Kinsley Mountain Mine

The Kinsley Mountain Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Elko county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,496 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: Kinsley Mountain Mine
Secondary: Kinsley Mountain Project
Secondary: Kinsley Mine
Secondary: Main
Secondary: Lower Main
Secondary: Access
Secondary: Ridge
Secondary: West Ridge
Secondary: Upper ore zone
Secondary: Wod ore zone

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Mercury

Location

State: Nevada
County: Elko
District: Kinsley 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.
Administrative Organization: Elko BLM administrative district

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Lateegra Resources Corp.
Info Year: 2002

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Sediment-hosted Au
Operation Type: Surface
Year First Production: 1994
Year Last Production: 1999
Discovery Year: 1984
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Sediment-hosted Au

Orebody

Form: blanket to tabular

Structure

Type: L
Description: NW-trending high-angle structural zones. Alter, post-mineral N-S trending Basin and Range type faulting.

Type: R
Description: The Kinsley Mountains are situated along teh southern flank of the Tooele Arch, an early Paleozoic uplift.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alteration associated with gold mineralization consists mainly of silicification, oxidation, and decarbonatization with minor argilllization and local quartz veining. Skarn formation is associated with intrusive activity in the southern part of the property and silicification and with range-front faults. Widespread bedding parallel replacement silicification forms a widespread jasperoid body that is intermittently exposed over several square miles at the contact between the Lamb Dolomite and the overlying Candland Formation. Rocks are bleached adjacent to structures.

Rocks

Name: Dolomite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age in Years: 40.000000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Middle Eocene

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age in Years: 33.000000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Early Oligocene

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Siltstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Description: calcareous
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Cinnabar
Gangue: Stibnite
Gangue: Arsenopyrite

Comments

Comment (Development): Silver-lead-copper ores were discovered in the area in 1862, after which George Kingsley organized the district in 1865. There was sporadic small production of copper, silver, lead, tungsten, marble, and gold from the district over several decades. The Kinsley Mountain deposit was first discovered in 1984 by USMX, and later explored by Cominco Limited (now Teck Cominco Limited) and Hecla Mining Company. This exploration included extensive drilling (over 700 holes) as well as detailed surface sampling and geophysics. In April 1994, the property was purchased by Alta Gold Company for $3.0 million and was put into production in 1994. The mine produced until 1999 when it closed at the time that Alta was forced into bankruptcy. During the production period a further 432 exploration holes were drilled bringing the total amount of holes drilled to 1,132. In October 2002, Lateegra Resources Corp. completed an option agreement whereby it has the ability to earn a 60% interest in the Kinsley Gold Project. The results of a study of property IP data on the Kinsley Mountain property in early November 2002 by Lateegra Resources Corp. indicate that the oxide gold ore zones of the Kinsley Mountain Mine are directly underlain by zones of sulfide mineralization associated with epithermal alteration and gold emplacement. Encouraged by these results, Lateegra planned to continue its exploration bytesting these newly identified targets with a 10,000-foot reverse-circulation drill program. The deeper, high-grade zone has been tested by ten drill holes. Holes in this zone yielded gold grades that ranged from 0.235 ounce per ton on the east side of the range to 0.149 ounce per ton one mile to the northwest. Since these are bedded deposits, Lateegra Resources feel there is a high potential that Kinsley Mountain contains many times the amount of gold already mined in the yet to be explored high grade zone(s). In 2004, it was reported that Pan American Gold Corp. had an option to earn a 60% interest in the Kinsley Mountain Property, to be earned when Pan American completes a bankable feasibility study. A drill rig was mobilized to the former gold producer as a step in that direction. The drill program will test both oxide and sulfide targets beneath existing open pits, anomalous gold soil values, and areas identified in recently completed magnetic and VLF geophysical survey. The plan calls for drill holes up to 1200 feet in depth.

Comment (Deposit): The Kinsley Mountain Mine is a near surface Carlin-type sediment hosted gold/silver deposit. Gold mineralization occurs in a northwest-trending zone that transects the Kinsley Mountains from the eastern pediment to the western pediment. Mineralization is epithermal and disseminated in carbonate rocks. Much of the gold mineralization occurs in bedding-parallel zones in shale and siltstones, as well as in NW-trending high-angle structural zones cutting shale, siltstone, and limestone. Gold occurs as micron-sized particles with quartz and silicified carbonate rocks. Oxidized ore is present as well as unoxidized sulfide and carbonaceous ore in some areas adjacent to oxide ore. The mineralized zone extends for 7000 feet along strike and is 2000 feet wide. An upper oxide deposit was the only portion of the deposit partially mined, leaving the high-grade portions of the deposit untouched, and in some places, even exposed in the pits. The previous operator, Alta Gold, also left a considerable amount of oxide ore un-mined. The deeper, high-grade zone has been tested by ten drill holes. Holes in this zone yielded gold grades that ranged from 0.235 ounce per ton on the east side of the range to 0.149 ounce per ton one mile to the northwest.

Comment (Economic Factors): The mine produced a total of 138,151 ounces of gold and at least 24,452 ounces of silver from 1995 through 1999. Oxide reserves in 1991 were reported at 2.6 million tons of ore with an average grade of 0.046 ounces per ton gold. No reserves were reported for the refractory ore. Remaining reserves in 1996 were reported as 3.4 million tons of ore grading 0.032 ounces per ton gold.

Comment (Location): The Kinsley Mountain property consists of 69 unpatented claims, covering about 2 square miles over the crest of the Kinsley Mountains.

Comment (Workings): The Kinsley Mountain mine is developed by several open pits. There are historic underground workings south of the current mine area, including the adits and shaft of the Phalen (Kinsley Consolidated) Mine.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Materials: gold

Comment (Commodity): Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite, iron oxides, and pyrite in hand specimen, as well as cinnabar, stibnite, and arsenopyrite in thin section

References

Reference (Deposit): Steininger, Roger, 1966, Geology of the Kingsley mining district, Elko County, Nevada, BYU Geol. Studies, v. 13, p. 69-88.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MI-1987-2002

Reference (Deposit): Lateegra Resources Corp., press release, 11/28/02

Reference (Deposit): Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-206A, 33 p.; 98-206B. one 3.5 inch diskette.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG MI-2002

Reference (Deposit): Monroe, S.C., 1991, Kinsley Mountain Project, Elko County, Nevada; Geology and ore deposits of the Great Basin; field trip guidebook compendium, eds.,Buffa, Ruth H andCoyner, Alan R.

Reference (Deposit): MI-87 thru MI-98

Reference (Deposit): Amer. Mines (1996), 1995 thru (2000), 1999.

Reference (Deposit): NBMG Map 91, 2nd, 3rd

Reference (Deposit): Currie Land Status Map, 1979

Reference (Deposit): NWMA website, 2005. http://www.nwma.org/pdf/04onbulletin.pdf
URL: http://www.nwma.org/pdf/04onbulletin.pdf

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.