Preble Mine

Site Name

Primary: Preble Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Potosi District; Getchell Deposit

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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: Cordex; Lacana Gold; Pinson Mining Co.
Percent: 26.25
Years: 1987 -

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1980
Discovery Year: 1972
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

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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: TABULAR

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification (Jasperiod Development), But Not As Much As Pinson.

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Rocks

Name: Plutonic Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Plutonic Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SAMPLE 487, A GRAB OF MATERIAL FROMPIT FACE, CONTAINS 5 % MG, 1 % CA, 0.3 % TI, 50 PPM MN, 1 PPM AG, 1500 PPM AS, 200 PPM B, 3000 PPM BA, 2 PPM BE, 50 PPM CO, 70 PPM CR, 150 PPM CU, 20 PPM MO, 100 PPM NI, 50 PPM PB, 150 PPM SB, 5 PPM SC, 500 PPM SR, 500 PPM V, 30 PPM Y, AND 100 PPM.

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Materials

Ore: Gold

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Comments

Comment (Location): N. OF PREBLE ABOUT 1 MILE; CENTER OF S 1/2 SEC. 19.

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT IS SMALL, 4.5 TONS AU METAL AT PRESENT. DISSEMINATED GOLD MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN CONTORTED, FINELY LAMINATED PHYLLITE OF PREBLE FM. IN THE PIT EXAMINED AND SAMPLED, THE PHYLLITE IS LIGHT GREY, BUT FE OXIDE STAIN ZONES IRREGULAR IN SHAPE AND SEVERAL METERS WIDE CUT THE PHYLLITE. BASED ON MINING IN THE PIT, ORE MUST CONSIST OF BOTH GOSSAN-BEARING ROCK AND LIGHT GREY CONTOTED PHYLLITE. A FEW 5 X 15 CM PODS OF MILKY QUARTZ (OFTEN DRUSY), OCCUR IN THE IRON-STAINED ZONES. REPORTEDLY, TRACES OF OXIDE CU MINERALS ARE LOCALLY PRESENT. ROTARY DRILLING IN THE PREBLE ORE BODY IS ABOUT 60 M DEEP; THE HOLES ARE STOPPED WHEN THEY ENTER CARBONACEOUS, UNOXIDIZED ORE. THIS CARBONACEOUS ORE THAT HAS NOT BEEN OXIDIZED BY SUPERGENE PROCESSES IS REPORTEDLY NOT AMENABLE TO CYANDIZATION WITHOUT PRE-TREATMENT. THUS THE UNOXIDIZED ORE PROBABLY CANNOT BE MINED ECONOMICALLY AT PRESENT.

Comment (Workings): NUMEROUS DRILL RAODS, DRILL HOLES (ONE HOLE NOTED TO BE 205 FT DEEP), SEVERAL SMALL TEST PITS, DRILL RIG IN OPERATION 1 KM TO THE EAST, OPEN PIT.

Comment (Geology): MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN A BROAD NE-TRENDING ZONE OF SHEARING, BRECCIATION, AND SILICIFICATION. WHITE CALCITE VEINS ARE COMMON IN LIMESTONE BEDS, AND QUARTZ VEINLETS AND STOCKWORKS ARE ABUNDANT IN SHALE AND PHYLLITE.

Comment (Deposit): DISCOVERED IN 1972 BY WHIT DELAMARE, OFTEN LUMPED TOGETHER WITH THE PINSON DEPOSIT 12 MILES NORTH, AS THE "PINSON-PREBLE" PROPERTIES. IN 1980, AN ARTICLE STATED THAT 13,400 FT. OF DRILLING IN 40 HOLES HAS INDICATED 1.2 MILLION TONS ORE AVG. 0.074 OZ/TON AU WITH A STRIPPING RATION OF 1.5:1 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV; 4 OTHER SRC

Comment (Reserve-Resource): THERE ARE RUMORS OF ADDITIONAL RESERVES IN AN EXTENSION OF ORE BODY.

Comment (Development): DRILLING INDICATES 1.2 MILLION TONS OF ORE AVG. 0.074 OZ/TON AU EXISTS. TO BE OPEN-PITTED WITH A WASTE TO ORE RATIO OF 2.5:1. ORE FROM HIGHER-GRADE ZONES WILL BE SHIPPED TO THE PINSON MILL, AND THE LOWER GRADE MATERIAL WILL BE HEAP-LEACHED NEAR THE PIT SSITE. PRODUCTION OF 280,000 TONS (13,000 OZ) PER YEAR EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATE 1984. PROJECT CAME ONSTREAM AT LESS THAN THE PROJECTED $2.4 MILLION. SPRINKLING OF THE HEAPS BEGAN IN 1984.

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References

Reference (Deposit): GARSIDE, L.J., 1984, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS, 19 JUN 1984. #5. CRONE, W.R., LARSEN, L.T., CARPENTER, R.H., CHAO, T.T., AND SANZOLONE, R.F., 1984, JOURNAL OF GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION, VOL. 20, P. 161-178. #6. USGS, 1974, MAP GQ-1174. #7. CRONE, W.R., 1982, MS THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO. #8. THE MINING RECORD, 29 AUG 1984. #9. MINESEARCH ANNUAL, 1984-85, VOL. VII, P. 362-367, METALS ECONOMICS GROUP, BOULDER, CO. #10. NUMEROUS CLIPPINGS, 1982-1984. #11. GEOLOGIC SOCIETY OF NEVADA, 1987, BULK MINEABLE PRECIOUS METALS SYMPOSIUM.

Reference (Production): MINE SEARCH, ANNUAL, 1984-85, VOL VIII., P.363; PRODUCTION WAS REPORTEDLY 325000 TONS PER YEAR, REPORTED IN 1987. BONHAM, 1988.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BONHAM, 1984; MINING RECORD, 1984; GSN SYMPOSIUM, 1987.

Reference (Deposit): THE NORTHERN MINER NEWSPAPER, JAN. 3, 1980, "LACANEX SUPERVISING CORDEX I SYNDICATE FEASIBILITY STUDY."

Reference (Deposit): CRONE, W.R., 1982, M.S. THESIS, UNIV. NEV. RENO.

Reference (Deposit): CRONE, W.R., LARSEN, T.T., CARPENTER, R.H., CHAO, T.T., AND SANZOLONE, R.F., 1984, JOUR. OF GEOCHEM. EXPLOR., VOL 20, P. 161-178.

Reference (Deposit): USGS, 1974, MAP GQ-1174.

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD, AUG.29, 1984.

Reference (Deposit): MINESEARCH ANNUAL, 1984-85, VOL VII, P.362-367, METALS ECONOMICS GROUP, BOULDER, CO.

Reference (Deposit): NUMEROUS CLIPPINGS, 1982-1984.

Reference (Deposit): GEOL. SOC. NEVADA, 1987, BULK MINEABLE PRECIOUS METALS SYMPOSIUM.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F., 1986, NBMG MAP 91.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM H.F., 1988, IN NBMG MI-1987.

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA MININIG ASSOCIATION BULLITON, SEPT 1979, "CONSORTIUM BUDGETS $14 MILLION TO OPEN PINSON GOLD MINE."

Reference (Deposit): THE NORTHERN MINER NEWSPAPER, JAN 3 1980, "LACANEX SUPERVISING CORDEX I SYNDICATE FEASIBILITY SUTDY."

Reference (Deposit): GARSIDE, L.J., 1984, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION 19 JUNE, 1984, AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

Reference (Deposit): DECKER, D.J., 1974; MINERAL RESOURCE OWNERSHIP INVESTIGATION, NEVADA GARVEY RANCH, HUMBOLDT AND ELKO COUNTIES, NEVADA: UNPUBUBLISHED REPORT ON FILE AT NBMG, ITEVAL.

Reference (Deposit): NEV. MIN ASSN. BULL. SEPT., 1979, CONSORTIUM BUDGETS $14 MILLION TO OPEN PINSON GOLD MINE.

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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.