Birch Creek-Cave Gulch Area

The Birch Creek-Cave Gulch Area is a phosphorus-phosphates mine located in Beaverhead county, Montana at an elevation of 6,798 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: Birch Creek-Cave Gulch Area

Commodity

Primary: Phosphorus-Phosphates
Tertiary: Chromium
Tertiary: Vanadium
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: REE
Tertiary: Nickel

Location

State: Montana
County: Beaverhead

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.

Holdings

Type: Federal Lease

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

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 (Deposit): THIS RECORD IS FOR A LARGE AREA COVERING THE PHOSPHATE MINERALIZATION IN THE AREA EAST OF THE PIONEER MTNS IN CAVE GULCH SYNCLINE. THUS IT INCLUDES SECS. 13,23,24,26,35 IN T5S R10W AND SECS 3,10,2 T6S R10W DEPOSIT SEQ NO. 0300010375 IS LOCATED IN THIS AREA APATITE OCCURES AS OOLITIC TO PELLETAL GRAINS THAT ARE VERY FINE TO MEDIUM SAND SIZE, NODULES ARE LOCALLY COMMON LOCATION IS A CHOSEN POINT THAT REPRESENTS SEVERAL MILES OF PERMIAN EXPOSURE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): M1 C3 RETORT MEMBER: Q50; RESOURCE BLOCK ABOVE ENTRY LEVEL, BED AREA 1086930 SQUARE METERS; Q25; RESOURCE BLOCK ABOVE FIRST 30M BELOW ENTRY LEVEL, BED AREA 1486400 SQUARE METERS; Q10; RESOURCE BLOCK, TOTAL IN AREA, BED AREA 37438700 SQUARE METERS

References

Reference (Deposit): REPORT 113, TABLE 20, P. 76.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1957, MISSOURI RIVER BASIN PRELIMINARY

Reference (Deposit): REPORT 73, APPENDIX C.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1952, MISSOURI RIVER BASIN PRELIMINARY

Reference (Deposit): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 260, P. 19.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES RI 6611, 1965, P. 99.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): SOUTHWEST MONTANA, USGS PROF. PAPER 313-E, P. 702.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): SWANSON, ROGER, 1970, MINERAL RESOURCES IN PERMIAN ROCKS OF

Principal Gold Districts of Montana

In Montana, 54 mining districts have each have produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold. The largest producers are Butte, Helena, Marysville, and Virginia City, each having produced more than one million ounces. Twenty seven other districts are each credited with between 100,000 and one million ounces of gold production. Read more: Principal Gold Districts of Montana.