The Mercury Pit is a sulfur mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada at an elevation of 4,478 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
Elevation: 4,478 Feet (1,365 Meters)
Commodity: Sulfur
Lat, Long: 40.87, -118.68972
Map: View on Google Maps
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.
Mercury Pit MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Mercury Pit
Secondary: May Cove R Area of Shoel Pit
Secondary: Nevada Sulphur Co. Mine.
Commodity
Primary: Sulfur
Secondary: Mercury
Location
State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Sulphur 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: Surface
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1875
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Hot-spring Hg
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: L
Description: Sulfur-Producing Zone Bounded On East And West By Major Faults
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Strong Alteration; Silicification, Opalization; Argillization, Alunitization
Rocks
Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: AVERAGE GRADE MINED SAID TO BE 15-38% S. SAMPLE 2707 CONTAINS 0.5% TI, 10 PPM B, 500 PPM BA, 10 PPM CR, 5 PPM NI, 5 PPM SC, 15 PPM V, 10 PPM Y, 500 PPM ZR. SAMPLE 2708 CONTAINS 5% FE, 0.03% MG, 0.05% CA, 0.2% TI, 100 PPM MN, 50 PPM B, 500 PPM BA, 2 PPM BE, 20 PPM CR, 15 PPM CU, 100 PPM LA, 50 PPM PB, 10 PPM SC, 300 PPM SR, 100 PPM V, 50 PPM Y, 300 PPM ZR. SAMPLE 2709 CONTAINS 1.5% FE, 0.03% MG, 0.07% CA, 1% TI, 10 PPM MN, 20 PPM B, 700 PPM BA, 20 PPM CR, 5 PPM MO, 10 PPM SC, 30 PPM V, 15 PPM Y, +1000 PPM ZR.
Materials
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Sulfur
Comments
Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1870'S
Comment (Location): GOOD ROAD ACCESS . INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972)
Comment (Deposit): SULFUR OCCURS AS DISSEMINATED GRAINS, PREFERENTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CONGLOMERATE MATRIX, IRREGULAR VEINS AND MASSES, COATINGS ON FRACTURE SURFACES. IN THIS PIT, ALL ROCKS ARE ALTERED, WITH SILICIFICATION, OPALITIZATION AND SOME KAOLINIZATION THE PRINCIPAL TYPES. SULFUR OCCURS IN A NUMBER OF AREAS UP TO ABOUT 25 FT ACROSS; THE INTERVENING AREAS HAVE NO SULFUR. ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE PIT A RED-STAINED, KAOLINIZED TUFF-BRECCIA (SAMPLE 2708) CONTAINING SOME SULFUR OVERLIES WHITE MATERIAL (SAMPLE 2709) THAT CONTAINS NO SULFUR AND CONSISTS OF SILICA WITH MINOR ANHYDRITE AND PYROPHYLLITE (?) SAMPLE 2707 IS LESS ALTERED MATERIAL WITH ABUNDANT SULFUR.
Comment (Workings): VERY IRREGULAR SHALLOW PIT ABOUT 400 FT N-S BY 250 FT, AVERAGE DEPTH ABOUT 20 FT. OTHER SMALLER PITS
Comment (Commodity): PRODUCED SCREENED SULFUR (UNKNOWN TONNAGE) PRIOR TO 1966-MOSTLY FORAGRICULTURAL USES
Comment (Development): INACTIVE WHEN EXAMINED IN 1984. EXTENSIVELY DRILLED IN 1966. PRODUCTION OF SULFUR PRIOR TO 1966.
References
Reference (Deposit): PAPKE, K.G., 11 SEP 84, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSES.
Reference (Deposit): NBMG STAFF, 1985, NBMG OFR 85-3.
Reference (Deposit): WILLDEM R., 1964, NBMG BULL 59.
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.
