Silver Summit Mine

The Silver Summit Mine is a silver mine located in Shoshone county, Idaho at an elevation of 2,713 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

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Site Name

Primary: Silver Summit Mine
Secondary: Consolidated Silver
Secondary: Coeur d'Alene Jumbo

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Nickel
Tertiary: Cobalt

Location

State: Idaho
County: Shoshone
District: Evolution

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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Sterling Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Years: 2003 -

Owner Name: Stratton Silver Summit, Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1928 - 1932

Owner Name: American Reclamation Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Los Angeles, California
Years: 2003 -

Owner Name: Sunshine Precious Metals Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Boise, Idaho
Years: 1995 - 2002

Owner Name: Asarco, Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: New York
Years: 1989 - 1992

Owner Name: American Smelting and Refining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: New York
Years: 1969 - 1976

Owner Name: Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.
Percent: 50.00
Home Office: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Years: 1980 - 1988

Owner Name: Consolidated Silver Corp.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1967 - 1995

Owner Name: Hecla Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Years: 1958 - 1967

Owner Name: Polaris Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1952 - 1958

Owner Name: Silver Summit Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1927 - 1952

Owner Name: Coeur d'Alene Jumbo Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1916 - 1920

Production

Year: 1983
Time Period: 1948-1969
Mined: 724624.000 mt
Material type: Ore Milled

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: HYDROTHERMAL VEIN AND REPLACEMENT
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant Subtype: Flotation
Operation Type: Underground
Mining Method: Shrinkage Methods - Overhand Shrinkage
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1948
Year Last Production: 1969
Discovery Year: 1948
Discovery Method: Drilling
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Coeur D'Alene Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Name: Silver Summit Vein System
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Structure

Type: R
Description: Polaris Fault (N50W) 50-65SW shows right-lateral movement.

Type: R
Description: Silver Syndicate Fault (N45W 70SW) shows left-lateral movement.

Type: R
Description: Big Creek Anticline - ore deposit within overturned north limb.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Bleaching of hematite-bearing quartzite around some veins.

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Disseminated carbonates form halos around veins.

Rocks

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Meta-Argillite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Arsenopyrite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Quartz
Trace: Polybasite
Trace: Gersdorffite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): CONSOLIDATED SILVER IS A CONSOLIDATION OF HECLA'S SILVER SUMMIT WITH 7 ADJOINING PROPERTIES AS OF 1969.

Comment (Orebody): One small ore shoot on the Chester vein near the Chester end line was also mined.

Comment (Production): Ores contained up to 1 wt-percent nickel and 0.4 wt-percent cobalt. Cobalt was reocvered from zinc concentrates at the Sullivan zinc refinery, Kellogg, Idaho. Ore tonnage and metal recovery reported by Mitchell and Bennett (1983) from US Bureau of Mines data. Grades calculated from US Bureau of Mines data using historic mill recovery factors.

Comment (Orebody): No commercial mineralization was found on the Sunshine-Polaris Fault System within the property.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Data from Hecla Mining Co. Annual Report for 1980.

Comment (Location): ON S SLOPE OF COEUR D'ALENE RIVER. WORKINGS CONNECT WITH THOSE OF THE POLARIS.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): RESERVE FIGURES GIVEN AT END OF YEAR.

Comment (Development): ASARCO (1971) DRILLED 4 DDH FOR TOTAL OF 4859 FT. 80 PATENTED, 19 UNPATENTED CLAIMS. PROPERTY IS ONLY MAINTAINED ON A STANDBY BASIS (1975).

Comment (Deposit): LENGTH REFERS TO NO. 3 VEIN EAST; THE NO. 3 VEIN WEST IS 400 FT. LONG; ALTITUDE OF THESE 2 ORE SHOOTS RANGES FROM -100 TO -700 (?) (BELOW SEA LEVEL).

Comment (Orebody): Orebodies found on several siderite-tetrahedrite veins (Silver Summit Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 veins) within the Silver Summit Fault/Vein System. Orebodies were mined up to 213 meters stope length, up to 7.6 meters stope width, and 137 meters pitch length.

Comment (Workings): To the end of 1963, some 17.7 kilometers of drifts and other lateral workings explored the Silver Summit vein system for 5,486 meters along strike.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): KNOWN ORE BODY MINED OUT; OTHERS POSSIBLE; STUDY NEEDED.

Comment (Geology): THIN BEDDED QUARTZITES & ARGILLITES. BEDS STRIKE N50 DEG E, DIP 65 DEG NW ; GEOL.DESC: TETRAHEDRITE ORE LIES IN SIDERITE VEINS, TREND N. 70-80 DEG. W., DIP 65-70 DEG. S., IN BLEACHED ZONE IN ST. REGITHIN BEDDED QUARTZITES & ARGILLITES. BEDS STRIKE N50 DEG E, DIP 65 DEG NW ; GEOL.DESC: TETRAHEDRITE ORE LIES IN SIDERITE VEINS, TREND N. 70-80 DEG. W., DIP 65-70 DEG. S., IN BLEACHED ZONE IN ST. REGIS FORMATION.

References

Reference (Deposit): FRYKLUND, V.C., AND HUTCHINSON, M.W., 1954, THE OCCURRENCE OF COBALT AND NICKEL IN THE SILVER SUMMIT MINE, COEUR D'ALENE DISTRICT, IDAHO: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 49, NO.7, P. 753-758.

Reference (Deposit): VHAY, J.S., 1964, COBALT AND NICKEL, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF IDAHO:U.S. CONG., 88TH, 2ND SESS., P.66-68.

Reference (Deposit): FRYKLUND, V.C., JR., 1964, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE COEURD'ALENE DISTRICT, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 445, 103 P.

Reference (Deposit): GRISMER, G.M., AND HUNDHAUSEN, R.J., 1948, METHODS AND COSTS OF SINKING THE SILVER SUMMIT SHAFT, WALLACE, IDAHO, USING A MECHANICAL MUCKING MACHINE: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7425, 12 P.

Reference (Deposit): Dahl, Mary Katherine, 1981, Structural and stratigraphic control of ore through the Crescent, Sunshine, Silver Summit, Coeur and Galena mines, Coeur d'Alene mining district, Idaho: Moscow, Univeristy of Idaho, MS thesis, 97 p.

Reference (Production): Mitchell, V.E., and Bennett, E.H., 1983, Production statistics for the Coeur d'Alene mining district, Shoshone County, Idaho, 1884-1980: Idaho Geological Survey Technical Report 83-3, 33 p.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Hecla Mining Co., 1980 Annual Report

Idaho Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Idaho" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Idaho. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Idaho.