Escalante Silver Mine

The Escalante Silver Mine is a silver mine located in Iron county, Utah at an elevation of 5,285 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: Escalante Silver Mine
Secondary: Holt

Commodity

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

Location

State: Utah
County: Iron
District: Escalante District

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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Hecla Mining Co.
Home Office: Wallace Idaho

Owner Name: Redco Silver, Inc.

Production

Year: 1982
Material type: ?
Description: Ap_Grade: ^11 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1981
Material type: ?
Description: Ap_Grade: ^11 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1983
Material type: ?
Description: Ap_Grade: ^11 Oz/Ton Ag

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1934
Discovery Year: 1896
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: High Plateaus Of Utah
Physiographic Detail: Escalante Desert

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: East-Northeast Striking Graben

Type: L
Description: N 22 E Striking Fissure

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification Envelope Which Is 50 To 100 Feet Wide, In Turn Enveloped By A Calcite-Altered Zone

Rocks

Name: Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: GENERAL GRADES OF 11 OZ/TON AG, LESS THAN 2% PB, LESS THAN 2% ZN, LESS THAN 500 PPM CU, AND TRACE GOLD

Materials

Ore: Argentite
Ore: Descloizite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Willemite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Development): ORIGINAL CLAIMS STAKED IN 1896 BY HEBER HOLT OF ENTERPRISE UTAH. CLAIMS WERE PATENTED IN 1910. LIMITED EXPLORATION AND MINING WAS CONDUCTED ON THE PROPERTY UNTIL 1957. SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION BEGUN IN 1958 BY SAMUEL S. ARENTZ, BUT PROPERTY STILL UNECONOMIC. RANCHERS EXPLORATION TOOK CONTROL OF THE PROPERTY IN 1975. DRILLING AND TEST MINING BEGAN IN 1979. FULL MINE DEVELOPMENT BEGAN IN 1980. ORE FIRST FED TO THE MILL ON AUGUST 29, 1981. MINING ACTIVE TO PRESENT - MAY 1985 - AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS. HECLA MINING COMPANY BOUGHT RANCHERS EXPLORATION IN LATE 1984 AND NOW OWN AND OPERATE MINE

Comment (Location): AREA OF MINING AND MINING CLAIMS COVERS MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 2 ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Comment (Production): ESTIMATES BASED ON PROJECTED FIGURES IN 1982. MINING AND PRODUCTION IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS

Comment (Deposit): THE DEPOSIT OCCUPIES A CONTINOUS ZONE WITHIN THE ESCALANTE VEIN. THE VEIN AVERAGES 19 FEET WIDE AND MINERALIZATION OCCURS OVER THE ENTIRE WIDTH. VEIN IS MARKED BY CRUSTIFORM BANDING WITH BANDS OF FINE-GRAINED CRYSTALLINE QUARTZ AND QUARTZ WITH HEMATITE, CALCITE, OR FLUORITE, INCLUSIONS. SILVER IS ASSOCIATED WITH QUARTZ - HEMATITE BANDS. BRECCIATION AND REPEATED VEINING IS COMMON - TENTATIVE PARAGENESIS IS (1) EARLY BARREN-CALCITE PHASE, (2) LATER QUARTZ-FLUORITE PHASE, (3) EPISODIC DEPOSITION OF QUARTZ-SULFIDE, SILVER AND HEMATITE MINERALS, AND (4) A LATE QUARTZ-CALCITE PERIOD.

Comment (Workings): MAIN ACCESS IS VIA A FIGURE-EIGHT SPIRAL DECLINE WITH CROSSCUTS AT PERIODIC INTERVALS DRIVEN TO THE VEIN. DECLINE IS USED FOR REMOVAL OF ORE VIA DUMP TRUCKS. DECLINE WILL ULTIMATELY BE AT LEAST 5100 FOOT LONG. MINING METHOD IS END-SLICING, A VARIATION OF VERTICAL CRATER RETREAT MINING.

Comment (Geology): VOLCANICLASTIC HOST ROCK IS POST-MIDDLE MIOCENE IN AGE AND FILLS EAST-NORTH EAST TRENDING GRABEN STRUCTURE

Comment (Deposit): MINING CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

References

Reference (Deposit): ALLEN, D.R., 1979, GEOLOGY, AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE ESCALANTE SILVER VEINS, IRON COUNTY, UTAH: UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, UNPUBLISHED MS THESIS, 72 P.

Reference (Deposit): SIDERS, M.A., 1985, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE BERYL JUNCTION QUADRANGLE, IRON COUNTY, UTAH: UTAH GEOLOGICAL AND MINERAL SURVEY, GEOLOGIC QUADRANGLE MAP. IN PRESS.

Reference (Deposit): FITCH, D.C., AND BRADY, M.W., 1982, GEOLOGY OF THE ESCALANTE SILVER MINE, UTAH: NORTHWEST MINING ASSOCIATION 88TH ANNUAL CONVENTION, DECEMBER 9, 1982.

Reference (Deposit): HOGAN, D.K., AND OTHERS, 1982, ESCALANTE: MAJOR SILVER MINE NEARS FIRST YEAR OF FALL OPERATION: MINING ENGINEER VOL 34, NO. 9, PP. 1323-1328.

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