Santa Fe Gold Project

Site Name

Primary: Santa Fe Gold Project
Secondary: Calvada Mine Area
Secondary: Santa Fe Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Arsenic
Secondary: Antimony
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Thallium
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Mineral
District: Santa Fe mining 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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Barrick Gold Corp.
Info Year: 2005

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: fault zone; Disseminated, epithermal, replacement in breccia fill
Operation Type: Surface
Year First Production: 1988
Year Last Production: 1995
Discovery Year: 1960
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: Sediment-hosted Au

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Orebody

Form: tabular

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Walker Lane

Type: L
Description: The Santa Fe Fault forms the contact between the Luning Formation and Mickey Pass Tuff and consists of a breccia zone up to 125 meters wide.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Argillization, decalcification, silicification, carbonaceous alteration, propylitization are the dominant styles of alteration present.. Stearns (1982) proposes 3 separate pulses of hydrothermal alteration within the Santa Fe Fault zone. These events are 1) early quartz-sericite-kaolinite alternation known as "white breccia clasts", 2) main stage carbonaceous, jasperoid, and stockwork veining, and 3) late stage hydrothermal leaching. Au-Ag deposition is associated with the second (main) event. Jasperoids are commonly very pyritic.

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Rocks

Name: Rhyodacite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age in Years: 70.000000+-
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Metamorphic Rock
Role: Host
Description: jasperoid
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

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

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Electrum
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Zinkenite
Ore: Boulangerite
Ore: Heteromorphite
Ore: Twinnite
Ore: Miargyrite
Ore: Freibergite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Stibnite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Chalcedony
Gangue: Jasper
Gangue: Marcasite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Realgar

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Comments

Comment (Geology): Mineralization was Miocene 19.5+/- 0.6 Ma? from K-Ar date in replacement alunite in Guild Mine member of Mickey Pass Tuff, 5 miles NE of Santa Fe Mine. The relevance of this date to the Santa Fe Mine is questioned by Albino (1992).

Comment (Identification): All pertinent material has been incorporated from individual MRDS records for the patented claims that make up the current project: M242955; M035627

Comment (Location): The Santa Fe Gold Project is located on the east flank of Todd Mountain, in the southern part of the Gabbs Valley Range. just south of Highway 361, NE of Luning.

Comment (Workings): The mine was developed as an open pit/heap leach operation. was pit developed to a depth of 140 feep as of June 1990.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: micron to sub-micron grains of electrum in pyrite; freibergite, stibioenargite, miargyrite, twinnite, heteromorphite, boulangerite, zinckenite, chalcopyrite, scheelite, sphalerite, galena

Comment (Development): The claims were first staked by n the early 1960s. Cordero Mining Co. completed a geological and geochemical sampling program in the early 1960s. Callahan Mining completed a 3300 ft. EM survey in 1968. The property was optioned to Bell Mountain Silver Mines in 1971, and two diamond drill holes were completed. In 1973, the property was optioned to Westley Mines, Ltd., who optioned the property to Bethlehem Mines in 1974. Bethlehem Copper completed an extensive exploration program. In 1978, Inco optioned the property from Westley and drilled one hole. In 1979, Ventures West Mineral Ltd. optioned the property from Westley. Ventures West Mineral Ltd. purchased Westley Mines Ltd. in 1981. Corona's involvement at Santa Fe dates from October 1983, when Lacana Gold Inc., one of Corona's predecessor companies, entered into a JV agreement with Westley and Brican Resources to explore the property. A feasibility study was completed in late 1985, which did not lead to a production decision. In mid-1986, Lacana purchased Westley's and Brican's interests. Further drilling and metallurgical studies by Lacana were incorporated into a new feasibility study which led to a production decision in December 1987. Construction began in February 1988 and the first gold was poured August 18, 1988. The mijne operated until 1995. Homestake Mining owned it in the late 1990s and Barrick Gold acquired the Santa Fe gold property in its takeover of Homestake.

Comment (Economic Factors): In 1990 the reported resource was 6.8 million tons grading 0.035 ounces of gold per ton and 0.241 ounces of silver per ton. Santa Fe gold mine production from 1989 to 1995 was 345,499 ounces of gold and 710,629 ounces of silver.

Comment (Commodity): Commodity Info: Overall Ag:Au ratio is approx. 5:1.

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, pyrite, marcasite, jasper, chalcedony, carbonaceous material, sericite, kaolinite, stibnite, hematite, barite, calcite, limonite, realgar,

Comment (Deposit): Strike and dip are for the breccia associated with the Santa Fe Fault zone. Plunge is for the main jasperoid which forms a pipe-like body approx. 120 meters in diameter within the Santa Fe Fault zone. Low grade Au/Ag mineralization occurs in sheeted and pipe-like orebodies within a 50 to 400- foot wide, steeply dipping fault breccia in carbonate rocks. Sulfide mineralization present in volcanics at 300 ft. depth, but not considered reserves. Disseminated, epithermal, replacement in breccia fill. Stibnite in jasperoid seems to be a good indicator of high grade gold. Very limited microprobe data suggest that gold may be in solid solution in pyrite. Au and/or Au-Ag tellurides may be present. Overall Ag:Au ratio is approx. 5:1. Rare chalcopyrite and scheelite are present

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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): Fianacca, Mike, 1987, GSN Bulk Mineable Precious Metals Symposium Field Trip Guidebook and Technical Volume and GSN 1986 Fall Field Trip Guidebook.

Reference (Deposit): Bonham, H.F., 1988, NBMG MI-1987.

Reference (Deposit): Bonham, H.F., 1986, NBMG Map 91.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Mining District File #207, press clippings.

Reference (Deposit): Stearns, S.W., 1982, Disseminated Epithermal Precious Metals in the Santa Fe District, Mineral County, NV: MS Thesis, Stanford Univ.

Reference (Deposit): Albino, G.V., Giles, D.A., Janney, D.W., Kurrasch, D., 1990, Geology of the Santa Fe Gold Deposit, Mineral County, Nevada, in Buffa, R.H., and Coyner, A.R., eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin - Field Trip Guidebook Compendium, The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 494-502

Reference (Deposit): Mining Journal/Montagu Mining Finance, 8/10/91, Mining Data Base.

Reference (Deposit): Lowe, N.T., et al., Principal Deposits of Strategic and Critical Minerals in Nevada, USBM Information Circular 9035, p. 164.

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

Reference (Deposit): Corona Corp, 1989

Reference (Deposit): Nevada Division of Minerals, 1994

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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.