Monitor Mine

The Monitor Mine is a lead, zinc, and silver mine located in Shoshone county, Idaho at an elevation of 4,554 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: Monitor Mine
Secondary: Grey Rock Lease
Secondary: Interstate-Callahan Mine
Secondary: Callahan Mine
Secondary: Interstate Mine
Secondary: Silver State Prospect
Secondary: Montana-Idaho

Commodity

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

Location

State: Idaho
County: Shoshone
District: Beaver

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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.
Administrative Organization: St. Joe National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Kennedy-Zanetti Lease
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1955 - 1971

Owner Name: Day Mines, Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1947 - 1981

Owner Name: Monitor Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1945 - 1947

Owner Name: Zanetti Bros. (Daylight Lease)
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1940 - 1954

Owner Name: Interstate Lease
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1939 - 1941

Owner Name: Callahan Zinc-Lead Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: New York
Years: 1921 - 1945

Owner Name: Consolidated Interstate-Callahan Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: New York
Years: 1912 - 1921

Owner Name: Inter-State Mining and Milling Co.
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1906 - 1912

Owner Name: Callahan Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Wallace, Idaho
Years: 1910 - 1912

Owner Name: Callahan Brothers
Percent: 100.0
Years: 1885 - 1910

Owner Name: Hecla Mining Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Years: 1981 -

Production

Year: 1977
Time Period: 1906-1977
Mined: 1188761.000 mt
Material type: Ore

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: Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1892
Year Last Production: 1977
Discovery Year: 1885
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Name: Interstate Vein
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Name: Silver State
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Name: Monitor
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Name: South Vein
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Name: Callahan East
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Name: Callahan West
Form: PINCH AND SWELL

Structure

Type: R
Description: Osburn Fault (WNW) to south of deposit.

Type: L
Description: Monzonite dike strikes EW, dips 70N, with parallel plane of weakness.

Type: L
Description: Carlisle Fault (N20W 75SW) bounds the deposit to the west.

Type: L
Description: Puritan Fault (N10W 70NE) bounds the deposit to the east.

Type: L
Description: Burke-Trout Creek Anticline (NS) - deposit occurs in the south end of the east limb.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericite-pyrite envelopes extend well outward from veins into host Prichard Formation argilite. A calcite-chlorite envelope extends less far from the vein, and orthoclase-epidote-garnet occur very close to the vein. The monzonite dikes are progressively altered, as mineralization is approached, from a zone where horblende is altered to chlorite and epidote, feldspar to clinozoisite, sphene to leucoxene and epidote, magnetite to epidote, and pyrite to hematite, to a zone where sericite begins to replace all minerals associated with calcite, to a zone where the rock almost entirely consists of sericite and calcite.

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SOME SAMPLES OF 70 % SPHALERITE, 15 % GALENA, 5 % CHALCOPYRITE, 3 % CALCITE, 3 % QUARTZ, 1 % OTHER ORE AND GANGUE MINERALS

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Pyrrhotite
Gangue: Clinozoisite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Grunerite

Comments

Comment (Location): ABOUT 2.5 MI SE FROM BALD MTN PROSPECT. LIES ACROSS A HIGH RIDGE BETWEEN THE E FK OF NINEMILE CR AND MISSOULA GULCH.

Comment (Commodity): IN THE CARLISLE-HERCULES MINERAL BELT

Comment (Development): 187 PATENTED CLAIMS, 10 UNPATENTED AND 2 UNPATENTED MILLSITES

Comment (Deposit): INTERSTATE VEIN SINTERSTATE VEIN SYSTEM STRIKES W TO N 40 DEG W, DIPS 75 DEG N. CALLAHAN EAST STRIKES N 60 DEG W, DIPS 85 DEG S, IS 250 FT LONG. THE SOUTH ORE SHOOT STRIKES N 70 DEG W, DIPS 85 DEG S, IS 200 FT LONG AND AT 4960 FT ELEVATION. DEPTHS TO TOP; BOTTOM ARE EXPRESSED IN ELEVATION

Comment (Workings): LENGTH WORKINGS A 1961 FIGURE.

Comment (Geology): The Gem hornblende monzonite locally occurs as latite porphyry dikes.

Comment (Orebody): The Monitor orebody is an up-dip extension of the Callahan East Vein. This vein pinches to less than 0.3 meters wide, but where mined is 1.2 to 3.7 meters wide. The lower portion of the Callahan East vein in pipelike with dimensions of 11 by 9 meters on the 11th level (966 meterts elevation) where the vein contained much pyrite and little zinc.

Comment (Production): Production compiled from company records, Day Mines annual reports, and other sources. May include a small amount of production from Amazon-Manhattan mine. May not include all lease production. Does not include reprocessed tailings/

Comment (Reserve-Resource): From Day Mines, Inc. annual report for 1973. These reserves were mined out from 1974 to 1977.

Comment (Orebody): Orebodies show some zoning with sphalerite and galena in their outer portions and just sphalerite in their cores.

References

Reference (Deposit): ROALES, P. A., 1973 , ORE AND MONZONITE DIKE RELATIONS, MONITOR MINE, COEUR D'ALENE DISTRICT, IDAHO: MOSCOW, IDAHO, UNIV. OF IDAHO, MS THESIS, 142 P.

Reference (Deposit): FRYKLUND, V. C., JR., 1964 , ORE DEPOSITS OF THE COEUR D'ALENE DISTRICT, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO: USGS PROF. PAPER 445 , 103 P.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): DAY MINES 1973 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 3 .

Reference (Deposit): JONES, E. L., 1919 , A RECONNAISSANCE OF THE PINE CREEK DISTRICT, IDAHO: USGS BULL. 710 , 36 P.

Reference (Deposit): GRIGGS, A. B., 1952 , GEOLOGY AND NOTES ON ORE DEPOSITS IN CANYON-NINE MILE CREEKS AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO: USGS OPEN - FILE REPT., 108 P.

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.