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Vail Placer Mine

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

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044072
MRDS ID M231393
Record type Site
Current site name Vail Placer Mine
Alternate or previous names Acacia-Hawkeye Group

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.05094, 40.61879 (WGS84)
Elevation 1707
Relative position 7 MILES WSW OF TOWN OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN
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Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lander

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 032N 044E 29 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • IN VAIL CANYON FOR A 1 1/2 MILE STRETCH

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Secondary
Tungsten Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Scheelite Ore

Analytical data

Result GOLD FINENESS RANGED FROM 86 TO 915
Result AVG. 890

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
BC deposit profile C01. C02
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Sand and Gravel
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.05094, 40.61879
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Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET, CHANNELS, TERRACES
    Depth to bottom 9.14M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Channels, Fans, Slope Wash, Terrace Gravels

Comments on the geologic information

  • LARGEST NUGGET FOUND WEIGHED 3 OUNCES. AVERAGE DEPTH OF ALLUVIUM IS 10 FEET. PRINCIPAL CONCENTRATION OF GOLD WAS ON BEDROCK. MANY GRAINS OF GOLD CONTAINED QUARTZ & HAD NOT MOVED FAR FROM ITS SOURCE. NUGGETS OF AN OUNCE OR MORE WERE FAIRLY COMMON.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1913
Discoverer Jasper Vail
Year of first production 1915

Mining district

District name Battle Mountain District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pacific Placers
    First year 1940

Comments on the production information

  • TOTAL PRODUCTION FOR 1915-1942. LARGEST NUGGET FOUND WEIGHED 3 OZ.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 9.14M

Comments on the workings information

  • SHAFTS, OPEN CUTS, CONNECTING DRIFTS ALONG BEDROCK

Comments on development

  • ORIGINALLY LOCATED AS LODE CLAIMS BUT MAIN PRODUCTION WAS FROM PLACER OPERATIONS 18 UNPATENTED CLAIMS. 1938-1940, PACIFIC PLACERS OPERATED A DRAG-LINE DREDGE, HAMPERED BY SCARCITY OF WATER.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS M231393

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STEWART, J.H., MCKEE, E.H., AND STAGER, H.K., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LANDER COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 88

  • Deposit

    VANDERBURG, W.O., 1939, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN LANDER CO., NEV; USBM INF. CIRC. 7043

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, R.J. AND ARNOLD, D.C., 1965, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE ANTLER PEAK QUADRANGLE, HUMBOLDT AND LANDER COUNTIES, NEVADA: U.S.G.S. PROF. PAPER 459-B.

  • Production

    ROBERTS, R.J. AND ARNOLD, D.C., 1965.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER DEPOSIT
Deposit THE PLACER GOLD WAS DERIVED MAINLY FROM LOCAL SOURCES AND WAS CONCENTRATED DURING EROSION OF THE SOURCE VEINS. ORIGINALLY, THE CLAIMS IN VAIL CANYON WERE LOCATED FOR LODE DEPOSITS, BUT MAIN PRODUCTION WAS FROM PLACERS DISCOVERED IN 1913 BY JASPER VAIL. HE LEASED OUT HTE CLAIMS FOR A 20% ROYALTY. DEVELOPMENT IN 1938 COSISTED OF SEVERAL HUNDRED SHAFTS AND OPEN CUTS, 5 TO 30 FEET DEEP. SOME WERE INTERCONNECTED BY DRIFTS DRIVEN ALONG BEDROCK. PROPERTY CONSISTS OF 18 UNPATENTED CLAIMS. IN 1938-1940, PACIFIC PLACERS OPERATED A DRAG-LINE DREDGE, WHOSE OPERATIONS WERE HAMPERED BY A SCARCITY OF WATER ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1980 Flynn, Patricia Dodd Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology