Dry Valley Mine

The Dry Valley Mine is a phosphorus-phosphates mine located in Caribou county, Idaho at an elevation of 6,562 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: Dry Valley Mine

State: Idaho

County: Caribou

Elevation: 6,562 Feet (2,000 Meters)

Commodity: Phosphorus-Phosphates

Lat, Long: 42.73968, -111.32869

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 Dry Valley Mine

Dry Valley Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Dry Valley Mine
Secondary: Dry Valley

Commodity

Primary: Phosphorus-Phosphates
Tertiary: REE
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: Vanadium

Location

State: Idaho
County: Caribou
District: Slug Creek Mining District

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

Type: State Lease
Type: Patented
Type: Federal Lease

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: State Of Idaho
Home Office: Idaho
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: U.S. Bureau Of Land Management
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: FMC Corp.
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: U.S. Forest Service
Info Year: 1978

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Bedded - Phsphate
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Washing
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Middle Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Phosphate, upwelling type

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: R
Structure: Schmid Ridge Syncline

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Chert
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Permian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Sericite
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Pyrite
Unknown: Orthoclase
Unknown: Montmorillonite
Unknown: Limonite
Unknown: Kaolinite
Unknown: Dolomite
Unknown: Chalcedony
Unknown: Collophane

Comments

Comment (Workings): 4 OPEN - PITS PROPOSED RANGE IN DEPTH FROM 50 - 350 FT AND WILL TOTAL 24,000 FT IN LENGTH; WIDTH WILL RANGE FROM 300 - 1200 FT

Comment (Development): PHOSPHATE LEASES TOTAL 2120 ACRES ( 1975 ) . STRIPPING RATIO WILL NOT EXCEED 2 : 1 (EXPRESSED AS CY WASTE: TONS ORE)

Comment (Location): MINE SITE ALSO IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: DRY VALLEY QUAD; SECTIONS 8,9,16,21,22, T8S R44E. UPPER VALLEY QUAD; SECTION 31 T7S R44E, SECTIONS 5,6 T8S R44E. DUE TO CONTRACT PROBLEMS WITH THE INDIANS ON THE RESERVATION THE MINE MAY GO ON LINE AS EARLY AS 1987.

Comment (Production): 89% OF ROCK (BY TONNAGE WEIGHT) THAT GOES INTO THE PLANT COMES OUT OF THE CALCINER.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): GARRAND RESERVES ARE FOR THE FOLLOWING ORE BLOCKS: DRY VALLEY QUAD: 18D-21D UPPER VALLEY QUAD: 3A-7A

Comment (General): Causey added information from old MAS duplicate record (SEQ=0160290016) and deleted it.

References

Reference (Deposit): MSHA REPORT DATED MARCH-APRIL, 1981

Reference (Deposit): RULE, A. R., D. E. KIRBY, AND D. C. DAHLIN, 1978, RECENT ADVANCES IN BENEFICIATION OF WESTERN PHOSPHATES: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 37-40.

Reference (Deposit): CARTER, RUSSELL A., 1978, AN INTEGRATED INDUSTRY - PHOSPHATE MINING AND MILLING IN IDAHO: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 29-36.

Reference (Deposit): MC DIVITT, J. F., 1956, ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF PHOSPHATE AND OTHER MINERALS IN SOUTHERN IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET NO. 111, 48 P.

Reference (Deposit): THOMPSON, M. E., 1953, DISTRIBUTION OF URANIUM IN RICH PHOSPHATE BEDS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 988-D, P. 45-65.

Reference (Deposit): THOMPSON, M. E., 1954, FURTHER STUDIES OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF URANIUM IN RICH PHOSPHATE BEDS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1009-D, P. 107-122

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L., AND PETERSEN, N. S., 1967, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS) TRENDS AND OUTLOOK: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6935, 131 P.

Reference (Deposit): RIOUX, R.L., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE UPPER VALLEY QUAD., CARIBOU COUNTY, IDAHO, USGS MAP GQ-1194.

Reference (Deposit): LI, TA M., 1978, SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO PHOSPHATE MINING: HOW AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT DISTORTS GROWTH PLANS: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 25-28.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): GARRAND, L. J., 1975, PHOSPHATE STUDY SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO, FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CARIBOU NATIONAL FOREST, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONTRACT NO. 50-820: GARRAND CORP.

Reference (Geology): MARTIN, G. W., 1958, MINERALOGY OF PHOSPHATE OOLITES: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 53, NO. 8, DECEMBER, P. 1046-1048.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, AND FOREST SERVICE, 1978, FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/ DEVELOPMENT OF PHOSPHATE RESOURCES IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO, FOUR VOLUMES.

Reference (Deposit): POWELL, J. D., 1974, EVALUATION OF PHOSPHATE RESOURCES IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, INFORMATION CIRCULAR NO. 25, 33 P.

Reference (Deposit): DAY, R. L., 1973, TRENDS IN THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY OF IDAHO AND THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET 155, 63 P.

Reference (Deposit): MCKELVEY, V.E., 1953A, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN IDAHO, 1947-48, PART I: USGS CIRC. 208.

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L. AND POPOFF, C. C., 1964, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS), 1. INTRODUCTORY REVIEW: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6485, 86 P.

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L., 1966, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS), 3. IDAHO: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6801, 201 P.

Reference (Deposit): O'MALLEY, F.W., 1953, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN IDAHO, 1947-48, PART 3: USGS CIRC. 262.

Reference (Deposit): RICHARDS, R.W., 1914, GEOLOGY OF THE PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS NORTHEAST OF GEORGETOWN, IDAHO, USGS BULL 577.

Reference (Deposit): CRESSMAN, E.R., 1955, GEOLOGY OF THE DRY VALLEY QUADRANGLE, IDAHO, USGS BULL 1015-I

Reference (Deposit): MANSFIELD, G.R., 1927, GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF PART OF SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: USGS PROF. PAPER 152.

Reference (Geology): EMIGH, G. D., 1958, PETROGRAPHY, MINERALOGY AND ORIGIN OF PHOSPHATE PELLETS IN THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET NO. 114, 60 P.

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