NEW ERA 5 PLACER MINING CLAIM
The New Era 5 mining claim consists of one (1) unpatented placer mining claim covering 20 acres on federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The New Era 5 claim is in the Searchlight District in Clark County, Nevada which is known for gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, and turquoise.
The New Era 5 claim is downstream from several historical gold mines including Fourth of July, Chief of the Hills, Big Casino, Monte Carlo, and the Shosone Consolidated. Just north of the claim is the Badge Mine – which was in production in the 1920’s and has multiple adits and shafts.
I got a gold assay value of .71 ounces per ton from a vein on one of the sides of the canyon – upstream from the New Era 5. There are several adits, shafts, and veins on the canyon sides which could be the source of gold for the placer deposit.
Location and Access: From Las Vegas head south on US Highway 95 for 57 miles to Searchlight, Nevada. Turn left on Cottonwood Cove Drive and go east for 3.5 miles. Turn right into a gravel road which goes to the road network which leads to the claim. The claim is one mile south of Cottonwood Cove Road and about 15 minutes drive from town. I will provide a detailed road / trail map.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 35.459389°, Long: -114.836140° (Main Wash NW of Claim)
Mining and Exploration Potential: the New Era 5 claim is an excellent property for dry washing, nugget detecting and a small wet placer operation.
The claim is surrounded by high grade gold mines that averaged 1 ounce per ton gold when in production.
There is quartz float and other vein material in the wash. There are quartz and vein outcrops and pits on the sides of the washes (see picture above).
The main wash runs the entire length of the claim (1320 feet). There is also a parallel secondary wash that is all good that runs the length of the claim.
The main wash is flat and can be navigated by 4WD jeep or ATV.
The claim has several mineralized outcrops which could be gold bearing. There is also some copper oxide / potential turquoise float (see picture). The Searchlight area was also known as a turquoise producer
The Searchlight District is located in Clark County, Nevada about 57 miles south of Las Vegas.
The district was discovered in 1897 on the Searchlight claim which became the Duplex Mine. Shortly thereafter, a discovery was made at the Quartette Mine which became the biggest producer in the district. Mills were built on site when water was discovered.
The Searchlight mining boom peaked in about 1907. The town boasted 44 working mines, a dozen saloons, several mills, and a population of 5,000.
In 1908 a turquoise weighing 320 carats was found in the district and valued at $2600 ($72,000 in today’s dollars). The Simmons Mine, a significant turquoise producer, is to the west of Searchlight in the Crescent District. Small turquoise prospects are found throughout the district.
The Searchlight District was in continuous production from 1902 to 1954. Records indicate that 581,014 tons of ore was produced in this timeframe yielding 246,991 ounces of gold, 219,596 ounces of silver, 650,550 lbs of copper, and 1,675,560 lbs of lead.
Regional Geology: The New Era 5 claim is located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt within the Basin and Range physiographic province. The Basin and Range province covers most of Nevada and consists of narrow NE trending mountain ranges between flat, arid valleys and basins. The Walker Lane mineral belt is an area with a high density of parallel strike-slip faults extending from Reno to Las Vegas roughly along the California- Nevada border. Faulting and volcanic activity make the Walker Lane favorable for hosting gold and silver deposits including some of the most famous precious metal mining districts in the US including the Comstock, Goldfield, Tonopah, Bullfrog, Mineral Ridge, and Round Mountain.
Local Geology: The District consists of pre-Cambrian schists and gneisses which are intruded by quartz-monzonite and Tertiary volcanics. Ore bodies are found at the contacts and fault zones between the quartz-monzonite and gneisses and also the Tertiary volcanics. The veins generally strike NW and are dipping SW approx. 65-70 degrees. Ore in the District was oxidized and the gold was free-milling.
The shafts on the Badge Mine are collared in brecciated andesite dikes which show propylitic and argillic alteration. The breccia has abundant open spacing and is cemented with drusy / cockscomb quartz. Oxidized sulphides found in the open cavaties of the breccia. The dikes are surrounded by dioritic gneiss. (Smith, Sample Site 1347 Report, Nevada Bureau of Mine).
The nearby Chief of the Hills mine was in a shear zone within andesite and was mainly gold with a little silver.
There is massive propylitic and argillic alteration. The propylitic alteration extends for at least a mile around the main workings. There may be a flat lying structure underneath the propylitic zone that contains the gold mineralization. Extensive trenching has exposed these contacts and associated veins. A sample of a local vein ran 14 oz/ton silver and 0.71 oz/ton gold.
Available Reports:
Baker III, Arthur, ‘Scouting Report of the Eldorado (Nelson) District, Clark County Nevada’, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1962.
Hansen, Spenst M., ‘The geology of the Eldorado Mining District, Clark County, Nevada’, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Missouri, 1962.
Lincoln, F.C., ‘Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada’, Nevada Publications, Reprint of 1923 Version, Published by Stanley Paher, 1982.
Longwell, C.R., Pampeyan, E.H., Bowyer, B., Roberts, R.J., ‘Geology and Mineral Deposits of Clark County, Nevada’, Bulletin 62, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, 1965.
Morrissey, F.R., ‘Turquoise Deposits of Nevada’, Report 17, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1968.
Ransome, F.L., ‘Searchlight and Eldorado Districts’, Excerpt from USGS Bulletin 303, 1907.
Smith, P.L, Tingley, J.V., ‘Searchlight District Summary’, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1983.
FAQ
Why Nevada?
Nevada is consistently ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world for being mining-friendly and continuing to produce major discoveries. If Nevada was a country it would be the 5th largest gold producer in the world (after Australia, Canada, China, and Russia). Nevada is home to the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend, the Walker Lane Trend, the Getchell Trend and many other prolific gold producing regions. In addition to gold Nevada also has major mines producing silver, copper, lithium, iron ore, magnesium, gems and many other minerals. Nevada is 85% owned by the federal government and most of this land is available for claim staking. This means some of the best mining ground in the world is open to small prospectors – a very unique situation. There are many mining companies active in Nevada and therefore, multiple potential buyers for any discovery you make. Canadian based junior exploration companies are particularly active in Nevada.
Why Buy a Claim?
Buying a claim is a great way to get started in mining and prospecting. Buying a claim that is professionally staked reduces your upfront work and the risk of making a mistake on your paperwork or in the field. Our claims are in areas with historical mining activity and most have numerous pits, shafts, and adits to explore. Finding these claims takes lots of research that is already done for you. The best place to find gold is where people have already found it!
Why Us?
I have been working in mineral exploration in the southwestern United States and Alaska for 22 years. I have co-founded four junior mining companies and managed numerous drilling and exploration projects. I have worked with large and small mining companies and know what types of projects they are looking for that can be advanced by small prospectors. I have also worked on small hardrock production projects. I usually try to find claims that have known high grade veins that can be produced and that also have some exploration upside. We stand by our claims and fix any problems that come up. We can also help you with your annual filings. All our claims have a BLM serial number and can be found on the U.S. BLM MLRS website database. We hire the same professional claim staking companies that the large mining companies hire and all the claims have professionally drafted and accurate maps. We also have current assays from ALS Minerals on most of our claims.
How is ownership of the claim transferred?
Ownership of mining claims is transferred with a Quitclaim Deed which we prepare. We pay all claim transfer fees and file the claim transfer paperwork with the BLM and Clark County. The BLM takes about 2-3 weeks to process the claim transfer (Quitclaim) and register the claim in your name. The Clark County Recorder usually take 1-2 days to return the recorded Quitclaim Deed. Once the transfer is complete we will send you all the original documents including the file stamped Quitclaim Deed, the Certificate of Location, Claim Map, and various reports.
How Much are the Annual Claim Fees?
The BLM charges a $200 per claim annual maintenance fee which is due on September 1st each year. The BLM fees can be paid online through their claim management portal. Clark County requires that a Notice of Intent to Hold form is filed the first year by Nov 1st along with payment of the recording fee of $15 plus $12 per claim.
If you own less than 10 mining claims you can qualify for a waiver of the annual maintenance fee by filing a Small Miner’s Waiver. However, the Small Miner’s Waiver requires that you perform $100 in labor or improvements on the claim each year.
International Buyers
International buyers must either have dual US citizenship and US address or have a US entity or company to own the claim.