Ward Mine, Ward Mining District, White Pine County, Nevada, USAi

Regional Level Types
Ward Mine	Mine
Ward Mining District	Mining District
White Pine County	County
Nevada	State
USA	Country

Location: The Ward mine area is located at the southern end of Ward Mountain on the east flank of the Egan Mountains about 24 km south of Ely.

History: One source reports discoveries of silver-lead ore at Ward about 1866, but another reports that in March of 1872, freighters William Ballinger and John Henry were searching for oxen in the Willow Creek area, and discovered silver ore in Ward Gulch. They collected ore samples which were assayed at Cherry Creek. The ore proved favorable; they returned to Willow Creek with other prospectors and staked claims. In 1873, the claims were sold to Judge Frizell. The townsite of Ward was established and named after one of the claim locators, B. F. Ward. In 1875, the claims were evaluated by mining experts, which resulted in the sale of the Paymaster Mine to the Martin White investment company of San Francisco. This combination of confirmed mineral values and funds for their extraction started the boom period at Ward, which lasted from 1876 until 1882. The Ward charcoal ovens were constructed at this time and the population soared to about 6000 inhabitants. In 1877, six companies were developing 17 mines, but the Caroline group of claims held by Martin White was virtually the only producer. A new mill was built in 1878 and operated until the mines shut down in 1883. The lower Paymaster Tunnel was collared in 1879 and driven 960 m in an unsuccessful attempt to intersect the downward projection of the rich orebodies.In 1883 a large fire destroyed about one-third of the buildings in Ward, and many of the other buildings were removed to Taylor. The town was abandoned by the late 1880s, but the Paymaster tunnel was again reopened and explored in 1906. There was sporadic mineral production from the Ward mines in 1890, 1907, 1908-1909, 1911, 1917, and from 1934-1942, much of the ore being from reprocessing of mine dump material. Several companies explored the district in the 1940s and 1950s at which time drilling from the Mountain Pride and lower Defiance drifts identified an ore zone too small to mine. Silver King Mining Company acquired the Ward Mine property in 1962 and by 1967 had produced 63,400 metric tones of low-grade ore. Encouraging results from several diffrrent geophysical surveys in the mine area caused Phillips Petroleum Co., in a joint venture with Silver King, to initiate an extensive drilling program which identified additional mineralization in new formations in the mine area. The Paymaster Adit was again reopened and lengthened to 1828 m. but still failed to develop a mineable tonnage of ore. Drilling had encountered a granitic stock at depth, which spurred porphyry copper exploration interest in the district, and more drilling was conducted No porphyry copper deposit was found, but more than half of the drill holes encountered significant skarn-hosted sulfide mineralization. Phillips dropped their portion of the joint venture in 1976, but Gulf Minerals entered a joint venture with Silver King and drilled more hole s and did metallurgical tests to try to work out the difficult metal extraction, but in 1982 Gulf sold out its interest back to Silver King, who proceeded to sink two exploratory declines, drifts and more drilling to define ore zones. This work defined reserves of 1.2 million metric tons of ore grading 68 g/t silver, 1.5 % lead, 6.5 % zinc, and 0.7% copper. Ore was mined in the early 1990's and was processed at the Taylor mill across the valley to the east. Alta Gold acquired the property about 1989, but Alta Gold later went bankrupt, and its assets were sold.

Mineralogy/Geology: The Ward Mine deposit is a polymetallic Cu, Au, Ag and Pb-Zn skarn deposit. Four distinct ore bodies have been identified: the Bootlegger, Wildcat, Zinc Tube, and Goodluck ore zones. Although the mineralized rock within these zones occurs as somewhat irregular replacements, they are roughly aligned along a N60W trend and are generally laterally continuous except from the Bootlegger zone. Paleozoic limestones and shales in the mine area have been intruded by a 34 Ma porphyritic quartz monzonite stock and associated NW-trending dike swarm. Metal zonation within the skarn is also controlled by a combination of proximity to the stock and lithology of the protolith. Six stages of alteration/mineralization associated with the stock emplacement have been recognized: 1) contact metamorphism. 2) magnesium metasomatism, 3) anhydrous metasomatism. 4) hydrous metasomatism 5) sulfide introduction and 6) massive silica replacement.

Production Data: The mine produced sporadically from 1875 to 1991 with the most recent production from 1989 through 1991 of 20,920,000 lbs Zn, 1,058,000 lbs Cu, 1,835,000 lbs Pb, 100,604 oz Ag, and 75,343 lbs Cd. Total production is estimated at more than 182 kilotonnes ore containing >.05 tonnes gold, 28 tonnes silver, 1 kilotonne copper, 7.9 kilotonnes lead, and 14.7 kilotonnes zinc. In 1991, Alta Gold reported a resource of 1381 kilotonnes ore containing 97.5 tonnes silver, 14.8 kilotonnes copper, 12 kilotonnes lead, and 86.5 kilotonnes zinc. The total recorded value of mineral production at Ward from 1872 to 1890 was about $960,000. Through 1967, almost $2.5 million had been produced from the Ward Mining District. A million dollars worth of silver was reportedly taken from a single stope of the Ward Mine in the early years of production. In 1990, development work defined reserves of 1.2 million metric tons of ore grading 68 g/t silver, 1.5 % lead, 6.5 % zinc,and 0.7% copper. In 1998 the deposit was reported to contain proven reserves of 246,178 tonnes of ore grading 9.0869% Zn, 1.0062% Cu, 0.905% Pb, and 2.305 ounces per ton silver.
Commodity: Ore Materials: plumbojarosite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite Gangue Materials: pyrite, marcasite, pyrrhotite, garnet, Mg-Fe pyroxene, wolastonite, idocrase, clinozoisite, epidote, chlorite, calcite, gypsum, barite

Deposit: HILL, J.M., 1916, NOTES ON SOME MINING DISTRICTS IN EASTERN NEVADA. 1916. U.S. GEOL. SURVEY BULL. 648, PP 180-186. GAGE, H.L. SOME FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC LEAD-ZINC MINES THAT COULD SUPPLY ZINC CONCENTRATES TO A PACIFIC NORTHWEST ELECTROLYTIC ZINC INDUSTRY/VIII. THE LEAD-ZINC MINES OF NEVADA: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMIN., PP 662-666. The Ward Mine deposit is a polymetallic Cu, Au, Ag and Pb-Zn skarn deposit. Four distinct orebodies have been identified: the Bootlegger, Wildcat, Zinc Tube, and Goodluck ore zones. Although the mineralized rock within these zones occurs as somewhat irregular replacements, they are roughly aligned along a N60W trend and are generally laterally continuous except fro te Bootlegger zone. Paleozoic limestones and shales in the mine area have been intruded by a 34 Ma porphyritic quartz monzonite stock and associated NW-trending dike swarm. Metal zonation within the skarn is also controlled by a combination of proximity to the stock and lithology of the protolith. Six stages of alteration/mineralization associated with the stock emplacement have been recognized: 1) contact metamorphism. 2) magnesium metasomatism, 3) anhydrous metasomatism. 4) hydrous metasomatism 5) sulfide introduction and 6) massive silica replacement.

Deposit type: Skarn Zn-Pb

Development: One source reports discoveries of silver-lead ore at Ward about 1866, but another reports that in March of 1872, freighters William Ballinger and John Henry were searching for oxen in the Willow Creek area, and discovered silver ore in Ward Gulch. They collected ore samples which were assayed at Cherry Creek. The ore proved favorable; they returned to Willow Creek with other prospectors and staked claims. In 1873, the claims were sold to Judge Frizell. The townsite of Ward was established and named after one of the claim locators, B. F. Ward. In 1875, the claims were evaluated by mining experts, which resulted in the sale of the Paymaster Mine to the Martin White investment company of San Francisco. This combination of confirmed mineral values and funds for their extraction started the boom period at Ward, which lasted from 1876 until 1882. The Ward charcoal ovens were constructed at this time and the population soared to about 6000 inhabitants. In 1877, six companies were developing 17 mines, but the Caroline group of claims held by Martin White was virtually the only producer. A new mill was bult in 1878 and operated until the mines shut down in 1883. The lower Paymaster Tunnel was collared in 1879 and driven 960 m in an unsuccessful attempt to intersect the downward projection of the rich orebodies.In 1883 a large fire destroyed about one-third of the buildings in Ward, and many of the other buildings were removed to Taylor. The town was abandoned by the late 1880s, but the Paymaster tunel was again reopened and explored in 1906. There was sporadic mineral production from the Ward mines in 1890, 1907, 1908-1909, 1911, 1917, and from 1934-1942, much of the ore being from reprocessing of mine dump material. Several compnies explored the district in the 1940s and 1950s at which time drilling from the Mountain Pride and lower Defiance drifts identified an ore zone too small to mine. Silver King Mining Company acquired the Ward Mine property in 1962 and by 1967 had produced 63,400 metric tones of low-grade ore. Encouraging results from several diffrrent geophysical surveys in the mine area caused Phiips Petroleum Co., in a joint venture with Silver King, to initiate an extensive drilling program which identified additional mineralization in new formations in the mine area. The Paymaster Adit was again reopened and lengthened to 1828 m. but still failed to develop a mineable tonnage of ore. Drilling had encountered a granitic stock at depth, which spurred porphyry copper exploration interest in the district, and more drillinjg was conducted No porphyry copper deposit was found, but more than half of the drill holes encountered significant skarn-hosted sulfide mineralization. Phillips drpped their portionj of the joint enture in 1976, but Gulf Minerals entered a joint venture with Slver King and drilled more hole s and did metallurgical tests to try to work out the difficult metal extraction, but in 1982 Gulf sold out its interest back to Silver King, who proceeded to sink two exploratory declines, drifts and more drilling to define ore zones. This work defined reserves of 1.2 million metric tons of ore grading 68 g/t silver, 1.5 % lead, 6.5 % zinc,and 0.7% copper. Ore was mined in the early 1990s and was processed at the Taylor mill across the valley to the east. Alta Gold acquired the property about 1989, but Alta Gold later went bankrupt, and its assets were sold.

Geology: CHAINMAN SHALE - THE CHAINMAN SHALE LIES AT THE BASE OF THE OXIDE ORE THAT WAS MINED IN EARLIER YEARS. L-REC 3, LINE 04 - UNSPECIFIED METAMORPHIC IS JASPEROID. SHAPE OF OREBODIES IS MANTO-SHAPE. Original ore control entry: Proximity to the granitic intrusive as well as host rock lithology and NW-trending structures all exhibit varying degrees of control over ore formation at the Ward Mine deposits. There is a distinct alteration zonation pattern spatially related to temperature variations caused by the cooling of the intrusive rocks, and related to the composition of the stratigraphic horizons intruded by the pluton. Within the Guilmette Formation limestone, skarn zonation grades from nearly pure andradite garnet adjacent to the stock, outward to a garnet-Fe-Mg pyroxene-magnetite zone outward to relatively pure marble. Six stages of alteration/mineralization associated with the stock emplacement have been recognized: 1) contact metamorphism. 2) magnesium metasomatism, 3) anhydrous metasomatism. 4) hydrous metasomatism 5) sulfide introduction and 6) massive silica replacement.

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10208273

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