Jay Bird Mine

The Jay Bird Mine is a tungsten mine located in Churchill county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,400 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: Jay Bird Mine
Secondary: Garfield Force
Secondary: Highgrade
Secondary: Blue Jay
Secondary: Redbird
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 2894 and 2895

Commodity

Primary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Nevada
County: Churchill
District: Nightingale 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

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Contact Metasomatic
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1938
Year Last Production: 1955
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: W skarn

Orebody

Form: TABULAR TO IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: L
Description: Shear Zone

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SAMPLE 2894 CONTAINS 5% FE, 0.5% MG, 10% CA, 0.05% TI, 5000 PPM MN, 15 PPM B, 70 PPM BA, 1 PPM BE, 30 PPM CR, 20 PPM CU, 30 PPM LA, 5 PPM MO, 7 PPM NI, 300 PPM SR, 50 PPM V, 150 PPM W, 10 PPM Y. SAMPLE 2895 CONTAINS 15% FE, 1% MG, 5% CA, 0.07% TI, 3000 PPM MN, 1.5 PPM AG, 20 PPM B, 100 PPM BA, 10 PPM CO, 50 PPM CR, 500 PPM CU, 50 PPM LA, 15 PPM NI, 500 PPM SR, 50 PPM V, 200 PPM W, 15 PPM Y, 200 PPM ZN, 50 PPM ZR.

Materials

Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Molybdenite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Garnet

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): "THE POTENTIAL RESERVES OF LOW-GRADE MATERIAL AT THIS MINE APPEAR TO BE LARGE." HIGHER GRADE ZONES MAY ALSO EXIST

Comment (Development): AS OF THE EARLY 1980S, THE DEPOSIT WAS STILL POORLY EXPOSED AND INADEQUATELY EXPLORED.

Comment (Deposit): SCHEELITE OCCURS IN PYROXENE-RICH SKARN CONSISTING LARGELY OF GARNET AND QUARTZ WITH MINOR SCHEELITE AND SOME MOLYBDENITE. SCHEELITE GRAINS ARE RATHER SMALL IN SIZE. MOST TACTITE CONTAINS LESS THAN 0.5% WO3, WITH THIN LAYERS OF ABOUT 1.0% W03. SAMPLE 2894 WAS SELECTED FROM THE DUMPS AND SKARN ZONE - POSSIBLE TUNGSTEN IN THE SEDIMENTS AND UNIDENTIFIED SULFIDES IN QUARTZ VEINS AND SHEARS. SAMPLE 2895 WAS TAKEN FROM THE OPEN PIT WHERE AN EXPOSED SHEAR CONTAINED GOSSAN-LIKE IRON-STAINING IN ASSOCIATION WITH PYRITE AND OTHER SULFIDES. ROCK ON THE DUMP OF ONE OF THE NW SHAFTS IS AN UNUSUAL VARIETY OF TACTITE COMPOSED MAINLY OF DARK GREEN PYROXENE WITH SOME GARNET AND SPECKS OF SCHEELITE AND MOLYBDENITE.

Comment (Workings): 3 SHALLOW SHAFTS, TWO ADITS, ONE SMALL OPEN PIT. TUNNEL IS A 40-FOOT CROSSCUT DRIVEN NE INTO TACTITE. STOPE EXTENDS 50 FEET ALONG THE CONTACT AND IS 10 TO 25 FEET WIDE. THE 3 SHAFTS IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE MINE AREA ARE UP TO 40 FEET DEEP; SEVERAL OPEN CUTS.

Comment (Geology): A CONTACT DEPOSIT ALONG A TACTITE ZONE BETWEEN METAMORPHIC ROCKS AND GRANODIORITE.

Comment (Location): ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE NIGHTINGALE MINE; ACCESSIBLE BY GRADED ROAD 10 MILES FROM NIXON, THEN 5 MILES OF POOR DIRT ROAD UP COYOTE CANYON. AT THE WASHOE-CHURCHILL-PERSHING LINE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST : 1972

References

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, W.C. AND GUILD, P.W., 1942, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE NIGHTINGALE DISTRICT, PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA: USGS BULL 936-B, P. 53-54.

Reference (Deposit): STAFF, 1985, A MINERAL INVENTORY OF THE PARADISE-DENIO AND SONOMA-GERLACH RESOURCE AREAS, WINNEMUCCA DISTRICT, NEVADA: NBMG OFR 85-3.

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F. JR. & PAPKE, K.L., 1969, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF WASHOE AND STOREY COUNTIES NEVADA: NBMG BULL 70, P. 72.

Reference (Deposit): QUADE, J., 1985, FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS: NBMG UNPUBLISHED (TINGLEY) FILE.

Reference (Deposit): STAGER, H.K. & TINGLEY, J.V., 1988, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS IN NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 105, P. 201.

Reference (Production): SMITH & GUILD (1942); STAGER & TINGLEY (1988)

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BONMAN (1969), P. 72.

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.