Idaho Cobalt

The Idaho Cobalt is a copper and cobalt mine located in Lemhi county, Idaho.

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

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Site Name

Primary: Idaho Cobalt
Secondary: Ram Zone
Secondary: Sunshine Claims
Secondary: East Sunshine Zone
Secondary: Cougar Zone

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Cobalt
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Nickel

Location

State: Idaho
County: Lemhi
District: Blackbird 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.
Administrative Organization: Salmon National Forest

Holdings

Type: Located Claim

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Calera Mining Co.
Home Office: Idaho
Info Year: 1959

Owner Name: Formation Capital Corp.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: 999 West Hastings Street Sutie 1510 Vancouver BC V6C 2W2 Canada
Info Year: 1995
Years: 1994 -

Owner Name: Hanna Mining Co.

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Mining Method: Combined Methods
Milling Method: Unspecified
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Salmon River Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Blackbird Co-Cu

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR, LENS , BUNCHES, STRINGERS

Structure

Type: L
Structure: White Ledge Shear

Type: L
Structure: Folds

Type: L
Structure: Structural Block

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Chlorite

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Silicification

Rocks

Name: Argillite
Role: Host
Description: Also contains siltite and quartzite
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Mesoproterozoic

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Eocene
Age Old: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 11.4% CO, 0.03 OZ AU/TON, .8 % NI

Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Linnaeite
Ore: Erythrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Cobaltite
Ore: Safflorite
Ore: Enargite
Gangue: Lollingite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Marcasite

Comments

Comment (Development): The Property Consists Of 22 Claims, 3 Of Which Are Patented, 3 Are Leased, And 16 Are Held By Location. Diamond Drilling Has Commenced On The Property To Test Cobalt Zones (8-97). 9-10-97:Drilling Continues And Focuses On The Ram Zone. Permiting And Road Access Are In Place.

Comment (Deposit): Dip Is Steep

Comment (Workings): 150 Ft. Of Workings Are Caved

Comment (Geology): Cobaltite Replaces Vein Quartz In Schist

Comment (General): Formation Metals (formerly Formation Capital) has 144 claims surrounding the Blackbird Mine patented claim group, which contains Blacktail, Brown Bear, Chicago, Colubus, etc. patented claims.

Comment (Geology): Original Structures entry: Local - Lookout Structural Block, Folds

Comment (Geology): Original alteration entry: Local - Chlorite, Silicification

Comment (Geology): Rocks Of The District Consist Mostly Of Interbedded Quartz- Biotite Schist And Fine Grained Quartzite. The Rocks Are Broadly Grouped Into Three North Trending Structural Blocks. Most Of The Ore Deposits Are In The Central (Blackbird) Block. The Blackbird Block Is Delimited On The West By A Steeply Dipping Fault Zone, Along Which Are One Or More Quartz- Feldspar Porphyry Dikes, Post Metamorphic And Probably Tertiary In Age. The Sunshine Area Is Along The Western Border Of The Blackbird Block. The Mineral Shear Zone Lies Nearly Parallel To A Quartz-Feldspar Porphyry Dike And The Border Fault. The Fault Apparently Was Not A Channelway For Mineralizing Solutions Though, Because Prospecting Has Proven The Fault Largely Barren. Ore Bodies Along These Zones Vary Greatly In Size And Shape. Some Of The Ore Bodies Are Veins And Others Are Podlike Bodies That Occur In Groups, But Both Types May Be Found En Echelon Along The Same Shear Zone. Although The Shear Zones Have Acted As The Principal Control Of The Mineral Deposits, The Lithology Of The Folded Sedimentary Rocks As Well As Other Subsidiary Structural Features Such As The Crests Of Folds And High Angle Faults Associated With Folding Apparently Exerted A Second Control. The Ore Bodies Occur At The Intersection Of Northerly And Northwesterly Striking Shear Zones; Also At The Intersection Of These Shear Zones With The North Plunging Folded Quartzite And Schist Beds.

Comment (Geology): Through Sept 1959 The Average Grade Milled Since Milling Started In 1951 Has Been 0.65 Percent Cobalt And 1.67 Percent Copper Gold Is Present From A Trace To A Few Hundredths Of An Ounce Per Ton. Among The Primary Nonmetallic Minerals Are Quartz, Biotite, Chlorite, Calcite, Siderite, Muscouite, Tourmaline, And Several Phosphates In Small Amounts. Secondary Copper Minerals Are Chalcocite And Covellite.

Comment (Location): Along Ridge Between Blackbird And Big Deer Cks.

References

Reference (Deposit): Trites, A.F., and Tooker, E.W., 1953, Uranium And Thorium Deposits In East - Central Idaho, Southwestern Montana: USGS Bulletin 988-H, P. 174

Reference (Deposit): Baldwin, J.A., October 8, 1976, Personal Communication.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Anderson, A.L., 1943, Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 61

Reference (Deposit): Umpleby, J.B., 1913, Geology And Ore Deposits Of Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 528, 182 P.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, A.L., 1943, Preliminary Report On The Cobalt Deposits In The Blackbird District, Lemhi County, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 61, 34 P.

Reference (Deposit): USBM, WFOC, Mineral Property File 0160590012 (File 2 Of 3).

Reference (Deposit): Economic Geology, V 42, No 1, P 22-46

Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, V 106, No. 32, 8-9-95, P.1.

Reference (Deposit): Formation Capital Corp. News Release, 8-15-97.

Reference (Deposit): Formation Capital Corporation News Release, 9-10-97.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): The Mining Record, Vol 107, #34, Aug. 21, 1996, P20.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Randol Mining Directory 1996/97, P202.

Reference (Deposit): Canney, F.C., 1953, Preliminary Report Of Geochemical Investigations In The Blackbird District, Lemhi County, Idaho: USGS Open-File Report

Reference (Reserve-Resource): American Mines Handbook, 1996, P103

Reference (Reserve-Resource): The Northern Miner. "Sun Shines On Formation". 3/24/97. P20.

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.