Hornsilver Mine

The Hornsilver Mine is a silver mine located in Butte county, Idaho at an elevation of 6,499 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: Hornsilver Mine
Secondary: Horn Silver
Secondary: Era-Hornsilver

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Bismuth
Tertiary: Zinc

Location

State: Idaho
County: Butte
District: Lava Creek District

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

Type: Patented
Type: Located Claim

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Era Mining And Development Co.

Owner Name: Era Mining And Development Co.
Years: 1948 -

Production

Year: 1887
Time Period: 1886-1887
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^30 Oz Ag/Ton

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Discovery Year: 1883
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Pioneer Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: VEINLETS

Structure

Type: L
Structure: Minor Faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Sericitization

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Silicification

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Fe Stains

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Oxidation

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Early Permian

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Wurtzite
Ore: Enargite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Famatinite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Stannite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Chalcedony
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Marcasite
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Location): Head Of Champagne Creek On S Side Valley

Comment (Deposit): Vein Several Hundred Yards Long But Only 300 Ft Mined; Vein Strike Ranges From N 10 - 20 Deg E

Comment (Workings): Pits, Cuts, Shafts, Caved Tunnels All Inaccessible; Diamond Drill Holes By USBM In 1946

Comment (Geology): Copper Basin Formation Inferred From Nelson And Ross (1968)

Comment (Production): Production Above Probably Includes Some From Last Chance Mine; Value Item 8, $149,000; 393.17 Oz Au And Some Cu Produced 1943-1946 Also

Comment (Development): 9 Unpatented, 10 Patented Claims

Comment (Geology): Original Structures entry: Minor Faults

Comment (Geology): Original Alteration entry: Oxidation, Fe Stains, Silicification, Sericitization

Comment (Geology): Original Ore Control entry: Brecciated Zone, Fissures

References

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, A. L., 1929, Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Lava Creek District, Idaho: Idaho Bureau Of Mines And Geology Pamphlet 32, 70 P.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, A. L., 1947, Epithermal Mineralization At The Last Chance And Hornsilver Mines, Lava Creek District, Butte County, Idaho: Geol. Soc. America Bulletin, V. 58, No. 5, P. 451-482

Reference (Deposit): Roby, R. N., 1948 Investigation Of The Hornsilver Lead-Zinc Property, Butte County, Idaho: USBM Rept. Inv. 4277, 15 P.

Reference (Deposit): Umpleby, J. B., 1917, Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Mackay Region, Idaho: USGS Prof. Paper 97, 129 P.

Reference (Deposit): Nelson, W. H., And Ross, C. P., 1968, Geology Of Part Of The Alder Creek Mining District, Custer County, Idaho: USGS Bulletin 1252-A, 30 P.

Reference (Deposit): USBM, 1947, Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, And Zinc In Idaho: USBM Mineral Yearbook For 1945, P. 355-380

Reference (Production): Roby, R. N., 1948, USBM Rept. Inv. 4277; Items 1-6, USBM, 1947, Mineral Yearbook For 1945

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.