The Viola Mine is a lead mine located in Lemhi county, Idaho at an elevation of 8,599 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: 8,599 Feet (2,621 Meters)
Commodity: Lead
Lat, Long: 44.37694, -112.34694
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.
Viola Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Viola Mine
Secondary: Nicholia-Viola Mine
Secondary: Nicholia Mine
Secondary: Viola Zinc Property
Commodity
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Gold
Location
State: Idaho
County: Lemhi
District: Italian Peak Rare II Area
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.
Administrative Organization: Targhee National Forest
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Surface/Underground
Ownership
Not available
Production
Year: 1925
Time Period: 1924-1925
Material type: CON
Description: Cp_Grade: ^31 % Pb, 7.5 % Zn, 7.5 Oz Ag/Ton
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1882
Discovery Year: 1880
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: IRREGULAR, STRINGERS
Structure
Type: L
Structure: Faulting
Type: L
Structure: Folding
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Bleaching
Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Oxidation
Rocks
Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Devonian
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: A ZINC ORE SAMPLE (SMITHSONITE) ASSAYED 45% ZN, 0.5% PB, TRACE AG
Analytical Data: SAMPLES OF LEAD CARBONATE ORE HAD 20-60% PB AND 5-15 OZ AG/TON
Materials
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Smithsonite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Plumbojarosite
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Sand
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Iron
Comments
Comment (Geology): Original Structures entry: Local - Small Folds, Sets Of Minor Faults
Comment (Geology): Original concentration process entry: Hydrothermal
Comment (Geology): Original alteration entry: Local - Oxidation, Bleaching
Comment (Geology): Original ore control entry: Bedding Planes In Limestone
Comment (Workings): Extensive Workings, Now Mostly Caved
Comment (Geology): Mine Workings Are In Upper Ordovician And Devonian Limestone; The Ordovician Limestone And Quartzite Are Separated In Places By A Fault, In Other Areas They Appear Conformable
Comment (Production): Total Production Estimated At Between $2,500,000 (Umpleby) And $5,000,000 (Bell); Between 1885 And 1887 About 130 Tons Of Ore Smelted Daily; Item 9, Several Carloads; Item 11 Value $1,400,000
Comment (Deposit): Lead Ore Localized Within 3 Large, Irregular Bodies; Dips Varied, As Dip Steepened, Ore Was Pinched Out; Zinc Ore Bodies Are Confined To Undersides Of Lead Ore Bodies And Are 1-10 Ft. Thick
Comment (Location): 1.5 Mi NE Of Nicholia (Town); Mine Located At Crest Of Steep Frontal Slope Of Range
References
Reference (Deposit): Shenon, P. J., 1928, Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Birch Creek District, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology, Pamphlet 27, 25 P.
Reference (Deposit): Anderson, A. L., And Wagner, W. R., 1944, Lead-Zinc-Copper Deposits Of The Birch Creek District, Clark And Lemhi Counties, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 70, P. 36-42
Reference (Deposit): Umpleby, J. B., 1913, Geology And Ore Deposits Of Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 528, 104 P.
Reference (Production): Items 8, 9, Shenon, P. J., 1928, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 27; Items 10-12, Anderson, A. L., And Wagner, W. R., 1944, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 70
Reference (Deposit): U.S. Bureau Of Mines Open-File Report MLA 53-83, 1983, Table 1, No. 15, P. 18.
Idaho Gold
"Where to Find Gold in Idaho" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Idaho. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Idaho.
