Commodities
PrimarySilver, Gold
TertiaryArsenic, Zinc, Lead, Copper, Mercury, Antimony
Commodity typeM
Deposit
Deposit typeclosely spaced veins
Model150: Epithermal vein, Comstock
Deposit sizeS
Orebody formtabular
Ore controlMineralization is both lithologically and structurally controlled, with mineralization hosted by the Pyramid sequence of andesitic to basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, and controlled by NE-trending structures.
Materials
Ore mineralsGold, Electrum, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite
GangueChalcopyrite
Geology
Host rockBasalt,Andesite,Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate),Mixed Clastic/Volcanic Rock · Pyramid Sequence
StructureNe-trending faults of the Olinghouse Fault Zone, The NE-trending Olinghouse Fault runs through the property, a regional left-lateral strike-slip structure with dip-slip component, and recent movement (probably the site of a major earthquake in 1869). The north end of the Walker Lane fault zone passes just east of the Olinghouse district.
Tectonic settingSituated near the western boundary of the Basin and Range tectonic province
AlterationWith the exception of a broad zone of propylitic alteration, the alteration features at Olinghouse are unusually subtle. On the surface, the quartz veins are narrow and there is essentially no color anomaly. The replacement of plagioclase by K-feldspar surrounding the veins can be determined only in thin section, and the alteration halo is small.
Economic & production
Development statusProducer
Discovery year1994
Identification
Deposit ID10310550
RegionNA
Data scoreB
Coordinates39.66585, -119.427
References
Pay Dirt, 5/1/96Pay Dirt, 11/1/96Denver Mining Record, 8/2/95Denver Mining Record, 6/5/96Denver Mining Record, 9/4/96Northern Miner, 8/28/95Northern Miner, 9/11/95Northern Miner, 1/22/96Skillings Mining Review, 1/20/96Skillings Mining Review, 10/26/96Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Olinghouse Mine Project, Sept. 1997Final Environmental Impact Statement, Olinghouse Mine Project, Feb.1998Alta Gold Co, 1997 Annual ReportLong, K.R., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., and Ludington, S.D., 1998, Significant deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-206A, 33 p.; 98-206B. one 3.5 inch diskette.