Nevada Packard mine, Independence Hill, Rochester Mining District, Pershing County, Nevada, USAi

Regional Level Types
Nevada Packard mine	Mine
Independence Hill	Hill
Rochester Mining District	Mining District
Pershing County	County
Nevada	State
USA	Country

Secs 28, 29, 32, 33 T28N R34E
Structure: Rocks in the range are folded into a broad anticline, broken by major north-trending faults and cross faults. The mine area is cut by NE-trending major fault zones including the Packard Mine fault.

Alteration: Host rocks are sericitized.

Commodity: Ore Materials: cerargyrite, gold; free gold; chalcopyrite, galena, copper oxides Gangue Materials: quartz, pyrite, sericite, potassium feldspar

Deposit: Quartz stockwork is abundant, sericitization is locally prevalent, but K-spar-quartz alteration predominates in most rock. Sheeting in rhyolite averages N20E, dip 75 SW. Locally some flat structures with abundant sericite dip as low as 15 degrees. Mineralized zones in Weaver Rhyolite follow the N20E, 75SW trend of sheeting. Quartz-sulfide stockworks are abundant and presumably control ore distribution. Both oxide copper and chalcopyrite occur but are not abundant. More than 99% of the ore in the pit is oxidized. Sulfide is more abundant in the old pit along the contact lode. Ore averages between 1-2 ounces of silver per ton with a tace of gold. Unoxidized rock contains abundant disseminated pyrite, minor chalcopyrite, and some sulfides in quartz veinlets and arsenic sulfide stockworks.

Deposit type: Epithermal vein, Comstock

Development: Nevada Packard is an old mining area that was mined between the 1890s and 1970s. Ore was discovered on the historic Nevada Packard mine property in 1912, but the workings closed down in 1923. After a test heap leach of 100,000 tons of both newly-mined and dump material was done in 1981, Lodestar Energy announced in 1983 that it would be conducting a heap-leach operation at the Nevada Packard property. Full-scale production of 750,000 tons/year was slated to begin in July 1983. In October, 1983, Lodestar announced that they would be pouring 5000 ounces of silver a week in November. The open pit heap leach mine was leased to D. Z. Exploration of Bozeman, MT and Nevada Packard joint venture of Lovelock, NV. In Sept, 1984, the project was in caretaker status with attempts being made to find joint venture partner or lessees. Coeur Rochester identified Nevada Packard as a viable ore body target in 1995 and acquired the property in 1999 as a low cost silver reserve with expansion potential. In 2000 Coeur drilled 73 holes totaling 23,920 feet, extending the known mineralization laterally and at depth. Drilling expanded the reserves, and also encountered a couple of high-grade intervals just south of the existing pit. Production was scheduled to begin in 2002. Coeur's Nevada Packard mine expansion was approved by the BLM in 2003. During exploration, it was discovered that the mine had become home to a species of bats called Townsend's big-eared bats. Coeur began relocating the bats, under the leadership of its environmental management department, and won awards for the program.

Geology: The silver values are reportedly shallow (to about 30 feet). Silver reportedly occurs in haloids, but there is no modern study to prove this.

Ore(s): Ore is controlled by faults, and fissures and sheeting

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10310356

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References