Rabbit Creek Mine

The Rabbit Creek Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada.

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: Rabbit Creek Mine
Secondary: North Central
Secondary: 268
Secondary: 122
Secondary: West Central
Secondary: East Central Areas
Secondary: Hgo
Secondary: Sws
Secondary: Main Chert
Secondary: Dz
Secondary: Lgo
Secondary: Upper Sill
Secondary: Jackrabbit
Secondary: Snowshoe Ore Zones

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Potosi 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

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Santa Fe Pacific Mining, Inc.
Home Office: 6200 Uptown Blvd., Suite 400, Albuquerque, Nm 87110

Owner Name: Rabbit Creek Mining, Inc.
Home Office: Box 552, Winnemucca, Nv 89445

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1990
Discovery Year: 1987
Discovery Method: Other
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag

Orebody

Form: OTHER

Form: OTHER

Structure

Type: R
Description: Antler Belt. Major, Deep Seated, N-S Structural Zone (Suture) 40 Km (25 Miles) Long, Known As The Getchell High-Angle Fault System Bounds The Eastern Flank Of The Osgood Mountains. N-S Trending Belt Of Gold Mineralization That Is At Least 5.6 Km (3.5 Miles) Long And 300 M (1000 Ft) To 450m (1500ft) Wide.

Type: L
Description: The Conelea Overturned Anticline Dominates The Structural Picture Of The Rabbit Creek Mine Area. The Fold Axis Strikes N20-30w, Dips 20-30 Degrees Southwest, And Plunges 5 Degrees Northwest. The Conelea Anticline Is Offset By Three Ne-Striking Faults; The Northernmost Of The Three (Dz Fault) Has About 2000 Ft. Of Dextral Offset. The Dz Fault Is Interpreted As A Riedel "R" Shear Associated With An Inferred Major Ns Basement Suture With Right Lateral Offset, The "Rabbit Suture".

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Decalicification, Silicification, Dolomitization, Argillization, And Minor Sericitization Of Sediments. Albitization And Propylitization Of Basalt. Decalcification Increased Porosity, Allowing Introduction Of Mineralizing Fluids. Silica Was Introduced In Several Stages In The Hgo Orebody. Dolomitization Accompanied One Of The Silicification Stages. Argillization Is Important In The Lgo Orebody.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AU IS ASSOCIATED WITH ANOMALOUS AS (AVG. 5600 PPM, MAX 38.5 % FOR UNOXIDIZED ORE), SB (AVG. 763 PPM, MAX 2.2 WT %), HG (AVG. 25 PPM, MAX O.1 WT %). THE CONCENTRATIONS OF AS, SB, HG IN BOTH OXIDE AND UNOXIDIZED ORE AT RABBIT CREEK ARE HIGHER THAN IN MOST CARLIN-TYPE DEPOSITS. BACKGROUND VALUES IN UNALTERED SEDIMENTARY HOST ROCKS ARE: AS 50 PPM, SB 2 PPM AND HG 70 PPB.

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Orpiment
Ore: Realgar
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Goethite
Gangue: Illite
Gangue: Clay
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Location): RABBIT CREEK IS LOCATED ON THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE OSGOOD MTS.; IT ADJOINS THE CHIMNEY CREEK SOUTH DEPOSIT TO THE SOUTH (THEY MAY EVENTUALLY CONNECT). SOURCE FOR UTM'S-SANTA FE MINING CO. THE DEPOSIT IS WITHIN THE GETCHELL TREND AND IS NEAR THE PREBLE, PINSON, GETCHELL AND CHIMMNEY CREEK GOLD DEPOSITS.

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1987 ORE

Comment (Development): 0.05 OZ/TON IS DESIGNATED AS MILL ORE. OVER THE LIFE OF THE MINE, OPERATING COSTS ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE $207/0Z (1990 DOLLARS FOR OXIDE PRODUCTION.)

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT DESCRIPTION DATA IS FOR HGO ORE ZONE, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OREBODY OF THE RABBIT CREEK MINE IN TERMS OF RESERVES. SEVEN OTHER MINERALIZED ZONES ARE RECOGNIZED. DEPOSIT IS COVERED BY 60M TO 165 M OF ALLUVIUM.

Comment (Workings): EXPANDED OPEN PIT MINE WILL BE 1 MILE LONG BY 1.5 MILES WIDE. THE OXIDE PIT WILL EVENTUALLY REACH 1200 FT. IN DEPTH AND REQUIRE 150 MILLION TONS OF OVERBURDEN TO BE REMOVED OVER THE LIFE OF THE MINE. (THE HUMBOLDT SUN, WINNEMUCCA, NV., JULY 27, 1990, P. 32-34.)

Comment (Development): IN JANUARY 1987, WAS THE DISCOVERY HOLE. DRILLING THROUGH 1988 IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING MINERALIZED AREAS: NORTH CENTRAL AREA, 268 AREA, 122 AREA, WEST CENTRAL AREA, EAST CENTRAL AREA. WITHIN THESE AREAS ARE NUMEROUS OREBODIES, INCLUDING HGO, SWS, MAIN CHERT, DZ, LGO, UPPER SILL, JACKRABBIT, AND SNOWSHOE. PRESTRIPPING COMMENCED MARCH 1989. MILL AND HEAP LEACH CONSTRUCTION BEGAN AUGUST 1989. INITIAL PRODUCTION SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 1990 AT AN ANNUAL RATE OF 200,000 OZ. AU PER YEAR. ; TOTAL$: 77.4 ; EXPAN$: 60-65 ; ECON.YEAR: 1991-92 ; ECON.COM: INITIAL PRODUCTION BEGAN AUGUST 1990 UTILIZING OXIDE ORES WITH AN OUTPUT OF 200,000 OZ OF AU/YR. THE CONVENTIONAL CARBON-IN-LEACH MILL IS RATED AT 1500 TPD. A SECOND CIRCUIT TO TREAT UNOXIDIZED ORE IS PLANNED. THE ORE BODY WILL BE DEVELOPED IN THREE PHASES. FIRST, THE NORTH-CENTRAL OXIDE PIT, FOLLOWED BY EXPANSION OF OXIDE PRODUCTION FURTHER SOUTH. PRODUCTION FROM SULFIDE GOLD RESERVES WILL BEGIN IN 1995. OXIDE ORE GREATER THAN

Comment (Commodity): GOLD IN THE MAIN CHERT ORE ZONE OCCURS AS MICRON-SIZED GRAINS ADJACENT TO CUBIC PYRITE SURROUNDED BY ORPIMENT. AU:AG RATIOS FOR THE ORE ZONES RANGE 0.3:1 AT JACKRABBIT TO 48.9:1 AT HGO. AVERAGE AU:AG RATIOS ARE 11:1 FOR OXIDE ORE AND 4:1 FOR UNOXIDIZED ORE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): LINE 1 FIGURES REPRESENT PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESOURCE ESTIMATES FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL AREA, 268 AREA, AND 122 AREA. ESTIMATES FOR THE WEST CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL AREAS ARE EXCLUDED.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): LINE 1: ORE IS OXIDIZED AND TREATABLE WITH CONVENTIONAL EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES. LINE 3: ORE IS REFRACTORY AND WILL REQUIRE PREOXIDATION AS PART OF MILLING PROCESS.

Comment (Geology): RABBIT CREEK GOLD DEPOSIT IS CONCEALED UNDER A THICK SERIES OF COALESCING ALLUVIAL FANS FORMING A PEDIMENT OF THE OSGOOD MOUNTAINS. THE ORE BODY OCCURS IN PALEOZOIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS WHICH ARE COMPLETELY COVERED BY QUATERNARY SAND, GRAVEL AND CLAY. THE PALEOZOIC ROCKS DEPOSITED IN A EUGEOSYNCLINAL ENVIRONMENT WERE EXTENSIVELY DEFORMED DURING THREE PRE-TERTIARY TECTONIC EVENTS. THRUSTING DURING THE ANTLER AND SONOMA OROGENIES BROUGHT WESTERN FACIES DEEP WATER UNITS OVER OR INTERLEAVED THEM WITH EASTERN FACIES, SHALLOW WATER UNITS IN A COMPLEX ASSEMBLAGE. THRUSTS ARE GENERALLY N-NE STRIKING. PALEOZOIC UNITS ARE TILTED AND FOLDED, OFTEN ISOCLINALLY, AND STEEPLY DIPPING. DURING THE BASIN AND RANGE EXTENSION MAFIC AND FELSIC DIKES WERE INTRUD. HIGH ANGLE FAULTS PLAYED A PRIMARY ROLE IN LOCALIZING THE FLOW OF HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEPOSITION OF GOLD. HOST ROCKS ARE BLACK, CARBONACEOUS, CALCAREOUS SHALES, SILTSTONES, CHERTS, INTERBEDDED BASALTIC HYDROCLASTIC TUFFS,

Comment (Geology): AND COEVAL BASALTS AND VOLCANICLASTICS. CONCORDANT SILLS AND LAVA FLO OF HIGH-TITANIUM BASALTS OF THOLEIITIC-TO-ALKALIC COMPOSITION.

Comment (Deposit): RABBIT CREEK DEPOSIT IS CONSIDERED A CLASSIC "CARLIN TYPE" DEPOSIT AND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS MIDPLATE SEAMOUNT VOLCANISM WITHIN AN EXTENSIONAL STRESS FIELD. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Development): EXPL.COM: RABBIT CREEK IS A BLIND DISCOVERY FOUND BY DRILLING TARGETED ON PHOTOLINEAMENTS. SANTA FE GEOLOGISTS FIRST REVIEWED THE RAILROAD GRANT SECTIONS IN THE RABBIT CREEK AREA IN 1985 AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF THE CHIMNEY CREEK DEPOSIT BY GOLD FIELDS MINING CORP. IN MAY 1986, DRILLING BY GOLD FIELDS NEAR THE PROPERTY BOUNDARY INDICATED TO SANTA FE GEOLOGISTS THE POSSIBILITY OF SHALLOW, ALTERED BEDROCK IN SECTION 19. A PHOTOGEOLOGICAL EVALUATION IDENTIFIED A STRONG NS LINEAMENT FROM THE CHIMNEY CREEK TO RABBIT CREEK DEPOSITS. TEN WIDELY SPACED HOLES WERE DRILLED IN JULY 1986. NO ORE GRADE AU INTERCEPTS WERE ENCOUNTERED BUT ANOMALOUS AS (100'S OF PPM) AND HG (1 PPM) VALUES WERE COMMON. TEN ADDITIONAL HOLES WERE DRILLED IN OCTOBER 1986. THE BEST AU INTERCEPT WAS 5 FT./O.15 OPT; TRACE ELEMENT GEOCHEMISTRY WAS SIMILAR TO THE FIRST PHASE OF DRILLING. BOTH AU AND TRACE ELEMENT VALUES GENERALLY INCREASED TOWARD THE BOTTOM IN MANY HOLES. THE SECOND HOLE OF THE THIRD ROUND OF DRILLING

References

Reference (Deposit): BLOOMSTEIN, E. I., MASSENGILL, G.L. ET. AL., 1991, DISCOVERY, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION OF THE RABBIT CREEK GOLD DEPOSIT, HUMBOLDT CO., NV. GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, GSA SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS RENO, NEVADA, P. 821-843.

Reference (Deposit): MADDEN-MCGUIRE, DAWN J., SMITH, STEVEN M., ET AL., 1991, NATURE AND ORIGIN OF ALLUVIUM ABOVE THE RABBIT CREEK GOLD DEPOSIT, GETCHELL GOLD BELT, HUMBOLDT CO., NV. GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, GSA SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS RENO, NEVADA, P. 895-911.

Reference (Deposit): GRAUCH,V.J.S., AND BANKEY, VIKI, PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF AEROMAGNETIC STUDIES OF THE GETCHELL DISSEMINATED GOLD DEPOSIT TREND, OSGOOD MOUNTAINS NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA. GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, GSA SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS RENO, NEVADA, P. 781-791.

Reference (Deposit): CALIFORNIA MINING JOURNAL, APRIL 1990

Reference (Deposit): THE HUMBOLDT SUN, WINNEMUCCA, NV, JULY 27, 1990, P. 32 AND 34.

Reference (Deposit): RABBIT CREEK MINE, SANTA FE PACIFIC LD CORP. BROCHURE.

Reference (Deposit): THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY, 1990, NBMG SPEC. PUB. MI-1990.

Reference (Deposit): WILLDEN, RONALD 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NV: NBMG BULL. 59G.

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

Reference (Deposit): ERICKSON, R.L., AND MARSH, S.P., (1974A, 1974B), GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE GOLCONDA QUADRANGLE AND IRON POINT QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NV. : USGS GEOL. QUAD. MAP GQ 1174 AND GQ 1175, SCALE 1:24,000.

Reference (Deposit): HOLTZ, P. E., AND WILLDEN, RONALD, 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE OSGOOD MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA: USGS PROF. PAPER 431, 128 P.

Reference (Deposit): UNPUBLISHED MAPPING BY R.A.ALLACE AND D.M. MCGUIRE.

Reference (Production): NBMG, 1991, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY - 1990, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1990. MI-1993

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BLOOMSTEIN, E.I., MASSENGILL, G.L., ET AL, 1991, DISCOVERY, GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION OF THE RABBIT CREEK GOLD DEPOSIT, HUMBOLDT CO., NV. GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE GREAT BASIN, GSA SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS, RENO NEVADA, P. 821-843. 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.