Marigold Mine

The Marigold Mine is a gold mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada.

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: Marigold Mine

State: Nevada

County: Humboldt

Elevation:

Commodity: Gold

Lat, Long: 40.6102, -116.19869

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 Marigold Mine

Marigold Mine MRDS details

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Battle Mountain 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.
Administrative Organization: Winnemucca BLM District

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Euro-Nevada 1.75% Net Smelter Return (NSR)
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: Homestake Mining Co.
Percent: 33.30
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1996

Owner Name: Rayrock Yellowknife Resources Inc.
Percent: 66.70
Home Office: Canada
Info Year: 1996

Owner Name: Marigold Mining Co. (Cordex/San Fe Pacific Mining JV)
Home Office: P. O. Box 9, Valmy, NV 89438
Info Year: 1996

Owner Name: Glamis Gold Ltd. and Barrick Gold
Info Year: 2006

Production

Year: 1989
Description: Mill 582,935 158000 Metric Ton Ore/Yr
Year: 1990
Description: Heap Leach 333,475 683000 Metric Ton Ore/Yr
Year: 1990
Description: Mill 1,772,478 514000 Metric Ton Ore/Yr
Year: 1982
Material type: ORE-AU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^Approx. 0.11 Opt Au
Year: 1996
Mined: 2648072.250 mt
Material type: ore
Description: Ore Processed @ 0.029 Oz/St 2919000 St Ore
Year: 1995
Mined: 3093000.000 mt
Material type: ore
Description: Ore Processed @ 0.028 Oz/St 3409000 St Ore
Year: 1991
Description: Gold 65469 Oz

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: replacement; other; disseminated
Plant Type: Leach
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Heap Leach-Agglomerate-Carbon Column-Electrowin
Year First Production: 1930
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Distal disseminated Ag-Au

Orebody

Form: irregular

Structure

Type: R
Description: Golconda Thrust Fault

Type: L
Description: North- and northwest-striking Basin and Range normal faulting are evident inthe mine area.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Host rocks have been subjected to decarbonation, argillization, silicification, and supergene oxidation. Partial removal of carbonate from originally calcareous rocks preceded gold mineralization and resulted in increased porosity and permeability. In some ore zones, intensely argillized rocks above and below mineralization may have served as impermeable seals to confine later gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids. Silicification may be coeval with gold deposition and is represented by local replacement of favorable lithologies and jasperoid development in fault zones. Oxidation is thought to be supergene, but the possibility of hypogene oxidation is not ruled out.

Rocks

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Ordovician

Name: Porphyry
Role: Associated
Description: feldspar porphyry dikes
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Description: calcareous
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Permian
Age Old: Middle Pennsylvanian

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Permian
Age Old: Middle Pennsylvanian

Name: Siltstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Permian
Age Old: Middle Pennsylvanian

Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Permian
Age Old: Middle Pennsylvanian

Name: Conglomerate
Role: Host
Description: calcareous
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Permian
Age Old: Middle Pennsylvanian

Name: Argillite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Ordovician

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AS, SB, HG ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AU. AG AND BASE METAL CONTENTS ARE LOW. BARITE COMMON IN ORE ZONES. NBMG SAMPLE 2363 OF DRAB RED IRON-STAINED SANDSTONE OF BASAL ANTLER SEQUENCE ABOUT 1 M ABOVE UNCONFORMITY IN OPEN PIT WALL OF HISTORIC MARIGOLD MINE. IT CONTAINS 3% FE, 2% MG, 5% CA, 0.2% TI, 1500 PPM MN, 3 PPM AG, 1000 PPM AS, 200 PPM B, 300 PPM BA, 150 PPM CR, 20 PPM CU, 5 PPM MO, 20 PPM NI, 15 PPM PB, 150 PPM SB, 7 PPM SC, 100 PPM SR, 100 PPM V, 30 PPM Y, 300 PPM ZN, AND 200 PPM ZR

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Jarosite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Workings): ADDITIONAL ANIMAL CONTROLS INCLUDE WILDLIFE NETTING OVER HEAP LEACH PONDS. PROPERTIES HAVE VERY LITTLE SILVER; THEREFORE CN CONSUMPTION IS LOW. 1997 PLAN IS TO MINE, MILL, AND LEACH FROM 3 SEPARATE PITS. MATERIAL TYPES ARE QUITE DIFFERENT.

Comment (Identification): The Valmy mine is geographically part of the Marigold orebody, but owned and operated separtely as part of the Trenton Canyon mine 10310473.

Comment (Development): Details of the original discovery are unknown. Historic production was confined to underground workings in the immediate vicinity of the old Marigold Mine. Several thousand tons were shipped in the 1930s by Frank Horton. In 1982, Marigold Development Co. mined, crushed, and heap leached approximately 3200 tons of ore from an open pit on the site of the abandoned underground workings. This effort produced 271 ounces of gold at an estimated recovery rate of 75%. Exploration work within the mine area, prior to the involvement of Cordex in 1985, included extensive rock sampling, grid soil geochemistry, VLF-EM surveys, drilling, and geologic mapping by numerous companies. Most of the work was concentrated near the underground workings. Approximately 200 holes were drilled prior to 1985. In 1985, VEK/Andrus Associates drilled three holes on claims 1 mile NE of the underground workings in an area of alluvial cover. These holes intersected shallow bedrock, deep oxidation, anomalous trace element concentrations, and a gold-bearing interval of 0.017 opt gold from 720-765 ft. Depth (VEK hole #2). Cordex leased the VEK claims in September 1985 on the basis of these drill results. A drilling program was initiated in November 1985. The third and fourth holes of the program intersected ore grade intervals near the center of the 8 South ore zone. In 1986, consolidation of the land position was achieved by forming a joint venture between Cordex and Santa Fe Pacific Mining Corp. and leasing the claim block, which included the historic Marigold Mine. A 1250 ton/day carbon-in-leach mill was built to process ore grading over 0.04 opt gold. Recovery grade material was to be heap leached at a rate of approximately 1500 tons/day. The life of the mine was expected to exceed nine years. In 2003 Glamis Gold and Barrick Gold received permits for their Millennium Expansion project at the Marigold Mine, which will develop four new open pits at the site and two new heap leach facilities. The four new pits will be called Target I, Target II, Basalt and Antler. Once Millennium is in full swing, Glamis expects to produce 180,000 ounces of gold per year. In conjunction with the expansion program, Glamis has continued its in-fill and step-out drilling programs. By early 2006, Glamis Gold and joint venture Barrick Gold began their Millennium Expansion at the Marigold Mine in Humboldt County that will approximately triple the mine?s production.

Comment (Economic Factors): From 1938 to 1939, the historic Marigold Mine produced 433 tons of ore valued at $6,568. From 1989 through 2002, the modern Marigold mine produced 9,960,954 ounces of gold and from 1989-93 and 2001-02 it produced 11,466 ounces of silver. In 2002 the Marigold Mine had proven and probable reserves of 79.1 million tons of ore grading 0.026 ounces of gold per ton and a mineral resource of 129.7 million tons grading 0.014 ounces of gold per ton.

Comment (Identification): This record incorporates all material from earlier record for the historic Marigold Mine deposit, MRDS #M231264 as well as additional material.

Comment (Location): Marigold mine lies along the NW flank of Battle Mountain., just off the NE end of Buffalo Mountain UTM is to the current Marigold Mine, not the historic workings which lie farther to the east? the mine developments are spread over a few square miles with the bulk of the workings in section 18.

Comment (Workings): Historic development was mainly underground, including 1140 feet of workings on two levels. Later exploration identified seven potentially bulk mineable gold mineralized zones as of 1990. These are the historic Marigold Mine and the Red Rock, East Hill, Top, 8 South, 8 North, and 5 North Zones. Workings developed in the last decade have been several open pits. From the Franco-Nevada website: The 8 South orebody produced from 1989 to 1994. In 2007, production declined relative to 2006 due to lower mined grades and higher strip ratios. However, pit sequencing shifted production from the lower grade Antler pit to the higher grade Basalt pit in the second half of the year. Exploration is now focused on the expansion of the Basalt pit, the evaluation of the Trout Creek fault trend and on the evaluation of structural targets in the gravel-covered pediment at the north end of the property.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: gold

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: barite, calcite, jarosite, hematite, limonite

Comment (Deposit): Most of the gold occurs as very fine (<5 micron) blebs in iron oxide pseudomorphs after pyrite, or as similar sized grains in carbonate veins or jarosite-stained quartz matrix material. In the 8 south orebody, gold mineralization correlates well with the intensity of iron oxide staining in the matrix, dark red iron oxide and jarosite usually indicate high gold content, whereas yellow iron oxide is associated with lower grade mineralization.

Comment (Identification): The Cox and Singer B-1693 publication lists two Marigold deposits: 8 South Zone and East Hill Zone. The Graney and McGibbon 1991 map depicts 10 Marigold orebodies extending over a length of some 10 km. The northern and middle groups correspond to the two Cox and Singer orebodies - and 8 South Zone and East Hill Zone respectively. There is a 1 km gap between the two groups in the Graney and McGibbon map. However, recent satellite imagery suggests a more continuous mining operation, so this record merges the two Cox and Singer orebodies, and all the Graney and McGibbon orebodies. Locations are given for 11 orebodies and the mill site.

References

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD, V 107, #34, AUG., 31, 1996, P13. "RAYROCK EXPANDED PIT HAS POTENTIAL FOR DEEPER DRILLING AT MARIGOLD."

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD, V 107, #?, SEPT. 4, 1996, P27.

Reference (Deposit): HOMESTAKE 1995 FORM 10-K, PP11, 12.

Reference (Deposit): MAJOR MINES OF NEVADA, 1995, PP.6, 7.

Reference (Deposit): MINERALS FOR INDUSTRY, SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO., 1964, P.88.

Reference (Deposit): RANEY, R., INTERVIEW WITH D. HEINEN, MINE SUPERINTENDENT AT MARIGOLD MINE, OCTOBER, 1991.

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD, V. 107, #43, OCT., 23, 1996, P3.

Reference (Deposit): RAYROCK YELLOWKNIFE RESOURCES INC. ANNUAL REPORT, 1990.

Reference (Deposit): NAT. ASSESSMENT U.S. DEPOSIT DATA BASE, KEITH LONG, 1995, #078 "EAST HILL - URN - TOP", PP. 70-72, AND #077, "MARIGOLD", PP. 76-78.

Reference (Deposit): U.S.B.L.M. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT, MARIGOLD MINING PROJECT, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA. APRIL 1988, 75 PP.

Reference (Deposit): Smee, Barry W., 1998, A new theory to explain the formation of soil geochemical responses over deeply covered gold mineralization in arid environments; Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Volume 61, Issues 1-3, May 1998, Pages 149-172. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCP-3T3RWC7-8&_user=696292&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000038819&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=696292&md5=3fa0ea0d35d424dc98c229974e7c1459
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCP-3T3RWC7-8&_user=696292&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000038819&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=696292&md5=3fa0ea0d35d424dc98c229974e7c1459

Reference (Deposit): Roberts, R.J., and Arnold, D.C., 1965, Ore Deposits of the Antler Peak Quadrangle, Humboldt and Lander Counties, Nevada, USGS Professional Paper 459-B.

Reference (Deposit): Southern Pacific Company, 1964, Minerals for Industry.

Reference (Deposit): Willden, R., 1964, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Humboldt County, Nevada, NBMG Bull 59.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1990, The Nevada Mineral Industry 1990, NBMG Special Publication MI-1990, p. 22.

Reference (Deposit): Graney, J.R., McGibbon, D.H., 1991, Geological setting and controls on gold mineralization in the Marigold Mine area, Nevada, in Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin, Raines, G.L., et al., eds. The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 865-874.

Reference (Deposit): AMERICAN MINES HANDBOOK, 1996, P200.

Reference (Deposit): Adella Harding, Elko Daily Free Press, 8/20/02

Reference (Deposit): Glamis Gold Ltd., press release, 9/29/02.

Reference (Deposit): Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Database of significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States; Part A, Database description and analysis; part B, Digital database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-206, 33 p., one 3.5 inch diskette.

Reference (Deposit): Nevada Division of Mines, 1994

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

Reference (Deposit): Nevada North Resources, Inc., News Release, November 13, 1984.

Reference (Deposit): Garside, L.J., 1984, Field Examination, 10 October 1984.

Reference (Deposit): Minesearch Annual, 1984-1985, vol. vii, p. 279-283.

Reference (Deposit): McGibbon, Doug , 2001, A blue-collar perspective on some relations of geological structure and gold deposition, Marigold Mine, Nevada, Geological Society of Nevada 2001 spring field trip conference, NV, United States, May 3-6, 2001; Geological Society of Nevada, Special Publication vol.33, pp.295-299.

Reference (Deposit): Johnston, Ivan, and others, 1999, Geology and gold mineralization of the Buffalo Valley area, northwestern Battle Mountain Trend; Trenton Canyon Mine; North Peak Mine; Buffalo Valley Mine; Redline gold skarn deposit; Copper Canyon gold skarn, a review; Marigold Mine; Geological Society of Nevada, Special Publication, vol.31, 261 pp., 1999.

Reference (Deposit): RANDOL 1996/97 MINING DIRECTORY, U.S. MINES & MINING COMPANIES, P256.

Reference (Deposit): 1995/96 NEVADA MINES DIRECTORY, PP. 11, 16, 17, 22.

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.