NEVADA EAGLE GOLD MINE
The Nevada Eagle mining claim consists of one (1) unpatented lode claim covering 20.66 acres on federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The claim is 1 mile west of Goldfield on the northern edge of the Malpais Mesa.
The claim has three adits along with some other minor workings.
Goldfield, Nevada was one of the top producing gold district from the early 20th Century and produced over 5 mill. ounces of gold (grades as high as 300 ounces per ton gold).
Location and Access: From Highway 95 at Goldfield, Nevada take Cemetery Road Exit and head west. Veer right at the cemetery and proceed directly to the claim. Cemetery Road ends in a loop within 100 feet of the claim.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 37.721234° Long: -117.271088° (Central Adit).
Mining and Exploration Potential: The Nevada Eagle claim has potential for high grade gold and silver veins, bulk tonnage (open pit) gold deposits, placer gold, and copper deposits.
The gold-silver deposits were found in quartz and calcite veins that were weathered and crushed. The main adit exposes one of these veins.
Soil cover may hide additional deposits which the old-timers overlooked but that can be found with modern methods such as soil sampling and geophysics.
There are several mining companies active in this area that would be interested in any discovery made.
There is also the potential to explore for gold placer deposits. Placer claims will have to be filed, but knowing the location of the gold veins will give prospectors an advantage in finding gold in the nearby washes and pediment.
Nevada Eagle is ideal for a small miner, prospector, and even an ambitious junior mining company looking for a foothold in an exciting district.
History: The Montezuma District was discovered in 1867 and began production shortly thereafter. The district shipped ore to Belmont for milling until 1887. The District was inactive until 1905 when the Tonopah and Goldfield booms brought new prospectors to the area. The District was revived and produced shipments until 1923.
The nearby Goldfield boom was one of the largest and last of the old time mining booms. Goldfield was originally discovered by prospectors from Tonopah in 1902. 5 million ounces of gold were produced from 1904 to 1960. The bulk of the production was in the 1904-1920 period. The mines were mostly closed during World War II. Small amounts of intermittent production have taken place since.
Recently, in 2022 Centerra Gold has acquired the Goldfield District project from Waterton for $206 mill.
There are several large and small mining and exploration companies active in the Montezuma District, the Goldfield District, and surrounding areas.
Regional Geology: The Nevada Eagle Mine is located 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: Montezuma Peak is a mass of Tertiary rhyolitic tuff and tuff breccia. Surrounding this is Cambrian and Precambrian metasediments.
In the Nevada Eagle Mine area the country rocks are the Cambrian Poleta formation which consists of limestones, siltstones, and shales.
There are numerous small quartz monzonite, granite, and diorite plutons and dikes intruding the metasediments which control the mineralization.
Veins and replacement deposits are found on the margins and at the contacts with these small intrusives and dikes.
Quartz and calcite veins have been crushed and weathered and undergone supergene enrichment. At the surface there are silver chlorides and copper oxides. Sulphides are present at depth and the veins continue deep.
One of the biggest ideas for this mine is that there may be an extension of the Goldfield District underneath the Malpais Mesa. The Nevada Eagle sits on the edge of the mesa and explores the margin. Geophysical techniques could possibly discover some of these deposits.
Available Reports:
Albers, J.P. and Stewart, J.H., Geology and Mineral Deposits of Esmeralda County, Nevada, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1972.
Ashley, R.P., ‘The Goldfield gold district, Esmeralda and Nye Counties, Nevada’, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1857–H, 1990.
Shamberger, H., ‘Goldfield’, Western Printing and Publishing, 1982.
Tingley, J.V., Montezuma District Summary Report, 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 17 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.
How is ownership of the claim transferred?
Ownership of mining claims is transferred with a Quit Claim Deed which we prepare. We pay all claim transfer fees and file the claim transfer paperwork with the BLM and Esmeralda County. The BLM takes about 2-3 weeks to process the claim transfer (Quit Claim) and register the claim in your name. The Esmeralda County Recorder usually take 1-2 weeks to return the recorded Quit Claim Deed. Once the transfer is complete we will send you all the original documents including the file stamped Quit Claim Deed, the original location notices and claim maps.
How Much are the Annual Claim Fees?
The BLM charges a $165 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. Esmeralda 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 $12 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.
Claim fees for the 2022-23 assessment year have been paid.
International Buyers
International buyers must either have dual US citizenship and US address or have a US entity or company to own the claim.