Relief Canyon Gold Project

Pershing County, Nevada, United States

GoldSilverFluorine-FluoriteArsenicAntimonyMercuryThallium

⌖ Show on map USGS source ↗

Description

Jim Mckee, Senior Geologist For Duval Corp.

Commodities

PrimaryGold, Silver

SecondaryFluorine-Fluorite

TertiaryArsenic, Antimony, Mercury, Thallium

Commodity typeB

Deposit

Deposit typehydrothermal breccia-filling, hydrothermal solution-cavity

Model173: Sediment-hosted Au

Deposit sizeS

Orebody formdisseminated, stratabound and strata-conformable mineralization.

Ore controlThe porosity of the breccia host rock exhibited a large degree of control in localization of ore.

Materials

Ore mineralsGold, Silver, Electrum

GangueQuartz, Fluorite, Calcite, Serpentine, Talc, Hematite, Pyrite

Geology

Host rockSedimentary Breccia,Shale,Limestone · "Grass Valley Shale", "Natchez Pass Limestone", "Cane Spring Limestone"

Associated rockQuartz Monzonite,Diorite

StructureRelief Canyon Thrust. The mine area lies within a northeast-trending structural belt parallel to and 140 km west of the Battle Mountain Trend. The belt is about 65 km long and averages 8.3 km in width., Range front faults terminate ore to the west (Black Ridge Fault). The dip of the brecciated contact (Relief Canyon Thrust? ) between the Natchez Pass and Grass Valley Formations varies and has the appearance of a NE-SW striking anticline that plunges to the SW. A small fold perpendicular to the plane of this anticline forms a dome over the southerly portion of the deposit.

AlterationTwo obvious alteration features present at surface include large resistant outcrops of jasperoid and widespread iron oxide staining. In the jasperoid breccia with clay seams, gold mineralization is related to both silicification and argillization. In the mixed breccia and limestone breccia, gold mineralization is associated with argillic alteration. A detailed comparison of alteration with gold grade from drill data indicates that the highest gold values are often associated with argillic alteration rather than silicification. At surface, diorite intrusives are both extensively oxidized and propylitized.

Economic & production

Development statusPast Producer

Production years1984-1985; 1986-1990

First production1984

Last production1990

Discovery year1979

Identification

Deposit ID10310376

MRDS IDM242418

Alternate namesRelief Canyon Gold Mine, Bohannan Fluorite Prospect

RegionNA

Data scoreB

Coordinates40.20518, -118.17014

References

Fiannaca, M. and McKee, J., 1983, Geology and Development of the Relief Canyon Gold Deposit, Pershing Co., NV; paper presented at the 89th Annual Northwest Mining Convention, Spokane, WA, 1983Geological Society of Nevada 1984 meeting and field trip road log, Sept. 1984.Division of Mine Inspection, Dec. 1983, Directory of Nevada Mining Operations, active During Calendar Year 1983.NBMG Map 84, 1983, Active Mines and Oil FieldsLacana Gold Inc.'s brochure on Relief Canyon Mine's official opening, Oct, 1984.Wittkop, R. W., Parratt, R. L., Bruce, W. R., 1984, Geology and Mineralization at the Relief Canyon Gold Deposit, Pershing County, Nevada, Preprint No. 84-100, Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, Littleton, Co, 5 pp.Pegasus Gold, 1988, Relief Canyon Mine circular (unpublished visitor's fact sheet).Pegasus Gold, Inc., Annual Reports for 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990.Southern Pacific Co., 1964, Minerals For Industry-Northern Nevada and Northwestern Utah, Summary of Geological Survey of 1955-1961, v. 1: San Francisco, Southern Pacific Co, P. 45.Wallace and Tatlock, 1962, Suggestions for prospecng in the Humboldt Range and adjacent areas, Nevada, USGS PP 450-B3-B5.Wallace,. E., Silberling, N. J., Irwin, W. P., And Tatlock, D. B., 1969, Geologic Map of the Buffalo Mountain Quadrangle, Pershing and Churchill Counties, Nevada, USGS Map GQ-821.Tingley, J. V., Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Computerized Geochemistry Database.Johnson, M. G., 1977, Geology and Mineral Deposits of Pershing County, Nevada, NBMG Bull. 89.Horton, R.C., 1961, An Inventory of Fluorspar Occurrences in Nevada, NBMG Rept. 1.Engineering and Mining Journal, June 1988, p. 45-46Bonham, H.F., Jr, and Hess, R. H., 1992, Bulk-Mineable Precious-Metal Deposits, in The Nevada Mineral Industry 1991, Nevada Bureau Of Mines and Geology, Special Pub., MI-1991, p24NBMG, 1994, MI-1993Long, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Database of significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States; Part A, Database description and analysis; part B, Digital database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-206, 33 p., one 3.5 inch diskette.Crafford, A.E.J. (ed.), 2003, GSN Road Log 44, Coal Canyon Road East from I80 Exit 112.