Mount Tolman

The Mount Tolman is a molybdenum and copper mine located in Ferry county, Washington at an elevation of 3,543 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: Mount Tolman
Secondary: Tolman Mt. Mine
Secondary: Bear Cr Mining Co
Secondary: Belcher
Secondary: Byrne
Secondary: Meadow Creek

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Primary: Copper
Tertiary: Titanium
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Silver

Location

State: Washington
County: Ferry
District: Keller

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Type: Private Lease
Type: Fee Ownership

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface
Discovery Year: 1912
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Wolframite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Copper
Ore: Galena
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Rutile
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Gypsum
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Laumontite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Muscovite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Rhodochrosite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Stilbite
Gangue: Topaz
Gangue: Anhydrite

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): OPERATOR: AMAX. AMAX 1978 10K, P5.FORMERLY LISTED UNDER 0530190420A. AMAX RETURNED CONTROL TO THE COLVILLE TRIBES IN 1983-1985 FOLLOWING AN EVALUATION AND FEASIBILITY STUDY (VERIFY RETURN DATE WITH AMAX).CONTACT AMAX,INC. OR THE COLVILLE FEDERATED TRIBES FOR A COPY OF THE STUDY.IN E.I.S. AMAX ADVISES 900 MILLION MT ORE, 0.06%MO (MEASURED) RESERVES, 0.05% CUTOFF.

Comment (Exploration): FINAL EIS APPROVAL IS CRITICAL AND IS EXPECTED BY ABOUT 03-81

Comment (Reserve-Resource): MEASURED RESERVES BASED ON GRID DRILLING ON 61 METER CENTERS

Comment (Deposit): CU AVAILABILITY TIED DIRECTLY TO MOLYBDENUM ECONOMICS. GUARRANTEE OF POWER AVAILABILITY FROM BONNEVILLE POWER ADMIN. IS CRITICAL TO PROJECT;CURRENTLY BEING NEGOTIATE MILS LOCATION-TOP OF MT.TOLMAN IS 2130 M WEST OF PIT CENTER. FIVE YEAR MINE PLAN MAPS AVAILABLE IN FILE REPORTS. 1985 UPDATE. ACTIVE EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT WAS TERMIN- ATED IN 1982 WHEN AMAX AND THE COLVILLE CONFEDERATED TRIBES COULD NOT AGREE ON A MINE STARTUP DATE. THE PROPERTY IS REPORTEDLY UP FOR LEASE.

Comment (Location): Derkey and others (1990, p. 68) secs. 31 and 32, 30N, 33E; N1/2 sec. 5 and NE1/4 sec. 6, 29N, 33E

Comment (General): Derkey and others (1990, p. 69) The Mount Tolman deposit is owned (1990) by the Colville Confederated Tribes. Prior to tribal acquisition of the land, numerous mines were developed in search of silver ore. Mine adits were driven by: Consolidated Mines and Smelting Co., Ltd. (adits include the Iconoclast, Golden Cord, Advance, Silver Ridge, California, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Jumper, Handspike, and Dewey); the Meadow Creek mine (adits include the Blue Bird, Abe Lincoln, King Richard, Blevins, and Sanpoil); the Rover-Bonanza group (adits include the Golden Rule, Golden Chariot, and North Star); and also the adits Bobbie Jay, Josie, Ophir, Byrne, Addie B, Humboldt, Pole Pick, and adits by Illinois Copper and Silver Mining and Milling Co. Bear Creek Mining Co. leased the property from the Colville Business Council in July of 1964. From 1964 to 1976 Bear Creek completed 45,000 ft of drilling and drove a 650-ft adit at elev. 3,000 ft. AMAX Exploration, Inc. signed an agreement in 1978 and undertook a major 2-year development program. They completed 386,827 ft of drilling, three adits totaling 2,160 ft, and metallurgical testing. Drilling costs alone from August 18, 1978 to December 1980 were $10,167,739. AMAX terminated its lease in 1982.

Comment (Production): Derkey and others (1990, p. 68) There was an unknown amount of Pb, Cu, and Ag production from the Meadow Creek (Mount Tolman) mine in 1935 and 1936. The Golden Cord and the Ophir mines also produced, but no records are available.

Comment (Geology): Derkey and others (1990, p. 68) The Mount Tolman deposit is in the Paleocene-Eocene Keller Butte pluton. Post-ore faults displaced the deposit and resulted in ore dilution. These faults strike N65W, N20E, N45E, and N35E. Post ore dikes strike N60-75E and have steep northwest to vertical dips. Post ore faulting and dike activity is probably related to development of the Republic graben.

Comment (Geology): Derkey and others (1990, p. 68) The Keller Butte pluton, which hosts the Mount Tolman deposit, is situated on the northwest projection of the N65-80W-trending Lewis and Clark structure (Osborn fault in Idaho). Foliation and mineral grains in the pluton trend N65-75W. Emplacement of the multi-phased pluton in this N65-80W trend resulted in the Cu-Mo deposit being elongate N68W.

Comment (Orebody): Derkey and others (1990, p. 68) The Mount Tolman deposit is 1 mi wide in a north-south direction, 2 mi long, and 1,200 ft thick. During crystallization of the last phase of the interior zone of the host quartz porphyry, a minimum of five periods of fracturing and concurrent mineralization took place. Each period affected the same rocks, and each episode of mineralization added to the distinctive vertical zonation: quartz with molybdenite predominate in the center, while chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite increase away from the core. Post-stockwork veins surrounding the Mount Tolman deposit cut the molybdenite-bearing fractures. These veins contain galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. Drilling, underground exploration, and bulk sampling have outlined proven and probable reserves of 2.4 billion tons of ore with an average grade of 0.093% MoS2 and 0.09% Cu; the cutoff grade used was 0.048% MoS2. Metallurgical testing resulted in recoveries of 85% of the molybdenite and 80% of the chalcopyrite. The deposit represents a recoverable reserve of 1.9 million tons of MoS2 and 1.73 million tons of copper. A mine plan designed by AMAX would have recovered 727,260 tons of MoS2 and 662,400 tons of copper. The AMAX plan was based on mining approximately 900 million tons of ore averaging 0.10% MoS2 and 0.09% Cu and a waste to ore ratio of 0.83:1. This ranks the Mount Tolman deposit as the third or fourth largest molybdenum deposits in the world after Climax and Quartz Hill. Whole-rock analyses indicate the Mount Tolman rocks contain 0.3-0.5% TiO2, and if recoverable, the deposit could produce titanium.

References

Reference (Deposit): CALDWELL, J.A., 1980, TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTS, GENERAL DESIGN, OPERATING, AND ABANDONMENT PROPOSALS: ROBERTSON-PINCOCK INC., PRIVATE COMPANY REPORT PREPARED FOR AMAX CORP. P. 3-6,7, 6-1,2, 8-8,10.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): AMAX CORPORATION, 1980, FACT SHEET: PUBLIC RELATIONS BROCHURE, P. 3.

Reference (Geology): UTTERBACK, WM C., 1980, GEOLOGY OF THE MOUNT TOLMAN DEPOSIT: AMAX CORPORATION PRIVATE COMPANY REPORT, P. 2-8.

Reference (Production): STILLAR, S.S., 1980 MOUNT TOLMAN PROPOSED METALLURGICAL FLOW SHEET AND DESCRIPTION: AMAX COMPANY REPORT, 13 P.

Reference (Deposit): SPOKESMAN REVIEW, 1980, MT. TOLMAN-COLVILLE TRIBES DEBATE HERITAGE VS. EXPLOITATION: NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, FEBRUARY 3, 1980.

Reference (Deposit): BABBY, WYMAN D., 1979, SCOPING DOCUMENT FOR THE MT TOLMAN MINING PROJECT: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR-BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS MEMORANDUM, 13 PP.

Reference (Deposit): STANFORD, W., 1980, ENGINEERING MANAGER, AMAX CORPORATION: PERSONAL COMMUNICATION.

Reference (Deposit): COLVILLE CONFEDERATED TRIBES GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT, 1984, REVISED GEOLOGY AND MINERAL POTENTIAL OF THE COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION, WASHINGTON, 1984: COLVILLE CONFEDERATED TRIBES [NESPELEM, WASH.], 2 V.

Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., 1918, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 677, 186 P., 1 PL.

Reference (Deposit): Derkey, R.E., Joseph, N.L., and Lasmanis, Raymond, 1990, Metal mines of Washington - preliminary report: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Open File Report 90-18, 577 p.

Reference (Deposit): HUNTTING, M. T., 1956, INVENTORY OF WASHINGTON MINERALS-PART II, METALLIC MINERALS: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 37, V. 1, 428 P.; V. 2, 67 P.

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