Potosi Mine

The Potosi Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Storey county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,299 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: Potosi Mine
Secondary: Julia Shaft On Same Claim.

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Iron

Location

State: Nevada
County: Storey
District: Comstock Lode

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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1866
Discovery Year: 1860
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Comstock

Orebody

Form: V-SHAPED SHALLOW DEPOSIT

Form: V-SHAPED SHALLOW DEPOSIT

Structure

Type: R
Description: Regional Dip To West And Northwest

Type: L
Description: Faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Propylitization, Oxidation, Pyritization

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): BETWEEN CHOLLAR & BULLION CLAIMS ON ORIG. LODE.

Comment (Development): RICH, SHALLOW DEPOSIT MINED IN 1870'; DEEPER DEVELOPMENT IN 1880'S WAS UNPRODUCTIVE ORIGINAL CLAIM STAKED OVER 400 FEET OF ADJACENT CHOLLAR CLAIM

Comment (Deposit): ORE IN HANGING WALL OF COMSTOCK FAULT.

Comment (Workings): SURFACE WORKINGS, SHAFTS.

Comment (Deposit): A BONANZA STRIKE, SHALLOW RIDE DEPOSITS WERE MINED IN THE 1870'S. A DEEP SHAFT WAS SUNK IN THE 1880'S, BUT IN GENERAL THE LOWER LEVELS WERE UNPRODUCTIVE. VARIOU LEASERS EXTRACTED ORE FROM THE OUTCROP AND SHALLOW WORKINGS UNTIL 1923. THE NEAR-SURFACE ORE BODIES WERE V-SHAPED AND ABOUT 1200 FT LONG AND 300 FT. WIDE. THE ORE OCCURS IN THE HANGING WALL. THE FOOTWALL IS COMPOSED OF BARREN QUARTZ ORIG. CLAIM STAKED IN 1860, STAKED OVER 400 FEET OF ADJACENT CHOLLAR CLAIM. AFTER MANY COURT FIGHTS, THE TWO COMPANIES WERE INCORPORATED AS THE CHOLLAR-POTOSI MINING CO ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

References

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F., 1969, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF WASHOE AND STOREY COUNTIES, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 70

Reference (Deposit): WPA STATE WRITER'S PROJECT, 1940-41, INDIVIDUAL HISTORIES OF THE MINES OF THE COMSTOCK; UNPUBLISHED OPEN-FILE REPORT, NEV. BUREAU OF MINES & GEOL.

Reference (Production): STODDARD, C., AND CARPENTER, J.A., 1950.

Reference (Deposit): STODDARD, CARL, AND CARPENTER, J.A., 1950, MINERAL RESOURCES OF STOREY AND LYNN COUNTIES, NEVADA: NBMG BULL.49

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.