Keystone Mines

The Keystone Mines is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Pershing county, Nevada at an elevation of 4,954 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: Keystone Mines
Secondary: Nevada Keystone Mine
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 2654, 2655, 2656
Secondary: Old Central

Commodity

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

Location

State: Nevada
County: Pershing
District: Mill City 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

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1872
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: Gently Dipping Shear Zones

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization, Silicification, Kaolinization, Pyritization

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AVE. 32 OZ AG, 4.3% PB, 2.5% ZN PER TON. SAMPLE 2654 OF VEIN QUARTZ WITH SULFIDE CLOTS CONTAINS 1.5 % FE, 0.05 % MG, 0.2 % CA, 0.01 % TI, 100 PPM MN, 300-0 PPM AG, 3000 PPM AS, 100 PPM B, 30 PPM BA, 100 PPM CD, 2000 -PPM CU, 20 PPM LA, 1500 PPM PB, 3000 PPM SB, 20 PPM SN, 5000 P-PM ZN. SAMPLE 2655 OF VEIN QUARTZ WITH SULFIDES AND DOLOMITE V-EIN MATERIAL CONTAINS 3 % FE, 0.15 % MG, 0.2 % CA, 0.03 % TI, -200 PPM MN, 700 PPM AG, +10000 PPM AS, 1500 PPM B, 50 PPM BA, -+500 PPM CD, 500 PPM CU, 20000 PPM PB, 2000 PPM SB, 150 PPM SR-, 10 PPM V, +10000 PPM ZN, 20 PPM ZR. SAMPLE 2656, A DUMP SAMP-LE OF VEIN QUARTZ WITH SULFIDES, CONTAINS 0.3 % FE, 0.05 % MG,- 0.003 % TI, 15 PPM MN, 500 PPM AG, 2000 PPM AS, 500 PPM B, 20-PPM BA, 10 PPM BI, 100 PPM CD,-500 PPM CU, 30 PPM LA, 10000 PP-M PB, 700 PPM SB, 5000 PPM ZN.

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Scheelite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ORE ZONE VARIES FROM 2 TO 6 FT IN WIDTH. THE MINES ARE IN GRANODIORITE THAT CUTS SHALE OF TRIASSIC AGE. WESTERN (NEW) SHAFT SUNK ON N-S TRENDING WHITE QUARTZ VEIN IN SHALE; WALLROCK IS MODERATELY SILICIFIED, LACED WIT-H QUARTZ-SULFIDE VEINLETS. AT THE OLD SHAFT TO THE NE, A N30E,-40 SE QUARTZ VEIN OCCUPIES A SHEAR ZONE IN KAOLINIZED GRANODIO-RITE. VEIN IS 1-2 FT WIDE, IRON AND MANGANESE OXIDE-STAINED. V-EIN CONTAINS GALENA, SPHALERITE, TETRAHEDRITE IN WHITE QUARTZ -GANGUE. PARALLEL QUARTZ VEINS CUT BOTH GRANODIORITE AND SHALE;-GRANODIORITE IS GENERALLY KAOLINIZED AND LACED WITH QUARTZ VEI-NLETS. SOME QUARTZ ON THE DUMP DISPLAYS PALE GREEN STAINING. S-HEAR ZONE IS 200-300 FT WIDE AND BOTH OLD AND NEW SHAFTS ARE W-ITHIN IT. VEIN SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE STRONGER WHERE IT CUTS GRANO-DIORITE. TO THE NE AT SAMPLE SITE 2656, OLD PITS, SHAFTS, CUTS- EXPOSE A SERIES OF N60-70W NE-DIPPING QUARTZ VEINS WHICH CUT -HORNFELS AND SHALE. THE VEINS ARE 4-15 FT THICK, ARE BRECCIATE-D, AND ARE IRON-OXIDE

Comment (Deposit): STAINED ON OUTCROP. VEIN MATERIAL ON SOM-E OF THE DUMPS CONTAINS PODS OF MASSIVE PYRITE. THE HORNFELS W-ALLROCKS ARE BLEACHED, KAOLINIZED AND CONTAIN DISSEMINATED PYR-ITE. VEIN MATERIAL CONTAINS SPHALERITE, GALENA, SOME TETRAHEDR-ITE AND STIBNITE; MODEL NAME COULD ALSO BE: POLYMETALLIC VEINS.

Comment (Workings): TWO SHAFTS, OLDER ONE TO THE EAST HAS HEADFRAME, HOIST HOUSE. LARGE OPEN CUTS ON VEIN SYSTEM; NEWER SHAFT TO SW; C-UTS AND PROSPECT SHAFTS EXTEND TO THE NE.

Comment (Geology): ORE ZONE VARIES FROM 2 TO 6 FT. IN WIDTH

Comment (Commodity): SCHEELITE WAS FOUND IN DRILL CORE OF GRANODIORITE FOR 22 FT ALONG THE CORE FROM A DEPTH OF 135 FT DOWN.

Comment (Location): SW 1/4 SEC. 1; NW 1/4 SEC. 12 ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972)

Comment (Development): NO DEVELOPMENT UNTIL 1937 WHEN ACQUIRED BY NEVADA KEYSTONE CO. KEYSTONE MINE WAS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY TO 1966. EVIDENCE OF RECENT DIAMOND DRILLING (1985). THE KEYSTONE MINE MUST HAVE BEEN WORKED IN THE 1870-1880'S, EVIDENCE -OF OLD BUILDINGS CAN BE SEEN IN THE WASH EAST OF THE OLD SHAFT-. REMAINS OF AN OLD HORSE WHIM CAN BE SEEN AT THE NORTHEASTERN- WORKINGS.

Comment (Deposit): LOCATED IN 1872, NO DEVELOPMENT UNTIL 1937 WHEN ACQUIRED BY NEVADA KEYSTONE CO. MINE WORKINGS ARE IN AN AREA OF SHALES AND LIMESTONES WHICH HAVE BEEN INTRUDED BY GRANODIORITE DIKE. THE KEYSTONE MINES ARE LOCATED IN THE GRANODIORITE WHICH CUTS THE SHALES OF TRIASSIC AGE. KEYSTONE MINE WAS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY TO 1966. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

References

Reference (Deposit): LEMMON, D.M., 1977, IN GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 89

Reference (Deposit): KLEPPER, M.R., 1943, UNPUBLISHED REPORT

Reference (Deposit): TINGLEY, J. V., 1985, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT,4/19/1985.

Reference (Deposit): STAGER, H. K., IN PREPARATION, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF NEVADA, NBMG BULL.

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.