Black Forest Mine

The Black Forest Mine is a silver and lead mine located in Elko county, Nevada at an elevation of 8,501 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: Black Forest Mine
Secondary: Signal
Secondary: Forest Cave
Secondary: Atlantic
Secondary: Index
Secondary: Snowbank Fraction
Secondary: Rescue
Secondary: Windy Point
Secondary: Long Green
Secondary: Last Chance
Secondary: Keystone
Secondary: Anaconda
Secondary: Empire.

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Zinc

Location

State: Nevada
County: Elko
District: Spruce Mountain

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic replacement

Orebody

Form: TABULAR, PIPE-LIKE

Structure

Type: L
Description: Thrust Fault, Major N-S Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization-Kaolinization

Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Permian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Lead
Ore: Copper
Gangue: Actinolite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Kaolin

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1870'S

Comment (Workings): PRIFTS, TUNNELS, STOPES; THE BLACK FOREST-BRONCO TUNNEL (2700 FT. LONG)

Comment (Deposit): THE BLACK FOREST MINE WAS FIRST WORKED IN THE EARLY 1870'S, AND INTERMITTENTLY THEREAFTER. IN 1904 THE SMELTER AT JASPAR OF THE BLACK FOREST SMELTING. AND REFINING CO. TURN OUT 700 BARS OF BULLION AS PRODUCTION CONTINUED. WILSON (1937) REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO 1910 CONSIDERABLE ORE FROM THE BLACK FOREST MINE WAS MINED AND SMELTED ON THE PROPERTY. IN FEBRUARY 1916 THE BLACK FOREST MINING AND SMELTING CO WAS INCORPORATED, AND RE-INCORPORATED IN 1928 TO OPERATE THE BLACK FOREST MINE. IN 1929 THE BIG 4 AND KEYSTONE CLAIMS WERE ADDED TO THEIR PROPERTY HOLDINGS A LONG WITH AND AFTER THE CONSOLIDATION WITH THE MONARCH MINE WHICH WAS EFFECTED IN 1928. THE NEW COMPANY WAS KNOWN AS THE MISSOURI MONARCH CONSOLIDATED MINES COMPANY AND OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH 1937. PRODUCTION RECORDS ARE SCANTY, BUT SMELTER RETURNS ON 30,000 TONS MINED FROM THE BLACK FOREST FROM 1919 TO 1928 HAD A NET RETURN OF $608,500. MOST OF THE OXIDIZED LEAD-SILVER ORE ABOVE THE 150 FT LEVEL CAME FROM A SERIES OF

Comment (Deposit): INTERLACING PIPES OR CHIMNEYS AND CHAMBERS IN WHITE 1.S. THIS ORE WAS SHIPPED AT THIS TIME (PRE1928) TO A.S. & R. CO. AT MURRAY, UTAH. THE MINE PRE 1937 OPENED BY 5-6 ADITS AND OVER 7000 FT OF WORKINGS WITH DRIFTS, RAISES, STOPES ETC..THE BLACK F OREST-BRONCO TUNNEL IS 2,700 FT AND SERVED FOR ORE HAULAGE, MINING, AND ACCESS; WITH ITS COMPLETION SOMETIME BEFORE 1937. THE ORE OCCURS A LONG NW FAULT FISSURES, AS REPLACEMENT ORE BODIES IN LIMESTONE (FAVORABLE), AS CHIMNEYS, PIPES AND GLOBULAR BODIES 3 FT OR MORE IN DIAMETER IN CLOSED IN FERRUGINOUS CASINGS. THE MINE IS WORKED FROM 8 LEVELS WITH OVER 10,000 FT OF WORKINGS; MANY STOPES ARE DEVELOPED ON MAJOR MINERALIZED FISSURES. THE ORE IS A FINE-GRAINED MIXTURE OF LEAD AND COPPER CARBONATES AND OXIDES WITH 20% LEAD AND 20 OZ. OF SILVER PER TON. SULFIDES BEGIN TO APPEAR IN THE DEEPEST WORKINGS OF THE MINE. MINERAL SURVEY 4680, CONSISTING OF BLACK FOREST, SIGNAL, FOREST, CAVE, ATLANTIC, INDEX, SNOWBANK, FRACTION, RESCUE, WINDY POINT,

Comment (Location): E OF PASS

Comment (Deposit): LONG GREEN, LAST CHANCE, KEYSTONE, ANACONDA, EMPIRE CLAIMS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Production): NETSMELTER RETURNS, 1919-1928 WERE $608,500: ON 30,000 TONS ORE ORE PAN 20% PB, 20 OZ/TON AG TOTAL PRODUCTION OVER $1,000,000 WORTH. ORE INCLUDED SOME COPPER

Comment (Development): FIRST WORKED IN THE EARLY 1870'S, AND INTERMITTENTLY THEREAFTER. PRIOR TO 1910, CONSIDERABLE ORE WAS MINED AND SMELTED ON THE PROPERTY. IN FEB., 1916, THE BLACK FOREST MINING AND SMELTING CO. WAS INCORPORATED, AND REINCORPORATED IN 1928. FURTHER CONSOLIDATION IN 1929 LED TO THE FORMATION OF THE MISSOURI MONARCH CONSOLIDATED MINES CO., WHICH OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH 1937

Comment (Deposit): SERIES OF INTERLACING PIPES OR CHIMNEYS OR CHAMBERS: REPLACEMENT ORE BODIES ALONG FAULTS & FISSURES

Comment (Geology): LAMPROPHYRIC DIKE IN UPPER TUNNEL SOME WHAT ALTERED

References

Reference (Deposit): HILL, JAMES M., 1916, NOTES ON SOME MINING DISTRICTS IN EASTERN NEVADA, USGS BULL 648

Reference (Deposit): MINES REQUESTER 1937

Reference (Deposit): WILSON, C.L., 1937, THE GEOLOGY OF THE BLACK FOREST MINE AREA, SPRUCE MOUNTAIN, NEVADA, THESIS U. OF ARIZONA

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES FILES #77

Reference (Deposit): SCHRADER, F.C., 1931, SPRUCE MOUNTAIN DISTRICT, ELKO COUNTY, U OF N BULL, VOL. XXV, NO. 7

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.