Colorado Deposit

The Colorado Deposit is a gold mine located in Churchill county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,200 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: Colorado Deposit
Secondary: Fondaway Canyon Mine
Secondary: NBMG Sample Sites 3302, 3303.

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Mercury

Location

State: Nevada
County: Churchill
District: Shady Run 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

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Tenneco Minerals
Years: 1989 -

Owner Name: George Fisk

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Carbonate-hosted Au-Ag

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: L
Description: Ne-Trending Faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SAMPLE 3302 OF SILICIFIED PHYLLITE FROM OPEN PIT CONTAINS 3% FE, 0.2% MG, 0.07% CA, 0.5% TI, 150 PPM MN, 2 PPM AG, 3000 PPM AS, 15 PPM AU, 500 PPM B, 1500 PPM BA, 70 PPM CR. 30 PPM CU, 20 PPM LA, 5 PPM MO, 20 PPM NI, 50 PPM PB, 100 PPM SB, 10 PPM SC, 100 PPM SR, 100 PPM V, 20 PPM Y, 150 PPM ZR, AND BY AA ANALYSIS 12 PPM AU. SAMPLE 3303 FROM OPEN PIT CONTAINS 3% FE, 0.3% MG, 0.1% CA, 0.5% TI, 10 PPM MN, 5000 PPM AS, 500 PPM B, 2000 PPM BA, 1.5 PPM BE, 150 PPM CR, 50 PPM CU, 20 PPM LA, 15 PPM NI, 20 PPM PB, 10 PPM SC, 100 PPM V, 20 PPM Y, 100 PPM ZR, AND BY AA ANALYSIS, 0.15 PPM AU.

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Cinnabar
Gangue: Stibnite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Scheelite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): THIS IS ONE OF THREE DEPOSITS EXPLORED BY TENNECO MINERALS WHICH COMPRISE THE FONDAWAY CANYON MINE. SEE RECORDS RE00273 (REED DEPOSIT) AND RE00274 (SOUTH MOUTH DEPOSIT) FOR THE OTHER TWO.

Comment (Development): AGREEMENT WITH THE OWNERS IN FEBRUARY 1987.

Comment (Location): IN FONDAWAY CANYON NE AND EAST OF QUICK TUNG TUNGSTEN MINE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972); PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = RENO (1971) 1:250000

Comment (Development): G. FISK DISCOVERED AU MINERALIZATION IN FONDAWAY CANYON IN THE MID-1970'S AND BEGAN PRODUCTION, IN A JOINT VENTURE WITH WILBUR ROBERTSON, IN EARLY 1978. THE ORE WAS REMOVED FROM SEVERAL OPEN CUTS ON THE CANYON SLOPES AND HAULED TO A SMALL MILLSITE IN THE CANYON BOTTOM. ORE WAS CRUSHED, LEACHED WITH CYANIDE IN A 1000 TON STEEL LEACH VAT, AND THEN WASTED ON AN ADJACENT TAILINGS PILE. THE PREGNANT SOLUTIONS WERE PUMPED THROUGH A CARBON COLUMN TO ABSORB THE AU VALUES, THE AU BEING LATER STRIPPED OFF THE LOADED CARBON AND PRECIPITATED WITH ZINC DUST IN A MERRILL CROWE PROCESS. OVER 2500 OZ OF AU WERE REPORTEDLY PRODUCED BY THIS OPERATION. IN 1980, OCCIDENTAL MINERALS CORPORATION LEASED THE FISK AND ROBERTSON HOLDINGS AND PERFORMED MAPPING AND GEOCHEMICAL SAMPLING. A NUMBER OF DRILL HOLES WERE COMPLETED IN 1981 AND 1982 AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS WERE COMPLETED. SINCE 1982 A NUMBER OF MINING CONCERNS REVIEWED THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE PROPERTY LEADING UP TO TENNECO MINERALS SIGNING A LEASE

Comment (Deposit): SULFIDES OCCUR IN WNW-TRENDING MARBLE BEDS IN FONDAWAY CANYON. NO SKARN IS PRESENT, BUT SOME SCHEELITE IS ASSOCIATED WITH QUARTZ VEINLETS IN THE MARBLE. THE SCHEELITE OCCURS AS LARGE CRYSTALS, UP TO 10 CM IN MARBLE. CINNABAR OCCURS IN LATE FRACTURES CUTTING THE MARBLE. STIBNITE OCCURS AS MASSIVE LENSES IN MARBLE AND WITH AU ORE IN PHYLLITE. THE FAULT ZONES ARE BRECCIATED AND SILICIFIED, NEARLY VERTICAL, UP TO 3 M WIDE. SULFIDE ORE CONTAINS PYRITE, STIBNITE, AND ARSENOPYRITE AND IS TYPICALLY CARBONACEOUS.

Comment (Workings): SEVERAL OPEN CUTS, ADITS, OPEN STOPES, DRILL ROADS. "OXY" PIT, "STIBNITE" PIT, FISK PIT, MAIN PIT EXTENDING FOR ABOUT 3000 FEET EAST AND UPHILL FROM THE QUIK TUNG (FISK) TUNGSTEN MINE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): 4.4 MILLION TONS OF 0.134 OZ/TON ORE HAVE REPORTEDLY BEEN DEVELOPED HERE BUT MUCH OF IT IS REFRACTORY AND PROBABLY NOT OPEN-PITTABLE.

References

Reference (Deposit): TENNECO MINERALS COMPANY, 1989, DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE TENNECO MINERALS COMPANY FONDAWAY CANYON PROJECT

Reference (Production): 1978-1980 CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION: TENNECO MINERALS COMPANY, 1989, DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE TENNECO MINERALS COMPANY FONDAWAY CANYON PROJECT.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): BONHAM, H.F., 1986

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.