Blue Star Mine

Site Name

Primary: Blue Star Mine
Secondary: Number 8 Mine
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 131a & B.

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gemstone
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Eureka
District: Blue Star- Goldstrike Subdistrict; Carlin Trend

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Newmont Gold Co. (Newmont Mining Corp.)
Years: 1988 -

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1929
Discovery Year: 1929
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin & Mountains

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Roberts Mountains Thrust

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitic, Argillic

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AS HAS CLOSEST GEOCHEMICAL ASSOCIATION WITH AU, AND FORMS A GEOCHEMICAL HALO SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE AU OREBODY.
Analytical Data: NBMG SAMPLE 131A OF CU-MINERALIZED SILTSTONE (OXIDIZED) CONTAINS 1% FE, 3% MG, 15% CA, 0.15% TI, 700 PPM MN, 7PPM AG, 1000 PPM AS, 2000 PPM BA, 10 PPM BE, 50 PPM BI, 100 PPM CD, 100 PPM CO, 100 PPM CR, +20000 PPM CU, 30 PPM LA, 200 PPM NI, 20 PPM PB, 10 PPM SC, 300 PPM SR, 150 PPM V, 70PPM Y, 1000 PPM ZN, 70 PPM ZR.
Analytical Data: AS AND AU WERE THE MOST EFFECTIVE SURFACE GEOCHEMICAL INDICATORS.
Analytical Data: TOTAL CARBONATE AND DIOPSIDE, REPRESENTING ORIGINAL CARBONATE IN LIMESTONE AND THE PRE-MINERALIZATION METAMORPHIC HALO, SHOW AN ANTITHETIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE OREBODY.
Analytical Data: SAMPLE 131B OF OXIDIZED VEINED SILTSTONE CONTAINS 5% FE, 1% MG, 1.5% CA, 0.3% TI, 1500 PPM MN, 3 PPM MN, 3 PPM AG, 2000 PPM AS, 15 PPM B, 1500 PPM BA, 1 PPM BE, 150 PPM BI, 200 PPM CO, 70 PPM CR, 7000 PPM CU, 30 PPM LA, 10 PPM MO, 500 PPM NI, 20 PPM PB, 200 PPM SB, 20 PPM SC, 100 PPM SR, 500 PPM V, 100 PPM Y, 1500 PPM ZN, 100 PPM ZR

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Materials

Ore: Turquoise
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Iron
Gangue: Clay

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Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): 1974 FIGURES REPRESENT TOTAL PRE-MINING RESERVE ESTIMATES FROM THE SOUTH, EAST, AND NORTH OREBODIES.

Comment (Deposit): First Production Year: 1929 (TURQUOISE); 1960 (AU)

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1929 (TURQUOISE); 1959 (AU)

Comment (Location): INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972); PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = RODEO CREEK NE (1968) 1:24000

Comment (Production): INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION - UNKNOWN AMOUNT.

Comment (Commodity): ARSENIC AND GOLD WERE THE MOST EFFECTIVE SURFACE GEOCHEMICAL INDICATORS.

Comment (Development): SMALL BODIES OF GEM-GRADE TURQUOISE WERE DISCOVERED AND DEVELOPED IN 1929 AT THE NUMBER EIGHT MINE ALONG THE RIDGE FORMING THE WEST EDGE OF LITTLE BOULDER BASIN, ABOUT 3/4 MILE EAST OF BLUE STAR. TOTAL TURQUOISE PRODUCTION SINCE 1929 IS ESTIMATED AT $1,500,000. AU WAS DISCOVERED IN 1959 AT THE NUMBER EIGHT MINE ALONG THE ROBERTS MOUNTAINS THRUST. A 100 TON CYANIDE MILL WAS ERECTED ON THE PROPERTY IN 1960 AND WAS OPERATED IN A SMALL WAY UNTIL 1962. KERR-MCGEE OIL INDUSTRIES PURCHASED THE PROPERTY IN 1964. NEWMONT ACQUIRED THE BLUE STAR TURQUOISE PROPERTY IN 1968. EXPLORATION DRILLING IDENTIFIED RESERVES OF 1.6 MILLION TONS/0.12 OPT AU IN THREE OREBODIES. OPEN PIT MINING BEGAN IN 1974 AT BLUE STAR. ; ECON.COM: THERE IS A 10:1 RATIO OF HEAP LEACH ORE TO MILL ORE AT BLUE STAR. 1654 HOLES TOTALLING 850,000 FT. HAVE BEEN DRILLED AS OF APRIL, 1990 TO DEFINE OREBODIES AT BLUE STAR AND THE NEARBY GENESIS MINES.

Comment (Deposit): NODULAR TURQUOISE FORMS LENSES AND SEAMS ALONG QUARTZ VEINS IN ALTERED DIKES AND ALONG FAULTS. BLUE STAR AU MINERALIZATION IS PARTLY HOSTED BY UPPER PLATE ROCKS, AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY ABUNDANT CU MINERALIZATION WITH LITTLE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL. IN BLUE STAR UPPER PIT, NW OF THE BLUE STAR MINE, DISSEMINATED AU MINERALIZATION OCCURS ALONG A STEEP N20E FAULT, WITH HIGHEST GRADE ORE LOCALIZED AT INTERSECTION OF AN OLDER E-W FAULT AND A YOUNGER N-S FAULT.

Comment (Geology): COPPER MINERALIZATION APPEARS TO PREDATE THE GOLD DEPOSITION. TURQUOISE WAS CONCENTRATED ALONG QUARTZ VEINS IN ALTERRED DIKES AND ALONG FAULTS CUTTING THE THINLY BEDDED SHALE, SILTSTONE, AND CHERT. THE TURQUOISE WAS NODULAR, FORMING LESNES AND SEAMS. 10% WAS GEM QUALITY (MORRISSEY 1968). GOLD HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS DISCRETE GRAINS 1 TO 13 MICRONS, AT THE BORDERS OF DETRITALQUARTZ GRAINS AND WITHIN QUARTZ OVERGROWTH ON DETRITAL GRAINS. GOLD IN MINERALIZED DIKES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SERICITE. A LARGE PORTION MUST BE LESS THAN .5 MICRONS AND UNRECOGNIZED. VININI FORMATION: MOST FAVORABLE HOST ROCKS ARE SANDY SILTSTONES, QUARTZITE SANDSTONES ALSO WORK WELL AS HOSTS. THE LIMESTONES ARE POOR HOSTS WITHOUT EXTENSIVE HYDROTHERMAL GROUND PREPARATION. DACITE PORPHYRY DIKES & QUARTZ DIORITE PLUB OUTCROP TO THE WEST AND NORTH. THE DIORITE WAS DATED AS 121 MILLION YEARS. BOTH ARE STRONGLY ALTERED WITH ARGILLIC AND SERICITIC ASSEMBLAGES RECOGNIZED. UNALTERRED POST-MINERALIZATION RHYOLITE PORPHYRY

Comment (Geology): WAS ENCOUNTERED IN DRILL HOLES IN THE MINE AREA..

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References

Reference (Deposit): USBM (WINNEMUCCA) MILS NO. 318, REFERENCE NO. 3201100166.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F., 1988, IN NBMG MI-1987.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F., 1986, NBMG MAP 91.

Reference (Deposit): BENTZ, BROOKS, AND MCFARLANE, 5/27/82, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSES.

Reference (Deposit): JONES, R., 1989, CARLIN TREND GOLD BELT: THE GEOLOGY, MINING MAGAZINE, VOL. 161, NO. 4, P. 256-261.

Reference (Deposit): RADTKE, A., 1974, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGY OF CARLIN AND BLUE STAR DEPOSITS, USGS MISC. FIELD STUDIES MAP 552.

Reference (Deposit): THORSTAD, L., 1989, CARLIN TREND GOLD BELT: THE PRODUCERS, MINING MAGAZINE, VOL. 161, NO. 4, P. 263-267.

Reference (Deposit): RYNEER, R., 1990, GEOLOGY OF THE BLUE STAR SUBDISTRICT AND THE GENESIS MINE, EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA, ORAL PRESENTATION AT GREAT BASIN SYMPOSIUM, APRIL 4, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO.

Reference (Deposit): ZIMMERMAN, C., 1987, GEOLOGY OF THE BLUE STAR DEPOSIT, GEOLOGICAL SOCIETYOF NEVADA 1987 FALL FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK, SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 6, P. B15-B17.

Reference (Production): BONHAM, 1988.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BONHAM, 1988; BENTZ ET AL, 1982.

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R.J., ET AL, 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA, NBMG BULLETIN 64

Reference (Deposit): MORRISSEY, F.R., 1968, TURQUOISE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA, NBMG REPORT 17.

Reference (Deposit): NOBLE, L.L., 1977, GEOLOGY OF THE BLUE STAR GOLD DEPOSIT NEAR CARLIN, NEVADA, AIME

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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.