Seven-Up Pete Creek

Site Name

Primary: Seven-Up Pete Creek
Secondary: Seven-Up Pete
Secondary: Seven-Up Pete Venture Spv
Secondary: Mcdonald Meadows / Mcdonald Gold Deposit

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

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Location

State: Montana
County: Lewis and Clark
District: Seven-Up Pete

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Phelps Dodge
Percent: 72.30
Info Year: 1996

Owner Name: Canyon Resources Corp
Percent: 27.80
Info Year: 1996

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Hot-Spring Au-Ag
Operation Type: Placer
Mining Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

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Physiography

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

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, quartz adularia

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Orebody

Form: TABULAR

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Structure

Type: R
Structure: TWO, LARGE, WEST-DIPPING, LOW ANGLE THRUST FAULTS

Type: L
Structure: NORMAL FAULTS

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Tuff
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Tertiary

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Acanthite
Ore: Electrum
Ore: Gold

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Comments

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT HAS A MINIMUM STRIKE LENGTH OF 2,100 M AND AND AVERAGE THICKNESS OF 140 M. DEPOSIT IS NEARLY TABULAR, STRATIFORM BODY THAT DIPS 20 TO 25 DEGREES TO THE NORTH.

Comment (Orebody): NON-ORE MATERIAL- QUARTZ, CHALCEDONY, CALCITE, ADULARIA, PYRITE, MARCASITE, SPECULAR HEMATITE, GEOTHITE, JAROSITE, CRYPTOMELANE. LESS ABUNDANT MINERALS IN VEINS INCLUDE CHALCOPYRITE, COVELLITE, DIGENITE, GALENA, PYRRHOTITE, SPHALERITE, AND STROMEYERITE. SULFOSALTS INCLUDE FAMATINITE, PEARCEITE, POLYBASITE, PROUSTITE, PYARGYRITE, PETROVSKAITE, UYTENBOGAARDTITE, AND AN UNNAMED MINERAL (AG5AU2S2).

Comment (Reserve-Resource): 375 Mt AT AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 0.67% G/T GOLD AT A CUTOFF GRADE OF 0.27 G/T. RESERVES AND COSTS ANNOUNCED IN 1994: 8.2 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD IN 414 TONS OF ROCK WITH AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 0.020 OPT AU. AT A GOLD PRICE OF $375 PER OUNCE, THE FEASIBILITY STUDY CONTEMPLATES THE PRODUCTION OF 3.75 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD AND APPROXIMATELY 8.0 MILLION OUNCES OF SILVER OVER A 12 YEAR TIME PERIOD. ANOTHER PRESS RELEASE IN SEPTEMBER OF 1999 ESTIMATES A TOTAL OF 9.9 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD AND 30 MILLION OUNCES OF SILVER CONTAINED AT MCDONALD. MINEABLE RESERVES ARE ESTIMATED AT 4.9 TO 7.2 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD, DEPENDING ON THE PRICE OF GOLD. OTHER SCENARIOS: DEPENDING ON THE MARKET PRICE OF GOLD - @ $375 PER OUNCE, 645 MILLION TONS OVER 14 YEARS. @ $600 PER OUNCE, 980 MILLION TONS OVER 18 YEARS. PRODUCTION COSTS WOULD BE $231 PER OUNCE. CAPITOL COSTS WOULD BE $188 MILLION PRIOR TO PRODUCTION AND AN ADDITIONAL $74 DURING THE MINE LIFE FOR CAPITOL FOR EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT AND PAD EXPANSIONS. 5,400 ACRES IN PERMIT AREA. RESULTS OF AN ORDER-OF-MAGNITUDE FEASIBILITY STUDY IN 1991 ESTIMATED 168 MT AT AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 1.0 G/T GOLD. PRODUCTION RATES WERE ESTIMATED AT 27,000 AND 41,000 TONS PER DAY. A YEAR LATER A PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY INDICATED 189 MT AT AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 0.9 G/T AT STRIPPING RATIO OF 2.1 TO 1. METALLURGICAL TESTING INDICATED THAT 76 PERCENT OF THE GOLD COULD BE RECOVERED FROM MINUS 12.7-MM CRUSHED ORES AND THAT LOW-GRADE MATERIAL WAS POTENTIALLY ECONOMIC IF LEACHED AT RUN-OF-MINE SIZES.

Comment (Deposit): Merged Data from Deposit ID 10048812 (Mcdonald Meadows)

Comment (Geology): TWO, LARGE, WEST-DIPPING, LOW ANGLE THRUST FAULTS (THE SCAPEGOAT AND THE HOADLY) ARE PRESENT IN THE UPPER BLACKFOOT DRAINAGE. THEY STRIKE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AND HAVE DISPLACED PRECAMBRIAN BELT ROCKS AND PALEOZOIC ROCKS OVER YOUNGER PALEOZOIC AND MESOZOIC ROCKS. THE BLACKFOOT VALLEY IS FAULT CONTROLLED; THE MAIN STRUCTURE IS UNDER THE RIVER AND AGAINST THE SOUTH VALLEY MARGIN IN THE VICINITY OF MCDONALD.

Comment (Exploration): EARLY 1980?S-ANACONDA COMPANY GEOLOGISTS EXPLORED IN THE AREA. 1985-WESTERN ENERGY ACQUIRES ANACONDA COMPANY?S EXPLORATION PROPERTIES. 1986-GEOLOGIC MAPPING BY WESTERN ENERGY COMPANY REVEALS HOT-SPRINGS MINERALIZATION. 1987-TWO CORE HOLES DRILLED BY WESTERN ENERGY. 1988-ADDWEST DRILLS ADDITIONAL EXPLORATION HOLES (APPROX. 8 HOLES) AFTER OPTIONING WESTERN ENERGY?S EXPLORATION PROPERTIES. 1989-PHELPS DODGE JOINT VENTURES WITH ADDWEST; ADDWEST PURCHASED BY CANYON RESOURCES; FORM SEVEN-UP PETE JOINT VENTURE (SPJV). 1989-SEVEN-UP PETE JOINT VENTURE `DISCOVERS? DEPOSIT. 1991-SPJV PURCHASES PROPERTY FROM WESTERN ENERGY COMPANY. END OF 1992-OVER 494 DRILL HOLES TOTALING OVER 113,000 M OF DRILLING, BULK SAMPLING, SOIL GEOCHEMISTRY, GEOPHYSICS, METALLURGICAL TESTING, ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES HAS BEEN CONDUCTED. SEVEN-UP PETE JOINT VENTURE IS 72.25% PHELPS DODGE MINING COMPANY AND 27.75% CR MONTANA CORPORATION, A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDARY OF CANYON RESOURCES CORPORATION. IN 1992, 52,680 M OF DRILLING WAS COMPLETED (232 HOLES). 1994-PLAN OF OPERATIONS SUBMITTED AND PERMIT COMPLETED IN 1995. 1997-CANYON RESOURCES PURCHASES PHELPS DODGE?S INTEREST IN MCDONALD. 1998-ANTI-CYANIDE INITIATIVE I-137 PASSED IN MONTANA IN NOVEMBER 1998. THE LEGALITY OF THE INITIATIVE IS CHALLENGED. 1999-FRANCO-NEVADA PROVIDES 3.5 MILLION TO MAINTAIN CLAIMS IN RETURN FOR A 4% NSR OR 1/3 OF PROCEEDS FROM ANY ?TAKINGS? LAWSUIT

Comment (Deposit): SIX TYPES OF ALTERATION RECOGNIZED FROM PETROGRAPHIC STUDIES OF CORE: 1. DEVITRIFICATION 2. ARGILLIZATION 3. SILICIFICATION* AND 4. QUARTZ-ADULARIA (POTASSIC) ALTERATION* 5. LEACHED ZONES 6. ALBITIZATION *= DOMINANT FORMS OF ALTERATION WITHIN THE MINERALIZED ZONES SUPERGENE OXIDATION TO A DEPTH OF 300 TO 350 M BELOW THE SURFACE.

Comment (Orebody): FAVORABLE DEPOSITIONAL HORIZONS CONSIST OF LEACHED PUMICE LAYERS AND STEEPLY DIPPING, INTERSECTING VEIN SYSTEMS. SOME CONTROL ON GOLD DEPOSITION WAS EXERTED BY STRUCTURAL TRENDS THAT ARE PARALLEL WITH THE ECLIPSE FAULT, AS WELL AS A N 15 W TREND THAT IS PARALLEL TO THE VEINS AT THE TOP OF EAST BUTTE. THE LOCATION OF THE MAIN MINERALIZED ZONE BENEATH EAST BUTTE APPEARS TO COINCIDE WITH THE INTERSECTION OF THESE TWO TRENDS. ALSO, PRESSURE/TEMPERATURE CONTROLS ON THE MINERALIZATION PROCESS ARE INDICATED BY THE PRESENCE OF DISTINCT MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES AT VARIOUS LEVELS IN THE DEPOSIT.

Comment (Geology): NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN FOUND WHICH INDICATES A LOCAL SOURCE FOR THE VOLCANIC ROCKS AT MCDONALD. ANDESITES MAY HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM LOCAL FISSURE VENTS IN THE SEVEN-UP PETE AREA OR FROM A DISTANT SOURCE IN THE AVON AREA. THREE EPISODES OF RHYOLITIC ASH-FLOW VOLCANISM OCCURRED SUBSEQUENT TO THE ANDESITIC FLOWS. THE LITHIC TUFF AND CRYSTAL-RICH TUFF REPRESENT TWO COOLING UNITS DERIVED FROM THE SAME MAGMA; THESE ROCKS ARE THE MAJOR HOSTS FOR GOLD.THE LOWER TVS (TERTIARY VOLCANICLASTIC SEDIMENTS) UNIT WAS DEPOSITED AND IS COGENETIC WITH THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM WHICH PRODUCED THE GOLD DEPOSIT AT MCDONALD. THE HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM WAS EXTINCT BY THE TIME THE BIOTITE RHYOLITE WAS ERUPTED.

Comment (Deposit): THE SEVEN-UP PETE JOINT VENTURE INCLUDES THE SEVEN-UP PETE GOLD DEPOSIT, THE MCDONALD GOLD DEPOSIT, AND THE KEEP COOL EXPLORATION PROPERTY (0300490223).

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References

Reference (Deposit): PAY DIRT, DEC., 1991, P. 9A.

Reference (Ownership): CANYON RESOURCES CORPORATION FORM 10-K. DEC. 31, 1995. PP.14,16.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): CANYON RESOURCES CORPORATION FORM 10-K. DEC. 31, 1995. P16.

Reference (Deposit): MBMG MEM 26,1948P67

Reference (Deposit): ROCKY MTN PAY DIRT, 8-93, P.18A.

Reference (Deposit): PHELPS DODGE NEWS RELEASE 6-1-94.

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD, V106 N17, 4-26-95, P.8.

Reference (Deposit): CANYON RESOURCES CORP NEWS RELEASE 1-31-91 AND 5-29-91.

Reference (Geology): BARTLETT, M.W., ENDERS, M.S., VOLBERDING, J.E., AND WILKINSON, W.H., 1995, THE GEOLOGY OF THE MCDONALD GOLD DEPOSIT, LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY, MONTANA, IN GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE AMERICAN CORDILLERA; SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS, A.R. COYNER AND P.L. FAHEY (EDS): GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 981-1000.

Reference (Geology): ENDERS, M.S., BARTLETT, M.W., COFFIN, G.C., VOLBERDING, J.E., AND YOUNG, D.P., 1995, DISCOVERY OF THE MCDONALD GOLD DEPOSIT: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 47;10, P. 916-921.

Reference (Geology): ENDERS, M.S., BARTLETT, M.W., COFFIN, G.C., VOLBERDING, J.E., AND YOUNG, D.P., 1995, DISCOVERY OF THE MCDONALD GOLD DEPOSIT, LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY, MONTANA: SOCIETY FOR MINING, METALLURGY, AND EXPLORATION, INC, PRE-PRINT 95-225, 9 P.

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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.