Thompson Creek Molybdenum Mine

The Thompson Creek Molybdenum Mine is a molybdenum mine located in Custer county, Idaho at an elevation of 7,874 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

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.

Site Name

Primary: Thompson Creek Molybdenum Mine
Secondary: Tuscarora
Secondary: Pat Hughes Creek Prospect

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Gold

Location

State: Idaho
County: Custer
District: Bayhorse Mining District

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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: Located Claim
Type: Patented

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: BLUE PEARL MINING LTD
Percent: 100.0
Info Year: 2008
Years: 2006 -

Owner Name: THOMPSON CREEK METALS CO
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: 401 Bay Street Suite 2010, PO Box 118 Toronto ON M5H 2Y4 Canada

Owner Name: Cyprus Amax
Percent: 100.0

Owner Name: Tonapah Mineral Resources Llc
Company ID: 1000531
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1993
Years: 1993 -

Production

Year: 2007
Mined: 8047000.000 mt
Material type: Thompson Creek Metals 2010 10K, pp. 23-24.
Year: 1995
Description: Moly Production Est. 18000000 Lb/Yr
Year: 1994
Description: Moly Production Est. 10500000 Lb/Yr

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1994
Discovery Year: 1967
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: Tabular; Stockwork and Disseminated

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Potassic (Intense)

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Molybdenite
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Muscovite
Gangue: Orthoclase
Unknown: Microcline
Unknown: Pyrite
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Sericite

Comments

Comment (Exploration): AS OF DEC 1980 256000 FEET OF SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND DRILLING (DIAMOND AND ROTARY) HAD BEEN DONE ON THE PROPERTY. ALSO 8500 OF UNDERGROUND DRIFTING HAVE BEEN DONE

Comment (Deposit): NEW MSHA.DBF # IS PROBOBLY #1070061 AS OF 1995. COMPANY IS CYPRUS SIERRITA CRP.. WHICH MAY BE THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY LISTED IN THE MAS OWNERSHIP TABLE. THE CRUUENT MINES I.D.# 1000531 IS NOT LISTED ON MSHA.DBF OF 1995.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): AVAILABLE RESERVE DATA ON THE DEPOSIT IS LIMITED. THE EIS (OCT 1980) STATES THERE ARE 175,087,000 MT OF MINEABLE ORE AT .187 PERCENT MOS2(AT A .083 PERCENT CUTOFF GRADE). THIS 175,087,000 MT FIGURE INCLUDES ROCK FROM BOTH THE HIGH AND LOW GRADE ORE ZONES. THE EIS STATES ALSO THAT THE CORE OF THE 175,087,000 ORE BODY IS 72,575,000 MT AT .26% MOS2. SCHMIDT(1980) STATES THAT THE DEPOSIT IS A LARGE LOW GRADE DEPOSIT CONTAINING OPEN PIT MINEABLE RESERVES IN EXCESS OF 181,437,000 MT AT .187 PERCENT MOS2 THE ABOVE TONNAGE FIGURES ARE BASED ON ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS, NOT ON THE PHYSICAL AMOUNT OF MOLYBDENUM IN THE GROUND. A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MO MINERALIZATION WILL NOT BE MINED BY CYPRUS UNDER PRESENT ECONOMIC CONDITION

Comment (Reserve-Resource): CYPRUS HAS DRILLED THIS PROPERTY FOR 12 YEARS. RESERVES ARE 635 MILLION TONNES OF .09 MOLY (EMJ 8/79; P8). OTHER NAME:TUSCARORA. THIS AND 0160370001, THOMPSON CREEK, ARE SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN F.Y. 1981.CYPRUS PLANS TO REDUCE MO PRODUCTION TO 3.5MM/YR TO TAKE EFFECT SEPT 1987.THOMPSON CREEK PROD 15MM LBS. OF MO IN 1986.DEPOSIT UPDATE 4/14/88 0.11% MO 170 MMT(AMOCO 1985 ANNUAL REPORT,5/30/85). 1992 - ON REDUCED OPERATION SCHEDULE DUE TO WEAK DEMAND FOR MOLY (RANDOL 93-94). MINE RESTARTED IN APRIL 1994.

Comment (Economic Factors): EIS APPROVAL WAS GRANTED BY THE US FOREST SERVICE IN DEC. 1980. DEVELOPMENT WORK STARTED SEVERAL DAYS LATER. PRIOR TO DEC 1980 CYPRUS DID 16 MONTHS OF LIAISON WORK WITH THE FOREST SERVICE, BLM AND STATE OF IDAHO. CYPRUS INTENDS TO BRING THE MINE AND MILL ON STEAM BY JULY 1983

Comment (Location): SEE MINE MAP FILE FOR MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF CYPRUS DRILL HOLES AT MINE SITE. FILE IS AT WFOC SPOKANE WA

Comment (Geology): THOMPSON CREEK STOCK IS A COMPOSITE BIOTITE GRANODIORITE- QUARTZ MONZONITE. STOCK INTRUDED ARGILLITES AND LIMESTONES OF COPPER BASIN FORMATION. CHALLIS VOLCANICS COVER INTRUSIVE AND SED ROCKS. A 1500 FOOT WIDE BORDER ZONE OF BIOTITE GRANODIORITE ENCLOSES A CORE OF QUARTZ MONZONITE. THE ORIGINAL AND MAIN INTRUSIVE PULSE OF THE STOCK WAS GRANODIORITE. LATE MAGMATIC GROWTH TURNED THE CORE INTO QUARTZ MONZONITE THE THOMPSON CREEK STOCK IS RELATED TO THE LATE INTRUSIVE PHASES OF THE IDAHO BATHOLITH. MOST OF THE ORE GRADE MINERALIZATION IS CONFINED TO A N45-60 DEGREE TRENDING ZONE OF QUARTZ RICH VEINS. DIPS 60-80 DEGREES NE. THE ORE ZONE IS A POTASSIUM SILICATE ALTERATION ZONE LOCATED NEAR THE CENTER OF THE QUARTZ MONZONITE.

Comment (Geology): AVAILABLE DATA ON THE SHAPE OF THE ORE BODY IS LIMITED. IT IS ROUGHLY TABULAR IN SHAPE, STRIKING N45W AND DIPPING STEEPLY TO THE N.E. CYPRUS HAS DELINEATED TWO MAJOR ORE ZONES; A HIGH GRADE ZONE, AND A LOW GRADE ZONE. THE AREA OF HIGHEST DENSITY VEINING(HIGH GRADE ZONE) IS SURROUNDED BY AN AREA OF LOWER DENSITY VEINING(LOW GRADE ZONE). THE COMBINED HIGH GRADE- LOW GRADE ZONE IS ABOUT 1300 M LONG, 80-500M DEEP, AND 500- 600M THICK. THE HIGH GRADE ZONE ALONE IS ABOUT 760M LONG, 40-450M DEEP, AND 225-300M THICK.

References

Reference (Deposit): SILLITOE, RICHARD, TYPES OF PORPHYRY MOLYBDENUM DEPOSITS, MINING MAGAZINE, JUNE 1980, PP. 550-553.

Reference (Deposit): USBM, MAY 1979, MOLYBDENUM, MINERAL COMMODITY PROFILES.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. FOREST SERVICE, 1980, FINAL E.I.S., THOMPSON CREEK

Reference (Deposit): MOLYBDENUM PROJECT, CUSTER CO., IDAHO, CYPRUS MINES CORP., 1980.

Reference (Deposit): THE IDAHO MINER, MOLYBDENUM, COLLEGE OF MINES AND EARTH RESOURCES, UNIV OF IDAHO, 1981

Reference (Deposit): UTN, 1980, TECHNICAL MEMORANDA FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM PROJECT.

Reference (Deposit): WALLACE MINER JAN 1, 1981(A NEWSPAPER), CYPRUS MINES DRAFT OK'D.

Reference (Deposit): WESTRA, GERHARD, CLASSIFICATION AND GENESIS OF STOCKWORK MOLYBDENUM DEPOSITS, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1981, VOL 76, PP. 844-873.

Reference (Deposit): MINARIK, ROD, 1982, CLIMAX CORP, PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): BENNETT, EARL, 1980, GRANITIC ROCKS OF TERTIARY AGE IN THE IDAHO BATHOLITH AND THEIR RELATION TO MINERALIZATION, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 75, PP. 278-288.

Reference (Deposit): BIENIEWSKI, CARL, 1970, DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF MOLYBDENUM IN THE U.S., USBM IC 8446.

Reference (Deposit): BLM, BOISE IDAHO, 1981, MASTER TITLE PLATES.

Reference (Deposit): BLM, MAY 1980, PREFINAL ENVIR. ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED 230 KU POWERLINE AND RELATED FACILITIES MORE ID TO CHALLIS ID AND SQUAW CREEK ID.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS MINES CORP., 1980, INFORMATION ON ACCESS ROAD, TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENT, MILL SITE CONSTRUCTION

Reference (Deposit): ARIZONA PAY DIRT MAGAZINE, SEPT 1980, STANDARD OKAYS $300 MILLION DEVELOPMENT OF THOMPSON CREEK MOLY PROPERTY, PAGE 81

Reference (Deposit): ARMSTRONG, R.L., 1978, K-AR DATES FOR MINERALIZATION IN THE WHITE CLOUD-CANNIVAN PORPHYRY MOLYBDENUM BELT OF IDAHO AND MONTANA, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL 73, PP. 94-108.

Reference (Deposit): BENNETT, EARL, 1981, IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): ROSS, C.P., 1937, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BAYHORSE REGION, CUSTER CO., ID, USGS BULL 877.

Reference (Deposit): SCHMIDT, EBERHARD, 1980 GEOLOGY OF THE THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT- AN UPDATE, PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 86TH ANNUAL CONVENTION, NORTHWEST MINING ASSOCIATION SPOKANE WA.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES OPEN-FILE REPORT MLA 6-91, 1991, TABLE A-3, NO. 502, P. 223.

Reference (Deposit): HURLESS, CLAYTON, 1981, SALMON RIVER ELECTRIC COOP, PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): MAYFIELD, C., 1973, GEOLOGY OF THE THOMPSON CREEK AREA. CUSTER CO. IDAHO, M.S. THESIS, UNIV OF IDAHO, MOSCOW ID.

Reference (Deposit): MCGEE, M.M., 1981, CYPRUS MINES CORP., PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): MUTSCHLER, FELIX, 1981, GRANITE MOLYBDENITE SYSTEMS, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 76, PP. 874-897.

Reference (Deposit): GEM STATE GEOLOGICAL REVIEW SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT, SPRING 1981, PAGE 11, IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY.

Reference (Deposit): GIBSON, BILL, 1981, CYPRUS MINES CORP., PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): HOBBS, S.W., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE CLAYTON QUAD, CUSTER CO., IDAHO, U.S.G.S. OPEN FILE REPORT 75-76.

Reference (Deposit): REMBER, W.C., 1979, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE CHALLIS QUAD, IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): CYPRUS, 1991 FORM 10-K, PAGE 2.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): RANDOL MINING DRIECTORY, 1994/95, U.S. MINES & MINING COMPANIES, P275.

Reference (Deposit): BLM, AUGUST 1980, FINAL ENVIR. ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED 230 KU POWERLINE AND RELATED FACILITIES MOORE ID TO CHALLIS ID AND SQUAW CREEK ID.

Reference (Deposit): CLARK, K.F., 1972, STOCKWORK MOLYBDENUM DEPOSITS IN THE WESTERN CORDILLERA OF NORTH AMERICA, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 67, PP. 731-758.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS EXPLORATION CO, 1980, REGIONAL GEOLOGY AND DRILL HOLE LOCATIONS MAP

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS EXPLORATION CO, 1980, GEOLOGY OF THE THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS MINES CORP., 1980, THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM MINE AND CONCENTRATOR, PROJECT DESCRIPTION.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS MINES CORP., 1980, TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM ON LONG TERM STABILITY OF OVERLAND CONVEYOR SYSTEM.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS MINES CORP., 1980, MEMORANDA ON ALTERNATE RECOVERY PROCESSES; ALTERNATE OVERBURDEN AND WASTE ROCK DISPOSAL METHODS AND AREAS; ORE TRANSPORT FROM CRUSHER TO CONCENTRATOR; ALTERNATE CONCENTRATOR SITES.

Reference (Deposit): CYPRUS MINES CORP, 1980, TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM, PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES AND RELATED INFORMATION

Reference (Deposit): ENG. AND MINING JOURNAL MINING ACTIVITY DIGEST, NOV. 3 1981, PAGE 6

Reference (Deposit): ENG. AND MINING JOURNAL, $4.5 MILLION SLATED FOR EXPLORATION JULY 1974, PAGE 27

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