White Pine Gold Deposit

The White Pine Gold Deposit is a gold and silver mine located in White Pine county, Nevada.

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

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: White Pine Gold Deposit

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Bismuth
Tertiary: Tellurium
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Arsenic

Location

State: Nevada
County: White Pine
District: Bald Mountain 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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Western States Minerals Corp.
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: Homestake Mining Co.
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: White Pine Gold Mining Company
Info Year: 1988

Owner Name: Western States
Info Year: 1996

Owner Name: U. S. Gold
Info Year: 1988

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Distal disseminated Ag-Au
Operation Type: Surface
Year First Production: 1983
Year Last Production: 1993
Discovery Year: 1987
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Distal disseminated Ag-Au

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: The dominant structural trend is N45W, but there are NE, N-S, and E-W-trending structures as well. The E-W structures show the youngest period of movement, some of which is post-ore.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification, argillization, and potassic alteration have affected the host rocks. The main alteration feature at Bald Mountain is the large halo of silicification and strong argillization. Potassic alteration is recognized at depth.

Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Mississippian
Age Old: Late Devonian

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Description: calcareous
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Early Mississippian
Age Old: Late Devonian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Telluride
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Economic Factors): From 1988 to1990 the mine produced 30,193 ounces of gold and 921 ounces of silver from 927,000 short tons of ore (Long and others, 1998). Total production through closure in 1993 exceeded 60,000 ounces of gold. No data is yet available (1998) on tonnage and grade of remaining resources.

Comment (Geology): The host rocks are calcareous shales and dark gray limestones of the Pilot Shale which weather to iron-oxide stained red-brown-maroon and tan colors. A granitic intrusive with quartz phenocrysts and oxidized pyrite was noted in drill road cuts.

Comment (Identification): (info in caps duplicated from Bald Mountain record - edit out non-pertinent data)

Comment (Location): The White Pine gold project is located at the northern end of the Bald Mountain-Alligator Ridge mineralized area.

Comment (Workings): The mine was developed by open pit methods with recovery by heap leaching

Comment (Development): The White Pine deposit was discovered before 1987. Mining began in 1988 and continued through 1993. In 1995, renewed exploration activity in the previously mined area identified several mineralized zones as having significant exploration potential the zones were drilled under a joint-venture agreement between Homestake Mining Co. and Western States Minerals Corp. The property was later dropped by Homestake.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: gold, tellurides

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, pyrite

References

Reference (Deposit): HOSE, BLAKE, AND SMITH, 1976, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEVADA, NBMG BULLETIN 85.

Reference (Deposit): HILL, J. M., 1916, NOTES ON SOME MINING DISTRICTS IN EASTERN NEVADA, USGS BULL. 648, P. 152-161.

Reference (Deposit): DEAN, D. A., BENEDETTO, K. M. F., DURGIN, D. C., 1991, PART TWO: ELY - BALD MOUNTAIN - ELY ROAD LOG, IN BUFFA, R. AND COYNER, A., EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN - FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK COMPENDIUM, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 136-162.

Reference (Deposit): LOWE, N. T., RANEY, R. G., AND NORBERG, J. R., PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS IN NEVADA, USBM INFORMATION CIRCULAR 9035, P. 75.

Reference (Deposit): A STUDY OF ACTIVE U. S. GOLD MINES, JULY, 1986, METALS ECONOMICS GROUP, BOULDER, CO, P. 288-291.

Reference (Deposit): PLACER DOME INC., ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1987.

Reference (Deposit): DIVISION OF MINE INSPECTION, 1983, DIRECTORY OF NEVADA MINING OPERATIONS ACTIVE DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1983.

Reference (Deposit): JONES AND PAPKE, 1984, ACTIVE MINES AND OIL FIELDS IN NEVADA - 1983, NBMG MAP M84.

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

Reference (Deposit): Homestake Mining Co. press release,10/6/95

Reference (Deposit): Denver Mining Record, 10/11/95

Reference (Deposit): Northern Miner, 10/30/95

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MI-1987-NBMG MI-1997, The Nevada Mineral Industry, 1987-1997

Reference (Deposit): US Gold 1989-90 SEC Form 10K

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): PLACER DOME INC., ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1988.

Reference (Deposit): PLACER DOME INC., ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1989.

Reference (Deposit): PLACER DOME INC., ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1990.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H., BENTZ, J., AND SMITH, P., 1981, FIELD EXAMINATION, JUNE 28, 1981.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1982, OPEN FILE REPORT 82-9.

Reference (Deposit): PAY DIRT, OCT, 1982.

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION BULLETIN, 1983.

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.