Wind Mountain Mine

Site Name

Primary: Wind Mountain Mine
Secondary: North Wind
Secondary: Breeze
Secondary: Sed Claims

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Clay
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Sulfur

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Washoe
District: San Emidio Desert 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: Carson City BLM Administrative District

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Kinross Gold Corp.
Info Year: 2004

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: bedded; hydrothermal breccia; hot springs; other; epithermal
Operation Type: Surface
Year First Production: 1989
Year Last Production: 1994
Discovery Year: 1988
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: Hot-spring Au-Ag

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Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

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Structure

Type: L
Description: There is a major north-striking fault zone dipping steeply west on the western margin of the Lake Range which has hosted extensive hydrothermal alteration and the Wind Mountain Gold Deposit. Two large faults striking N25E bound Breeze Canyon, a small graben, 400 m NW of Wind Mountain. A conjugate system of N30E and N30W- striking high angle, south dipping normal faults cut the entire property. These faults intersect and have broken the mountain into several fault blocks which have been rotated progressively westward from north to south.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alteration at Wind Mountain consists of iron-oxide and jarosite staining, argillization, silicification, and acid leaching. Iron-oxide and jarosite staining is the most visually striking characteristic of the Wind Mountain deposit. Strongly argillized rocks occur in an area exceeding 6.5 square km. The clay minerals of 15 samples of intensely argillized rock average 60% montmorillonite, 30% illite, 10% kaolinite, strongly silicified rocks (>70% silica) comprise a zone 100 meters wide and 1700 meters long at the central core and west side of Wind Mountain. About 10% of this silica is light blue colored opaline rock. At least 80% of the silicified rocks consist of dense, hard, crystalline alpha-quartz. Silicified rocks are best developed along high-angle faults (e.g. Wind Mountain fault). Stratiform silicified zones extend over 300 meters from the Wind Mountain fault and generally thin away from the structure. Native sulfur is common in acid leached zones. Three such acid leached zones are recognized, one of which overlies the west side of the Wind Mountain orebody.

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Rocks

Name: Tuff
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Middle Miocene

Name: Basalt
Role: Associated
Description: lava flows
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Middle Miocene

Name: Dacite
Role: Associated
Description: lava flows
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Middle Miocene

Name: Basalt
Role: Host
Description: minor subaqueous flow
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Sedimentary Rock
Role: Host
Description: terrace deposits
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Siltstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Conglomerate
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Sedimentary Breccia
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Miocene

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Sedimentary Rock
Role: Associated
Description: mudflow
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Middle Miocene

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Middle Miocene

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Montmorillonite
Ore: Electrum
Ore: Hematite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Calcite
Ore: Travertine
Ore: Chalcedony
Ore: Opal
Ore: Sulfur
Ore: Alunite
Ore: Clay
Ore: Mandarinoite
Ore: Jarosite
Ore: Goethite
Ore: Kaolinite
Ore: Illite
Ore: Cinnabar
Gangue: Silica

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Comments

Comment (Geology): The Wind Mountain Mine is located at the NE edge of the San Emidio Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA). Temperatures exceeding 100 degrees C have been encountered over an area of 26 square km. Ormat Energy Systems, Inc. operates a geothermal power plant 7 km south of the mine. Native sulfur and cinnabar occur in a 200 ft. wide strongly argillized zone in Quaternary gravels for 7 km along the range front south of Wind Mountain..

Comment (Identification): This is an updated record including all data from MRDS record RE00016 which has been deleted, and from MRDS record M242963.

Comment (Development): The earliest prospectors were probably prehistoric indians who collected silica chips for toolmaking. The first mining claims were staked in the area around 1900. Old prospect pits indicate that native sulfur, cinnabar, and opal were of principal interest. Minor quantities of gold and silver were discovered in the 1930s and several adits and prospects were excavated in a small area 1 km SSE of Wind Mountain. Prospecting activities for sulfur, cinnabar, gold, silver, and montmorillonite continued through the 1970s. In 1979, TMB Associates staked the core claim block. Amax Exploration, inc., leased the property in 1980 and drilled 10 holes. Holes A-3 and A-4 intersected a zone 76 meters thick that averaged 0.79 gpt gold and 25 gpt silver. Amax relinquished the property in 1982 due to the overall low gold values and apparent small size of the mineralized area. Santa Fe Pacific Mining Co. and Chevron Resources Co. held parts of the property from 1983 to 1986, and drilled 31 and 7 holes, respectively. No significant new mineralized zones were encountered and the property was returned to the owners. Amax reevaluated the property in 1986 and reacquired the property in 1987 and drilled 28 widely spaced reverse circulation holes and 4 core holes in 1987. Holes A-28 and A-31, spaced 122 meters apart on the top of the mountain, intersected 78 meters of 0.99 gpt gold and 16.6 gpt silver and 78 meters of 0.93 gpt gold and 21.5 gpt silver, respectively. Each of these holes contained 1.5 meter thick intercepts of 161 gpt gold and 44.5 gpt gold, respectively. 105 additional holes were drilled in 1988. An orebody containing 13.7 million metric tons grading 0.72 gpt gold and 11.4 gpt silver was defined by June 1988, and the decision to develop the mine was made. In 1989, 188 drill holes totalling 20,591 meters were completed. Mine construction was delayed to Jnuary 1989, pending completion of an archaeological mitigation survey. ; econ.com: cash operating costs were $265/oz gold in 1989 and $197/oz gold in 1990. Total operating costs (including depreciation and amortization) were $372/oz gold in 1989 and $310/oz gold in 1990. The precipitate product from heap leaching was transported to AMAX Sleeper mine for processing into dore. Mining ceased in 1992, but continued to produce from the heap leach pads for a couple of years following that. Kinross Gold Co. acquired the property and advanced it to post-closure status.

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, vuggy silica, clay, alunite, native sulfur, opal, chalcedony, travertine, calcite, pyrite, hematite, goethite, jarosite, mandarinoite

Comment (Economic Factors): Pre-mining reserves in 1988 were reported as 15 milion tons of ore gradihng 0.021 opt gold and 0.42 opt Ag. The mine produced in 1989 and 1991 to 1994. A total of 22 milion tons of ore was placed on two heap leach pads. Recorded production from the mine was a total of 196,160 ounces of gold and 1,130,033 ounces of silver.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: electrum, cinnabar

Comment (Location): The mine is located on the NW flank of the Lake Range, on the southern portion of a 7000-ft. long N-S-trending ridge that is bounded on the west by the San Emidio Desert.

Comment (Deposit): The deposit formed in a near-surface environment from a hot spring type geothermal system. Individual beds range from 5 cm to 1 m thick. Several small subaqueous basalt or basaltic andesite flows are interbedded with siltstone and shaley lakebeds. 2-3 sq km of Pliocene tuffaceous and volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks are argillized and silicified. A small hill on the property is capped by strongly silicified material, probably subaqueous spring sinter as well as some lenses of light gray chalcedony. Hydrothermal stockwork breccias occur at several localities, the largest is a zone 40 m wide and extends 600 m along a N20W normal fault and the Lake Range fault. Three major gold mineralized zones have been defined by drilling; the Wind Mountain orebody and the currently subeconomic North Wind and Breeze gold zones. The Ag:Au ratio is approx. 15:1. Metallurgical testing indicates that gold occurs on microfracture surfaces and is not encapsulated by silica, suggesting gold deposition postdates most of the silicification. The clay used to construct heap leach pads, etc. was mined on site from zones of argillization. The clay may have potential for further development.

Comment (Workings): The mine was developed as an open-pit, cyanide heap leach..

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References

Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, September 7, 1988, "Amax Gold Proceeding With Wind Mountain Project."

Reference (Deposit): Pay Dirt, July 1988, "Amax Gold Sets New Nevada Mine."

Reference (Deposit): Wood, J.D., 1991, Geology Of The Wind Mountain Gold Deposit, Washoe County, Nevada, in Raines, G.L., et al., eds., Geology and Ore Deposits of the Great Basin: The Geological Society of Nevada, Reno, p. 1051-1061.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1991, The Nevada Minerals Industry - 1990: NBMG Special Publication MI-1990.

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

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

Reference (Deposit): Amax Gold Inc. Annual Report, 1989

Reference (Deposit): California Mining Journal, Oct. 1989

Reference (Deposit): Nevada Dept. of Minerals, 1994

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): Kinross Gold website.

Reference (Deposit): Garside, L.J., 1983, NBMG Field Examination and Sample Analysis.

Reference (Deposit): Amax Gold, Inc., 1988, Environmental Assessment, The Wind Mountain Project.

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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.