Butte Mine

The Butte Mine is a lead, silver, and gold mine located in Lander county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,689 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: Butte Mine
Secondary: Gold Butte Mines

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Nevada
County: Lander
District: Battle Mountain 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: R. M. Oliver
Years: 1938 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1866
Discovery Year: 1866
Discovery Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Thrust Faults

Type: L
Description: N-S Faults; Butte Fault Zone

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 3% PB (1938)
Analytical Data: 19.25 OZ AG/TON
Analytical Data: 0.0775 OZ AU/TON

Materials

Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Geology): ONE GOLD VEIN, ONE SILVER VEIN-WHICH AVERAGES 3 FT WIDE. ORE IS IN SEAMS WITHIN VEINS

Comment (Location): IN BUTTE CANYON ABOVE CONFLUENCE WITH GALENA CYN.

Comment (Deposit): FIRST WORKED FROM 1866 TO 1872, WHEN IT PRODUCED MORE THAN $100,000 IN ORE. INACTIVE UNTIL 1934 WHEN R.M. OLIVER RELOCATED OLD CLAIMS AND WORKED THEM ALONE. HE SHIPPED 7 CARLOADS OF ORE RANGING FROM $14 TO $25 A TON FROM 1934 TO 1938. DEVELOPMENT THEN CONSISTED OF TWO ADITS PLUS SEVERAL SHAFTS TOTALLING 1600 FT. IN WORKINGS. ORE WAS TAKEN MAINLY FROM OXIDIZED ZONE. VEIN HAS BEEN EXPLORED FOR 380 FT. ALONG STRIKE AND 180 FT DOWN DIP. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Production): TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM 1866 TO 1947 IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN ABOUT 7446 TONS ORE TOTALLING ABOUT $346,660 IN GOLD, SILVER, COPPER AND LEAD.

Comment (Development): FIRST WORKED 1866-1872, PRODUCING OVER $100,000 WORTH OF ORE. IDLE UNTIL 1934 WHEN R. M. OLIVER RELOCATED OLD CLAIMS, WORKED THEM, SHIPPING 7 CARLOADS ORE FROM 1934 TO 1938.

Comment (Workings): 2 ADITS, SEVERAL SHAFTS

References

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBURG, W.O., 1939, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN LANDER CO, NEV.; USBM INF. CIRC. 7043

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R.J. AND ARNOLD, D.C., 1965, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE ANTLER PEAK QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT AND LANDER COUNTIES, NEVADA: U.S.G.S. PROF. PAPER 459.B.

Reference (Production): STEWART, MCKEE AND STAGER, 1977

Reference (Deposit): STEWART, J.H., MCKEE, E.H., AND STAGER, H.K., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LANDER COUNTY NEVADA; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL. 88

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.