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Surprise Mine

Producer in Lander county in Nevada, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044055
MRDS ID M231376
Record type Site
Current site name Surprise Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.02455, 40.62018 (WGS84)
Elevation 16
Relative position 6 MILES WSW OF TOWN OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV.
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Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Comments on the location information

  • 6 MILES NE FROM FORTITUDE MINE IN COPPER BASIN AREA.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chrysocolla Ore
Malachite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Goethite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Strong Silicification And Retrograde Alteration Of Prograde Garnet Skarn.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry
    Rock unit name Battle Formation; Antler Peak Limestone
    Rock description Battle Formation;Antler Peak Limestone;Unknown
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Harmony Formation;Harmony Formation
    Rock description Harmony Formation;Harmony Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.02455, 40.62018
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Nw-Trending Fault; Normal Faults

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Complex Multiple Faulting. Ore Is Principally Localized Along 2 Faults: Nne-Striking Copper King Fault Zone And The Wnw-Striking Surprise Fault.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year <1938
Year of first production 1937
Production years UNDERGROUND: 1937, 1938, 1941, 1945, 1947, 1954. OPEN PIT: 1987-PRESENT (12/92).

Mining district

District name Battle Mountain

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Battle Mountain Gold Co.

Production statistics

  • Year 1937
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.237 Opt Au, 2.52 Opt Ag, 2.74% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 71g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 7g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1938
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.182 Opt Au, 1.66 Opt Ag, 1.92% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 47g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 62g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1941
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.198 Opt Au, 1.80 Opt Ag, 1.64% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 51g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 6g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1945
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.135 Opt Au, 1.29 Opt Ag, 1.57% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 36g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 4g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1947
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.136 Opt Au, 1.32 Opt Ag, 1.77% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 37g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 4g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1954
    Period 1937-1954
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.161 Opt Au, 1.56 Opt Ag, 1.82% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 44g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 5g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct
  • Year 1954
    Material ORE-AU,AG,CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.123 Opt Au, 1.38 Opt Ag, 1.44% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 39g/mt
    Minor Ore Gold Gold 3g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 3.444 g/mt Gold Major 1987
    Silver Ag 30.494 g/mt Silver Major 1987
  • Type Leaching
    Estimate year 1987
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.355 g/mt Gold Major 1987
    Silver Ag 17.223 g/mt Silver Major 1987

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1987 RESERVES WERE CALCULATED USING A CUTOFF GRADE OF 0.07 OUNCES GOLD EQUIVALENT PER TON FOR MILL ORE AND 0.025 OUNCES GOLD EQUIVALENT PER TON FOR HEAP LEACH ORE AND AN OVERALL STRIP RATIO OF 7.4:1.

Comments on the workings information

  • HISTORIC UNDERGROUND WORKINGS CONSISTED OF A 465 FT. LONG ADIT AND CONNECTING WORKINGS. PRODUCTION BEGINNING IN 1987 IS BY OPEN PIT AT THE SITE OF THE HISTORIC UNDERGROUND WORKINGS.

Comments on development

  • EXPL.COM: THROUGH 1986, 114 DRILL HOLES HAD BEEN COMPLETED INDICATING AN IN PLACE AU RESOURCE OF 150,000 OZ. PRE-MINING STRIPPING BEGAN IN APRIL, 1987, INVOLVING ABOUT 2 MILLION TONS OF OVERBURDEN. PRODUCTION OF MILL GRADE ORE BEGAN IN AUGUST 1987. IN 1988, PLANS FOR A HEAP LEACH FACILITY WERE POSTPONED FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. ; TOTAL$: 3 ; ECON.COM: AU RECOVERY USING HEAP LEACHING IS EXPECTED TO AVERAGE ABOUT 60%. MILL GRADE ORE WILL BE TREATED AT THE FORTITUDE MILL. DEVELOPMENT COSTS TO BRING THE SURPRISE MINE INTO PRODUCTION WERE EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN $3 MILLION.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS M231376

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R. J. AND ARNOLD, D. C., 1965, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE ANTLER PEAK QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT AND LANDER COUNTIES, NEVADA, USGS PROF. PAPER 459-B, 94 PP.

  • Deposit

    BATTLE MOUNTAIN GOLD COMPANY, 1988, ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1987.

  • Deposit

    NBMG MINING DISTRICT FILE 147, NUMEROUS PRESS CLIPPINGS.

  • Deposit

    BONHAM, H. F., 1986, BULK-MINEABLE PRECIOUS METAL DEPOSITS AND PROSPECTS IN NEVADA, NBMG MAP 91.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1988, THE NEVADA MINERAL INDUSTRY - 1987, NBMG SPECIAL PUBLICATION MI-1987.

  • Deposit

    BUFFA, R. AND SCHAFER, R., EDS., 1988, FALL FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK, THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEVADA, RENO, P. 271-276.

  • Deposit

    NBMG, 1994, MI-1993

  • Production

    PRE-1987 ANNUAL AND CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION: ROBERTS, R. J. AND ARNOLD, D. C., 1965, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE ANTLER PEAK QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT AND LANDER COUNTIES, NEVADA, USGS PROF. PAPER 459-B, 94 PP. 1987 PRODUCTION: BATTLE MOUNTAIN GOLD COMPANY, 1988, ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1987. NBMG MI-1993

  • Reserve-Resource

    1986-1988 FIGURES: BONHAM, 1988, PRESS CLIPPINGS. NBMG MI-1993

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit EARLIER WORKERS CLASSIFIED THIS AS A SECONDARY ENRICHMENT DEPOSIT.
Deposit THIS RECORD HAS BEEN UPDATED AND MERGED WITH RECORD M242952, WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-OCT-1988 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-DEC-1992 Phinisey, J. D. (Marcus, S.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1994 Li, Zhiping (Moyer, Lorre A.) U.S. Geological Survey