Windfall Mine

The Windfall Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Eureka county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,249 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: Windfall Mine
Secondary: Lookout
Secondary: Windfall
Secondary: Norse Windfall
Secondary: Eureka Windfall Mine
Secondary: Western-Windfall Project
Secondary: Ore Body Names:
Secondary: Rustler
Secondary: Paroni

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Nevada
County: Eureka
District: Eureka District

Land Status

Land ownership: Mixed
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

Type: Located Claim
Type: Patented

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Norse-Windfall Mines, Inc.
Company ID: 2600891
Info Year: 1988

Owner Name: Western-Windfall Ltd.(Oper. Entity Western Mining Serv.)
Company ID: 2600891
Home Office: Nevada
Info Year: 1982

Owner Name: Western Mining Services,Ltd. (See Comments)
Company ID: 2600891
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Nevada
Info Year: 1982

Production

Year: 1980
Description: Same As Above 100 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1979
Description: 180 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1978
Description: Same As Above 260 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1986
Description: Bureau Of Mines Records Indicate The Following Production (As 1986, Sweeney)
Year: 1982
Description: About 5900 T @ 10 G/T Au From 1908-1919 2000 Kg Au From 320000 T Ore
Year: 1982
Description: Same As Above 4264 Same As Above
Year: 1981
Description: Same As Above 2685 Same As Above
Year: 1980
Description: Same As Above 2012 Same As Above
Year: 1982
Description: Same As Above 200 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1981
Description: Same As Above 120 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1979
Description: Same As Above 2445 Same As Above
Year: 1978
Description: Same As Above 1630 Same As Above
Year: 1977
Description: Same As Above 1630 Same As Above
Year: 1976
Description: Same As Above 1630 Same As Above
Year: 1975
Description: Dore Bullion-60% Au, 30% Ag 815 Kilograms Dore/Year
Year: 1984
Description: Same As Above 140 Kilograms Of Dore/Year
Year: 1983
Description: Same As Above 90 Kilograms Of Dore/Year

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Plant
Plant Type: Leach
Plant Subtype: Ion Exchange-Electrowin
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Bench (Berm)
Milling Method: Hydrometallurgy Unspecified
Year First Production: 1975
Discovery Year: 1902
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Unknown: Arsenic
Unknown: Silver
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Mercury
Unknown: Kaolinite
Unknown: Iron Oxides-Hydrated
Unknown: Gold
Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Arsenopyrite
Unknown: Jasper

Comments

Comment (Exploration): THE ORE BODY WAS REDISCOVERED IN 1974 BY IDAHO MINING CORP.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): OTHER NAME: EUREKA WINDFALL MINE. HEAP LEACHING OPERATION. DONE IN 1984 STUDY; NOT LISTED IN BOM SURVEY AS A PRODUCER IN 1989. BELIEVE COMPLETELY MINED OUT AS OF 1989. WILL NOT BE UPDATED FOR THE 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY. CLOSED AS OF 1/90. AKA: NORSE WINDFALL MINE. BOX 326, EUREKA, NV 89316

Comment (Deposit): GENERAL LOCATION: ABOUT 6.5 KM S OF EUREKA GENERAL SIZE OF ORE BODY: SMALL MILL: ON-SITE,ACTIVE,CYANIDE HEAP LEACH, CARBON ADSORPTION, ELECTROLYSIS, SMELTING, PROCESS RATE; 1100 T/D (1980), PRODUC- ES DORE BULLION 60% AU AND 30% AG, GOLD:SILVER RATIO 5.7:1 PRODUCTION: FROM AN OPEN PIT MINE, MULTIPLE BENCH, HAVING A CAPACITY OF 320000 T/YR OF ORE. GENERAL LOCATION: ABOUT 53 KM E OF LOVELOCK GENERAL SIZE OF ORE BODY: MEDIUM MILL: ON-SITE

Comment (Economic Factors): THE WINDFALL PLANT DOES NOT CONTAIN A CRUSHING CIRCUIT. ORE FROM PITS IS PUT DIRECTLY ON LEACH PADS.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): NO PUBLISHED RESERVE-RESOURCE INFORMATION.

Comment (Ownership): IN JANUARY, 1980, IDAHO MINING CORPORATION OF GRAND JUNCTION COLORADO, SOLD THE PROPERTY TO WESTERN-WINDFALL, LTD., ON OPERATING ENTITY OF WESTERN MINING SERVICES, LTD., A SUBSIDIARY OF WESTERN GAS, OIL AND MINING, LTD., RENO NEV. WESTERN MINING SERVICES IS A SUBSIDIARY OF WESTERN GAS, OIL AND MINING OF RENO NEVADA.

Comment (Geology): DUE TO THE PERMEABLE NATURE OF THE ORE NO CRUSHING IS NECESSARY PRIOR TO HEAP LEACHING. IRRIGATION VIA POND RATHER THAN SPRINKLER ENABLES A YEAR ROUND LEACHING OPERATION.

Comment (Production): 68,000 MT ORE PRODUCED IN 1975. 0.94 GM/MT AU AND 0.94 GM/MT AG IN ORE. 85% AU AND 42.5% AG RECOVERY EQUALS APPROXIMATELY 81.5 KGM DORE BULLION 136,000 MT ORE PRODUCED IN 1976. SAME AMOUNT AU AND AG IN ORE AND SAME RATE OF RECOVERY AS 1975, EQUALS APPROXIMATELY 163 KGM DORE BULLION. SAME FOR 1977 AND 1978. 204,000 MT ORE PRODUCED IN 1979. SAME AMOUNT AG AND AU AND SAME RECOVERY AS 1975 EQUALS APPROX. 244.5 KGM DORE BARS. RECOVERY RATE IN 1980 DROPPED TO 70% AU AND 35% AG IN 204,000 MT ORE WITH 0.94 AU AND 0.94 AG. (GM/MT) RECOVERY RATE IN 1981-1982 SAME AS 1980. ORE TONNAGE 272,000 MT AND 336,000 MT RESPECTIVELY. THE ORIGINAL UNDERGROUND MINE PRODUCED APPROXIMATELY 54,500 METRIC TONNES OF GOLD ORE, GRADING 10.9 GRAMS GOLD PER METRIC TONNE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): THE WINDFALL PIT IS A PAST-PRODUCER. BETWEEN 1975-1979, 680,000 MT OF ORE WERE MINED ASSAYING 0.94 GM/MT AU AND 0.94 GM/MT AG. MILL RECOVERY WAS 85% OF THE GOLD AND 42.5% OF THE SILVER. ORE RESERVES ARE EXHAUSTED. IN 1980-1981 476,000 MT OF ORE WERE MINED FROM THE RUSTLER PIT. DURING 1983-1984(?), AS ORE IN THE RUSTLER IS BEING EXHAUSTED,ORE FROM THE PARONI PIT WILL BE PHASED IN. BUT FOR THIS REPORT IT IS ASSUMED THAT ALL PRODUCTION FROM 1980-1983 IS FROM THE RUSTLER. THE PARONI PIT IS SCHEDULED TO BE PHASED INTO PRODUCTION DURING 1984. RESERVES NOTED UNDER Q-P75 ARE FIGURED FROM 1984-1989. M1C1=M3C1+M4C1 MATRIX ONE, COLUMN ONE EQUALS MATRIX THREE COLUMN ONE PLUS MATRIX FOUR COLUMN ONE. MATRIX TWO COLUMN ONE, DESCRIBING THE WINDFALL PIT IS EXHAUSTED OF ORE. MATRIX 1 COLUMN 2 REFLECTS REMAINING ORE AS MAY 1986.

Comment (Geology): THE MINE IS LOCATED IN THE FISH CREEK RANGE IN HIGHLY FOLDED AND FAULTED CARBONATE ROCKS. THE DOMINANT STRUCTURES OF THIS PART OF THE RANGE ARE THE PROSPECT RIDGE ANTIFORM, THE ROBERTS MTN THRUST FAULT, AND LOCAL, STEEPLY DIPPING, IMBRICATE THRUST PLATES. LATER TERTIARY BASIN AND RANGE FAULTING CONSTITUTES THE MAJOR PART OF A VERY COMPLEX STRUCTURAL AREA. THE ORE BODIES HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS MANTO OR BLANKET DEPOSITS, BUT THIS IS NOT A GOOD DESCRIPTION. A MORE APT DESCRIPTION MIGHT BE A HIGHLY SHEETED, WEDGE SHAPED DEPOSIT. ORE BODIES ORE IN TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROCK: 1) A JASPEROID, 2) A LOOSELY COMPACTED GRANULAR MATERIAL CALLED A SANDED DOLOMITE. THE WINDFALL ORE BODY IS DEPLETED,THE RUSTLER ORE BODY IS BEING MINED AND THE PARONI IS UNDER DEVLOPMENT.

Comment (Workings): NO CONTACT, MINE CLOSED IN 1989. TOTAL MINE ARE IS 4,480 ACRES. MICRON-SIZED GOLD OCCURS PRIMARILY IN HAMBURG DOLOMITE, WHICH HAS BEEN SANDED AND THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL DESTROYED. GOLD IS ACCOMPANIED BY ANOMOLOUS AMOUNTS OF ARSENIC AND MERCURY; ORE IS LOW IN BASE METALS.

References

Reference (Deposit): 80. CHAFFEE, M. A., C. L. FORN, J. R. HASSEMER, J. D.

Reference (Deposit): HOFFMAN, E. L. MOISER, J. M. NISHI, R. M. O'LEARY, D. F.

Reference (Deposit): SIEMS, R. L. TURNER, E. P. WELSH, AND G. VAN TRUMP.

Reference (Deposit): GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES OF ROCK AND SOIL SAMPLES, EUREKA

Reference (Deposit): MINING DISTRICT AND VICINITY, EUREKA AND WHITE PINE

Reference (Reserve-Resource): 805. WILSON, W. L. HEAP LEACHING GOLD ORE, EUREKA

Reference (Reserve-Resource): WINDFALL GOLD MINE, EUREKA, NEVADA. PAPER IN PROCEEDINGS

Reference (Reserve-Resource): FROM A SYMPOSIUM ON GOLD (RENO, NV, APR. 21-24, 1980).

Reference (Reserve-Resource): UNIV. NV, RENO, NV, 1980, 10 PP.

Reference (Deposit): ORE DIS 1904, EXPLORATION IN 1938

Reference (Deposit): THE GOLD MINERALIZATION AT JERRITT CANYON, NEVADA, WITH

Reference (Deposit): OTHER DISSEMINATED GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE BASIN AND RANGE

Reference (Deposit): REGION. PRES. AT AIME CIRCUMPACIFIC ENERGY AND MINER.

Reference (Deposit): RESOUR. CONF., HONOLULU, HA, AUG. 1982, 13 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 775. WARREN, R. E. MINE CLOSURES SIGNAL DRAMATIC

Reference (Deposit): TURN-DOWN IN MINING INDUSTRY. NV MIN. ASSOC. BULL., V. 6,

Reference (Deposit): NO. 3, 1982, PP. 1-3, 20.

Reference (Deposit): COUNTIES. U.S. GEOL. SURV. OFR 78-790, 1978, 117 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 83. CHAMBERLAIN, P. G., AND M. G. POJAR. GOLD AND SILVER

Reference (Deposit): LEACHING PRACTICES IN THE UNITED STATES. BUMINES

Reference (Deposit): SURV. PROF. PAPER 610, 1968, 283 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 378. LEWIS, A. LEACHING AND PRECIPITATION TECHNOLOGY FOR

Reference (Deposit): GOLD AND SILVER ORES. ENG. AND MIN. J., V. 184,

Reference (Deposit): NO. 6, 1983, PP. 48-56.

Reference (Deposit): 412. . GOLD AND SILVER CYANIDATION PLANT PRACTICE,

Reference (Deposit): V. II. AIME, 1981, 263 PP.

Reference (Deposit): MORRISON-KNUDSEN. MINERALS AVAILABILITY-MINE/DEPOSIT FILE

Reference (Deposit): REPORT FOR THE WINDFALL MINE. MORRISON-KNUDSEN COMPANY

Reference (Deposit): INFORMATION CIRCULAR 8969, 1984, 47

Reference (Deposit): PP.

Reference (Deposit): 232. GROVE, G. R. A STUDY OF THE FINE-GRAINED

Reference (Deposit): DISSEMINATED GOLD ORE OF THE WINDFALL MINE, EUREKA COUNTY,

Reference (Deposit): NEVADA. M.A. THESIS, UNIV. CA, SANTA BARBARA,

Reference (Deposit): INC. CONTRACT NO. S0221028, MARCH 1983.

Reference (Deposit): CA, 1979, 98 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 365. KOSCHMANN, A. H., AND M. H. BERGENDAHL. PRINCIPAL

Reference (Deposit): GOLD PRODUCING DISTRICTS OF THE UNITED STATES. U.S. GEOL.

Reference (Deposit): 518. NOLAN, T. B. THE EUREKA DISTRICT, NEVADA. U.S.

Reference (Deposit): GEOL. SURV. PROF. PAPER 406, 1962, 78 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 520. NOLAN, T. B., AND R. N. HUNT. THE EUREKA MINING

Reference (Deposit): DISTRICT, NEVADA. PAPER IN ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED

Reference (Deposit): STATES, 1933-1967, ED. BY J. D. RIDGE. V. 1

Reference (Deposit): (GRATON-SALES). AIME, NEW YORK, 1968, PP. 966-991.

Reference (Deposit): 522. NOLAN, T. B., C. W. MERRIAM, AND M. C. BLAKE, JR.

Reference (Deposit): GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PINTO SUMMIT QUADRANGLE, EUREKA AND

Reference (Deposit): WHITE PINE COUNTIES, NEVADA. U.S. GEOL. SURV.

Reference (Deposit): MAP I-793, 1974, SCALE 1:31,680.

Reference (Deposit): 552. PASTORINO, M. EUREKA'S WINDFALL MINE HAS RICH

Reference (Deposit): HISTORY. ELY (NEVADA) DAILY TIMES. SEPT. 5, 1978, P. 3.

Reference (Deposit): 593. ROBERTS, R. J., K. M. MONTGOMERY, AND R. E. LEHNER.

Reference (Deposit): GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF EUREKA COUNTY, NEVADA. NV

Reference (Deposit): BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOL. BULL. 64, 1967, 152 PP.

Reference (Deposit): 692. STEVENS, D. L. AND R. B. HAWKINS. A COMPARISON OF

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.