SAGE VALLEY GOLD 7 PLACER GOLD MINING CLAIM
The Sage Valley Gold 7 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 claim covers historical placer mine known as the ‘Pershing Placers’ in the Seven Troughs District.
The Sage Valley Gold 7 claim covers an alluvial fan and washes that are the main drainage of the Seven Troughs Gold District which has dozens of high-grade gold mines.
The mines of the Seven Troughs District were known for incredible grades: veins averaged 2-4 ounces per ton gold – with reported pockets of up to 1,000 ounces per ton.
Directions: From Lovelock, Nevada drive west on NV-399 out of town. In 12.1 miles turn right on Seven Troughs Road. Drive north on Seven Troughs Road for 10.1 miles then take a left at the fork (towards Mazuma Cemetery). Drive another 1.5 miles to the claim. The main access road comes within 400 feet of the SW claim boundary.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 40.438758°, Long: -118.758790° (Narrow Gulch in Southern Part of Claim)
Mining and Exploration Potential: The Seven Troughs District is interesting from a placer mining perspective in that the gold mines are confined to some well-defined canyons (Seven Troughs Canyon) with steep sides and a fast slope.
The gold veins at Seven Troughs were native gold in quartz.
These gold veins and disseminated deposits feed the wash during rainstorms and snowmelt and are deposited on the floor of Sage Valley in alluvial fans and gulches.
The Sage Valley Gold 7 claim covers a branch of an alluvial fan that was part of the historical ‘Pershing Placers’ at the mouth of Seven Troughs Canyon.
In this area the slope flattens and the water slows and widens. This is an ideal place for placer gold to deposit in bulk.
There is also a narrow gulch that runs parallel to the alluvial fan to the east for about 1500 feet. This shows some evidence of past mining activity.
The Sage Valley / Seven Troughs Canyon area was previously mined during the early part of the 20th Century – the last major effort was probably in the 1930’s during the Depression.
The USGS Mineral Resource Data System lists the claims as being part of the ‘Pershing Placers’ – a historical placer gold mine.
We have found old tin cans, a wooden sluice structure, and other evidence of this historical mining activity.
This is a good sign as it validates our exploration premise that this would be a prime spot for placer gold.
The claims could be mined through traditional wet methods, dry washing, and metal detecting.
Alluvial fan deposits are attractive because they usually have a ‘lag line’ which is a spot where the gold is heavily concentrated. This is sometimes described as a line perpendicular to the direction of the water or gravity flow and descending diagonally towards the direction of the water flow.
Finding the ‘lag line’ could reduce exploration time and provide a definite location for gold.
Due to the presence of historical miners and proximity to a top tier hardrock district – this could be a professional property with potential for 1,000 to 10,000 ounces of gold (just a guess).
Sage Valley Gold 7 is also full of mini-washes and gullies which would be an ideal spot to prospect.
Access is by road and there are several good areas to set up camp. Lovelock is close by and would be an easy supply point.
The Seven Troughs District covers the central and southern part of the Seven Troughs Mountain Range in central Pershing County, Nevada.
Gold was originally discovered in 1863 at the upper portion of Seven Troughs Canyon, but due to its remoteness was forgotten and then rediscovered in 1905.
By 1907 some of the early mines in the were in production. Production in the District was nearly continuous form 1907 to 1962. In addition to gold, the District produced tungsten and diatomite (an industrial mineral used for filters, pet litter, and abrasives).
By 1908 there was a mining boom with 25 mining companies operating in the district. Reports of gold veins of 1,000 ounces per ton sparked a mania. The average grades were still very high: 2-4 ounces per ton.
In 1909, the Darby Mill at Mazuma (a small town) began treating the ores of the District. It remained open until 1918 (this was the most productive time period).
The production from this early period 1907 to 1942 was about 155,000 ounces of gold and 1 million ounces of silver.
Some of the most important mines were: Kindergarten Mine, Wihuja, Mazuma Hills, Reagan, Wild Bull, Dixie Queen, and the Delaware.
Most of the mines were on fissure veins in the rhyolite and at the contact with the andesite. However, some of the veins extended into basalt.
Recently, there have been several junior (and major) mining companies active in the District. The hardrock mines are staked up by Normandy (Australian major) and Timberline (US junior miner), and other various junior mining companies.
Regional Geology: The Sage Valley Gold 7 mining claim 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 Seven Troughs Range is underlain by Triassic and Jurassic sedimentary rocks that have been intruded by a Cretaceous granodiorite.
There is a series of north-northwest trending faults that cut the range dropping the east side down.
The east side of the range is mostly Tertiary volcanic rocks – rhyolites and andesites. The rhyolites and andesites are inter-fingered and the contact zones are where the gold veins are found.
Two main mineralizing events took place – one in Cretaceous related to the original intrusive and one later in Tertiary (producing all the volcanic rocks on the east side).
The veins are mostly trending north-south along the faults and parallel structures. There are many small fissures with friable sugary quartz and breccia that carry native gold and silver.
There are several historical reports with assays – in particular the Delaware Mine – which had grades of up to 3.5 ounces per ton over widths of 4 feet.
It was noted by Ransome (famous geologist of early 20th Century) that the native gold of the veins was coarse – coming in larger chunks.
The high grades, coarseness, easily eroded character, and native gold composition of the veins is ideal from a placer mining perspective.
The south and east of the Seven Troughs range is Sage Valley – a large flat basin that has a network of washes and gullies.
Many of the rocks in the streams are rounded – showing that they have been moved some distance.
Available Reports:
Johnson, M., Geology and Mineral Deposits of Pershing County, Nevada, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Bulletin 89, 1977.
Lincoln, Francis Church, ‘Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada’, Originally Published 1923, Republished by Nevada Publications, 1982.
Ransome, F.L., ‘Seven Troughs District of Nevada’, Mining and Scientific Press, December 1909.
Sirdevan, W.H., ‘Report on the Delaware Mine, Vernon, Seven Troughs District’, Private Report, 1913.
Tingley, J.V., Seven Troughs District Summary Report, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1985.
Vanderburg, W.O., ‘Placer Mining in Nevada’, Bulletin 27, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1936.
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 21 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. 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. 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 $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. 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.
International Buyers
International buyers must either have dual US citizenship and US address or have a US entity or company to own the claim.