Proposed expansion to extend life from 2040 to 2063.

Structure: Virgin Fault, a major north-striking fault. Copper Canyon Fault is another major fault in the district. The Roberts Mountain thrust, Dewitt Thrust, and Golconda Thrust have all telescoped the various formations in the district. N-S trending faults; minor NW- and NE-trending faults. Some faulting is Late Permian in age.

Alteration: Alteration types present in host rocks are varying degrees of potassic, pyritic, silicic, propylitic, and sericitic alteration.

Commodity: Ore Materials: native gold, native silver, auriferous pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, marcasite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, molybdenite, galena, , chalcocite, chrysocolla, copper carbonates, covellite Gangue Materials: Iron-rich garnet, quartz, diopside, tremolite, actinolite, biotite

Deposit: Oxidized and enriched ore is present but not economically important. At the historic mine, there were 2 ore bodies. The mined-out East ore body was hosted by siliceous and calcareous conglomerate within the lower part of the Battle Formation, which was altered to quartz-k-spar-biotite rock with sulfides distributed throughout. The West ore body is in a garnet skarn surrounded by an envelope of diopside, tremolite-actinolite, and biotite, north of and adjacent to the granodiorite contact in Copper Canyon. Total sulfide content (mainly pyrite and pyrrhotite) increases to as much as 75% by volume toward granodiorite contact, with chalcopyrite important closer to the contact. Metal zoning is well developed. The average size of the ore body was said to be 1,500 x 600 x 180 meters.

Deposit type: Porphyry Cu, skarn-related

Development: The first claims were located in the Battle Mountain District in 1866 after copper and silver were discovered in Copper Canyon in 1864. In 1916, Copper Canyon Mining Company acquired the Copper Basin and Copper Canyon properties and leased out claims until 1955. They operated a mill in Copper Canyon from 1941-1957. Duval Corporation acquired the properties in the early 1960s and began producing Cu-Au-Ag ore from the 4000 tpd mill in 1967. Duval's Battle Mountain open pit mines were Nevada's 3rd largest copper producer until depressed copper prices in 1977 forced a gradual conversion to gold production, which continues to present. Phoenix was the name of one of the Copper Canyon mine prospects at least as early as 1923 when geologist J. C. Jones described drilling results on the Phoenix property. Battle Mountain Gold Company adopted the name Phoenix project for its developing gold prospects in the halo surrounding the old copper mines, particularly in the Copper Canyon portion of its Battle Mountain complex, and the name was in common use for the project by the early 1990s. In 1994 the Phoenix project was reported to contain proven and probable gold reserves of approximately 1.475 million ounces of gold with the potential to average about 120,000 ounces of gold per year. In 1995, Battle Mountain Gold Co.'s Phoenix project reserves rose to 46.6 million tons grading 0.040 opt gold with the project plan calling for both milling and heap leach facilities and incorporating the mining of a number of satellitic orebodies. In 1997, Battle Mountain Gold Co. increased total estimated proven and probable gold reserves at the Phoenix property to 2,505,000 ounces of gold with additional drilling planned for the Fortitude, Midas, and Phoenix deposits in 1998 in an effort to further expand reserves. 1998 drilling added approximately 1 million ounces of gold to the reserve base, and drill results from West Midas, mid-Midas and Fortitude indicated that the footprint of the new mine model would be much larger than originally anticipated, spanning from the old Fortitude pit on the north, to the Midas deposits in the south, a distance of about 3 miles. In 1999, Battle Mountain Gold Co. added 2.2 million ounces of gold to reserves at Phoenix, increasing the anticipated mine life to over 15 years at 300,000 ounces of gold per year, Permitting for Phoenix was moving ahead with the BLM, and the company hoped to have a draft environmental impact statement by mid-year 2000. In January 2001, Newmont Mining Corp. finalized its acquisition of Battle Mountain Gold Company, thus taking over the Phoenix project. By summer 2001, proven and probable reserves at Phoenix stood at 6.03 million ounces of gold and 515 million pounds of copper. Plans called for deeper mining at the existing Phoenix, Greater Midas, Reona, and Iron Canyon open pits. Phoenix was expected to produce 400,000 ounces of gold per year from surface mining, milling, and heap leaching on site and processing gold-copper concentrate at Newmont's Lone Tree Mill at Valmy By 2002, Newmont Mining Corp. planned to begin production of gold and copper at the Phoenix project in 2007 by developing two new open pits and expanding two existing pits, as well as processing earlier low grade stockpiles of gold ore left from historic mining and expanding heap leach and waste rock facilities. In 2003 Newmont's Phoenix project received approval from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and from Newmont's board to begin development of the Phoenix mining operation. In December, 2004 Newmont Mining Corp. began construction on the infrastructure for the Phoenix gold mine, which will be the largest gold-processing operation in the state. Newmont's current development plan for the Phoenix Project calls for developing the Reona pit, expanding the existing Fortitude and Northeast Extension pits to create the Phoenix pit, and expanding the existing Midas and Iron Canyon pits, as well as processing low grade ore stockpiles from the former Tomboy, Fortitude, and Northeast Extension pits. The mine operations should have a life of at least 28 years followed by 5 years of additional reclamation. Since mining is scheduled to end at Newmont's nearby Lone Tree in August 2006, some of those workers will be moved over to the Phoenix project. First Production is expected in 2007 with a current mine plan of 13 years and average annual sales/production of 370,000 - 420,000 ounces of gold, and approximately 27 million pounds of copper (accounted for as a byproduct credit. Average gold recovery anticipated is 80% - 84%. By early 2006, Newmont Mining completed construction and began operation of its Phoenix project near Battle Mountain in Lander County. COPPER CANYON MINE SHUT DOWN IN 1978 AND THE MILL WAS CONVERTED FOR GOLD PRODUCTION AT THE BATTLE MOUNTAIN (AKA FORTITUDE COMPLEX) GOLD PROPERTY.

Geology: The original granodiorite intrusion was subjected to alteration that changed its composition to that of a quartz diorite. The East Ore body developed a chalcocite blanket to 20 m thick with high copper values. Limy shale of the Pumpernickel Formation was the chief host rock for the west ore body; conglomerate of the Battle Formation was the chief host for the east ore body but there was some mineralization in the Harmony Formation also.

Ore(s): Ore is controlled by both favorable horizons in Battle Formation and proximity to an igneous contact. There are varying degrees of structural control of individual orebodies in relation to local faults, also.

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This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

17 valid minerals.

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