Sullivan Mine

Site Name

Primary: Sullivan Mine
Secondary: Delaware Mine
Secondary: Cuervo Property
Secondary: Cuervo Gold
Secondary: Inc. Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Nye
District: Fairplay 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: Tonopah BLM District

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Arimetco International, Inc.
Info Year: 1999

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1996
Year Last Production: 1998
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: Porphyry Cu
Model Name: Epithermal vein, generic

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Orebody

Form: tabular to blanket

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Structure

Type: L
Description: faults

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification of host rocks.

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Rocks

Name: Metavolcanic Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Triassic

Name: Porphyry
Role: Host
Description: quartz monzonite
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Cretaceous

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Host
Description: porphyry
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Cretaceous

Name: Sedimentary Rock
Role: Associated
Description: fine-grained clastic
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Triassic

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Gold

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Comments

Comment (General): *****SEE related deposits: Paradise Peak Mine-Deposit ID 10310352 Paradise Peak/Ketchup Flats-Deposit ID 10198457

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: Native gold, copper minerals

Comment (Economic Factors): In 1987 reserves were reported as: 10.2 million tons of ore grading 0.039 opt gold, 0.086 opt silver and 0.37% copper. In 1988: proven reserves of 10.8 million tons, plus probable reserves of 2.7 million tons grading 0.025 opt gold. In 1995, proven and possible were 17 million tons grading 0.34% copper, 0.0255 opt gold plus 8.5 million tons grading 0.32% copper.

Comment (Identification): This mine area encompasses the ground described in earlier MRDS record M231587 and adjacent areas.

Comment (Workings): Early work consisted of a 60-ft inclined shaft with "dog-holes" off the shaft, made by lessees. More recent activity has been by open pit-heap leach methods.

Comment (Development): Sullivan was an early gold mine or prospect in the Fairplay District with an unknown amount of production. It had sporadic activity and was owned by Nevada Co. of Reno in 1951. In 1987, Glamis Gold Ltd., announced a reserve of about 10 million tons of ore grading 0.039 ounces of gold per ton, 0.086 ounces of silver per ton, and 0.37 % copper. Glamis? attempts to operate the mine profitably were unsuccessful. In 1995, Arimetco International acquired the Sullivan property and adjacent claims from Omega Resources and concluded the purchase of the nearby Paradise Peak operation from FMC Gold. Paradise Peak's main asset was its gold processing plant, with nearly all operating permits active. Arimetco planned to use the facility to process residual gold ore at Paradise Peak as well as gold-copper ore from the Sullivan orebody, 2.3 miles away. The Sullivan deposit contained at that time proven and probable reserves of 17 million tons of oxide ore grading 0.34% copper and 0.0255 opt gold, plus another 8.5 million tons grading 0.32% copper. At least another 2 million tons of ore at similar grades was possible. Arimetco began mining and leaching of residual ores located on the Paradise Peak property in 1996, with plans to treat the Sullivan mine ore in 1997. The plan at that time was to mine 70,000 tons of ore per week from Sullivan to be processed at Paradise Peak, producing 18 million pounds of cathode copper and 70,000 oz of gold per year, in addition to heap-leach gold production at Paradise Peak. Arimetco declared bankruptcy in 1999 and no production from the Sullivan mine was recorded. The mine has remained idle since that time.

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: iron oxides after pyrite

Comment (Deposit): Earlier mined deposits were epithermal quartz veins, stringers, and pods. The more recently mined deposit is a porphyry copper deposit. Ore is contained in vein stockworks hosted by Cretaceous quartz monzonite porphyry that intrudes Triassic metamorphosed volcanic rocks and fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock.

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References

Reference (Deposit): Struhsacker, Eric, guidebook editor, 1994, Geological Society of Nevada Special Publication #20, Gold Deposits of the Central Walker Lane, Nevada: mineralization Style and Mine Closure Planning.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MI-1995-2004

Reference (Deposit): Denver Mining Record, 12/6/95, 12/13/95.

Reference (Deposit): Pay Dirt, 10/1/95

Reference (Deposit): SMR, 2/17/96.

Reference (Deposit): Pay Dirt, 4/1/96

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): Kleinhampl, F.J. and Ziony, J.I., 1984, Mineral Resources of Northern Nye Co.: Nev. Bur. of Mines and Geology, Bull. 99B.

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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.