Hycroft Mine
The Hycroft Mine is located east of Sulphur. Formerly, the Hycroft Mine was known as the Sulphur Mine.
Allied Mining restarted operation of the mine in 2008.[1][2]
Price (2008) state that Allied Nevada Gold drilled the area.[3][4]
Wilson (2010) include a photo of the area and describes the plans to mine the area.[5]
The BLM (2012) approval of expansion of the mine included stipulations[6][7][8].
In July, 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that Allied Nevada was considering selling a stake of itself or the mine.[9]. At the time, the expansion was expected to cost as much as $1.3 billion.
In July, 2015, Allied Nevada laid off 230 employees and suspending mining operations. It appears that it had reserves for 12-18 months of production.[10]
In October, 2015, Allied Nevada changed its name to Hycroft Mining Corporation and emerged from bankruptcy.[11]
In April, 2016, Hycroft updated its plans after emerging from bankruptcy.[12]
In May, 2016, Hycroft reported that it was now a privately held firm.[13]
History
The 2012 BLM Draft Environmental Impact statement provides a history, reproduced below[7]:
"Mining activities in the vicinity of the Hycroft Mine began in 1875 with the discovery of sulfur. Over 200,000 tons of sulfur was produced by underground mining methods from the 1870s through the early 1950s. Small amounts of silver, potash, and mercury were also produced during the early 1900s. In the late 1970s, Homestake Mining Company conducted exploration drilling on claims controlled by the Crofoot family and delineated a small tonnage, bulk-mineable gold deposit near the north end of the existing Project Area along one of the main faults in the area, the Central Fault."
"In 1984 Standard Slag Corporation constructed the Lewis Mine, a small (4,000,000ton) heap leach operation, on patented and unpatented lands leased from Mr. Frank Lewis. The ore processed at the Lewis facility was mined from the northern end of the Central Fault. In 1985, HRDI acquired the Crofoot claim block, and in 1987, procured the Lewis facility and leases from Standard Slag Corporation. Processing activities at the Lewis Mine were terminated in September 1993 and the Lewis site has since been closed. The Crofoot processing facility was constructed by HRDI and began precious metal production in October 1987. The bulk of the ore (66 million tons) hauled to the Crofoot leach pads originated at the Central Fault open pit complex, which included the Bay Area, South Central, Boneyard, Gap, and Cut4 open pits."
"In 1997 and early 1998, an additional five million tons of runoff mine material were transported from the Brimstone deposit, an ore body located on another main fault in the area, the East fault, to the Crofoot site. This was the last ore to be placed on the Crofoot heap leach pads. The balance of the ore from the Brimstone deposit went to the Brimstone heap leach pad and plant adjacent to the Brimstone open pit. The Hycroft Mine was placed in a care and maintenance program in late 1998 due to the decrease in gold prices below $300 per ounce. The process operations continued until 2004 when the process facilities were placed in care and maintenance."
"In 2007 HRDI become a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Nevada Gold Corporation and reactivated open pit mining in the third quarter of 2008. The existing Hycroft Mine is an open pit, heap leach gold and silver mine (NVN064641). Current operations at the Hycroft Mine include ore extraction and processing, management of water, engineering and environmental studies, permit compliance, and exploration."
See Also
- Silver Camel Mine: Now part of the Hycroft Mine.
- Sulphur Mining District: Historical references for the area.
References
- ↑ Allied Nevada Hycroft Mine Website
- ↑ Chris Ralph, "Allied Nevada Reactivates Hycroft Mine," Vol. 78, No. 9, May 2009.
- ↑ Jonathan G. Price et al, "MI2008: The Nevada mineral industry 2008," 2008.
- ↑ Allied Nevada Drills 1,103.5 Feet of Gold and Silver Mineralization in North Brimstone at Hycroft," August 21, 2008.
- ↑ Technical Report Allied Nevada Gold Corp., Hycroft Mine, Winnemucca, Nevada, USA," April 01, 2010.
- ↑ Hycroft Mine Expansion, BLM, 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Hycroft Mine Expansion," DOI-BLM-NV-W030-2011-0001-EIS, BLM, January, 2012.
- ↑ Record of Decision and plan of Operations Approval, Hycroft Mine Expansion Project," DOI-BLM-NV-W030-2011-0001-EIS, BLM, 2012.
- ↑ Alistair MacDonald, "Allied Nevada Considers Selling Stake in Itself or Key Gold Mine," Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2014.
- ↑ Allied Nevada lays off 230 Hycroft employees," Elko Daily News. (archive.org).
- ↑ "[http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/hycroft-mining-corporation-completes-financial-restructuring-process-emerges-from-chapter-2066390.htm Hycroft Mining Corporation Completes Financial Restructuring Process and Emerges from Chapter 11 with $221.7 Million in Financing."
- ↑ "| Hycroft Mining Corporation Provides a Business Update," April 2016. (archive.org).
- ↑ "Hycroft Mining Corporation ceases to be a reporting issuer in Canada."
Resources
- David Valentine, "Ask Not for whom the Toll Bills," p. 12-17, In Situ, Newsletter of the Nevada Archaeological Association, Winter, 2002. Excellent history of the area.
- Daniel E. Russell, "The Rabbit Hole Sulphur Mines, Humboldt County, Nevada," 2008. Excellent history of the area.