Bell Mountain Mine

Site Name

Primary: Bell Mountain Mine
Secondary: Bell Mountain Homestake
Secondary: Stockton Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Manganese

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Churchill
District: FAIRVIEW 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 District

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Ecu Gold Mining Company Inc.
Info Year: 1998

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: VEIN
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Discovery Year: 1905
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: Epithermal vein, Comstock

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Orebody

Form: tabular

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Structure

Type: L
Description: Ne-striking faults, dipping south.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Wallrock alteration consists of silicification, chloritization, and sericitization adjacent to veins.

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Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Description: dike
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Host
Description: lithic-rich ignimbrite tuff
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Tuff
Role: Host
Description: lithic-rich rhyolitic ignimbrite
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Electrum
Ore: Rhodochrosite
Ore: Fluorite
Ore: Barite
Ore: Montmorillonite
Ore: Acanthite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Silver
Ore: Argentite
Gangue: Adularia

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Comments

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: electrum, ARGENTITE, native silver, cerargyrite, acanthite, copper sulfides, lead sulfides

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: MANGANESE oxides, adularia, barite, fluorite,rhodochrosite, montmorillonite

Comment (Economic Factors): Between 1906 and 1965, the Bell Mountain mine produced 304,477 short tons of ore yielding 52,799 ounces of gold and 5,124,369 ounces of silver as well as 28,353 pounds of copper and 2,683,233 pounds of lead (this includes some production from the Chalk Hills District). In 1982, the mine was estimated to have remaining resources of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 short tons of ore grading 0.014 opt gold and 3.3 opt silver. In 1997 Ecu Gold Mining reported known reserves of 2.3 million tons grading 0.054 oz/t equivalent gold for a total of 110,000 ounces of equivalent gold that can be recovered using open-pit mining and processed by heap leaching.(MI-1989 -proven reserves of 30,000 ounces recoverable gold, 125,000 ounces recoverable silver). More than 500,000 tons of ore grading 2 opt silver and 0.06 opt gold have been blocked out and another 500,000 tons of ore containing 1 opt silver and 0.03 opt gold are considered proven.

Comment (Deposit): Silver and gold mineralization occur within a massive east-trending manganiferous calcite vein (the Stockton vein) which cuts Tertiary rhyolitic tuffs and is associated with a fault with orientation N70E, 50S. Much of the calcite in the vein has been replaced by quartz. The ore is irregularly distributed but tends to occur in narrow streaks or bands. The vein averages more than 30 feet in width and crops out intermittently on the surface for nearly a mile. It is a compound structure with a calcite-cemented breccia of volcanic rocks near the footwall and banded, somewhat brecciated calcite in the central part. Ore grade mineralization is associated with manganese oxide staining. Drilling by previous operators identified gold-silver mineralization in a stockwork of quartz-calcite veins along sections of the mile-long Stockton vein. The ore is postulated to be hypogene in origin, deposited by magmatic fluids. Reserves reported in 1982 occurred along a 1000-ft segment of the vein and along a cross-structure, the Sphinx Zone. The vein is thoroughly crushed and oxidized to the depths that it has been explored. Main hypogene ore minerals are electrum and argentite with supergene native silver, cerargyrite, and acanthite. Sulfides and sulfosalts have been completely leached from the vein leaving ocherous limonite. Brecciation has destroyed much of the original vein structure, but some comb and cockade structure, banding and crustification remain.

Comment (Development): Mineralization was first noted about 1905. Claims were located on the calcite-quartz vein at the Bell Mountain Mine in 1914, followed by a decade of underground development of the vein. The mine produced in the 1920s. Renewed exploration in the 1970s resulted in the discovery of a bulk-mineable deposit about 1980. The Bell Mountain mine was scheduled to go into production in the fall of 1981, but low silver prices placed the project on the inactive list. In 1985, Alhambra mines was developing the property jointly with Nevada Silver, Inc. and planned to install a heap leach operation. In 1989 Inland Gold and Silver Corp. announced a 50-50 agreement with N.A. Degerstrom to develop and mine the property as an open pit, heap leach operation scheduled to begin production in 1990. The property has continued to receive exploration attention since that time. In 1994, Globex Mining optioned the property and planned additional drilling. During the autumn of 1997, Ecu Gold Mining Company Inc. announced plans to continue to drill-test the eastern extension of the Varga Zone of the Bell Mountain Project, the most recent drill hole having yielded 0.025 opt Au and 0.409 opt Ag over 175 feet. The goal is to define resources greater than 10 million tons of ore grading more than 0.044 opt equivalent gold for open pit mining and to carry out a feasibility study for a mine producing 30,000 ounces per year. (following from Globex web site 6/2002) The property was originally staked in 1914. In 1918, Tonopah Mining Co. conducted underground development and sampling with some additional sampling conducted in 1948. A 270-metre long adit was driven in the 1970's. In 1978, Bell Mountain Mining Co., a subsidiary of American Pyramid Resources Inc., did a substantial underground sampling program including driving the 180-metre Varga adit along the Stockton Vein (Spurr). A comprehensive feasibility study was completed in 1981, which returned positive metallurgical test results. In 1984, Santa Fe Mining Co. drilled 51 reverse circulation holes principally in the Varga area and ten holes in the Sphinx area. Between 1988 and 1993, N.A. Degerstrom drilled 104 holes, completed a technical feasibility study and permitted the property for open-pit mining and heap leaching. In 1996, ECU Inc. completed a first phase drill program on the Bell Mountain property. ECU drilled five holes in three zones for 2,388 feet. Best results were returned by hole 96-5 which hit a 189 foot-long mineralized interval of 0.03 oz/T gold equivalent (Au+Ag), which included a section grading 0.058 oz/T gold equivalent over a length of 82 feet. Additional drilling was planned to follow-up these results, but, never completed Bell Mountain Gold Deposit, Churchill County, Nevada Globex owns 100% interest in a gold bearing epithermal quartz-adularia vein system situated 39 miles southeast of Fallon. Extensive reverse circulation and diamond drilling has outlined an oxidized, open pittable, resource of 2,100,000 tons grading 0.04 oz/ton gold and 1.20 oz/silver. Drilling in 1996 intersected up to 189 feet grading 0.025 oz/ton gold and 0.41 oz/ton Ag including 82 feet of 0.051 oz/ton Au and 0.60 oz/ton Ag (ECU Gold Mining Inc., 1997). Previous work has included extensive metallurgical and environmental studies, diamond drilling, drifting and underground sampling and a pre-feasibility study. The deposit is amenable to processing by inexpensive heap leach methods. Bell Mountain Property. In 2004, Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. optioned its Bell Mountain gold property to Platte River Gold (U.S.) Inc., and Platte River Gold has started surface and underground mapping and sampling in the area of the known low grade gold and silver resource.

Comment (Geology): Wallrock is a Tertiary lithic-rich rhyolitic ignimbrite commonly exposed in the area.

Comment (Location): The mine is situated at the north end of Bell Flat, on the far western flank of Bell Mountain, about 2.5 miles WNW from the top of Bell Mountain.

Comment (Workings): Numerous old underground workings as well as prospect pits. More recent drill roads

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References

Reference (Deposit): Willden, Ronald, and Speed, R.C., 1977, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Churchill County: NBMG Bull 83

Reference (Deposit): State Inspector of Mines, 1981, Directory of Nevada mining operations active during calendar year 1980

Reference (Deposit): Shamberger, H.A., 1973, The Story of Fairview; Historic Mining Camps of Nevada

Reference (Deposit): The Northern Miner 4/30/81, 8/27/81, 5/6/82, 7/29/82, 11/4/82, 4/16/81, 2/18/82

Reference (Deposit): Nev. Min. Assn. Bull., Jul. 1981

Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, 6/30/82

Reference (Deposit): Namer Gold Min. Ind. News, 6/22/84

Reference (Deposit): The Mining Record, 5/1/85

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

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

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

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1995, MI-1994

Reference (Deposit): Minng Engineering, 9/82,p.1316

Reference (Deposit): ECU Gold Mining Company Inc. press release, 1/10/97

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Map 91,

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1998, MI-1997

Reference (Deposit): NBMG OFR 90-2, 3

Reference (Deposit): Amer. Mines (1998), 1997.

Reference (Deposit): Johnson, Joseph L., (editor), 1984, Precious metal districts in west-central Nevada; road log/field trip guidebook: Field trip 4; Candelaria Mine, Goldfield District, Tonopah District, and Bell Mountain Mine in Exploration for ore deposits of the North American Cordillera, Assoc. Explor. Geochemists, FT4, p.11.

Reference (Deposit): Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-206A, 33 p.; 98-206B. one 3.5 inch diskette.

Reference (Deposit): Schrader, F.C., Unpublished report on the Carson Sink area, Nevada, 1947, NBMG Files

Reference (Deposit): Carpenter, E.E., 1916, Unpublished report and correspondence, File 7, Items 14,15.

Reference (Deposit): Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. press releases, 6/28/2004, 9/22/2004.

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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.