Winddfall Mine

The Winddfall Mine is a gold mine located in Eureka county, Nevada at an elevation of 7,999 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: Winddfall Mine
Secondary: Western Windfall Open Pit Mine, Windfall Venture
Secondary: Rustler Adjoins To South

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Nevada
County: Eureka
District: Eureka 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: Windfall Venture, Marvin Rasmussen, Mine Manager
Home Office: P. 0. 326, Eureka, Nv 89316
Years: 1983 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1908
Discovery Year: 1904
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

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: Distal disseminated Ag-Au

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Southern End Of Dunderberg-Windfall Belt

Type: L
Description: Ne Striking Fissures

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Dolomite Has Been "Sanded" Due To Intergranular Corrosion

Rocks

Name: Shale
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Shale
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Smithsonite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Dolomite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): ACC

Comment (Production): 1908-1916, 65,132 TONS ORE VALUED AT $349,428. WERE PRODUCED, CONTAINING SOME ZINC AS WELL AS THE ABOVE METALS. PRODUCTION, 1980'S IS APPROX. 1500 TONS PER DAY.

Comment (Development): DISCOVERED IN 1904, PRODUCED FROM 1908 TO 1916 (65132 TONS VALUED AT $349,428.) ACQUIRED BY IDAHO MINING CORP IN 1968, WHO DEVELOPED IT, RAN PILOT LEACH PROGRAMS 1972-1974, BUILT PLANT IN 1975 AND BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 1976. PURCHASED BY WINDFALL VENTURE IN 1980, SUFFERED CUTBACKS IN 1982, BUT MINING CONTINUES TO PRESENT WITH EXPANSION TO NW. 43 WORKERS EMPLOYED IN 1980, 35 IN 1984 AND 1985.

Comment (Deposit): THE DEPOSIT WAS DISCOVERED IN 1904 AND FROM 1908 TO 1916 65,32 TONS VALUED AT $349,428 WERE PRODUCED. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE DUNDERBERG-WINDFALL BELT. THE PROPERTY IS NOW OWNED BY THE IDAHO MINING COMPANY (1978) AND THEY WERE ACTIVITY OPEN PIT MINING AND HEAP LEACHING THE ORE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Comment (Workings): IN 1981, THE OPEN PIT WAS IRREGULAR IN SHAPE, VERY DEEP AND NARROW. GEOLOGISTS VISITING THE OPERATION SAID IT LOOKED LIKE MORE MINING WAS PROBABLY BEING CARRIED OUT FARTHER UP (SOUTH) THE CANYON, BUT THE ENTIRE OPERATION WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD.HEAP LEACH RECOVERY PLANT. EARLY WORK WAS UNDERGROUND.

Comment (Geology): GOLD OCCURS AS DISSEMINATED LOW-GRADE ORE IN HAMBURG DOLOMITE. THE ORE FORMS A NUMBER OF SHOOTS, THAT WERE CONTROLLED BY THE INTERSECTION OF NORTHEAST STRIKING FISSURES ON FAULTS W/THE UPPER HAMBURG DOLOMITE. THE MINERALIZATION HERE IS UNIQUE IN REGARDS TO THE REST OF THE DISTRICT, BY THE ABSENCE OF THE LEAD AND SILVER

Comment (Deposit): GOLD OCCURS AS DISSEMINATED, LOW-GRADE ORE IN HAMBURG DOLOMITE, FORMING A NUMBER OF SHOOTS CONTROLLED BY INTERSECTION OF NE-STRIKING FISSURES OR FAULTS WITH THE UPPER HAMBURG DOLOMITE. MINERALIZATION HERE IS UNIQUE FROM REST OF DISTRICT IN THE PAUCITY OF LEAD AND SILVER. THE RUSTLER DEPOSIT, AN EXTENSION OF THE WINDFALL DEPOSIT 0.5 MILE SOUTH WAS FOUND AND PUT INTO PRODUCTION. MUCH OF THE RUSTLER ORE OCCURS IN ZONES THAT HAVE BEEN THOROUGHLY SILICIFIED AND SOME BRECCIATED. DRILLING HAS SHOWN THAT ORE GRADE MATERIAL EXTENDS FROM THE SOUTH END OF THE WINDFALL PIT TO THE NORTH END OF THE RUSTLER PIT.

References

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS R.J.,ETAL(1967)GEOLOGY & MINERAL RESOURCES OF EUREKA CO., NEV; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL 64

Reference (Deposit): USB OF M (ELY) MILS NO.111, REFERENCE NO 3201100142

Reference (Deposit): NOLAN T.B.(1962)THE EUREKA MINING DISTRICT, NEV. USGS PP.406

Reference (Deposit): VANDENBERG W.O.(1938)RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN EUREKA CO., USBM IC.7022.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG SPEC PUB MI1980, P. 29.

Reference (Deposit): BENTZ, J. AND GARSIDE, L. J. 1981, FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT, AUG 31, 1981.

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

Reference (Deposit): COUCH, B. F. AND CARPENTER, J., 1943, NBMG BULL 37,N0. 4, SER. 38, P. 64.

Reference (Deposit): TINGLEY, J.V. AND BONHAM, H.F., 1986, NBMG REPORT 40.

Reference (Production): ROBERTS, R.J., ETAL., 1967 (BONHAM, H.F., 1988)

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BONHAM, H.F., 1988.

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.