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Silver Peak Marsh

Producer in Esmeralda county in Nevada, United States with commodities Bromine, Lithium, Halite, Clay, Boron-Borates
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023695
MRDS ID I001104
Record type Site
Current site name Silver Peak Marsh
Alternate or previous names Clayton Valley

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.63981, 37.75272 (WGS84)
Elevation 1300
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Esmeralda

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
02S 039E 22 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • MARSH COMPRISES LOWEST PART OF CLAYTON VALLEY.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Bromine Primary
Lithium Primary
Halite Secondary
Clay Tertiary
Boron-Borates Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Brine Ore
Halite Ore
Gypsum Gangue
Hectorite Gangue
Ulexite Gangue

Analytical data

Result PAPKE (1976) REPORTS A VARIETY OF PAST ANALYTICAL DATA. THE PRODUCING BRINE CONTAINS 12-18% TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS. IN 1976, THE BRINE AVERAGED 300 PPM LI.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Rock unit name Esmeralda Formation
    Rock description Esmeralda Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Silt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.63981, 37.75272
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Comments on the geologic information

  • THE DRAINAGE AREA MAY ONCE HAVE BEEN FAR LARGER THAN THE CURRENT 570 SQ MILES AND MAY HAVE INCLUDED THE BIG SMOKY VALLEY. THE WATER TABLE IS NEAR THE SURFACE. THE PLAYA SEDIMENTS MAY BE AS MUCH AS 1500 FT THICK. THE BASIN IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS BY A BEDROCK RIDGE THAT RISES TO WITHIN 700 FT OF THE PLAYA SURFACE.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both metallic and non-metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1925
Year of first production 1966

Mining district

District name Silver Peak

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cyprus Foote Minerals Co.
    First year 1993

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1913
    Total resources 6,802,000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Halite NaCl 60 wt-pct Sodium Minor 1913
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 386,250,000,000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Lithium Li 0.02 wt-pct Lithium Major 1978

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • HALITE RESOURCE ESTIMATE IS FOR GEOLOGIC RESERVES WITHIN 40 FT OF THE SURFACE.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE ZONE COVERS AN ARA OF 8300 HA AND IS UP TO 460 M THICK. DEPOSIT IS SOLUTION MINED.

Comments on development

  • THE PLAYA WAS EXPLORED IN 1911 FOR POTASH BY THE USGS. EXPLORATION FOR LITHIUM BEGAN IN 1960. ; ECON.COM: THE BRINE IS ECONOMIC DUE TO ITS SHALLOW DEPTH, A LOW MAGNESIUM TO LITHIUM RATIO, THE LOCAL ARID CLIMATE AND HIGH RATE OF EVAPORATION, FLAT AREAS WITH NEARLY IMPERMEABLE SURFACE SUITABLE FOR EVAPORATION PONDS, AND THE LOCAL PRESENCE OF SUITABLE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR BERMS AND ROADS.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS I001104

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LOWE, N.T., RANEY, R.G., AND NORBERG, J.R., 1985, PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS IN NEVADA: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 9035, 202 P.

  • Deposit

    PAPKE, K.G., 1976, EVAPORITES AND BRINES IN NEVADA PLAYAS: NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 87, 35 P.

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1993, AMAX AND CYPRUS MERGER HITS DELAY, IN WORLD OF MINERALS: NO. 312, P. 21-22.

  • Deposit

    DOLE, R.B., 1913, EXPLORATION OF SALINES IN SILVER PEAK MARSH, NEVADA, IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY--1911: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 530, P. 330-345.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, 1993.

  • Reserve-Resource

    LOWE AND OTHERS, 1985, IS THE SOURCE OF THE LITHIUM RESERVES. THE HALITE ESTIMATE IS FROM PAPKE, 1976. THE FOURTH FIGURE IS FROM PAPKE (1976).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, SEE PAPKE, 1976.
Deposit THE PLAYA EXTENDS ABOUT 10 MILES IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION AND COVERS AN AREA OF ABOUT 32 SQUARE MILES. THE PRESENT DRAINAGE AREA IS ABOUT 570 SQUARE MILES. MINEABLE HORIZON IS UP TO 460 M THICK AND COVERS AN AREA OF AT LEAST 8300 HA, PRODUCING AREA IS REPORTED AS APPROXIMATELY 3 SQ MILES. BRINE IS ALMOST ALWAYS PRESENT BELOW 30 M DEPTH. THE NORTHEASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE PLAYA IS UNDERLAIN AT ABOUT A 20-FT DEPTH BY BEDS OF HALITE-RICH MATERIAL 5 TO 15 FT THICK. ONE BED, 10-FT THICK, UNDERLIES MORE THAN 15 SQ MILES. THIN STREAKS OF ULEXITE IN SHALE HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE MARSH. THE MAIN BRINE AQUIFERS INCLUDE A VOLCANIC ASH BED (3-35 FT THICK AT DEPTHS OF 200-700 FT) AND SOME RELATIVELY PERMEABLE HALITE BEDS.
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY 1900'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1991 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1994 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey