Ajax Mine

The Ajax Mine is a gold, silver, and lead mine located in Beaverhead county, Montana at an elevation of 8,999 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

Name: Ajax Mine

State:  Montana

County:  Beaverhead

Elevation: 8,999 Feet (2,743 Meters)

Commodity: Gold, Silver, Lead

Lat, Long: 45.32361, -113.72389

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.


Satelite image of the Ajax Mine

Ajax Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Ajax Mine
Secondary: Carrie Leonard


Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Copper


Location

State: Montana
County: Beaverhead
District: Beaverhead Range


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: Morse, H. E.

Owner Name: Clayton Jenkins


Production

Not available


Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1880
Discovery Year: 1874
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S


Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Beaverhead Mountains


Mineral Deposit Model

Not available


Orebody

Form: TABULAR


Structure

Type: L
Description: Miner Lake Fault, Freeman Dike Zone, Country Rock Trends N15e, 15se.


Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation


Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Chrysocolla
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Malachite


Comments

Comment (Location): 1 MI SE OF AJAX PEAK. SOUTH END OF CIRQUE: BIG SWAMP CREEK

Comment (Production): PRINCIPAL PRODUCTION OCCURRED IN 1902.

Comment (Development): THREE PATENTED CLAIMS: AJAX, AJAX, EXTENSION, AND EDNA AND EDITH. A STAMP MILL WAS BUILT AT PROPERTY DURING 1890'S BUT WAS REPLACED IN 1903 BY A NEW MILL WHICH CLOSED IN 1905

Comment (Deposit): QUARTZ VEIN IS EXPOSED FOR THOUSANDS OF FEET ALONG TTHE SOUTH CIRQUE WALL

Comment (Workings): WORKINGS CONSIST OF FOUR ADITS; THREE UPPER ADITS DRIVEN ON VEIN AND A LOWER ADIT DRIVEN TO CROSSCUT VEIN AT DEPTH.

Comment (Geology): AJAX VEIN COMPLETELY REPLACES DIKE ROCK.


References

Reference (Deposit): MBMG BULL 85.

Reference (Deposit): NOYES, A. J., 1914, THE STORY OF AJAX - LIFE IN THE BIG HOLE BASIN: HELENA, MT., STATE PUBLICATION CO.

Reference (Deposit): MACKENZIE, W.D., 1949 MS THESIS, UNIV OF ID.

Reference (Production): M.B.M.G. BULL. 85


Principal Gold Districts of Montana

Principal Gold Districts of Montana

In Montana, 54 mining districts have each have produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold. The largest producers are Butte, Helena, Marysville, and Virginia City, each having produced more than one million ounces. Twenty seven other districts are each credited with between 100,000 and one million ounces of gold production. Read more: Principal Gold Districts of Montana.