Mill Canyon Property

The Mill Canyon Property is a gold mine located in Lander county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,988 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Mill Canyon Property
Secondary: Emma E. Claim
Secondary: Mill Canyon Mine
Secondary: Chute
Secondary: Open Cut target
Secondary: Scorpion King target

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Iron

Location

State: Nevada
County: Lander
District: Cortez District

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: Battle Mountain BLM Administrative District

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Victoria Resource Corp.
Info Year: 2004

Owner Name: Victoria Resource Corp. & Bema Gold
Info Year: 2004

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: fissure vein
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1938
Year Last Production: 1940
Discovery Year: 1938
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins
Model Name: Skarn Au
Model Name: Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag

Orebody

Form: tabular

Structure

Type: R
Description: Roberts Mountains Thrust; Cortez Window

Type: L
Description: North-trending shear zones

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: silicification and bleaching of carbonate rock near fissure veins

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Devonian

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Quartz
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Orpiment
Ore: Realgar
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Economic Factors): In 2004 reserves for an unnamed gold skarn resource at the Mill Canyon project were reported at 75 kilotonnes of ore grading 0.917 opt gold. At the same time, reserves for the Chute orebody located about a kilometer to the southeast were reported at 240 kilotonnes of ore grading 0.132 opt Au. Total reserves for the Mill Canyon project in 2004 were 100,455 contained ounces of gold. There was a small amount of production from the Mill Canyon historic mine in the 1900s-1930s. From 1938-40 there was reported production of 23,375 tons of ore valued at $386,949. From 1939-40 the mine produced 19,528 tons of ore containing 8,822 ounces of gold and 30,260 ounces of silver.

Comment (Development): Victoria Resource Corp. acquired the Mill Canyon property along with the Hilltop-Slaven and Preble-Prinson properties from Newmont early in 2003. Victoria planned a drilling project on the Mill Canyon property which is adjacent to the old Cortez and Horse Canyon Mines and 1.6 kilometres east of Placer Dome's recently announced 5.5 million ounce Cortez Hills gold discovery. Drlling was planned to test the northwest extension of the "Horse Canyon Corridor" which hosts the Horse Canyon mine and other active exploration drilling areas to the southeast. Victoria plans to commence a drill program at Mill Canyon in the fall of 2003 pending the receipt of drill permits. In Jan. 2004, Victoria Resource Corporation announced initial diamond drill results from the Mill Canyon Property in Nevada. 2004 drilling at the Mill Canyon Project concentrated on the Open Cut target which is believed to be in a structurally similar environment to the Cortez Mine and the Cortez Hills discovery. A total of 5 holes totaling 935 metres have been drilled to date and assay results have been received from 3 of the 5 holes. Hole OC-5 encountered four separate intercepts of "Carlin Style" gold mineralization which are: 3.1 metres of 26.38 grams per tonne gold (g/t), 8.8 metres of 16.83 g/t gold, 26.2 metres of 3.82 g/t gold and 17.4 metres of 3.60 g/t gold. A second drill has drilled 2 holes totaling 589 metres at the Scorpion King target located 2 kilometers northwest of Open Cut. No significant results have been received to date and the drill will move to the Open Cut target as soon as the planned holes at Scorpion King are completed.

Comment (Deposit): The old Mill Canyon Mine (Emma E. claim) was developed on polymetallic sulfide-bearing fissure veins in north-trending shear zones. The current target is disseminated gold hosted by Wenban limestone. In 2003, Victoria reported that mapping had delineated four major, northwesterly striking, gold-bearing structural systems, which occur in the NW, N-S, WNW and NNE structural systems. Several major intersecting zones, which are currently the focus of the second phase sampling, occur within the belt. These intersection zones carry the higher grades of up to 104 g/T gold in Victoria's geochemical sampling. Some of the existing targets, inherited from previous holders of the property are located within these intersection zones as well. The intersection zones mapped to date plunge southeasterly in areas not yet evaluated by previous drilling. Victoria plans to establish the geometry of these intersection zones to test some of the older, yet viable targets such as Open Cut with surface channel sampling of 83.20 metres at a grade of 8.9 g/T. The Company will also assess the volume potential before drilling. Located approximately 3 km northwest of Open Cut, step-out drilling from previous mining company intercepts of 1.52 metres at 97.98 g/T, and 7.62 metres at 6.47 g/T in skarn zones that were cut by two drill holes 200 metres apart, will also be a focus for future drilling. Victoria's work indicates that the adjacent Cortez Hills and Cortez Mine deposits ore bodies were down-dropped steeply to the west from the Mill Canyon property. Victoria is currently working on restoring their original, pre, post-mineral fault positions with respect to the Mill Canyon structural systems to enhance prioritization of structural targets for driling.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: gold, tetrahedrite, galena, pyrite, argentite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite in old Emma Mine mine ore

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: gangue of iron and manganese oxides and calcite, quartz. Arsenopyrite was reported in the gold ore with calcite, realgar, orpiment, stibnite, quartz and pyrite.

Comment (Geology): Generally north-trending shear zones were invaded by hydrothemal ore fluids.

Comment (Identification): The current Mill Canyon project encompasses the area of the historic Mill Canyon Mine (Emma E. Claim), record M232249, and includes some material from that record.

Comment (Location): The Mill Canyon property is located 1.6 kilometres east of Placer Dome's Cortez Hills gold discovery, near the crest of the Cortez Hills. UTM is to the smaller but higher grade orebody that had some small historic production. A larger, lower grade orebody, the Chute, has been identified on the property about a kilometer to the southeast.

Comment (Workings): old underground workings, recent surface exploration work

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): Unpublished report by Cortez Gold Mines, 1983.

Reference (Deposit): Bentz, J., Bonham, H., Tingley, J.V., Smith, P., 1982, Field Examination Report, 7/82.

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

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

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Mining District File 109, Numerous Clippings.

Reference (Deposit): Foo, S.T., and Hebert, J. P., 1987, Geology of the Horse Canyon Deposit, Eureka County, Nevada, in Johnson, J. L., Ed., Guidebook for Field Trips, Bulk Mineable Precious Metal Deposits of the Western United States, Geological Society of Nevada Symposium, April 6-8, 1988, Reno, Nevada. p. 326-332

Reference (Deposit): Roberts R. J., et al., 1967, Geology and Mineral Resources of Eureka Co., NBMG Bull 64

Reference (Deposit): USBM (Winnemucca) MILS No. 41, Ref. No. 3201100019, Mineral Property File 37.053

Reference (Deposit): Vanderburg W.O., 1938, Reconnaissance of Mining Districts in Eureka Co. Nev., USBM I.C. 7022

Reference (Deposit): Gilluly J. & Masursky H. (1965) Geology Of The Cortez Quadrangle Nev., USGS Bull 1175.

Reference (Deposit): McCormack, John K., 1991, written communication.

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.