Candelaria Mine

Site Name

Primary: Candelaria Mine
Secondary: Candelaria Partners Mine
Secondary: Lucky Hill pit
Secondary: Mount Diablo pit
Secondary: Northern Belle pit

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Commodity

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

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Mineral
District: Candelaria District

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Land Status

Land ownership: Private
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: Silver Standard Resources
Info Year: 2004

Owner Name: Silver Standard Resources and the company's subsidiary, Candelaria Mining Company
Info Year: 2004

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: vein/shear zone
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1864
Year Last Production: 1999
Discovery Year: 1863
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Distal disseminated Ag-Au

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Orebody

Form: veins, veinlets, lenses, shoots

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Golconda thrust, Pickhandle Gulch thrust, and thrust-related Lower Candelaria shear. Area rocks have been subjected to a successive sequence of recurrent faulting. folding and faulting, with resultant deformationin the Walker Lane structural zone.

Type: L
Description: Pickhandle Gulch Thrust; Candelaria Shear, Alpha, Beta, Bigfoot, East Diablo, County Line and Eastern faults all cut rocks in the mine area. Areas of greatest structural discontinuity coincide with most intense rock alteration and the greatest number of veins.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Some rocks are sericitized, carbonatized, argillized and silicified due to hydrothermal action pre-dating or accompanying ore deposition.

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Rocks

Name: Sandstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Mississippian
Age Old: Early Triassic

Name: Shale
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Early Triassic

Name: Dolomite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Permian

Name: Chert
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Ordovician

Name: Ultramafic Intrusive Rock
Role: Host
Description: altered
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mississippian
Age Old: Early Triassic

Name: Mafic Metamorphic Rock
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mississippian
Age Old: Early Triassic

Name: Felsic Volcanic Rock
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Triassic

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Permian

Name: Argillite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Ordovician

Name: Ultramafic Intrusive Rock
Role: Associated
Description: altered
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Mississippian
Age Old: Early Triassic

Name: Mafic Metamorphic Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Mississippian
Age Old: Early Triassic

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Silver
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Barite
Ore: Tourmaline
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Bindheimite
Ore: Jamesonite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Acanthite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Jarosite
Gangue: Quartz

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Comments

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: mainly native silver and cerargyrite, with minor argentiferous galena, acanthite, tetrahedritr, covellite, jamesonite, bindheimite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite

Comment (Deposit): Ore occurs as vein deposits. Varieties of veins found in the district include: 1) quartz veins 1 to 12 inches thick 2) silver-bearing veins with some quartz or dolomite gangue occurring along mineralized faults (these were the most productive) 3) tourmaline-copper-bearing veins developed along faults where fault features have been obliterated ( unproductive ) 4) barite veins. Some veins are broken by complex fissures. The veins are variably concordant or discordant with the country rock. Sixty five percent of the open pit ore is hosted by the Candelaria Formation in areas deformed by the lower Candelaria Shear. About a quarter of the ore is related to the Pickhandle Gulch thrust fault and is hosted by the altered mafic and ultamafic rocks of the Pickhandle Gulch complex. Historically, the grade of the ore diminished with depth. The orebodies are variably oxidized, associated within an east-trending stockwork vein system within the Candelaria Shear which is generally parallel to the bedding of the host Candelaria Formation. The main orebodies vary from 80 to 120 feet (24 to 37 metres) in thickness. There was some limited turquoise production in the district. The tourmaliniferous nature of the ore is indicative of high temperature formation.

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, tourmaline, manganiferous ferrodolomite, barite, pyrite, iron oxide, jarosite

Comment (Identification): This is a new record for the Candelaria Mine significant deposit. It incorporates all pertinent material from earlier record for Candelaria #W016422 which may be kept in the database for historic mine production and development data. The current project area encompasses a broader area.

Comment (Location): The Candelaria mine is located in the Candelaria Hills, about 15 miles south of Mina.

Comment (Workings): Two pits, the Lucky Mill and Mount Ddiablo, were being mined at the time of examination in 1984. The mine plan called for the merging of the two into a single pit which was to, on completion, measure 4000 ft by 1200 ft by 400 ft deep. Kinross mined from teh northern Belle pit in the 1990s. Ore was crushed, agglomerated and heap-leached, precipitated, dried, and smelted into dore.

Comment (Economic Factors): The Candelaria Mine has been an intermittent producer since 1864 with total production of 68 million ounces of silver. Modern-day production has been about 42 million ounces of silver from 1982 to 1999. At the time theat Silver Standard took over the propertyin 2002, there were remaining reserves, measured and indicated, of 13,623,000 tonnes grading 3.23 opt silver and 0.003 opt gold for a total of 44 million ounces of silver and 40000 ounces of gold. There was an additional inferred resource of 55,681,000 tonnes grading 1.49 opt silver and 0.002 opt gold, totalling 82.8 million ounces of silver and 10,000 ounces of gold.

Comment (Geology): The horizon most favorable to veins is just above the Diablo grit bed, and comprises the lower part of the Candelaria Formation but ore formed in other horizons in the district as well.

Comment (Development): The Candelaria Mine has been an intermittent producer since 1864 from high-grade silver vein deposits. In 1976, Congden and Carey (CoCa mines) and Occidental Minerals formed a partnership to explore the Candelaria District, long known to have large tonnages of unexploited ore remaining near the surface. After 4 years of exploration and feasibility studies, the mine opened in 1980. Depressed silver prices forced closure of the mine in 1982. Silver prices rose again and Occidental Minerals was bought out by Nerco Minerals Co. which reopened the mine in Feb 1983, and continued to mine the deposit through the 1980s. The mine was being operated as an active open pit mine in 1983, with crushing, screening, and heap leach operations, employing a total of 154 persons. Kinross acquired the property in 1994 through a merger and mined the Northern Belle open pit until it began to close the mine in 1997 and metal recovery from the heaps stopped in January 1999. Kinross completed reclamation and closure activities at the site in 2002. Also in 2002, Kinross transferred ownership of the Candelaria Mine to Silver Standard Resources. The facility was essentially in post-closure monitoring status at the time the transaction was completed. In 2004, Silver Standard was arranging required reclamation bonding and transfer of all operating and environmental permits to the company's subsidiary, Candelaria Mining Company. Silver Standard had undertaken metallurgical and engineering scoping studies to assess the capital costs and minimum silver prices for production. Much higher silver recoveries could be generated with completion of a conventional mill whose economics become increasingly attractive with higher silver prices. The company placed the property on a care-and-maintenance basis until silver prices improve.

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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): Thomson B. ; Fallick A.E. ; Boyce A.J. ; Rice C. , 2000, The Candelaria silver deposit, Nevada - preliminary sulphur, oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry , in Mineralium Deposita 29, no.4 (1994) p. 318-329.

Reference (Deposit): Chavez, William X, Jr; Purusotam, Shrestha, 1988, Precious metal and ore-associated mineralogy of the Candelaria silver mine, Mineral County, Nevada; in Bulk mineable precious metal deposits of the Western United States; symposium proceedings, Schafer, Robert W; Cooper, James J; Vikre, Peter G., eds

Reference (Deposit): Moeller, Stuart A , 1988, Geology and mineralization in the Candelaria District, Mineral County, Nevada; in Bulk mineable precious metal deposits of the Western United States; symposium proceedings, Schafer, Robert W; Cooper, James J; Vikre, Peter G., eds.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG District File 195 Item 2, Candelaria Partners Mine Tour Booklet, 1983.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG District File 195, Press Clippings.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1983, Map 84, Map 91, 1st, 2nd, 3rd

Reference (Deposit): Active Mines and Oil Fields, 1983,State Division of Mine Inspection, Directory of Nevada Mine Operations Active During Calendar Year 1983.

Reference (Deposit): Moeller, Stuart, A., 1986, in GSN 1986 Fall Field Trip Guide

Reference (Deposit): Moeller, Stuart, A., 1988, in GSN Symposium Technical Volume p.135.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, MI-1993-2002

Reference (Deposit): Nevada Division of Minerals, 1994

Reference (Deposit): Knopf, Adolf, 1922 , The Candelaria Silver District, Nev., Contributions to Economic Geology, USGS Bull. 735 .

Reference (Deposit): Page, B. M., 1959 , Geology of the Candelaria Mining District, Mineral Co., Nev., NBMG Bull. 56 .

Reference (Deposit): Ross, D. C., 1961 , Geology and Mineral Deposits of Mineral Co., Nev., NBMG Bull. 58 .

Reference (Deposit): Tingley, J. V., 1983, Field Examination, 10/1/83

Reference (Deposit): Thomson,B., Aftalion., M, McIntyre, R.M., and Rice, C., 1995, Geochronology and tectonic setting of silicic dike swarms and related silver mineralization at Candelaria, western Nevada; Bulletin of the Society of Economic Geologists, vol. 90, no. 8, pp. 2182-2196

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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.