White Caps Mine

Site Name

Primary: White Caps Mine
Secondary: White Caps Gold Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Arsenic
Primary: Gold
Primary: Antimony
Secondary: Mercury
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: Copper

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Nye
District: Manhattan District

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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: Argus Resources, Inc.
Home Office: Glendale, California
Info Year: 1985

Owner Name: White Caps Mines, Inc. Argus Resources, Inc.
Years: 1965 -

Owner Name: Calais Resources, Inc.
Info Year: 2004

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: lode; replacement
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1911
Year Last Production: 1963
Discovery Year: 1867
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Comstock

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Orebody

Form: Ore occurs as pipelike shoots, narrow stringers, radiating clusters, pods, blebs

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Structure

Type: L
Description: The veins are strongly faulted across their strike. Four major faults cut the limestone: the East, White Caps, West, and Morning Glory faults.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Limestone is strongly silicified and completely replaced by quartz in places.

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Rocks

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: Hg 30 percent
Analytical Data: Sb ore avg 22 - 40 percent. Au $20/ton

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Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Dolomite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Calcite
Ore: Azurite
Ore: Fluorite
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Orpiment
Ore: Realgar
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Sericite
Gangue: Quartz

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Comments

Comment (Deposit): Cinnabar occurs to 1,100 ft level; realgar occurs between the 450 and 665 ft level; stibnite occurs between the 450 and 665 ft level; stibnite occurs between the 310 and 450 ft levels. Primary ore consists of quartz veins containing very finely divided gold associated with realgar and stibnite. The vein contained large lenses of pure realgar and pure stibnite up to 4 feet by 20 feet. Ore shoots have better continuity down dip than along strike. Mineralization usually follows one wall (more commonly the footwall) of the bed.

Comment (Development): The mine produced gold from1912 to1914, using a 75-ton mill built by Associated Milling Co. White Caps Mining Co. took over the mine and mill in 1915 and discovered rich deeper ore in 1916. The gold mill closed in 1920, after which realgar was still shipped. The gold mill reopened in 1922 and closed in 1923. A flotation mill operated from 1935-1936. White Caps Gold Mining Co. refurbished the mine in the late 1950s. Antimony-lead-gold ore was mined in 1959. In 1962, mining was done on a faulted segment of the orebody between the 600 and 820-foot levels. Antimony ore was being mined just prior to a fire in 1964, after which mining ceased. In 1977, Argus Resources Inc. acquired the White Caps Mining Co. and renamed it Transworld Energy Corp. Calais Resources, Inc. first acquired interests in the Manhattan mining district in 1982 and in 2000, Calais agreed to purchase Nevada Manhattan Mining Corp.'s 24.5% interest in 28 patented lode mining claims and 105 unpatented lode mining claims in the White Caps Mine area of the Manhattan district. Calais already owned 42 unpatented lode mining claims bringing Calais's land position to 175 claims centered around the White Caps Mine. In 2003, Calais planned a drilling program on the White Caps property pending issuance of permits. The company had plans to drill several deep holes in search of a replacement gold deposit. in April 2004 Calais entered into an agreement to acquire all of Argus Resources and White Caps Mines patented and unpatented mineral rights in the district. Calais Resources' property in the Manhattan mining district now (2004) covers over 2628 acres of mineral interests.

Comment (Geology): This mine has produced many high quality collector-grade mineral specimens of arsenic minerals, stibnite, as well as rare mineral species such as wakabayashilite, haidingerite, rosslerite, pitticite.

Comment (Identification): This record is an updated version of MRDS record # M055301 including all information from the former record plus additional information. The earlier record could be deleted.

Comment (Location): The White Caps Mine is located about a mile SW of Salisbury Peak in the Toquima Range

Comment (Workings): Workings consist of a 900 foot shaft with a winze to the 1300 foot level.

Comment (Production): HOLMES SAYS SOME MERCURY WAS REPORTEDLY RECOVERED IN 1929.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: gold, stibnite, cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, arsenopyrite, fluorite, azurite

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite, pyrite, dolomite, sericite

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References

Reference (Deposit): WOOLF, J. A., AND A. P. TOWNE, ORE-TESTING STUDIES ON GOLD AND GOLD-SILVER DEPOSITS. U.S. BUREAU OF MINES RI 3765, 1944, P. 18-23.

Reference (Deposit): LAWRENCE, E. F., ANTIMONY DEPOSITS IN NEVADA. NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES & GEOLOGY BULLETIN 61, 1963, P. 146-149.

Reference (Deposit): AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT INTEREST IN THAT PART OF THE TOQUIMA RANGE, NEVADA, ADMINISTERED AS TOIYABE NATIONAL FOREST. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 86-470, TABLE 12, P. 20 (LOCATION ONLY).

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MI-1998-2003

Reference (Deposit): Ferguson, H.G., 1924, Geol. and Ore Deposits of the Manhattan District: USGS Bull 723, p. 147-151.

Reference (Deposit): Tonopah Times Bonanza, Sept. 14, 1979.

Reference (Deposit): Bailey, E. H., U S Geol. Survey, personal files

Reference (Deposit): Holmes, G.H., Jr., 1965, Mercury in Nevada, in Mercury Potential of the U.S.: U.S. Bur. of Mines, Inf. Circ. 8252, p. 285

Reference (Deposit): Lawrence, 1963, Antimony Deposits of Nevada: NBMG Bull. 61, pp. 146-149.

Reference (Deposit): Bailey, E.H. and Phoenix, D.A., 1944, Quicksilver Deposits in Nevada: NBMG Bull. 41, p. 145-146.

Reference (Deposit): Kral, V.E., 1951, Mineral Resources of Nye Co.: NBMG Bull. 50, p. 124-125.

Reference (Deposit): Johnson, 1973

Reference (Deposit): Mason and others, 1996.

Reference (Deposit): Tingley, 1998

Reference (Deposit): United States Bureau of Land Management, 1978k

Reference (Deposit): United States Bureau of Mines, 1995

Reference (Deposit): United States Geological Survey, 1971e.

Reference (Deposit): Vanderburg, 1936.

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): DYNAN, J.L., 1916, THE WHITE CAPS MINE, MANHATTAN, NEVADA: MINERAL AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS, V. 113, P. 884-885, DEC. 16, 1916 ISSUE.

Reference (Deposit): EMJ ARTICLE BY J.G. KIRCHEN, NOV. 24, 1917.

Reference (Deposit): WEED'S MINES HANDBOOK, 1918.

Reference (Deposit): KLEINHAMPL, F. J., AND J. I. ZIONY. PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF NORTHERN NYE COUNTY, NEVADA. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE MAP, 1967, SCALE 1:200,000.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES I.C. 9035, LOWE AND OTHERS, 1985, P. 181.

Reference (Deposit): FERGUSON, H. G., AND S. H. CATHCART. GEOLOGY OF THE ROUND MOUNTAIN QUADRANGLE, NEVADA. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEOGLIC QUAD. MAP GQ-40, 1954, SCALE 1:125,000.

Reference (Deposit): FERGUSON, H. G. THE LIMESTONE ORES OF MANHATTAN, NEVADA. ECON. GEOL. AND BULL. SOC. ECON. GEOL., V. 16, NO. 1, 1921, PP. 1-36.

Reference (Deposit): FERGUSON, H. G. GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT, NEVADA. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 723, 1924, P. 7, 83, 136, AND 147-151.

Reference (Deposit): FERGUSON, H. G. PLACER DEPOSITS OF THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT, NEVADA. CH. IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 640, 1916, PP. 163-193.

Reference (Deposit): KRAL, V. E., MINERAL RESOURCES OF NYE COUNTY, NEVADA. NEVADA BUREAU MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 50, 1951, 223 PP.

Reference (Deposit): SCHILLING, J.H., 1964, NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES & GEOLOGY BULLETIN 65 (NAME LOCATION ONLY).

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES CONFIDENTIAL PRODUCTION RECORDS.

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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.