Austin Gold Ventures Gold Mine, Lander County, Nevada, USAi

Regional Level Types
Austin Gold Ventures Gold Mine	Mine
Lander County	County
Nevada	State
USA	Country

Structure: Shallow thrust faults, normal faults and folding have affected the rocks in the mine area. The deposit is located in the Birch Creek window through the Roberts Mountains Thrust.

Alteration: The deposit is distinctive in its lack of significant hydrothermal alteration of wall rocks. It lacks intense silicification or clay alteration. Small amounts of pyrite, sericite and clay are common in wallrock adjacent to veins, but are not extensively developed.

Commodity: Ore Materials: FREE GOLD, AURIFEROUS PYRITE AND ARSENOPYRITE Gangue Materials: quartz, calcite

Deposit: The deposit is located in a window of the Roberts Mountains Thrust. The deposit consists of four major ore zones, all very narrow and about 3600 feet in strike length. There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization. Veinlets range from microscopic to 15 cm in width, concentrated along pre-existing structures. The deposit is distinctive in its lack of significant hydrothermal alteration. It lacks intense silicification or clay alteration. Pyrite, sericite and clay are common in wallrock adjacent to veins, but are not extensively developed.

Deposit type: Sediment-hosted Au

Development: First called the Quito prospect, Austin was a ?grass-roots? discovery by FMC Gold Corporation (Meridian Gold's predecessor) in 1980. FMC staked 648 unpatented lode claims on the prospect from 1980 to 1983. FMC also leased 5 patented claims and one millsite for the property. In 1984, FMC entered into a joint venture with Minorco, in which FMC kept a 28% interest, and Minorco was the operator with 72%. In 1985 Inspiration Inc. and FMC Minerals Corp. formed a joint venture called the Austin Gold Venture to develop the deposit. Morrison-Knudsen was awarded the contract for mining services (1986). The plan was to haul 350000 tons ore per year over the crest of the Toiyabes and down Dry Canyon on the west side to a mill in the Reese River Valley. Planned production (1985) of 55000 ounces of gold per year. Start-up was scheduled for mid-May, 1986. The projected mine life was 5 years. Austin Gold Ventures controlled a large claim block surrounding the mine area. First gold was poured in December 1986. The mine employed 121 persons in 1986. Stripping ratio for main pit was greater than 12:1. Ore was mined primarily through open pit methods with a very limited amount of ore delivered from an underground test mine. A total of one million tons of ore were processed through a mill. Tailings were deposited in a clay lined facility. Mine closure was followed by reclamation which was to include closure and rehabilitation of the access road. However, the community expressed an interest in leaving the road open for recreation access to the mountains, so Meridian worked directly with the community, the county and Forest Service to modify the closure plan and leave the road open, which Austin has identified as a feature that would compliment bicycle tourism in the area. By 1989, the deposit was mined out, having produced 191,000 ounces of gold from 1986 through 1989. White Knight Gold began exploration of the Quito area in the late 1990s and in 1999, USFS reported that White Knight Gold was planning a 2-3-year exploration project inthat would include road building and drilling in three separate areas in the Birch Creek drainage peripheral to the formerly mined Quito property: the Russ Southwest area (11 drill sites); the Q-4 area (6 holes); and the Spires area (new road building and up to 17 holes). The drilling project was still pending USFS approval in 2001.

Geology: The deposit is located in a window of the Roberts Mountains Thrust. Rocks in the mine area include Cambrian to Devonian eastern-facies carbonate rocks exposed in a window through transitional to western-facies siliceous rocks of the Valmy Formation. Known ore-grade mineralization is controlled by the intersection of steeply-dipping faults with structurally prepared favorable host lithologies. While eastern facies carbonate rocks are the best ore host rocks, traces of gold have been intercepted in drill holes in western facies rocks. The deposit consists of four major ore zones, all very narrow and about 3600 feet in strike length. There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization. Veinlets range from microscopic to 15 cm in width, concentrated along pre-existing structures.

Ore(s): There is strong structural control of the thin quartz-calcite veinlets and gold mineralization, which are concentrated along pre-existing NNE-trending faults.

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10310547

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References