Birthday Mine

The Birthday Mine is a mercury mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,322 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

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: Birthday Mine
Secondary: Wootan
Secondary: Wootan & Mccown

Commodity

Primary: Mercury

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Bottle Creek 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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Wootan And Mc Cown
Years: 1943 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1938
Discovery Year: 1936
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Hot-spring Hg

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Major North-Trending, Steep-Dipping Faults In Area. ; Reg.Trends: Nne

Type: L
Description: Shearing Parallel To Dike Wall; Faults Offset Dike

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Intense: Feldspars To Clay; Leached Ferromag'S

Rocks

Name: Diabase
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Diabase
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Diabase
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE RAN UP TO 60 LB HG PER TON. YIELD OF 51 LB HG PER FT. OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS.

Materials

Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Mercury
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Chalcedony
Unknown: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): DISCOVERED IN 1936 BY D.J. WOOTAN, ALTHOUGH ORE WAS NOT LOCATED UNTIL 1938. A 2-TUBE RETORT WAS BUILT IN 1938, TO WHICH 2 MORE TUBES WERE ADDED IN 1939. THE CLAIM WAS ABANDONED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. DIABASE IS SO THOROUGLY ALTERED, IT CAN BE CUT WITH A PICK. THE MINERALIZED DIKE IS LESS THAN 10 FEET WIDE AND IS OFFSET BY NUMEROUS FAULTS, WITH SMALL DISPLACEMENT. SEVERAL LESSEES WORKED THE PROPERTY FROM 1939 TO 1943 AND THE PROPERTY WAS IDLE FROM 1943 TO AT LEAST 1956. DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF 3 INCLINED SHAFTS, 50 FT, 50 FT AND 100 FT. DEEP, PLUS ABOUT 400 FT OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Geology): ORE BODIES MOST ABUNDANT WHERE DIKE WAS MOST-FAULTED. THE LARGEST ORE SHOOT WAS STOPED FOR 32 FT. ALONG THE DRIFT FROM A BLOCK 3-4 FT BY 6-12 FT IN CROSS-SECTION. THE ORE MINED WAS HIGH-GRADE; UP TO 60 POUNDS HG/TON. THE ORE MINERALS FILL VESICLES AND FRACTURES IN THE DIABASE, AND LOCALLY IMPREGNATE THE DIABASE AND ADJACENT TUFFS ; GEOL.DESC: FAULTED DIABASE DIKE CUTS BASALT AND TUFF

Comment (Location): S. OF RED ORE MINES; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = BOTTLE CREEK (1961) 1:625000

Comment (Production): ORE GRADE AS HIGH AS 60 LB. HG PER TON

Comment (Development): 2 RETORTS

Comment (Deposit): ORE EMPLACEMENT OCCURS ALONG FAULTS IN A DIABASE DIKE; SCOSSA MINE (RED ORE NO 1) LOCATED ON NORTH END OF THIS DIKE

Comment (Workings): 3 INCLINED SHAFTS, DRIFTS

References

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS, R.J., 1940, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF THE BOTTLE CREEK DISTRICT, HUMBOLDT CO., NEV; U.S.G.S. BULLETIN 922-AA F2 BAILEY, E.H., & PHOENIX, D.A., 1944, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN NEVADA; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL 41.

Reference (Deposit): BAILEY AND PHOENIX, 1944, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 41

Reference (Deposit): WILLDEN, R, 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT CO. NEV; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL 59.

Reference (Deposit): BENSON, W.T., 1956, INVESTIGATION OF MERCURY DEPOSITS IN NEVADA AND IN MALHEUR CO., OREG: U.S.B.M. REPT. INV. 5285

Reference (Production): BAILEY, E.H., AND PHOENIX, D.A., 1944

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.