIFICATION, ARGILLIZATION. IN THE MAIN ORE ZONE, BAKKEN (1990) HAS IDENTIFIED 5 MAPPABLE ALTERATION TYPES BASED ON PROGRESSIVE CARBONATE DISSOLUTION (TYPES 1, 2, AND 3) AND SILICA REPLACEMENT (TYPES 4 AND 5). HIGH GRADE AU IS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE THREE ALTERATION (COMPLETE CARBONATE REMOVAL AND DOUBLING OF POROSITY). JASPEROIDS OCCUR BOTH ALONG BEDDING PLANES AND AS FAULT FILLINGS DISCORDANT TO BEDDING. THE DISCORDANT JASPEROIDS AVERAGE AROUND 1 M THICK AND MOST OFTEN OCCUPY STRUCTURES STRIKING N40-70E AND DIPPING STEEPLY SOUTH. ALTERATION AND MINERALIZATION PATTERNS TEND TO CENTER AROUND THESE JASPEROID BODIES. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: FIVE TYPES OF UNOXIDIZED ORE ARE DIFFERENTIATED BY RADTKE (1985) ON THE BASIS OF MINERAL CONTENT, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE GOLD: 1) NORMAL ORE, 2) SILICEOUS ORE, 3) CARBONACEOUS ORE, 4) PYRITIC ORE, AND 5) ARSENICAL ORE. GEOLOGY COMMENTS: THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE

Comment (Geology): FORMATION OF THE CARLIN DEPOSIT LIKELY OPERATED OVER A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 100,000 YEARS. RADTKE (1985) FAVORS A HOT SPRING MODEL IN WHICH AU WAS DEPOSITED AT SHALLOW LEVELS VIA BOILING OF THE HYDROTHERMAL FLUID. KUEHN (1989) SUGGESTS THAT AU DEPOSITION OCCURRED AT MUCH GREATER DEPTHS (>3 KM) BASED ON STABLE ISOTOPE AND FLUID INCLUSION WORK.

Comment (Deposit): THE DEPOSIT CONTAINS FOUR ORE ZONES: WEST, MAIN, SOUTH EXTENSION, AND EAST. THE WEST ORE ZONE CONTAINS A TABULAR VEIN-LIKE BODY, STRIKING ABOUT N60W AND DIPPING 60-70N. IT EXTENDS HORIZONTALLY FOR ABOUT 335 M AND REACHES A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 9 M. THE MAIN ORE ZONE CONTAINS A SERIES OF IRREGULAR OREBODIES ALONG A ZONE 914 M LONG TRENDING S60W ON THE SW SIDE OF POPOVICH HILL, AS WELL AS SEVERAL LARGE CONNECTED SHEETLIKE OREBODIES TRENDING APPROX. E-W FOR ABOUT 460 M AND DIPPING 30-35N ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HILL. THE SOUTH EXTENSION ORE ZONE OCCURS IN EXTENSIVELY SHATTERED CARBONATE ROCKS ALONG CLOSELY SPACED NORMAL FAULTS TRENDING N40-50E, OR AT INTERSECTIONS OF THESE FAULTS WITH OLDER N-S FAULTS. THE EAST ORE ZONE CONTAINS TWO PRINCIPAL OREBODIES ALONG A ZONE WHICH BEGINS AT THE SOUTH SIDE OF POPOVICH HILL AND CONTINUES FOR 730 M TO THE NE.

Comment (Workings): OPEN PIT MINE. NON-PRODUCTION DECLINE AT SITE.

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References

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R.J., ET AL, 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCEOF EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA: NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 64.

Reference (Deposit): RADTK A.S. AND DICKINSON, F.W., 1976, STRUCTURAL CONTROLS AND GENESIS OF CARLIN TYPE DEPOSITS: OPEN-FILE REPORT 76-I-39.

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R.J., ET AL, 1971, GOLD-BEARING DEPOSITS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA AND IDAHO: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V6, 14 P.

Reference (Deposit): RADTKE, A.S., 1985, GEOLOGY OF THE CARLIN ORE DEPOSIT, NEVADA, USGS PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1267.

Reference (Deposit): BAKKEN, B., 1990, GOLD MINERALIZATION, WALL-ROCK ALTERATION, AND THE GEOCHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM IN THE MAIN OREBODY, CARLIN MINE, NEVADA, UNPUBLISHED PH.D. DISSERTATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

Reference (Deposit): NEWMONT GOLD COMPANY, ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1990.

Reference (Deposit): RYNEER, R., 1992, ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE CARLIN TREND, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 838-843.

Reference (Deposit): US BUREAU OF MINES (WINNEMUCCA) MILS NO. 299, REF. NO. 3201100027, MINERAL PROPERTY FILE 30.016.

Reference (Production): USBM MINERALS YEARBOOK. LEWIS, P., 1992, CARLIN MINE GEOLOGY, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 854-858. NBMG MI-1993

Reference (Reserve-Resource): MCFARLANE, D., 1992, GOLD PRODUCTION ON THE CARLIN TREND, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 841-843. NBMG MI-1993

Reference (Deposit): LEWIS, P., 1992, CARLIN MINE GEOLOGY, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN-FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 854-858.

Reference (Deposit): KUEHN, C.A., 1989, STUDIES OF DISSEMINATED GOLD DEPOSITS NEAR CARLIN, NEVADA: EVIDENCE FOR DEEP GEOLOGIC SETTINGS OF ORE FORMATION, UNPUBLISHED PH. D. DISSERATION, PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, 350 P.

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R. J., 1960, ALINEMENT OF MINING DISTRICTS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA: USGS PROF. PAPER 400-B, ART. 9, P. B17-B19.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA DIVISION OF MINERALS, 1994y

Reference (Deposit): USBM, 1975, MINERAL INDUSTRY SURVEYS: USBM MERCURY QUARTERLY

Reference (Deposit): NOBLE, L.L., RADTKE, A.S., 1978, GEOLOGY OF THE CARLIN DISSEMINATED REPLACEMENT GOLD DEPOSIT, NEVADA, NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY REPORT 32, P. 40-44.

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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.