Mcdermitt Mine

Site Name

Primary: Mcdermitt Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Mercury

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Opalite Mining District

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Land Status

Land ownership: Unknown
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

Type: Surface

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Ownership

Owner Name: Sterling Mineral Venture
Company ID: 2600646
Percent: 49.00
Info Year: 1983

Owner Name: Placer Amex Inc.
Company ID: 2600646
Percent: 51.00
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1983

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Production

Year: 1981
Description: 489000 Kg Hg Metal From 237000 T
Year: 1982
Description: 452000 Kg Hg Metal From 273000 T
Year: 1980
Description: Ore Grade= 0.43% /30,397 Flasks Produced 319828 Mt Ore Mined/Yr
Year: 1979
Description: Ore Grade= 0.50% /30,955 Flasks Produced 225029 Mt Ore Mined/Yr
Year: 1978
Description: Ore Grade= 0.50% /24,144 Flasks Produced 221848 Mt Ore Mined/Yr
Year: 1977
Description: Ore Grade= 0.59% /27,245 Flasks Produced 194300 Mt Ore Mined/Yr
Year: 1976
Description: Ore Grade= 0.90% /22,746 Flasks Produced 164291 Mt Ore Mined/Yr
Year: 1975
Description: Ore Grade= 0.78% / 5,924 Flasks Produced Unreported

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Unknown
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1975
Discovery Year: 1941
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

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Physiography

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

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Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Cinnabar
Unknown: Cristobalite
Unknown: Montmorillonite
Unknown: Opal
Unknown: Stibnite
Unknown: Tridymite
Unknown: Alunite
Unknown: Apatite
Unknown: Chalcedony

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Comments

Comment (Geology): G-TOB, CORDEROITE (HG3S2CL2)OCCURS AS FINE-GRAINED REPLACEMENT MASSES (APPARENTLY AFTER CINNABAR) AND AS ALTERATION RIMS AND COATINGS ON CINNABAR. G-ORE, THE DOMINANT ORE CONTROL FOR MERCURY MINERALIZATION WITHIN THE DISTRICT APPEARS TO BE THE CALDERA RIM FAULT SYSTEM AND INTRA-CALDERA FAULTS. STRIKE AND DIP ESTIMATED. ORE BODIES ARE ASYMMETRIC, LENSLIKE, THIN AND GRADE DECREASES WITH DISTANCE FROM "HOT SPRING CENTERS" OF MINERALIZATION ORE BODY CONTAINS ABOUT 400000 FLASKS HG IN A PIT THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BE ABOUT 50 M DEEP.

Comment (Deposit): MCDERMITT IS THE LARGEST MERCURY PRODUCER IN THE U.S. GENERAL LOCATION: ABOUT 10 KM SW OF MCDERMITT. GENERAL SIZE OF ORE BODY: MEDIUM. MILL: ON-SITE, ACTIVE, 2200 T/D, 90 T/H (FURNACE 0.45 -T/H HG CONC., FLOATATION, DISTILLATION, PRODUCES REFINED MERCURY, SHIPPED 4348 KM TO N.Y. ANNUAL PRODUCTION 240000 T ORE, 2000 FLASKS OF HG FROM OPEN PIT W/ 4.7:1 WASTE;ORE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): LAST DOMESTIC PRIMARY PRODUCER OF MERCURY. CLOSED IN NOVEMBER OF 1990 (AMC JOUR., DEC. 1990, P. 23). IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN MARCH OF 1988, AND NOV. 1990, MCDERMITT HAS ACCOUNTED FOR 90 PCT. OF U.S. MERCURY PRODUCTION. REMAINING U.S. MERCURY PRODUCTION WILL BE BY-PRODUCT PRODUCTION FROM GOLD MINING. EPA REGS., STOCKPILE SALES FORCED THE CLOSURE. APPROXIMATE RESERVES OF 80,000 FL. REMAIN AT MCDERMITT (1/89). PUBLIC RESERVE INFO CALCULATED FROM O3/83 E&MJ, DETAILED ABOVE. RESERVES DEPLETED. PRODUCTION: 1991 - 0. CLOSED IN 1990. IN RECLAMATION; TO BE COMPLETED IN 1993.

Comment (Geology): M-NAM, ANOTHER MAJOR MERCURY MINERAL BESIDES CINNABAR IS CORDEROITE (HG3S2CL2). IN PRE-MINED OREBODY DISTRIBUTION OF CINNABAR AND CORDEROITE WAS 75 PERCENT AND 25 PERCENT RESPECTIVELY. IN NOVEMBER 1981, THE REMAINING OREBODY ORE MINERAL DISTRIBUTION WAS 50 PERCENT CINNABAR AND 50 PERCENT CORDEROITE. M-NAM. ALUNITE IS GYPSUM ALUNITE. M-NAM, TRIDYMITE IS ALPHA TRIDYMITE. M-NAM, CRISTOBALITE IS ALPHA CRISTOBALITE. M-NAM, OTHER ACCESSORY MINERALS ARE OXIDES OF IRON & MANGANESE, AND TRIPUHYITE.

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References

Reference (Deposit): PP. 1, 6-7.

Reference (Deposit): ANNUAL CAPACITY OF 20,000 FLASKS. V. 64. NO. 52, 1975,

Reference (Deposit): 643. SKILLINGS' MINING REVIEW. MCDERMITT MERCURY MINE AT

Reference (Deposit): MCDERMITT MERCURY MINE: PLANT IN NORTHERN NEVADA WITH

Reference (Deposit): 642. SKILLINGS' MINING REVIEW. PLACER AMEX'S NEW

Reference (Deposit): ENG. AND MIN. J., V. 176, NO. 12, 1975, PP. 72-77.

Reference (Deposit): EMERGES AS DOMINANT FORCE IN U.S. MERCURY PRODUCTION.

Reference (Deposit): 639. SISSELMAN, R. NEW MCDERMITT MINE JOINT VENTURE

Reference (Deposit): MCDERMITT. NV STATE J. (RENO), FEB. 5, 1979, P. 28.

Reference (Deposit): 615. SCOTT, M. HALF OF NATION'S MERCURY COMES FROM

Reference (Deposit): NV BUMINES AND GEOL. REP. 33, 1979, PP. 109-117.

Reference (Deposit): MINERAL DEPOSITS OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA.

Reference (Deposit): V. 71, NO. 3, 1976, P. 701.

Reference (Deposit): 466. NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION (RENO). NEWSLETTER

Reference (Deposit): MERCURY DEPOSITS. ECON. GEOL. AND BULL. SOC. ECON. GEOL.,

Reference (Deposit): 59, 1964, 154 PP.

Reference (Deposit): COUNTY, NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN

Reference (Deposit): 801. WILLDEN, R. GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT

Reference (Deposit): ET COSMOCHIM. ACTA, V. 28, NO. 7, 1964, PP. 1019-1037.

Reference (Deposit): MERCURY ORES AND ORES OF MERCURY AND ANTIMONY. GEOCHIM.

Reference (Deposit): 725. TUNNELL, G. CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN THE FORMATION OF

Reference (Deposit): NO. 26, 1976, P.18.

Reference (Deposit): DESIGNED CAPACITY OF 20,000 FLASKS ANNUALLY. V. 65,

Reference (Deposit): CH. 75 IN ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1933-1967, ED.

Reference (Deposit): 202. FISK, E. L. CORDERO MINE, OPALITE MINING DISTRICT,

Reference (Deposit): EUGENE, OR, 1960, 60 PP.

Reference (Deposit): MINE AREA, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA. M.S. THESIS, UNIV. OR,

Reference (Deposit): 104. CURRY, D. L. THE GEOLOGY OF THE CORDERO QUICKSILVER

Reference (Deposit): BULLETIN . 41, V. 38, NO. 5, 1944, 206 PP.

Reference (Deposit): DEPOSITS IN NEVADA. NEVADA BUREAU MINES AND GEOLOGY

Reference (Deposit): 29. BAILEY, E. H., AND D. A. PHOENIX. QUICKSILVER

Reference (Deposit): PP. C1-C10.

Reference (Deposit): IN NEVADA. U.S. GEOL. SURV. PROF. PAPER 700-C, 1970,

Reference (Deposit): RELATION OF MINERAL DEPOSITS TO TERTIARY VOLCANIC CENTERS

Reference (Deposit): 7. ALBERS, J. P., AND F. J. KLEINHAMPL. SPATIAL

Reference (Reserve-Resource): EXCHANGE COMMISSION, 1983, 67 PP.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1982. SECURITIES AND

Reference (Reserve-Resource): 564. PLACER DEVELOPMENT LTD. ANNUAL REPORT, FORM 10-K,

Reference (Reserve-Resource): PP. 9-10, 19.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): 563. PLACER DEVELOPMENT LTD. ANNUAL REPORT, 1980. 1981,

Reference (Reserve-Resource): GEOL. BULL. 71, 1969, 29 PP.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): CHURCHILL BUTTE QUADRANGLES, NEVADA. NV BUREAU OF MINES AND

Reference (Reserve-Resource): 597. ROSE, R. L. GEOLOGY OF PARTS OF THE WADSWORTH AND

Reference (Deposit): M.S. THESIS, UNIV. AZ, TUCSON, AZ, 1977, 65 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 673. SPEER, W. E. GEOLOGY OF THE MCDERMITT MINE AREA.

Reference (Deposit): CALDERA COMPLEX, NEVADA- OREGON. PAPER IN PAPERS ON

Reference (Deposit): MERCURY, URANIUM, AND LITHIUM DEPOSITS TO THE MCDERMITT

Reference (Deposit): 602. RYTUBA, J. J., AND R. K. GLANZMAN. RELATION OF

Reference (Deposit): AIME, TRANS., V. 260, JUNE 1976, PP. 192-195.

Reference (Deposit): MCDERMITT MINE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA. SOC. MIN. ENG.

Reference (Deposit): 596. ROPER, M. W. HOT SPRINGS MERCURY DEPOSITION AT

Reference (Deposit): ASSOC. BULL., V. 3, NO. 5-6, 1979, P. 9.

Reference (Deposit): DEPRESSED MARKET; BUT SAFETY STANDARDS HIGH. NV MIN.

Reference (Deposit): 474. NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION (RENO). MERCURY MINE:

Reference (Deposit): NO. 5, 1978, P. 13.

Reference (Deposit): MINE INCREASES '77 OUTPUT. NV MIN. ASSOC. BULL., V. 2,

Reference (Deposit): 468. NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION (RENO). NEVADA MERCURY

Reference (Deposit): NO. 267, JUNE 15, 1975, PP. 1-2.

Reference (Deposit): MCDERMITT CALDERA IN NEVADA AND OREGON AND ITS RELATED

Reference (Deposit): 406. MCKEE, E. H., AND R. J. ROSS, JR. ORIGIN OF THE

Reference (Deposit): INFORMATION CIRCULAR 8252, 1965, PP. 215-300.

Reference (Deposit): MERCURY POTENTIAL OF THE UNITED STATES. BUMINES

Reference (Deposit): 276. HOLMES, G. H., JR. MERCURY IN NEVADA. CH. IN

Reference (Deposit): FIELD STUDIES MAP MF-341, 1972, SCALE 1:48,000.

Reference (Deposit): MEADOW QUADRANGLE, NEVADA-OREGON. U.S. GEOL. SURV. MISC.

Reference (Deposit): 229. GREENE, R. C. PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF JORDAN

Reference (Deposit): BY J. D. RIDGE. AIME, V. II, 1968, PP. 1573-1591.

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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.