Nevada Packard Mine

Site Name

Primary: Nevada Packard Mine
Secondary: Packard Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Lead

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Pershing
District: Rochester District

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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: WInnnemucca BLM Administrative District

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp., Inc.
Info Year: 2004

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: lode, stockwork, low-sulfide gold-quartz veins
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1890
Year Last Production: 1983
Discovery Year: 1912
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

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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: tabular to irregular

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Rocks in the range are folded into a broad anticline, broken by major north-trending faults and cross faults.

Type: L
Description: The mine area is cut by NE-trending major fault zones including the Packard Mine fault.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Host rocks are sericitized.

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Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Cretaceous

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Triassic

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Gold
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Feldspar

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Comments

Comment (Identification): This record includes material from MRDS record M060377, an earlier record for the deposit.

Comment (Location): The mine is located one mile south of Weaver Hill.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: cerargyrite, gold; free gold; chalcopyrite, galena, copper oxides

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, pyrite, sericite, potassium feldspar

Comment (Deposit): Quartz stockwork is abundant, sericitization is locally prevalent, but K-spar-quartz alteration predominates in most rock. Sheeting in rhyolite averages N20E, dip 75 SW. Locally some flat structures with abundant sericite dip as low as 15 degrees. Mineralized zones in Weaver Rhyolite follow the N20E, 75SW trend of sheeting. Quartz-sulfide stockworks are abundant and presumably control ore distribution. Both oxide copper and chalcopyrite occur but are not abundant. More than 99% of the ore in the pit is oxidized. Sulfide is more abundant in the old pit along the contact lode. Ore averages between 1-2 ounces of silver per ton with a tace of gold. Unoxidized rock contains abundant disseminated pyrite, minor chalcopyrite, and some sulfides in quartz veinlets and arsenic sulfide stockworks.

Comment (Economic Factors): In 2002, Nevada Packard contained reserves of 6 million tons grading 2.1 opt silver and 0.009 opt gold in a similar geologic environment to the Rochester area. Coeur?s Nevada Packard Deposit hosts reserves of 9.5 million ounces of silver (2004).

Comment (Geology): The silver values are reportedly shallow (to about 30 feet). Silver reportedly occurs in haloids, but there is no modern study to prove this.

Comment (Development): Nevada Packard is an old mining area that was mined between the 1890s and 1970s. Ore was discovered on the historic Nevada Packard mine property in 1912, but the workings closed down in 1923. After a test heap leach of 100,000 tons of both newly-mined and dump material was done in 1981, Lodestar Energy announced in 1983 that it would be conducting a heap-leach operation at the Nevada Packard property. Full-scale production of 750,000 tons/year was slated to begin in July 1983. In October, 1983, Lodestar announced that they would be pouring 5000 ounces of silver a week in November. The open pit heap leach mine was leased to D. Z. Exploration of Bozeman, MT and Nevada Packard joint venture of Lovelock, NV. In Sept, 1984, the project was in caretaker status with attempts being made to find joint venture partner or lessees. Coeur Rochester identified Nevada Packard as a viable ore body target in 1995 and acquired the property in 1999 as a low cost silver reserve with expansion potential. In 2000 Coeur drilled 73 holes totaling 23,920 feet, extending the known mineralization laterally and at depth. Drilling expanded the reserves, and also encountered a couple of high-grade intervals just south of the existing pit. Production was scheduled to begin in 2002. Coeur's Nevada Packard mine expansion was approved by the BLM in 2003. During exploration, it was discovered that the mine had become home to a species of bats called Townsend's big-eared bats. Coeur began relocating the bats, under the leadership of its environmental management department, and won awards for the program.

Comment (Workings): The Nevada Packard Mine was developed by a series of drift tunnels, a number of large open cuts and shafts; several small open pits, and heap leach pads.

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References

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): SEG Newsletter, April 2001.

Reference (Deposit): Newmont website, 2004

Reference (Deposit): Crafford, A.E.J. (ed.), 2003, GSN Road Log 44, Coal Canyon Road East from I80 Exit 112.

Reference (Deposit): Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation 2000 Annual Report

Reference (Deposit): Harvey, David, Chadwick, Thomas, and Krewedl, Dieter, 2002, Geology and Mineralization in the Rochester and Nevada Packard Deposits, in Geological Society of Nevada Fall 2002 Field Trip Guidebook, Precious Metals Deposits of the Humboldt Range, New Discoveries in an Old District; GSN Special Publication No. 36.

Reference (Deposit): Johnson, M.G., 1977, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Pershing County, Nevada: NBMG Bull. 89

Reference (Deposit): Knopf, A., 1924, Geology and Ore Deposits of Rochester District, Nevada: USGS Bull. 762

Reference (Deposit): Schrader, F.C., 1914, Rochester Mining District, Nevada: in USGS Bull. 580

Reference (Deposit): Sirdevan, 1913, Notes on the Packard Group, NBMG District File 291, Item 5.

Reference (Deposit): Shamberger, H. A., 1973, Rochester: Historic Mining Camps of Nevada, Vol. 4.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Mining District File 291, Press Clippings.

Reference (Deposit): Bonham, H. F., Jr., 13 Sep 84, NBMG Field Examination and Sample Analyses.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Staff, 1985, NBMG OFR 85-3.

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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.