Rawhide Deposit

The Rawhide Deposit is a gold and silver mine located in Mineral county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,151 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: Rawhide Deposit
Secondary: Denton-Rawhide
Secondary: Rawhide Group
Secondary: Rawhide Gold Mine
Secondary: Nevada New Mines
Secondary: Balloon Hill
Secondary: Murray Hill
Secondary: Crazy Hill
Secondary: Grutt Hill
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 3311 and 3312. This Record Has Been Merged With
Secondary: Records #D0040 and #M242956 and Includes Information From Them.

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Chlorine
Tertiary: Bromine
Tertiary: Aluminum
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Selenium
Tertiary: Mercury

Location

State: Nevada
County: Mineral
District: Regent 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

Owner Name: Kiewit Mining Group Inc.
Percent: 24.50
Years: 1988 -

Owner Name: Kennecott Joint Venture :
Years: 1988 -

Owner Name: Kennecott Rawhide Mining Co.
Years: 1988 -

Owner Name: Kennecott
Percent: 51.00
Years: 1988 -

Owner Name: Plexus Resources Corp.
Percent: 24.50
Years: 1988 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1907
Discovery Year: 1906
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Comstock

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR LENSES, VEINS, POD-TYPE ORE ZONES

Structure

Type: R
Description: Walker Lane And Basin And Range. Large Caldera System Along The Ne Marn Of The Nw Trending Walker Lane Structural Zone. The Miocene Rawhide Volcanic Center Is 6.5 By 12km (4 X 7.5 Mi.) In Area.

Type: L
Description: See Comments

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: See Comments

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: MO, GENERALLY <10 PPM WITH OCCASIONAL VALUES UP TO 80 PPM.
Analytical Data: CU, 1-25 PPM
Analytical Data: PB, 10-100 PPM
Analytical Data: AG:AU AVG. 10:1 IN THE OXIDE AND SULFIDE ZONES AND GENERALLY INCREASES WITH DISTANCE FROM ORE. AS RANGES FROM >400 PPM TO 2000 PPM AND IS GENERALLY THE BEST PATHFINDER ELEMENT. HG RANGES FROM >40 PPB TO >200 PPB. 43 ANALYSES FROM CRAZY HILL ORE ZONE INDICATE THAT THE SB CONTENT OF THE CRAZY HILL ORE ZONE IS LOW AND DOES NOT EXCEED 10 PPM. TYPICAL RANGES FOR BASE METAL ABUNDANCE ARE AS FOLLOWS: ZN, 10-150 PPM

Materials

Ore: Covellite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Pyrargyrite
Ore: Silver
Ore: Copper
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Acanthite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Embolite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Electrum
Ore: Galena
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Proustite
Ore: Scheelite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Pyrrhotite
Gangue: Goethite
Gangue: Jarosite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Chert
Gangue: Chalcedony
Gangue: Kaolin
Unknown: Alunite

Comments

Comment (Geology): THE RAWHIDE DISTRICT IS STRUCTURALLY COMPLEX AND CONTAINS NW, NE, AND NS TRENDING FAULT SETS THAT ALL SHOW PRE-SYN AND POST ORE DEPOSITION MOVEMENT. FORMATIONS IN AREA ARE RHYOLITE, DACITE, AND ANDESITE. MINERALIZATION IS MAINLY IN KAOLINIZED RHYOLITE. PLACER DEPOSITS OVERLIE THE RHYOLITE IN THE VALLEYS EAST AND WEST OF BALLOON AND MURRAY HILLS AND CONTINUE FOR 5 1/2 LES TO ALKALI FLATS. THE CRAZY HILL DEPOSIT IS HOSTED IN TUFFACEOUS EPICLASTIC SEDIMENTARY, AND IGNEOUS VOLCANIC ROCKS THAT ARE INTRUDED BY A POST MINERALIZATION RHYOLITE PLUG. ALUNITE IS SAID TO OCCUR IN THIN VEINS ASSOCIATED WITH GOLD ORES IN ALTERED VOLCANIC ROCKS. VOLCANIC ROCKS CONSIST OF VENT BRECCIA, FLOWS, PLUGS, AND PYROCLASTICS. TERT APPROX. 15.5 MA, K-AR AGES.

Comment (Deposit): QUARTZ VEINS AND LODES IN KAOLINIZED RHYOLITE. DISSEMINATED AND STOCKWORK ORE (VEINLETS THAT APPEAR TO FOLLOW INCIPIENT FISSURES), AS WELL AS SPORADIC ORE BODIES ASSOCIATED WITH ABUNDANT BRECCIA, PHREATOMAGMATIC AND PHREATIC, WITH STRONG SILICIFICATION BORDERED BY ARGILLIC ZONE. SHALLOW HOT SPRING ENVIRONMENT WITH ABUNDANT HYDROFRACTURING. OXIDIZED ZONE UP TO A FEW HUNDRED FEET DEEP IN VENT AREAS IS UNDERLAIN BY A SULFIDE ZONE. THE CHIEF ORE MINERALS IN THE OXIDIZED ZONE ARE CERARGYRITE, PYRITE, NATIVE SILVER, NATIVE GOLD, AND ELECTRUM. IN SULFIDE ZONES - ARGENTITE, PROUSTITE, PYARGYRITE, PYRITE, GOLD AND ELECTRUM. THE GANGUE MINERALS RESULTING FROM HYDROTHERMAL REPLACEMENT ARE ADULARIA, JAROSITE, KAOLIN, PYRITE, PYRRHOTITE, QUARTZ, AND CALCITE. SOME AU AND AG RECOVERED BY DRY WASH PLACER METHOD SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF RAWHIDE. THE MAIN BELT OF MINERALIZATION OCCURS ALONG BALLOON, MURRAY AND GRUTT HILLS IN THIS ZONE, BODIES OF GOOD GRADE MILLING ORE ARE 5 TO 30 FEET WIDE. SOME AU

Comment (Reserve-Resource): AN ADDTIONAL 29.9 MILLION TONS OF LEAN ORE WITH AN AVG. GRADE OF 0.015 OZ AU/TON AND 2.3 OZ AG/TON WILL BE MINED AND HEAP LEACHED AS RUN OF MINE MATERIAL (BLACK,ET AL, 1991P.1123). EST. RESERVES OF OVER 1 MILLION OZ OF AU AND 4 MILLION OZ OF SILVER (NB SPEC. PUB. MI-1990, P. 23). LINES 2 AND 3 ARE PRE-MINING ESTIMATES CALCULATED UNG A STRIP RATIO OF 0.74:1.

Comment (Development): DRILLING NUMEROUS HOLES AND MAKING METALLURGICAL TESTS. MINE CONSTRUCTION WAS INITIATED IN AUGUST 1989 AND GOLD PRODUCTION BEGAN IN APRIL 1990, BEGINNING WITH THE CRAZY HILL DEPOSIT. THIS DEPOSIT WILL PROBABLY BE MINED OUT BY THE FALL OF 1991. MINING OF MURRAY HILL DEPOSIT, NEXT IN LINE, GOING NW FROM THE CRAZY HILL DEPOSIT WILL COMMENCE SUMMER 1991 AS WELL AS FURTHER EXPLORATION DRILLING. CURRENT EXPLORATION TARGET IS HOOLIGAN HILL. A 42,500 FT. DRILLING PROGRAM IS PLANNED FOR 1991. ; TOTAL$: 22.5 ; ECON.COM: EST. CASH COSTS $200 TO $225 PER OZ OF AU INCLUDING SILVER CREDITS. PRODUCTION BEGAN APRIL 1990 AND BY YEAR END, 39,000 OZ OF AU AND 170,000 OF AG PRODUCED. YEARLY PRODUCTION IS PROJECTED AT 81,000 OZ OF AU AND 377,000 OZ OF AG FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS. EXPECTED 15 YEAR MINE LIFE. ( NBMG SPEC. PUB. MI 1990 P.16.)

Comment (Workings): OPEN PIT AND HEAP-LEACH OPERATION. EXTENSIVE OLDER WORKINGS WERE MAINLY UNDERGROUND CONSISTING OF A NUMBER OF SHAFTS AND TUNNELS. 17 MILES OF WORKINGS AT NEVADA NEW MINES ALONE. FOUR KNOWN BULK MINEABLE ORE ZONES ARE ALIGNED ON A N40W TREND: GRUTT HILL, BALLOON HILL, MURRAY HILL, AND CRAZY HILL. THESE DEPOSITS WILL BE MINED FROM TWO PITS. THE CRAZY HILL ORE ZONE IS CURRENTLY BEING MINED FROM THE CRAZY HILL PIT AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE DEPOSIT. THE MURRAY HILL PIT WILL BE A LARGER, NW-TRENDING, ELONGATE PIT THAT WILL DEVELOP THE SERIES OF ORE ZONES THAT UNDERLIE MURRAY, BALLOON, AND GRUTT HILLS. THE TWO PITS WILL BE SEPARATED BY A LOW SEPTUM OF WASTE ROCK. THE CURRENT EXPLORATION TARGET IS HOOLIGAN HILL, WHERE MINERALIZATION MAY MERGE WITH THAT IN THE MURRAY HILL PIT.

Comment (Deposit): AND AG RECOVERED BY DRY WASH PLACER METHOD SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF RAWHIDE. THE MAIN BELT OF MINERALIZATION OCCURS ALONG BALLOON, MURRAY AND GRUTT HILLS. IN THIS ZONE BODIES OF GOOD GRADE MILLING ORE ARE 5 TO 30 FEET WIDE. SPORADIC ORE BODIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BRECCIATION OF THE ROCK. PARTICULARLY IN GRUTT AND MURRAY HILL MANY OF THE VEINS TREND NORTH TO NE. ALL EXPT 2 OF THE VEINS DIP STEEPLY WEST. BULK MINEABLE ORE OCCURS PRIMARILY IN INTENSELY FRACTURED ANDESITE ALONG THE HANGING WALL OF THE RHYOLITE INTRUSION AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY ABUNDANT, CLOSELY SPACED, SHEETED TO STOCKWORK QUARTZ-ADULARIA VEINS. ORE ALSO OCCURS IN ZONES OF PRIMARY PERMEABILITY IN POROUS LITHIC TUFFS AND VOLCANICLASTIC SEDIMENTS, WHERE IT IS FINELY DISSEMINATED AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY PERVASIVE SILICIFICATION AND ADULARIZATION WITH MINOR OR NO ASSOCIATED VEINS. SEVERAL SEPARATE POD-LIKE ORE ZONES OCCUR WITHIN A NW-TRENDING AREA 2440 M LONG AND 400 M WIDE. INDIVIDUAL ORE ZONES ARE IRREGULAR IN GEOMETRY BUT

Comment (Production): 1987-1988 PRODUCTION FIGURES ESTIMATED FROM PROJECTED ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF 87,000 OZ AU/YR. NO ALUNITE PRODUCED BUT $1,5000,000 IN GOLD AND SILVER WERE PRODUCED FROM 1908 TO THE EARLY 1920'S.

Comment (Commodity): AU OCCURS AS ELECTRUM IN BOTH OXIDE AND SULFIDE ORES; THE ELECTRUM IS DOMINANTLY AU IN OXIDE ORE BUT CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT AG IN SULFIDE ORE. IN OXIDE ORE, AG OCCURS PRIMARILY AS EMBOLITE AND LESSER CERARGYRITE. IN SULFIDE ORE, AG OCCURS AS THE SELENIDES, SULFIDES AND SULFOSALTS LISTED ABOVE. AG:AU AVERAGES 10:1 IN BOTH OXIDE AND SULFIDE ZONES AND GENERALLY INCREASES AS AU GRADE DECREASES WITH DISTANCE FROM ORE. AG:AU RATIOS AS HIGH AS 400:1 ARE KNOWN ALONG THE BASE OF OXIDATION AND IN STRONGLY ARGILLIZED ZONES.

Comment (Deposit): TYPICALLY ARE ELONGATE TO THE NW WITH LOCAL NE-TRENDING APOPHYSES. MINERALIZED VEINS STRIKE N TO NE, AN ORIENTATION TRANSVERSE TO THE OVERALL TREND OF THE OREBODIES.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): HIGHLYENTATIVE RESOURCE EST, BY R. B. HALL CONSIDERING VEINS ONLY. POTENTIAL IS POOR FOR ALUNITE ACCORDING TO HALL (1978). NBMG SPEC. PUB. MI-1990 P.23.

Comment (Location): UTM IS THE MIDDLE OF BALLOON HILL-MURRAY HILL PIT AREA.; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = RAWHIDE (1980) 1:24000

Comment (Development): EXPL.COM: GOLD WAS DISCOVERED AT RAWHIDE IN 1906. MOST OF THE 50,000 OZ AU AND 750,000 OZ AG PRODUCED IN THE REGENT DISTRICT DURING THE PERIOD 1907-1920 CAME FROM RAWHIDE. PRODUCTION FROM LEASING OPERATIONS. GEORGE GRAHAM RICE PROMOTED THE RAWHIDE QUEEN M. CO., THE RAWHIDE COALITION M. CO., AND THE BLACK EAGLE M. AND M. CO. N 1912 THE NEVADA NEW MINES CO. WAS INCORPORATED AND AND TOOK OVER THE GEORGE GRAHAM RICE PROMOTIONS. MINING IN THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY INACTIVE SINCE MINOR PLACER OPERATIONS WERE CONDUCTED IN THE 1930'S. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES NUMEROUS MINING COMPANIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE POTENTIAL FOR BULK-MINEABLE PRECIOUS METALS ORE AT RAWHIDE. THE MOST NOTABLE EFFORT OCCURRED FROM 1969 TO 1971, WHEN A HOMESTAKE-GETTY JOINT VENTURE DRILLED 58 HOLES THAT PARTIALLY DELINEATED THE ORE ZONES OF CURRENT INTEREST. IN 1982 A KENNECOTT SUBSIDIARY BEGAN WORK ON THE PROPERTY. A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN PLEXUS AND KIEWIT AND KENNECOTT WORKED ON THE PROPERTY 1982-1985

Comment (Deposit): PROPERTIES IN THE VICINITY OF TOWN OF RAWHIDE INCLUDE: MORNING STAR, RAWHIDE VICTOR, SEMINOLE-REGENT, MASCOT, BULLSKIN MOUNTAIN 1, SILVER ZONE, BETHANIA, BLACK EAGLE, POOR BOY, WASH VEIN, GOLD REEF, ROYAL, FLYNN, AND NEVADA NEW MINES. TWO MILLS ERECTED IN DISTRICT IN 1909 CALLED THE TADMOR AND CANNON BALL MILLS, AND OPERATED ONLY A SHORT TIME. THE LARGEST HOLDINGS IN THE DISTRICT WERE OWNED BY THE SCHEELINE ESTATE (17 1/2 PATENTED CLAIMS), AND THE GRUTT BROTHERS (19 CLAIMS). ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

References

Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H.F. 1988, NBMG M1-1987. BONHAM, H.F. 1986, NBMG MAP 91. BONHAM, H.F., 1986 NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS NBMG MINING DISTRICT FILE #206. NUMEROUS PRESS CLIPPINGS 1986-1987.

Reference (Deposit): ROSS, D.C., 1961, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF MINERAL DEPOSITS OF MINERAL COUNTY, NEVADA; NBMG BULL. 58. PP. 83-84.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBURG, 1937, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN MINERAL COUNTY, NEVADA; USBM IC 6941. PP. 58-64.

Reference (Deposit): LINCOLN, F.C., 1923, MINING DISTRICTS AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF NEVADA; NEVADA NEWSLETTER PUBLISHING CO.

Reference (Deposit): MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS, NOTES ON RAWHIDE, NEVADA; MARCH 28, 1908

Reference (Deposit): BATES, JAMES A., NOV. 1967, UNPUBLISHED REPORT ON THE RAWHIDE LODE-PLACER DEPOSITS IN MINERAL COUNTY, NEVADA.

Reference (Deposit): ARCHIBALD, N.L., 1966, INDUSTRIAL MINERAL DEPOSITS OF MINERAL COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG REPORT 14. P 30.

Reference (Deposit): PLEXUS RESOURCE CORP. 1986, RAWHIDE GOLD MINE REPORT.

Reference (Deposit): BLACK, JOHN E., ET AL., 1991, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION AT THE RAWHIDE AU-AG DEPOSIT, MINERAL COUNTY, NV IN RAINES, G.L., ET AL, EDS., GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 1123-1144.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY-1990, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1990, P.16 AND 23.

Reference (Deposit): MINING JOURNAL/ MONTAGU MINING FINANCE, MININDATABASE, 8/10/91.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

Reference (Deposit): BLACK, JOHN E., 1988, MINERALIZATION AND WALLROCK ALTERATION AT THE RAWHIDE GOLD-SILVER DEPOSIT MINERAL CO., MASTER'S THESIS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA DIVISION OF MINERALS, 1994

Reference (Deposit): THE MINING RECORD APRIL 28,1993

Reference (Deposit): 1906 DIREXPL VARIOUS MINING WORKS 1937 VANDERBURG, WILLIAM O., RECON OF MINING DISTRICTS IN MINERAL CO., NV.: USBM: I.C. 6941

Reference (Deposit): 1947 SCHRADER, F.C., CARSON SINK AREA, NV - RAWHIDE DISTRICT: USGS UNPUBLISHED REPORT. 1978 HALL, R. B., WORLD NONBAUXITE ALUMINUM RESOURCES; ALUNITE: USGS PROF PAPER 1076A, P. A1-A35. 1991 HARDYMAN, R., WRITTEN COMMUNICATION.

Reference (Production): 1908-1935 PRODUCTION FIGURES: VANDERBURG, 1937, P. 60-61 PAY DIRT, 1986 1990 PRODUCTION FIGURES: NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY - 1990, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1990. NBMG MI-1993

Reference (Reserve-Resource): PLEXUS, 1986. NBMG MI-1993

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.