Thompson Creek Mine

The Thompson Creek Mine is a tungsten mine located in Custer county, Idaho at an elevation of 7,001 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 Mine
Secondary: Thompson Creek Tungsten Mine
Secondary: Tungsten Jim Mine
Secondary: Tungsten Jim Nos. 1-4
Secondary: Scheelite Nellie Nos. 1-4
Secondary: Nelvinny Nos. 1-4
Secondary: Salmon River Scheelite Mine

Commodity

Primary: Tungsten

Location

State: Idaho
County: Custer
District: Bayhorse District

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.
Administrative Organization: Challis National Forest

Holdings

Type: Located Claim

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: R. M. Barrett
Home Office: Idaho
Info Year: 1981
Years: 1967 - 1980

Owner Name: Cyprus Mines
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1980 -

Production

Year: 1977
Description: Ore Output .60% Wo3 17580 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1969
Description: Ore Output .60% Wo3 29940 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1968
Description: Ore Output .88% Wo3 7250 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1967
Description: Ore Output .92% Wo3 101360 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1966
Description: Ore Output 13610 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1962
Description: Ore Output 2.0% Wo3 1810 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1961
Description: Ore Output 1.8% Wo3 2720 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1954
Description: Ore Output .6% Wo3 4470 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1976
Description: Ore Output .60% Wo3 5030 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1972
Description: Ore Output .91% Wo3 1370 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1971
Description: Ore Output .90% Wo3 19050 Mt Ore/Year
Year: 1970
Description: Ore Output .60% Wo3 5170 Mt Ore/Year

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Underground
Mining Method: Shrinkage Methods
Milling Method: Gravity
Year First Production: 1954
Discovery Year: 1953
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: IRREGULAR, PODS

Structure

Type: L
Structure: Faulting

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Hydrothermal

Rocks

Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Scheelite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Garnet
Unknown: Amphibole
Unknown: Sphene
Unknown: Siderite
Unknown: Powellite
Unknown: Goethite
Unknown: Ferberite
Unknown: Feldspar
Unknown: Epidote
Unknown: Diopside
Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Pyrrhotite

Comments

Comment (Production): MILL PRODUCES A 61 PERCENT WO3 CONCENTRATE, 1.088 MT/DAY, 272 MT/YEAR

Comment (Reserve-Resource): ESTIMATE 210000 MT ORE IN THE GROUND. BUT PAST MINING HAS EXTRACTED 21000, LEAVING 189000 MT. GRADE WAS CALCULATED FROM PAST PRODUCTION GRADE (.84% WO3) ASSUMING A 10% DILUTION.

Comment (Geology): MINE IS COMPOSED OF 2 ORE BODIES: A) WEST ORE BODY: STRIKES N-S, DIPS 80 DEG EAST 150 M LONG, 61 M DEEP, 5 M THICK B) EAST ORE BODY: STRIKES N 65 DEG E, DIPS 80 DEG SOUTH ONE PORTION IS 116 M LONG, 49 M DEEP, 3M THICK SMALLER PORTION IS 52M LONG, 3M THICK; 24 M DEEP ON THE WEST END, 49M DEEP ON THE EAST END. BOTH PORTIONS ARE CONNECTED.

Comment (Ownership): MINE IS LOCATED WITHIN CYPRUS MINES THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM MINE CLAIM BLOCK. THE CLAIMS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA OF THE TUNGSTEN MINE ARE CONTROLLED BY BARRETT OF CHALLIS, IDAHO. IN 1980 MR. BARRETT SOLD THE CLAIMS TO CYPRUS. UNDER THE TERMS OF THE SALE BARRETT HAS UNTIL 1984 TO MINE WHATEVER HE WANTS FORM THE CLAIMS. IN 1984 THE CLAIMS WILL BE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED BY CYPRUS. MILL SITE AND MILL WERE NOT SOLD TO CYPRUS, MR. BARRETT STILL OWNS THEM. BARRETT PLANS TO USE MILL TO PROCESS GOLD ORE FROM MINE NEAR SUNBEAM IDAHO.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): MULTIPLE COLUMNS ON ONE MATRIX. OTHER NAMES: TUNGSTEN JIM MINE, TUNGSTEN JIM. MOLYBDENUM MINING AND EXTRACTION HAS PRIORITY . THIS AND 0160370698 THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM ARE SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN F.Y.1981. RESOURCES AS OF 1/83.

Comment (Deposit): ORE WAS DISCOVERED IN 1953 BY JIM CLUTUS WHO FORMED THE SALMON RIVER SCHEELITE CORP. FROM 1955-60 DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS DONE BY D.M.E.A. AND SALMON RIVER SCHEELITE CORP. FROM 1961-66 THE MINE WAS OPERATED AND THE ORE PROCESSED AT A MILL AT THE MINE SITE. IN 1967 MR. BARRETT BOUGHT THE PROPERTY AND BUILT THE PRESENT MILL LOCATED 12KM DOWNSTREAM FROM THE MINE. IN 1977 MR. BARRETT HIRED CENTENNIAL DEVELOPMENT CORP. TO DRIVE THE 6950 LEVEL ADIT AND DRIFTS AND THE SMALL 7300 LEVEL ADIT ON THE EAST ORE BODY. IN 1980 MR BARRETT SOLD OUT TO CYPRUS MINES. MILL IS LOCATED DOWNSTREAM FROM MINE ABOUT 12KM IN SEC 24 R16E, T11N. THIS OPERATION COULD BE MSHA.DBF # 1070061 (AS OF 1995), HOWEVER INFORMATION IS LIMITED.

Comment (Geology): SCHEELITE IN TACTITE AND IN ALTERED GRANITE ALONG INTRUSIVE CONTACT OF IDAHO BATHOLITH AND WOOD RIVER FORMATION

References

Reference (Deposit): HOBBS, W. S., 1964, MINERAL RESOURCE - TUNGSTEN, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY SPEC. REPT. NO. 1, P. 323 - 333.

Reference (Deposit): LARSON, L.L., 1969, AVAILABILITY OF TUNGSTEN AT VARIOUS PRICES FROM RESOURCES IN THE U.S. U.S.B.M. PRELIMINARY CONFIDENTIAL REPORT (SEE U.S.B.M. IC 8500 FOR PUBLISHED REPORT)

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

Reference (Deposit): NEWMAN, KEN, 1981, CYPRUS MINES PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): TAFT, FRANK, 1960, SALMON RIVER SCHEELITE CORPORATION'S REPORT ON D.M.E.A. WORK (DOCKET NO. DMEA 3667) UNPUBLISHED

Reference (Deposit): U.S.B.M., 1981, MINERAL PROPERTY FILE, TUNGSTEN JIM, W.F.O.C

Reference (Deposit): BAKER, JOHN, 1981, CYPRUS MINES, PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): BARRETT, R.M., 1981, PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): B.L.M., 1980, PRE-FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, PROPOSED 230 KV POWERLINE AND RELATED FACILITIES, MOORE IDAHO TO SQUAW CREEK IDAHO, SALMON DISTRICT, SALMON, IDAHO

Reference (Deposit): COOK, E. F., 1956, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF SOUTH - CENTRAL IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY PAMPHLET 108, 40 P.

Reference (Deposit): U.T.N. CONSOLIDATED, INC, 1980, TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM PROJECT, CUSTER COUNTY, IDAHO, CYPRUS MINES CORPORATION.

Reference (Deposit): WALLACE, RAY, 1981, U.S.F.S., PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES OPEN-FILE REPORT MLA 6-91, 1991, TABLE A-3, NO. 499, P. 222.

Reference (Deposit): ROSS, CLYDE, 1937, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BAY HORSE REGION, CUSTER COUNTY IDAHO, U.S.G.S. BULL 877

Reference (Deposit): SAVAGE, BILL, 1981, U.S.F.S., PERSONAL COMMUN.

Reference (Deposit): SCHMIDT, E.A., 1980, TALK GIVEN AT NORTHWEST MINING CONVENTION IN DEC 1980 ON THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM MINE

Reference (Deposit): U.S. FOREST SERVICE, 1980, FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, THOMPSON CREEK MOLYBDENUM PROJECT, CUSTER COUNTY, IDAHO, CYPRUS MINES CORPORATION

Idaho Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Idaho" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Idaho. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Idaho.