The Cortez Silver Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Eureka county, Nevada.
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.
Cortez Silver Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Cortez Silver Mine
Secondary: Garrison
Secondary: Arctic
Secondary: St. Lows
Secondary: Mt. Tenabo
Secondary: Fitzgerald
Secondary: Cortez Metals Mine
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Location
State: Nevada
County: Eureka
District: Cortez District
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: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Cortez Gold Mines Co. (Present)
Owner Name: Cortez Gold Mines Co. (Present)
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1863
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: Polymetallic replacement
Orebody
Form: BLANKET, TABULAR, IRREGULAR
Structure
Type: R
Description: Deposit In Window Of Roberts Mtn Thrust
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Dikes Highly Altered To Kaolin, Calcite, Sericite, Quartz.
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Stromeyerite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Stibnite
Comments
Comment (Production): PRODUCTION ALSO INCLUDED SOME COPPER AND ZINC.
Comment (Deposit): 2 KINDS OF ORE BODIES: 1) BLANKET AND PIPE REPLACEMENT MANTOS IN DOLOMITE 2) FISSURE VEINS LOCALIZED NEAR DIKES
Comment (Geology): MOST OF THE ORE BODIES WERE IN THE HAMBURG DOLOMITE; LOCALLY THEY DID EXTEND ACROSS THE QUARTZITE, WITH SOME ORE IN THE BASAL PART OF THE HANSEN CREEK LIMESTONE. THE ORE BODIES WERE OF TWO KINDS: 1) BLANKET & PIPE REPLACEMENT MANTOS IN THE DOLOMITE 2) FISSURE VEINS LOCALIZED ALONG OR NEAR DIKES. THE MANTOS WERE FAR MORE PRODUCTIVE, THE REPLACEMENT WAS HIGHLY IRREGULAR AND LOCALIZED BY OBSCURE FACTORS (NASURSKY & GILLULY). FISSURE VEINS WERE ONLY PROFITABLE IN THE UPPER OXIDIZED LEVELS, GOLD WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PYRITE AND AVERAGED .15 OZ/T. THE QUARTZ PORPHYRY DIKES TREND GENERALLY W-NW., THEY ARE NOW MAINLY KAOLIN, QUARTZ, SERCITE, & CALCITE. THE DIKES WERE SHEETED SOON AFTER THEY SOLIDIFIED AND THE FISSURES FILLED WITH BANDED SULFIDE ORE. THE COUNTRY ROCK NEARBY WAS METAMORPHOSED TO A QUARTZ, CALCITE, TREMOLITE, ACTINOLITE,ORTHOCLASE, SERICITE, AND BIOTITE PARAGENESIS (EMMONS W.H. 1910). GRADE AVERAGED 70-90 OPT SILVER.
Comment (Deposit): PROSPECTORS FROM AUSTIN LOCATED THE FIRST CLAIMS IN 1863 ON THE ST. LOUIS VEIN. GEORGE HEARST WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY. IN 1869 THE FIRST MILL WAS BUILT, PRINCIPLE EARLY PRODUCTION WAS FROM THE GARRISON AND ARCTIC LODES. THE CORTEZ METALS CO., OWNS THE PROPERTIES FORMERLY HELD BY THE TENABO MILL AND MINES CO. UNDERGROUND WORKINGS TOTAL OVER TWENTY MILES.
Comment (Development): GEORGE HEARST WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY. FIRST MILL BUILT IN 1869. CORTEZ GOLD MINES CO. OWNS THE PROPERTIES FOR MERLY HELD BY THE TENABO MILL AND MINES CO.
References
Reference (Deposit): GILLULY, J. AND MASURSKY, H. (1965): USGS BULL 1175
Reference (Production): GILLULY, J. AND MASURSKY, H, (1965)
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.
