The Rock Island Mine is a lead, zinc, and copper mine located in Mineral county, Montana at an elevation of 5,098 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: 5,098 Feet (1,554 Meters)
Commodity: Lead, Zinc, Copper
Lat, Long: 47.43361, -115.30528
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.
Rock Island Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Rock Island Mine
Commodity
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Copper
Location
State: Montana
County: Mineral
District: Rock Island 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.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Coeur D'Alene Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: POD/LENS
Structure
Type: R
Description: A Major Structural Grain Trends Nw And Consists Of Subparallel Faults And Folds. Major Fault Is The Osburn. This Fault Seems To Demarcate A Change In Folding Form With Fold To The North Showing Signs Of More Intense Structural Deformation Than Those To The South
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Hydrothermal Bleaching Is Common Within A Belt Approx 1 Mi Wide Along The North Side Of The Osburn Fault Zone. It Has Been Used As A Guide To Ore Deposits.
Rocks
Name: Argillite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Name: Argillite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Pyrrhotite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): VEINS DIMENSIONS ARE 50 FT IN STRIKE LENGTH AND AT LEAST 160 FT IN DIP LENGTH. VEIN CONSISTS OF IRREGULAR PODS OF QUARTZ AND SULFIDES ALONG A FAULT ZONE
Comment (Production): ONE OR TWO CAR LOADS OF LOW GRADE ORE HAVE REPORTEDLY BEEN SHIPPED FROM THE MINE. PB-ZN-CU ORE WAS PRODUCED THROUGH 1956.
Comment (Workings): WORKINGS CONSIST OF 3 LEVELS AND A 90 FT RAISE CONNECTING THE UPPER TWO LEVELS. AS OF 1956 , THE LOWER LEVEL WAS INACCESSIBLE.
Comment (Geology): HOST BEDS STRIKE NW AND ARE OVERTURNED, WITH DIPS RANGING FROM 40 DEG TO 60 DEG TO THE SOUTH
Comment (Location): NEAR HEAD OF ROCK CREEK
References
Reference (Deposit): WALLACE, R. E. AND HOSTERMAN, J. W., 1956 , RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN MINERAL COUNTY, MONTANA: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1027-M, P. 605 .
Reference (Deposit): YOUNG, F. M., CROWLEY, F. A., AND SAHINEN, U. M., 1962 , MARKETING PROBLEMS OF SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES ENGAGED IN LEAD AND ZINC MINING: MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULL. 30 , P. 31 .
Reference (Deposit): CONSV. DIV. COMP. DATE, 01-09-1963
Reference (Production): WALLACE, R. E. AND HOSTERMAN, J. W., 1956 : US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1027-M, P. 605 .
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.
