Kirby Mine

The Kirby Mine is a tungsten mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,299 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: Kirby Mine
Secondary: Fayant and Blaine
Secondary: Upper Kirby Pit
Secondary: NBMG Sample Site 2614.

Commodity

Primary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Potosi 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: Getchell Mine Inc.

Production

Year: 1943
Time Period: 1942-1943
Material type: W
Description: Cp_Grade: ^Ave. 0.43% Wo3
Year: 1943
Time Period: 1942-1943
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^Ave. 0.43% Wo3

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1942
Discovery Year: 1917
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: W skarn

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR LENSES FOLLOW IGNEOUS CONTACT

Structure

Type: R
Description: Folding

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 0.43% WO3. NBMG SAMPLE 2614 OF GARNET SKARN WITH MINOR CU OX STAIN, SUBHEDRAL AMBER GARNET, DIOPSIDE, TREMOLITE AND SCHEEL-ITE CONTAINS 15 % FE, 1 % MG, +20 % CA, 0.07 % TI, +5000 PPM M-N, 20 PPM B, 5 PPM CO, 100 PPM CU, 100 PPM MO, 5 PPM NI, 50 PP-M PB, 30 PPM SN, 500 PPM V, 200 PPM W.

Materials

Ore: Scheelite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Pyroxene

Comments

Comment (Workings): OPEN PITS, SHORT ADITS, TRENCHES

Comment (Geology): MAJOR TACTITE OREBODIES LOCALIZED BY ABRUPT BENDS IN GRANODIORITE/LIMESTONE CONTACT LOCALLY, ABUNDANT SCHEELITE IN QUARTZ VEINS WHICH CUT TACTITE OF NE. PIT. LARGE TACTITE OREBODIES WERE PENDANT LIKE MASSES OF REPLACED LIMESTONE PROTRUDING DOWNWARD INTO GRANODIORITE.

Comment (Location): NW 1/4 SEC. 17

Comment (Deposit): KIRBY OREBODY IS A TABULAR MASS OF TACTITE ON CONTACT OF OSGOOD GRANODIORITE AND PREBLE LIMESTONE. TACTITE BODY NE-ARLY PARALLELS THE HILLSLOPE, CAPPED BY A THIN LIMESTONE LAYER-. OUTCROPS ARE BROAD, BUT TACTITE IS ACTUALLY THIN, LESS THAN -60 FT BELOW SURFACE. LIMESTONE IS COMPLEXLY FOLDED AND TACTITE-PODS ARE VERY IRREGULAR LARGE MASSES OF ENDOSKARN FORMED IN GR-ANODIORITE, WITH SOME CU OXIDE STAINING. THE DEPOSIT ENDS DOWN-WARD TO THE EAST AGAINST A LOBE OF GRANODIORITE THAT CUTS ACRO-SS THE LIMESTONE BEDS. THE HAULAGE ADIT, 80 FT BENEATH THE LOW-EST OUTCROP, IS ENTIRELY IN GRANODIORITE. OTHER BODIES OF SCHE-ELITE-BEARING TACTITE OCCUR NE OF THE MINE WHERE THE CREEK CRO-SSES THE CONTACT ZONE, BUT THE TUNGSTEN CONTENT IS ONLY ABOUT -0.2 % WO3. ROCK AT THE LOWER KIRBY PIT (NEAR CREEK) DISPLAY SW-IRLS OF BIOTITE BOOKS NEAR CONTACT.

Comment (Development): ACQUIRED BY GETCHELL IN 1942, MINED 1942-43, 1952-1953. DURING THE 1942-43 PRODUCTION PERIOD, GETCHELL FIRST MINED THE DEPOSIT BY TWO GLORY HOLES FROM AN ADIT 315 FT LO-NG. THE GLORY HOLES WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CONNECTED TO FORM A SING-LE OPEN PIT FROM WHICH ORE WAS LOADED BY POWER SHOVEL INTO TRU-CKS. MINING IN 1952-3 WAS FROM OPEN PITS.

Comment (Deposit): PROPERTY WAS KNOWN AS EARLY AS 1917; WAS ACQUIRED BY GETCHELL IN 1942 AND MINED TILL SUMMER, 1943. MINING RESUMED IN 1952 AND CONTINUED UNTIL 1953, BY OPEN-PIT METHODS. FAYANI AND BLAINE HELD THE CLAIMS IN 1917, THEY WERE RELOCATED LATER BY KIRBY, AND SOLD TO GETCHELL MINE INC., IN 1942. WORKINGS CONSISTED OF 3 OPEN PITS IN 1957, AS WELL AS SHORT AIDITS AND TRENCHES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

References

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MINING DISTRICT FILE 136, ITEM 23; 1964, USBM UNPUBLISHED DATA.

Reference (Production): HOTZ, AND WILLDEN, R., 1964.

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

Reference (Deposit): HOTZ, P.E. AND WILLDEN, R, 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE OSGOOD MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA; U.S.G.S. PROF. PAPER 431.

Reference (Deposit): HOBBS, S.W., AND CLABAUGH, S.E., 1946, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE OSGOOD RANGE, HUMBOLDT CO., NEV; NEV. U. BULL. VOL. 40, NO 5F GEOL. MIN. SER., NO. 44.

Reference (Deposit): HESS, F.L. & LARSEN, E.S., 1921, CONTACT-METAMORPHIC TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S.G.S. BULL. 725-D.

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

Reference (Deposit): TINGLEY, J. V., 6 SEP 84, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG STAFF, 1985, NBMG OFR 85-3.

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.