Comparisons of Various Types of Ore Deposits in South-Central Nevada: Rawhide, Tonopah Copper, & Round Mtn. Mines; Three Hills Project; Tonopah & Goldfield District; Gemfield Deposit

The Geological Society of Nevada, as part of their GSN Symposium 2000, is pleased that you
could join us on our field trip through south-central Nevada. We will be examining several active
mines and deposits during the three-day trip along the “Walker Lane” mineral belt. The purpose
of the trip will be to examine variations of different types of deposits, visiting gold, silver and copper
deposits along the way and comparing high sulfidation systems with low sulfidation systems
in various types of deposits and structural settings.
This field trip will be an opportunity to visit a new mine (Tonopah Copper Project) just going into
production along with some well known producing mines (Round Mountain and Rawhide) that
have been in production for quite some time. We will also visit several classic historical districts
(Tonopah and Goldfield) and see what new activities are on-going in these areas. The more
recent discoveries of Three Hills and Gemfield deposits will be examined and we will see what
exploration activities are proposed for these properties.
This field trip guidebook is a compilation of recently published and new, unpublished geologic
papers. These papers were selected to represent the general geologic, tectonic, alteration patterns
and mineralization characteristics of these deposits. Additional references which could not
be included in the book are found at the end of each of the papers.
The roadlogs in this guidebook are compiled from the various authors who have contributed their
time and efforts over the years. Those authors are credited at the start of each log and each
should be acknowledged for their efforts. If it were not for the many people volunteering their
time and efforts in assisting in the development of this guidebook and field tours, this field trip
could not have taken place.
A special thanks goes to Steve Craig and Hal Bonham for the task of organization of the field
trips, and Elizabeth Jones for organizing and reviewing this manuscript and keeping us on schedule.
I especially want to thank all of the following field trip tour guides and other people who supplied
data for the trip and for their participation and contributions: David Gray (Rawhide), Glen
Garrett (Three Hills), John Mears, Vernon Pressue (Tonopah Copper Project), Bob Bennett & Pete
Chapman (Romarco – Goldfield), Mike Hamilton & Carl Hehnke (Gemfield), Fred Saunders &
Hal Bonham (Tonopah) and Frank Fenne (Round Mountain). Special thanks go to Al Kirkham
and Elizabeth Jones in helping to edit and organize the guidebook.
I also want to acknowledge and give my deepest appreciation to the following companies which
graciously allowed us to visit their properties and mining operations: Kennecott Rawhide Mining
Co., Eastfield Resources Inc., Tonopah Copper Mining Co., Equatorial Mining Inc., Romarco
Minerals Inc., Franco-Nevada Mining Inc., Tonopah Mining Park, Echo Bay Mines Inc., and Round
Mountain Gold Corporation.