Silver Butte Mine

The Silver Butte Mine is a silver mine located in Humboldt 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

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: Silver Butte Mine
Secondary: Wild Goose Claim
Secondary: Bullion Vein
Secondary: Paradise & White Swan Vein
Secondary: Spring City Mine
Secondary: Paradise Mine
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 2607
Secondary: 2608.

Commodity

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

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Spring City District

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1935
Discovery Year: 1931
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

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Comstock

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Considerable Folding Of Sediments

Type: L
Description: Considerable Folding Of Sediments

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE CARRIES 100:1, AG:AU RATIO. SAMPLE 2607 OF VEIN QUARTZ WITH SULFIDES CONTAINS 5 % FE, 0.05 % MG, 0.1 % TI, 15 PPM MN, 1500 PPM AG, +10000 PPM AS, 20 PPM AU, 100 PPM B, 70 PPM BA, 1 PPM BE, 30 PPM BI, 10 PPM CR, 200 PPM CU, 10 PPM NI, 700 PPM PB, 100 PPM SB, 20 PPM V, 100 PPM ZR, AND 54 PPM AU, BY AA ANALYSIS. SAMPLE 2608 OF VEIN QUARTZ WITH ARSENOPYRITE CONTAINS 10 % FE, 0.02 % MG, 0.05 % TI, 50 PPM MN, 1000 PPM AG, +10000 PPM AS, 50 PPM B, 20 PPM BA, 50 PPM BI, 10 PPM CO, 10 PPM CR, 5000 PPM CU, 7 PPM NI, 3000 PPM PB, 300 PPM SB, 10 PPM V, 300 PPM ZN, AND 11.0 PPM AU, BY AA ANALYSIS.

Materials

Ore: Pyrargyrite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): 14 UNPATENTED CLAIMS FORMERLY OWNED BY SILVER BUTTE MINING CO. WERE RELOCATED BY GUS ROGERS IN 1931. THE CLAIMS WERE LATER TAKEN OVER BY A GROUP FROM ASTORIA, OREGON WHO BUILT A SMALL MILL WHICH TREATED SEVERAL THOUSAND TONS OF LOW GRADE ORE FROM THE DUMPS. IT CLOSED DOWN IN 1935. DEVELOPMENT CONSISTED OF 2 MILES OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS, INCLUDING 7 ADITS, 2 SHAFTS 400 AND 600 FT. DEEP. WILD GOOSE VEIN WAS DEVELOPED BY 3 TUNNELS: WILD GOOSE DRIFT, WILD GOOSE ADIT, AND BULLION TUNNELL. THE WEST TUNNEL WAS DRIVEN TO CROSSCUT THE VEIN. PARADISE VEIN, 900 FT. EAST OF WILD GOOSE VEIN, IS DEVELOP BY NO. 1, NO. 2, NO. 3, AND NO. 4 TUNNELS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Comment (Deposit): UPPER ADIT LEADS INTO LARGE CAVING STOPE ON N-S, 70W-DIPPING VEIN OF CRUSHED QUARTZ CONTAINING PYRITE ON FOOTWALL (EAST), A KAOLINIZED RHYOLITE PORPHYRY DIKE ON HANGING WALL. ZONE IS MORE OF A SHEAR ZONE WITH PODS OF QUARTZ-SULFIDES ALONG IT THAN A DEFINITE VEIN. VEIN AND DIKE STRIKE ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO WALLROCK FOLIATION. ALONG STRIKE, THE VEIN DOES NOT FORM A PROMINENT OUTCROP; IN PLACES IT IS ONLY A FAULT TRACE. THE FAULT PLANE AS SEEN ON STOPE WALLS IS NEAR VERTICAL BUT CURVES TO THE EAST AND/OR WEST. THE OLD SHAFT ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CREEK S. OF OLD MILL IS ON THE PROJECTION OF THIS STRUCTURE.

Comment (Workings): IN 1984, THERE WAS AN OLD CAVED SHAFT, EXTENSIVE STOPING (MANY OPEN), AND REMAINS OF AT LEAST 2 OLD MILLS, WITH MOST RECENT 1930'S VINTAGE.

Comment (Geology): VEINS AVERAGE 4 FT. WIDE (UP TO 25 FT. IN PLACES). DEVELOPMENT WAS ON THE PARADISE AND WILD GOOSE VEINS. MINERALIZATION OCCURS ALONG PARALLEL FISSURES IN SERIES, WHICH PINCH AND SWELL.

Comment (Production): SMALL AMOUNT OF AU-AG ORE PRODUCED FROM 1868 TO 1936.

Comment (Development): IN 1984, THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY.

Comment (Location): UTM IS TO SAMPLE SITE 2608 AT UPPER ADIT.

References

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBURG, W.O., 1938, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA: USBM INF. CIRC. 6995.

Reference (Deposit): WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA; NBMG, ULL. VOL. 59.

Reference (Deposit): DECKER, D.J., 1974, MINERAL RESOURCE OWNERSHIP INVESTIGATION, NEVADA GARVEY RANCH, HUMBOLDT AND ELKO COUNTIES, NEVADA: UNPUBLISHED REPORT ON FILE AT NBMG: HUMBOLDT COUNTY, ITEM 1.

Reference (Deposit): GILBERT, D.C., AND CAZIER, J., 1935, UNPUBLISHED REPORT ON THE SILVER BUTTE MINING CO., PARADISE MINING DISTRICT; ON FILE AT NBMG. #5. CARPENTER, J.A., 1935, UNPUBLISHED EXCEPT FROM MINING LOG OF NORTHERN NEVADA TRIP, ON FILE AT NBMG. #5. TINGLEY, J.V., 5 SEP 84, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

Reference (Production): COUCH AND CARPENTER (1944); VANDERBURG, (1936).

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.