The RT Mine 1 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 claims cover a former producing gold-silver mine in the Ragged Top Mining District in Pershing County, Nevada.
The RT Mine 1 claim has one shaft, large trench / open pit and several smaller pits.
Location and Access: From Lovelock, Nevada head south I-80 W for 12 miles. Take Exit 93 and head west on Ragged Top Road for 10 miles. There is a road with a loop directly to the main shaft.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 40.057822° Long: -118.805704° (RT Mine 1 Main Shaft).
Mining and Exploration Potential: The RT Mine 1 is a gold-silver mine in a tungsten mining district. Gold, silver and tungsten are often found in the same districts and in some of the same rocks.
The RT Mine 1 was a gold-silver mine surrounded by mostly tungsten mines. The rock is heavily altered with good quartz veining and access by an open cut and a shaft.
The shaft is timbered – which is a good sign since it shows that some production was taking place to warrant additional safety and ground stabilization measures.
RT Mine 1 has potential as a small hardrock producer and a larger exploration play.
The RT Mine 1 is on the contact between a small granodiorite intrusive and older metasediments – an ideal location for gold-silver deposits.
Prospecting this contact and the nearby rocks should generate additional discoveries.
Some of the claim has soil cover – these areas could be explored with soil sampling and geophysics which the old-timers did not have access to and are effective for finding new gold veins.
Finally, tungsten is a strategic metal that is used in high-temperature metals and for military uses (armor, ammunition). During wartime the price of tungsten increases dramatically. Nevada is one of the top tungsten districts in the world. However, currently the US imports most of its tungsten from China. If there was a supply chain disruption or a war – tungsten properties would become extremely valuable.
Other metals: the Copper King area about 4 miles to the south had some small copper production, but had most of its production in tungsten. There are several copper prospects in the area.
Ragged Top District: The Ragged Top District is located in the southern part of the Trinity Range in Pershing County and adjoins the Toy District in Churchill County to the south.
Most of the mines are on the west flank of the Trinity Range – including the RT Mine 1. The RT Mine 1 is 1.82 miles NW of Ragged Top Peak.
There are also some mines on the eastern flank of the Trinity Range.
The Ragged Top District was prospected in the late 1800’s but the first records of mines were in 1906-08 when the Copper King mine was located (about 4 miles south of RT Mine 1).
Copper King has copper oxide and silver minerals and had some production which was unrecorded. Copper King was in a skarn zone in limestone that was 100 feet wide and 500 feet long.
Like many other tungsten districts in Nevada, the District was very active during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Tungsten prices can increase 10x during wartime.
In late 1915, scheelite (tungsten) was discovered in a tactite occurrence on the Ragged Top claims. Tactite is a type of skarn which is formed by contact metamorphism (being next to hot magmas).
In 1916 a mill at Toulon was constructed and was active until the late 1920’s. The Nevada-Massachusetts Company purchased many of the claims in the District. They were the premier tungsten mining company in the US.
In int 1960’s to early 1980’s there was copper exploration around the Copper King claims but no major discoveries.
There have been junior miners with projects in the Trinity Mountains and near Lovelock.
Regional Geology: The RT Mine 1 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.
Local Geology: The Western side of the Trinity Range contain masses of limestone intruded by granodiorite. Along the contacts are tactite and other metamorphic rocks. The tactite contains brown garnet, epidote, calcite, quartz and scheelite. The intrusive is Tertiary in age and the surrounding rocks Jurassic and Triassic.
The RT Mine is located at the western end of an granodiorite intrusive about 2 miles long in the east-west direction and 1.5 miles wide in the north-south direction. The RT Mine straddles the contact between the intrusive and the limestone country rocks.
The metamorphic / tactite host rocks are found in irregular layers and pods – sometimes 50-100 feet wide and hundreds of feet long. Some of the highest grade material comes from pendant structures.
The entire contact has potential for both tungsten and gold-silver-copper deposits. Some of the contact is beneath soil cover and could be prospected using geophysics or soil sampling techniques.
Tungsten ore of the nearby mines contains about 1 percent WO3. Both high grade silver ore and placer gold have been found in the District and nearby mines.
I have obtained several garnet mineral specimens in this area. They are large brown-red crystals. I sold a small hand sample for $40. There could be much more of this material which sells on collector’s markets such as Ebay and Etsy.
Available Reports:
Bonham, H.F., Tingley, J.V., Ragged Top District Report, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1985.
Johnson, M., Geology and Mineral Deposits of Pershing County, Nevada, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Bulletin 89, 1977.
Tingley, J.V., Hard to Find Mine Memo Report, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1985.
Tingley, J.V., Copper Queen Memo Report, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1985.
USBM Personnel, Copper King Report, US Bureau of Mines, 1963.
Vanderburg, W.O., Ragged Top District Report, Nevada Bureau of Mines, 1936.
Willden, R., Speed, R.C., ‘Geology and Mineral Deposits of Churchill County, Nevada’, Bulletin 83, Nevda Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1974.
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 20 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 Pershing County. The BLM takes about 2-3 weeks to process the claim transfer (Quit Claim) and register the claim in your name. The Pershing County Recorder usually take 2-3 days to return the recorded Quit Claim Deed (filed electronically). 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. Pershing 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 2024 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.