Wilson and Wheeler Mine Area

Site Name

Primary: Wilson and Wheeler Mine Area
Secondary: Pine Grove
Secondary: Telluride Claims

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Lyon
District: Wilson 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.
Administrative Organization: Toiyabe National Forest

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Inmet Mining Corp.
Info Year: 2001

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: pluton-related ;shear zone
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1870
Year Last Production: 1899
Discovery Year: 1866
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: Plutonic porphyry Au

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Orebody

Form: lenses, stringers; tabular

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Structure

Type: L
Description: NW-trending fault. sheared graniorite cut by dikes of granite porphyry and capped bt Tertiary rhyolite.

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

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

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

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

Name: Monzonite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Cretaceous

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Limonite

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Comments

Comment (Deposit): Ore bodies occur as quartz stringers and lenses in zones of intense crushing and alteration that cut the quartz monzonite. For about 200 feet south of the main fault the quartz monzonite is crushed and altered to a dark gray rock. Sulfide ore is 95% pyrite with a little chalcopyrite. Ore is richest in oxidized zone near surface. Ore occcurs as lenses and stringers associated with a sheared fault zone. Vein material is a pyrite-rich replacement ore. There are two distinct phases of granitic rock, with the mineralization associated with the darker dioritic phase, along shears. Pyrite was said to be an indicator of good gold values. Ore occurs in a 200-foot wide crushed and altered zone south of main fault (N60W trending) in quartz monzonite.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: pyrite, chalcopyrite

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite, limonite

Comment (Geology): Ore bodies occur as quartz stringers and lenses in a zone of intense crushing and alteration, about 200 ft. Wide, that cuts the quartz monzonite. Crushed & altered zone is just south of the main fault where the quartz monzonite is altered to a dark-gray, almost black rock. Sulfides constitute the ore and is 95% pyrite with some chalcopyrite. Ore is richest in oxidized zone near the surface.

Comment (Development): The Wheeler Mine was discovered shortly after the Wilson Mine in 1866, and both were worked intermittently after the discovery. A total of 6,038 tons of ore with a gross value of $165,9111 was produced between 1873 and 1878. the basal vitrophyre of the rhyolite was used as a marker horizon by the early miners as the upward limit to the mineralization. In the 1980s, Mr. J.W. Cavanaugh installed a small pilot heap leach to treat the oxide and sulfide ores on the historic dumps of the mines. Teck Resources of Canada was leasing and developing the property in the 1990s including some underground work. In 1994, it was reported that Regeena Resources planned to conduct exploration in the Teck/Silver Standard Pine Grove property. Teck had spent $2.2 million on the property outlining a geologic resource of 2.5 million tons averaging 0.061 oz Au/ton in two zones. Silver Standard had an agreement to acquire the property from Teck, and, Regeena, in turn, could earn half of Silver Standard's interest by spending $2.5 million over four years. Exploration, including infill drilling,was expected to start shortly. In 1997, several closed adits south of the old camp of Pine Grove were opened in preparation for exploration. In the Rockland area, about a mile south of the Wilson/Wheeler Mines, Inmet Mining (US) had an approved mining plan for drilling and exploration road building. Inmet still held the property in 2001. See http://www.romarco.com/main.asp?section=properties&page=pgsummary for 2006 report on Pine Grove property

Comment (Economic Factors): A total of 6,038 tons of ore with a gross value of 165,9111 was produced between 1873 and 1878 from the Wheeler Mine. Between 1870 and 1899, 7,623 tons of ore was mined from the Wilson Mine, yielding $220,368.a Teck Resources outlined a geologic resource of 2.5 million tons averaging 0.061 ounces per ton gold in two zones.

Comment (Workings): The Wheeler Mine was developed by 3 irregular tunnels and connecting stopes, raises and chutes. The mine area is developed by numerous adits, pits and shafts. There are about 3 miles of underground workings, many interconnected from 5 shafts and a half dozen adits. Some newer bulldozing and trenching was done in the 1980s-1990s.

Comment (Identification): All material in earlier MRDS records M232540, W002907, M232539 and M035825 has been incorporated into the current record, as well as additional new information. See http://www.romarco.com/main.asp?section=properties&page=pgsummary for 2006 report on Pine Grove property - -update record

Comment (Location): The mine area is located on both sides of Pine Grove Canyon in the Pine Grove Hills.

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References

Reference (Deposit): Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Plan of Operation Notice, 5/2/97

Reference (Deposit): Koschmann, A. H. and Bergendahl, M. H., 1968, Principal Gold Producing Districts of the United States; USGS Prof. Paper 610, p. 187-188.

Reference (Deposit): Raymond, R. W., 1869, Mineral Resources of States and Territories West of the Rocky Mountains: Washington, D.C., p. 116.

Reference (Deposit): Moore, J.G.,1969, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Lyon, Douglas and Ormsby Counties, Nevada; NBMG Bull 75. Hill, 1912, Mining Districts of the Western United States, USGS Bull 507.

Reference (Deposit): Quade, Jack, 1989, Telluride Claims, Wilson Mining District, Lyon County, NBMG Site Visit 6/14/89, NBMG Unpublished Mining District Files .

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): NBMG MI-1997

Reference (Deposit): Northern Miner, 7/11/94.

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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.