Smith Creek- Big Creek Placers

The Smith Creek- Big Creek Placers is a gold mine located in Valley county, Idaho at an elevation of 6,079 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: Smith Creek- Big Creek Placers
Secondary: Big Creek Placers

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Zirconium
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Titanium

Location

State: Idaho
County: Valley

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: Payette National Forest

Holdings

Type: Unknown

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Smith Creek Hydraulic Co.
Home Office: Idaho
Info Year: 1973
Years: 1973 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Northern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): AVERAGE GOLD VALUES GENERALLY INCREASE DOWNSTREAM AND OCCUR IN HIGHER GRADE POCKETS, LENSES AND STRINGERS. MATERIAL ABOVE PLACER CREEK SHOWS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF REWORKING AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONCENTRATION OF GOLD OCCUR IN ECONOMIC QUANTITIES. GOLD VALUES AVERAGE ABOUT 0.02 GRAM PER METRIC TON, BASED ON 850 FINE. RECOVERABLE GOLD VALUES IN RESOURCES RANGED FROM 0.008 TO 0.05 GRAM PER METRIC TON. GLACIOFLUVIAL MATERIAL BETWEEN PLACER CREEK AND BRIDGE NEAR THE MOUTH HAS VALUES RANGING FROM 0.01 TO 0.018 GRAM PER METRIC TON, WITH AN AVERAGE VALUE OF 0.09 GRAM GOLD PER METRIC TONNE. THE FLUVIAL MATERIAL AT THE MOUTH OF SMITH CREEK AND EXTENDING 1.5 MILES DOWN BIG CREEK CONTAIN THE BEST VALUES. GOLD VALUES AVERAGE 0.55 GRAM PER METRIC TONNE. ALSO SECTIONS 3, 4, 11, 13, 14. SMITH CREEK - BIG CREEK PLACER AREA OCCUR ALONG SMITH CREEK FOR A DISTANCE OF 11.3 KILOMETERS. BLACK SAND CONCENTRATES AVERAGED 1.3 KILOGRAM PER CUBIC METER WITH ESTIMATED PLACER GOLD RESOURCES TO BE ABOUT 13000000 CUBIC METERS OF GRAVEL. THE CONCENTRATES CONTAINED 9-16 PERCENT ILMENITE AND TRACE TO 0.5 PERCENT RUTILE. CALCULATED TITAIUM IN ILMEMITE,BASED ON AVERAGE OF 12.5 PERCENT, WAS 670 METRIC TONNE. CALCULATED TITANIUM IN RUTILE, BASED ON 0.25 PERCENT WAS 20.3 METRIC TONNE. TOTAL TITANIUM IN ELMENITE AND RUTILE 609 METRIC TONNE. SCHEELITE ESTIMATED TO RANGE FROM 0.5-1.0 PERCENT. TUNGSTEN CALCULATED ON 0.75 AVERAGE OF SCHEELITE WAS 86 METRIC TONNE. 1-2 PERCENT ZIRCON ESTIMATED IN CONCENTRATES. ZIRCONIUM CALCULATED ON 1.5 PERCENT AVERAGE WAS 130 METRIC TONNE.

References

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULLETIN, 1304, PP254-258.

Reference (Deposit): WFOC MINERAL PROPERTY FILE #0160850128.

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.