Geology of the 

Murray Area 

Shoshone County 

Idaho

By. JOHN W. HOSTERMAN

A CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

'GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1027-P

Geology of the Murray area and 

description of the lead-zinc deposits

NITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON'' : 1956
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Douglas McKay, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Thomas B. Nolan, Director

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office 

Washington 25, D. G. - Price $1.00 (paper cover)
CONTENTS

	Pag* 

Abstract__-_-----__ _-------_-------_---__----------------.-_--. 725

In,troduc|ipn_ -__-__-_-_---_---_---_---_--_-_--_---_---_---___-_-__ 725

Location and accessibility.____________-__-___--_---_____---_______.. '726

Geology- _ - 727

Sedimentary rocks.--__.-_-_--__-__.--__---_---__-._-_._____... 727

Pritchard formation___-._--_---._.--_---___._.--_______. 728

Burke formation____.__.___.___._.__-____...___________. 728

Revett quartzite____________.._-._.-__-__________.______. 729

St. Regis formation...............____.__.__.___._._.._ 72d

Wallace formation...._--_---.._--._------__--._-----.._._. 730'

Striped Peak formation__._-_--____..___.__._..__.._.___.. 730

Unconsolidated sediments._-__-_-_._._---__.-___---_-___.__ 730

Igneous rocks.________________________________________________ 731

Structure..----.-----.-----------_---.---.-------.-.-----_--.._ 732

 Mineral'deposits___--_.._-_.-_.-.-._.-___.__--._-_.___.^.-_.___ 734

Jack Waite mine.__.-_-._--_--____-_-_-_---_-___.__----.______ 742

Crystal Lead mine. _________________________________________ 743

Monarch mine..__-__-__-____-___--______--__-___.__--____-__, 743

Black Horse and Paragon mines____-__-_._______________________ 744

Bear Top, lone, and Orofino mines._______________ ______________ 745

Silver Strike mine.__--_-____---_---_-_.-_-______--_-_-.______. 746

Giant Ledge prospect_____-_____--___-___--___-_____-_-_______, 747

Other mines and prospects__-____-______--_---__-__---__--__-_ 747

Selected bibliography.....___..__-___-__-_______-__._.._.-..___.__. 748

ILLUSTRATIONS

[All plates are in pocket]

PLATE 57. Geologic map and sections of the Murray area, Shoshone 

County, Idaho.

58. Geologic map of workings of the Jack Waite mine, Shoshone 

County, Idaho, and Sanders County, Mont.

59. Geologic map of workings and longitudinal section along vein, 

Crystal Lead mine, Shoshone County.

60. Geologic map of workings of the Monarch mine, Shoshone 

County.

61. Geologic map of workings of the Black Horse mine, Shoshone

County.

Page 

FIGURE 87. Index map of mining districts near Murray, Idaho. ___________ 726

TABLE

Page

TABLE 1. Gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc produced by mining districts inthe Murray area from 1935 to 1951. _______________ 738

in
r. .
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, 

SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO

By JOHN W. HOSTERMAN

ABSTRACT

The Murray area includes almost the whole drainage basins of Prichard, Eagle, 

an<JjBeaver Creeks and is underlain by the pre-Cambrian Belt series which is 

subdivided, from oldest to youngest, as follows: Prichard formation (upper and 

lower parts), Burke formation, Revett quartzite, St. Regis formation, Wallace 

formation, and Striped Peak formation. The Belt series in this area is cut 

by many small monzonite stocks believed to be related to the-Cretaceous Idaho 

batholith.

This report describes only the lead-zinc mines. The lead-zinc production around 

Murray reached its peak in 1911 and 1912 when the Monarch, Edith Murray 

(Pontiac or Terrible Edith), Bear Top, Paragon, Black Horse, and Silver Strike 

mines were active. Many of these mines have produced ore intermittently since 

then, and^ the Jack Waite mine has been very active since about 1930.

INTRODUCTION

Keconnaissance mapping of the Murray area was undertaken to determine the relations of its major geologic features to those of the main 

Coeur d'Alene district. Also, an areal geologic map was made of the 

gap between the Mullan x and Pottsville 2 quadrangles and the northern 

part of the Trout Creek quadrangle (Gibson and others, 1941, pi. 1).

During the summer of 1935 the U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology, undertook a study 

of the gold-tungsten deposits of the Murray district. The work described in the present report, done during 1953, does not repeat the 

work in 1935 of Shenon (1938) but extends the geologic mapping into 

the region surrounding the Murray area. No study was made of the 

mineral deposits discussed in detail by Shenon (1938) because most 

of these mines are now inaccessible.and very little if any additional 

work has been done since Shenon mapped them in 1938.

1 Griggs, A. B., Wallace, R. E., and Hobbs, S. W., 1953, Geologic map and structure sections of the Mullan and vicinity quadrangle, Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey open-file map.

'Wallace, R. B., and Hobbs, S. W., 1952, Geologic map of the Pottsville quadrangle, 

Shoshone County, Idaho : U. S. Geol. Survey open-file -'map.' ' ,

725
726 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

The author is particularly indebted to the following persons for 

furnishing maps and data for this report: H. L. Day, president and 

general manager, and Garth M. Crosby, chief geologist, Day Mines, 

Inc.; J. E. Berg, general manager of the Northwest division, M. W. 

Cox, chief geologist of the Northwest division, P. I. Conley, geologist, 

and D. M. Williamson, geologist, American Smelting & Refining Go.; 

and R. H. McConnel, chief geologist, Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining 

& Concentrating Co.

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

The Murray area (fig. 87) includes most of the drainage basins of 

Prichard, Eagle, and Beaver Creeks and parts of the Beaver, Coeur 

d'Alene, Eagle, and Summit mining districts. It is bounded on the 

east by the Idaho-Montana State line, on the west by Beaver Creek 

and the Coeur d'Alene River, on the south by the Mullan and Pottsville quadrangles, and on the north by the West Fork of Eagle Creek 

and Cottonwood Creek. A strip about 2 miles wide on the southern 

edge of the map is common with the northern edge of the Mullan and 

JPottsville quadrangles.

FIGURE 87. Index map of mining^ districts near Murray, Idaho.
There are five towns within the area mapped: Murray, Prichard, 

Eagle, Duthie, and Delta (fig. 87). Murray, the largest, has a population of about 300 and was once much larger and more prosperous; 

but, like Prichard and Eagle, it is now supported by the lumber 

industry. Duthie is supported entirely by the Jack Waite mine and 

mill. Delta was once a major town in the area but now is a road 

junction with only two houses.

The area is traversed by several all-weather dirt roads. Prichard 

and Murray are each about 20 miles from Wallace, county seat of 

Shoshone County. Duthie is about 34 miles from Wallace. The 

road from Wallace to Murray crosses two summits Dobson Pass at 

an altitude of 4,179 feet and Kings Pass at an altitude of 3,321 

feet. A road along the Coeur d'Alene River joins U. S. Highway 10 

at Enaville, 29 miles southwest of Prichard. There is also a.poor road 

from Murray to Thompson Falls, Mont., and another poor road from 

Duthie to Whitepine, Mont.

The area mapped lies within the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, a part 

of the northern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Generally 

the streams have cut step-sided narrow valleys. The lowest altitude 

is about 2,500 feet, at Prichard; the highest altitude is 6,800 feet, at 

Granite Peak. The maximum relief is about 4,300 feet. The ridges 

are heavily timbered, and a dense secondary growth on burned-over 

slopes makes geologic observations difficult. There are a few slopes 

that are so steep that no vegetation will survive. An example of this 

is a place along the Coeur d'Alene River near Prichard.

GEOLOGY

SEDIMENTARY BOCKS

The subdivision of the pre-Cambrian Belt series in the Coeur d'Alene 

district and surrounding area set up by Calkins (Ransome and Calkins, 

1908, p. 23), from oldest to youngest, is as follows: Prichard formation, Burke formation, Revett quartzite, St. Regis formation, Wallace 

formation, and Striped Peak formation. The contacts between these 

formations are gradational and are, therefore, arbitrarily 'defined. 

The Belt series has been estimated to have a total thickness of about 

40,000 feet in-the Libby quadrangle, Montana (Gibson, 1948, p. 8). 

In the Coeur d'Alene district,-however, the thickness, of the Belt series 

has been calculated as ranging from 21,000 to 27,000 feet; neither the 

top nor the bottom of the section is exposed.3 In the Murray area, the 

thickness of the Belt series is about 25,000 feet; the top is eroded away 

and the bottom is not exposed.

3 Griggs, A. B., 1952, Geology and notes on ore deposits of Canyon-Nine Mile Creeks area, 

Shoshone County, Idaho : U. S. Geol; Survey open-file report, p. 11. '
728 , CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 

PRICHAKD FORMATION

In the Murray area the Prichard formation has been divided into 

two mappable units based on lithology. The two divisions are referred to as the upper part and the lower part of the Prichard formation. The term "lowest part," however, is misleading because the lowest part or base of the Prichard formation is not exposed in the 

Murray district. Therefore, the lower part of the Prichard formation 

includes all of the formation observed except the upper 1,800 feet.

Rocks of the Prichard formation underlie almost the entire drainage 

basin of Prichard Creek and its tributaries (pi. 57). In Bear Gulch 

about 9,000 feet of the lower part of the Prichard formation is exposed 

in the core of the Trout Creek anticline. This lower part is about 75 

to 80 percent dark-gray argillites and 20 to 25 percent light-brownishgray fine-grained impure quartzites. The bedding is usually regular. 

Individual beds average 2 to 6 inches thick and are rarely more than 

12 inches; but a few quartzite beds are as much as 5 feet thick. In 

many places the argillaceous rocks are laminated, and the visibility of 

these laminae ranges from slight to pronounced. The individual 

laminae range in thickness from 0.01 to 10 millimeters and occur as 

alternating light-gray coarser grained layers and dark-gray finer 

grained layers. Pyrite is found along many bedding planes, and the 

limonite derived from the weathered pyrite coats the rock a moderatebrown color.

The upper part of the Prichard formation forms a transition zone 

between the lower part and the overlying Burke formation. It is well 

exposed along the ridge running northwest from Goose Peak, where it 

is about 1,800 feet thick; it is^also exposed near the heads of Bear and 

Paragon Gulches and along both the East and West Forks of Eagle 

Creek. The upper part contains quartzite and argillite in roughly a 

2 to 1 ratio, which represents almost twice as much quartzite as the 

lower part and about one-half as much quartzite as the Burke formation. The quartzite ranges in appearance from thin bedded, impure, 

and greenish gray near the base to thick bedded, pure, and light gray to 

white near the top. The argillite is thinly laminated; the dark-gray 

fine-grained material alternates with light-gray coarser grained material. The individual laminae are rarely more than 1 millimeter in 

thickness. The argillite beds are more abundant near the base and 

become fewer until they disappear near the top.

BTJKICE FORMATION

The Burke formation is exposed along the East Fork of Eagle 

Creek, along Cottonwood Creek, at the head of Paragon Gulch, and 

in the-cliffs surrounding JRevett Lake (pi. 57). At none of thess 

localities is the entire formation well exposed, but the average thick-
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 729

-jiess is probably somewhere between 2,200 and 2,500 feet. Near the 

base of the Burke formation the rocks consist of medium- to lightgreenish-gray impure quartzite. This quartzite is interbedded with 

a few beds of more massive light-gray to white pure quartzite that 

disappears near the center of the formation. From the center to the 

top of the formation the quartzite beds commonly become less and less 

argillaceo.us,,and the greenish-gray color gradually changes to a lightbluish-gray color. The contact between the Burke formation and the 

overlying Revett quartzite is within a transition zone which is several 

hundred feet thick. The contact is usually placed where massive very 

light gray to white pure quartzite becomes predominant. Medium- 

.gray to light-gray argillaceous beds occur as thin interbeds through-

 out the formation, particularly near the base.

REVETT QUARTZITE

Cliffs of Eevett quartzite can be observed on lower Beaver Creek 

near its junction with the Coeur d'Alene River and up the river for 

several miles (pi. 57). In the Murray area the Revett is approximately 2,200 to 2,400 feet.thick. Except for the transition zone with 

the underlying Burke formation, the Revett quartzite is uniform 

throughout the entire section. It consists of fine- to medium-grained 

almost-white pure quartzite; beds are usually 1 to 6 feet thick and 

some are as much as 15 feet thick. Throughout the formation a few 

thin greenish-gray argillite beds are found. Well-developed crossbedding is characteristic of much of the formation. Splotchy ironoxide staining of the weathered surfaces of the quartzite to a red or 

brown color is very common.

ST. REGIS FORMATION

The distinction between the underlying Revett quartzite 'and the 

St. Regis formation is based on the purplish-gray color of the latter. 

Between the two formations there is a transition zone of about a 

hundred feet composed of massive white quartzite interbedded .with 

purplish-gray quartzite. This zone is well exposed in the cliff above 

the East Fork of Eagle Creek opposite Saw Gulch and just below 

Little Baldy Peak (pi. 57). In the upper part of the section, the 

purple quartzite beds give way in a short distance to purplish-gray 

thin-bedded argillites. The upper part of the St. Regis formation has 

been eroded away at Little Baldy Peak, but it is present near Capital 

Hill where it has a thickness of about 2,000 feet. The upper several 

hundred feet of purplish-gray thin-bedded argillite is interbedded 

with greenish-gray laminated argillite.

3667,17 56 2
730: ;. / , CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY - ^ 

WALLACE FORMATION

The Wallace formation is not well exposed in the Beaver Creek 

valley where it is most extensive; but, if no faults exist here, the 

Wallace formation is about 8,000 feet thick, as shown on the geologic 

map (pi. 57). The greenish-gray laminated argillite of the St. Regis 

formation grades rather suddenly into the interbedded light-gray 

quartzite and dark-gray argillite of the Wallace formation. A few 

dense bluish-gray carbonate beds as much as several feet thick occur 

in.the lower part of the Wallace formation. The most typical rock 

of the upper part of the Wallace formation is a finely laminated 

argillite, not unlike the rocks of the upper part of the Prichard formation, composed of alternating muddy and sandy laminae that are 

approximately 1 millimeter thick. The features which do help distinguish the Wallace formation from the upper part of the Prichard 

formation are the slightly crumpled bedding and the light-olive and 

light-brownish-gray colors on the weathered surfaces. The colors are 

due to the oxidation of the iron-bearing carbonate minerals.

STRIPED PEAK FORMATION

The Striped Peak formation, the youngest .unit of the Belt series, 

is poorly exposed in two places along the Dobson Pass fault (pi. 57). 

The northern exposure lies conformably upon the Wallace formation, 

.and the southern exposure is bounded by two faults that dip 30° 

, toward each other.4 In the northern exposure the top of the Striped 

Peak formation has been eroded away, leaving only the bottom 

several hundred feet. Where exposed, the Striped ..Peak formation 

consists of grayish-purple to dark-rred impure quartzite in beds that 

range from 1 to 4 inches in thickness. There are a few dark-red to 

dark-gray argillaceous partings. Shallow-water features, such as 

mud cracks, ripple marks, and mud chips, are quite common.

XTNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS

Near .Eagle, the older gravels form terraces that range from about 

200 to 1,000 feet above the river. The boundaries of these §raTels are 

hard to determine because the pebbles, cobbles, and boulders tend to 

creep downhill over the underlying bedrock. These gravels consist 

of unconsolidated material ranging in size from clay to boulders,

and they are derived from the formations within the Murray area.

A faint stratification can be noticed.

Recent deposits of silt, sand, gravel, and peat are found covering 

the valley floors of Prichard Creek, the Coeur d'Aiene River, and

Beaver Creek. Peat deposits are exposed in small drift mines along

Prichard Creek (Shenon, 1938, p. 14). They average 2 to 3 feet in

thickness and are generally 3 to 5 feet above bedrock.

4 See footnote 3 on page 727.
GEOLOGY OP THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 731

IGNEOUS BOCKS

The monzonite stocks of the Mullan quadrangle,6 and the smaller 

mpnzonite stocks in the Murray area and in the Trout Creek quadrangle to the north (Gibson and others, 1941, pi. 1), have a good 

alinement in an almost northeasterly direction. The control of this 

alinement by a zone of weakness is not apparent, but the stocks are 

close to the axis of an anticline.

The largest exposure of a monzonite stock within the mapped area 

is in Granite Gulch (pi. 57). The workings of the Giant Ledge 

mine show that the eastern side of this stock is faulted against the 

lower part of the Prichard formation by the French Gulch fault. Four 

much smaller bodies of monzonite which cut the lower part of the 

Prichard formation can be seen on the ridge between Bear and Paragon 

Gulches near Prichard Creek. All these igneous bodies have a wide 

range in composition and texture; it would be very difficult to map the 

various facies because of the intricate transition from one kind of 

rock to another and because of the lack of outcrops. The prevailing 

rock is a porphyritic light-gray monzonite. Some of the phenocrysts 

exceed 5 centimeters in length; in the groundmass the feldspars aver^ 

age about 1 millimeter. Toward the margins of stocks, and in the 

smaller bodies the monzonite commonly becomes more mafic and grades 

into rather fine equigranular dark-gray rock which is more dioritic iri 

composition. Near the center of the stock, however, the monzonite 

body grades into more porphyritic very light gray rock which is, 

probably more syenitic in composition and has few mafic minerals.

The prevailing rock type is composed largely of plagioclase (oligoclase) and some microcline. The accessory minerals are predominantly greenish-black hornblende and some pyroxene, magnetite, 

apatite, and quartz. Biotite, garnet, and zircon make up the minor 

minerals. The secondary minerals are epidote, sericite, and some 

chlorite.

Several dikes have been found in the Murray area; but, as they 

generally weather more rapidly than the rocks they cut, their outcrops 

are inconspicuous or absent. Dike rocks have been found at the following places: near the mouth of Cement Gulch; a little less than 2 

miles east of Horseshoe Peak; near the mouth of Reeder Gulch (in the 

Golden Chest mine); about 1 mile up Tiger Gulch; in Ferguson Creek 

valley; and, about one-half mile up Dream Gulch. The dikes in the 

Murray area are generally considerably altered and too fine grained tq 

be readily named in the field.

There are, however^ several rock types that are identifiable under 

the microscope. The dikes exposed near Cement Gulch and east of 

Horseshoe Peak are fine-grained dark-greenish-gray diabase dikes

* See footnote 1 on page 725. " ' . . ; .
732 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

(Shenon, 1938, p. 9). Samples from both these localities show that 

the original constituents have been almost entirely hydrothermally 

altered and the original diabasic texture has been nearly obliterated. 

The composition of the other dikes found in the Murray area is doubtful, but they are probably either lamprophyre or monzonite. dikes. 

One feature of all the specimens was the almost complete replacement 

of the original plagioclase by albite. According to Shenon (1938, 

p. 10), this albitization is common in many of the lamprophyre and 

monzonite dikes elsewhere in the Coeur d'Alene district.

STBTJCTURE

The largest structure of the Murray area is the Trout Creek anticline that can be traced from Prichard Creek north to the Trout Creek 

ranger station, a distance of approximately 18 miles. It dies out to 

the north against the Hope fault and to the south it terminates against 

the Thompson Pass fault at Prichard Creek. The only logical extension of the anticline south of the Thompson Pass fault would be 

the anticline exposed in Ophir and Idaho Gulches. The southern part 

of the anticline would be offset to the west. The axis of the anticline 

trends in. a north to northeast direction. In the Trout Creek quadjangle (Gibson, Jenks, and Campbell, 1944, pi. 1) the outcrop pattern 

shows that the anticline is asymmertical and the west limb much 

steeper than the east limb. Farther south in this area, however, the 

east limb steepens from about 20° to 30° near the Jack Waite mine 

to almost vertical and overturned in Bear and Paragon Gulches. The 

west limb, on the other hand, has a relatively constant 40° to 50° dip 

throughout.

. West of and parallel to the Trout Creek anticline is the Eagle Creek 

syncline which also has a north to northeast trend. This ,<syncline 

.can 'be traced only for about 5 miles. Tt is terminated on the north, 

end by a fault ,(,Gibson, Jeoaks, and Gampbsll, 1941, pi. 1) and .on the 

SOUth end by the Murray Peak fault. The Eagle Creek syncline is 

almost symmetrical; both limbs dip 20° to 30° toward each other. 

; Both steep-dipping reverse and normal faults are found in the area. 

:One of the largest, the Dobson Pass fault, has been traced for about

10 miles. The relation of the formations in the hanging wall and .foot-

 wall indicates a normal relative movement, and exposures in the Day

Eock mine to the south indicate a west dip of about 30°.6 TO the north,

.the McComber fault is probably the continuation of the Dobson PaSS

fault. According to Shenon (1938, p. 14), the McComber fault had

normal movement, and the relation of its ti-ace to tlae topography shows

that the westerly dip increases to the north. There are, however, no

underground workings exposing the McComber fault, so its attitude

6 See footnote 3 on page 727 ; p. 87. . ,.-. ......
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 733

is somewhat questionable. The Dobson Pass and McComber faults 

bring the Wallace and Striped Peak formations in contact with the 

lower part of the Prichard formation. Therefore, the minimum verti? 

cal displacement for these faults in this area would be 16,200 feeL

East of the McComber fault is the Murray Peak fault which can 

bet traced for about 5 miles in the mapped area. Gibson (Gibson, 

Jenks, and Campbell, 1941, pi. 1) shows that this fault or splits from 

it can be traced at least 20 miles north in the Trout Creek quadrangle. 

The Murray Peak fault has brought the lower part of the Prichard 

formation on the west in contact with St. Regis formation on the 

east, a minimum displacement of about 6,200 feet. The relation of 

its trace to the topography shows that the Murray Peak fault is almost 

vertical. Where the Murray Peak fault has Prichard formation on 

both sides, it cannot be traced accurately; however, the best evidence 

shows that it is cut off to the south by the Thompson Pass fault. 

Shenon (1938, pi. 1) shows the Murray Peak fault continuous with the 

Thompson Pass fault. This can hardly be possible because the two 

faults have opposite relative displacements. :

The Thompson Pass fault can be traced for at least 7 miles in Idaho, 

and it has been followed for about 10 miles in Montana. The dip of 

the fault is not known, but its excellent topographic expression in 

Montana indicates that it is almost vertical. The fault's location west 

of Idaho .Gulch is questionable, but in all probability the main fault 

zone .splits into many small faults that die out in a relatively short 

distance. It is possible that the Kings Pass fault may be the western 

extension of the Thompson Pass fault, and the extreme shattering 

near Kings Pass may be due to the intersection of the Thompson PassKings Pass fault with the McComber-Dobson Pass fault. According 

to Calkins (Ransome and Calkins, 1908, pi. 2), the Thompson Pass 

fault brings the St. Kegis formation in contact with the lower part of 

the Prichard formation in Montana; therefore, the minimum apparent, 

vertical displacement would be approximately 6,200 feet.

The Kings Pass fault can be traced west from a point where it is cut 

off by the Ucelly fault to the Coeur d'Alene River, where it seems to 

die out in the Revett quartzite. From its topographic expression, it 

is estimated that this fault dips approximately 70° to 85° to th^ 

south; and, as the Burke formation on the north is against the Revett. 

quartzite on the south, it is a normal fault. The displacement is undoubtedly somewhat less than 2,000 feet. The- two- faults parallel, 

to the Kings Pass fault are cut off to the west by a north-striking, fault 

and.to. the east by the Dobson Pass fault. Because of the many other: 

complex faults, which were not mappable, the rocks in this..:area are. 

very badly crushed and altered and structural.relations are exteemely 

complex.

A fault zone about 100 feet thick was found 1,000 feet in £r.<am .the
734 ' CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

portal of the lower workings of the Silver Strike mine in Granite 

Gulch. This fault is believed to be the northern extension of the 

O'Neill Gulch fault.7 According to Griggs 8 the displacement in 

O'Neill Gulch and Canyon Creek valley is over 3,000 feet vertically. 

The relative movement in Granite Gulch, however, is less than 1,000 

feet. In Granite Gulch the O'Neill Gulch fault coincides with the 

axis of an anticline for a short distance. The O'Neill Gulch fault terminates against the monzonite stock found in Granite Gulch. It is 

a very steep reverse fault and was observed to dip 75° E. in the TigerPoorman mine (Ransome and Calkins, 1908, p. 173).

About one-half mile east of the O'Neill Gulch fault, the French 

Gulch fault forms the fault contact between a monzonite stock and the 

lower part of the Prichard formation. This reverse fault can be 

traced from the mouth of French Gulch (Ransome and Calkins, 1908, 

pi. 2) to the mouth of Granite Gulch (pi. 57), approximately 4 miles. 

In the Giant Ledge prospect, the French Gulch fault strikes N. 30° W. 

and dips 85° NE; in Granite Gulch the relative movement is less than 

1,000 feet. The French Gulch fault is terminated on the north against 

the Thompson Pass fault.

MINERAL DEPOSITS

Shenon (1938, p. 18) has divided the ore deposits near Murray into 

four structural groups which are as follows: (1) mineralized shear 

zones that usually cut across bedding at steep angles; (2) quartz veins 

that lie approximately along bedding; (3) quartz veins that lie along 

low-angle thrust faults (similar in composition to the second group); 

and (4) placer deposits. The mineralized shear zones are replacement veins along minor fractures and shears where the movement has 

been relatively small. The ore of the mineralized shear zones occurs 

in tabular bodies which are irregular in shape and are usually ,steep 

dipping (an exception is the Jack Waite vein which has a dip as low

as 15°). Commonly, they are longer vertically than horizontally; 

the individual Ore bodies range in thickness from almost nothing to as

muck as 50 feet, but they average about 2 feet thick. The approximate order of mineralization is as follows: pyrite, magnetite (if 

present), chlorite, carbonate, quartz (dark colored), pyrrhotite, 

Sphalerite (dark), galena, T and quartz (white). 

; 'The bedding-plane veins are also replacement veins; the economic 

metals are gold and some tungsten. In general, the veins of this 

grOUp HO along the bedding Of the thinly laminated dark-gray argillite of the lower part of the Prichard formation, but the lithologlC

7 See footnote 1 on page 725.

8 See footnote 3 on page 727 ;, p. 72.
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 735*

character of the rocks has had little or no control on localizing the 

ore. Where the bedding is sharply folded the veins leave the bedding 

and follow fractures. Most of : the bedding veins are less than 3 

feet thick, but in places veins reach a thickness of 10 feet as in the 

Katie-Dora ore shoot of the Golden Chest mine (Shenon, 1938, fig. 

1-1). The approximate sequence of deposition according to Shenon 

(1938, p. 20) is as follows: coarse-grained white quartz, sheelite, 

fine-grained white quartz, carbonate, specularite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, 

sphalerite (dark), chalcopyrite, and galena. (In other veins in most 

of the Couer d'Alene district, however, the carbonate is very definitely 

older than the white quartz.) Gold was found cutting all the sulfides and, therefore, was the last to be deposited. Sulfides (and gold) 

make up about 5 percent of the bedding-plane veins; the gold ranges 

from a trace to 20 ounces per ton. The percentage of scheelite in the 

veins is small, but it occurs occasionally in relatively pure bodies. According to Shenon (1938, p. 22), the relation of the mineralized shear 

zones to the bedding-plane veins, as seen in the Mother Lode mine, 

indicates that at least part of the mineralization of the shear zones 

preceded that of the bedding-plane veins and that movement along 

the shear zones was recurrent after the formation of the bedding-plane 

veins.

The Wake Up Jim mine is the only property that has a quartz vein 

which occurs along a low-angle thrust. The rocks in the footwall 

of the thrust are almost vertical, whereas those in the hanging wall 

range from horizontal to 30°. The vein occurs as lenticular bodies of 

irregular outline along the thrust fault; it is similar in composition 

and sequence of mineralization to the bedding-plane veins already 

mentioned. The gold content probably averaged between 1 and 2 

ounces per ton.

The placer deposits in the Murray area can be divided into two 

classes: terrace gravels several hundred feet above the present streams 

and alluvial deposits of the present streams. The placer deposits 

along the present streams were the first to be worked by the early 

prospectors; they were also the richest. As pointed out by Ransome 

and Calkins (1908, p. 49), the present stream deposits represent a 

final stage in the process of natural concentration and are, therefore, 

richer than the terrace gravels. According to Shenon (1938, p. 24), 

the fineness of the gold along Prichard Creek ranged from 770 to 

830 and was generally finer than the gold from the higher terrace 

gravel placers. Some gold has been recovered from the terrace gravels, 

but large areas still remain unworked in the Murray area. Most of 

the gold mined from these upper gravels was found on or near the 

underlying bedrock, and one of the more common ways of mining 

it was to drive an adit in bedrock and raise up to the base of the 

gravels.
736 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

Shenon (1938, p. 26-44) has described in excellent detail the goldtungsten mines in the immediate Murray area, and these descriptions 

will not be repeated here. Furthermore, almost all of these mines 

have been inactive since the inidthirties and, therefore, are considerably less accessible than they were when Shenon mapped the area in 

1935. The following mines are described by Shenon: Golden Chest, 

Mother Lode, Four Square, Buckeye Boy, Dew Drop, Wake Up 

Jiirij Tiger, Edith Murray (Pontiac), and Anchor, as well as many 

small prospects. Many mines (and prospects) on upper Beaver Creek 

and Carbon Creek are not described in this report because they will 

be included in a report by the U. S. Geological Survey on the Coeur 

d'Alene district veins.

The following mines and prospects are all mineralized shear zones 

in which the metals mined are lead and zinc. The lead-zinc production around Murray reached its peak in 1911 and 1912 when the 

Monarch, Edith Murray (Pontiac or Terrible Edith), Bear Top, Paragon, Black Horse, and Silver Strike were active. Many of these mines 

produced intermittently on a small scale until 1951 (table 1). The 

only mine active at the time of the fieldwork for this report was the 

Jack Waite mine.

738

0}

05gSo

C3

V. 2

cu

 §

09

_1j

.°°

2^

 rS

.S^

 ^u

""ISS

V. U

_SS1<3 3

vT

a.

sa. OO

co

'o

Cb

i i gpa .ii_s

o>1

oo

COsii

in

CO

OS

m8eg

_BB9I

 a"« 0

coia coco

CN » ( CO CO

00 COCN CO 00

WTj-rtt-g

OSCJrHrHN 

COtD NCS 

CM N

CN" CN"

COt^Ot^i-c 

« t O CN >O OS 

Tf i-s CNco"

T}< f_J

s

Tt< CO -^ -^ -^

CNTJI^^IO *oo ' Sos

«8-i »

> d S c8 GJ bfl bo H 

03 O o! C3 3

2

CNs.

CD 

OJ 

CD

 *"

00 

0006co" gCO^so

1-f 8i

£§! o8"

»-H CO 00 So

CO

s||!

»o ^o co o

rHC^IOlS

85SS

co""1 S 3§1

""

 s?

CD QCN

W 0 <0 S

'bi'SS 

C3 CS 3

OWWta

1t~

OS8s

CN

CO

CO§06"

COsCO

CNo

CN"

00CN" Is

c5s" io

Coeur d'Alene .... _.....

co" o8

oo"

00 CN

CO OS

§C^S 

CO 00 .-I

COQlt)

CD *O 

OS CD 

CNCN

§|i

CO

OS

|Siuagie (Ldano; °..... _....... Eagle (Mont.) e...._ .....__ ..__. Summit ..._...-_.

s'Io

of1g

CO

 o"

OS

co1 1 OS

CN31

"5

i

>o"c5co"

OS CD *-H

co" 1o

CO

11co"

iig

Ka^

00

coS

1-150 §

CD|-I 

OS OB

ococo

^."oo"

IIoI

ccf

55

1 i 

S^j

* c

t^

co

ft"

OSco" i

CD" 1Hsoo" 1oo" i0

00o"

CNo

O>

"5"

CD" 11

S 0 « S ft 

S> Mr to. 8,

OWWw
Easle (Mont.) « _______ ... ____

Total..... ...-.........-...__.-..._..

See footnotes at end of table.

2, 230, 068

2, 230, 068

$135, 770

1, 442, 540

$447, 492

1, 264, 000

13,000

1, 385, 400

$791, 420

1, 100, 000

14,250

1, 321, 667

$624, 359

78

2

1, 042

$61
740 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

 a

.2

o

7

01

o «*A

»o

60

0

1-1

O

"^

to

e

|

1

2

 ** 

 1

stricts

I§

1

 e

o

s>

O

a,

 <*> s

*i

H

f

g.

1

b

£

00

0

Cb

T-i

SI *J£

^-t ^*

|i

-1

3

o

o

1-1

U3

s

oo

en

^<

CO

rH

rH

ounces

a

 8

 a

"3 

O

SooSSS W * ' i t to W

to'i-T oT

CO CN iH

1 S

O Ot^

i 1 CN CO

i-l i-l Tj< CO JO 

^J rHCPi

g(|..8

NCOCOOOI--

00 1-H N

O oo en ro

p OOCOMt1 1 1

(D 0 /o2'

31 s. T. 10 ^

£5,2^1 c5 <D bcfcdH 

a o' ca cj g 

WUWWcn

^5

CNto"

S

«o

CO

s

§

1

0.

CN

O

0

ounces

.g

o

1O

j£

oo^Scc

^* ^ oo o

c^t^cc^co"

COg^H

«O T-I CO 

OS i-l CN 

00 >OCO

co"i-T

CN t^ S

T)I 

I-H

oo

§a

oo

oo to

lOrH

OOCNOO

i-l O CO CO

oooo>

COOINO5 

CNi-H IOCO 

CO O OCO

"OOOIM

WON t>"io"

wo i

i-ICO I

1

; ;

i i

1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

; ;

j !

|J3

(UW'oXifl

O C3 c3 H

OWWra

st-

|sj*

s

oo"

03

0

o

to 

CO

oo

»

o

00

co"

 *

CO

o

CO

(0

1

0

e

pounds

&

o

product

^-

e

0

0^003

»O i 1 CN OO

COrtCN

CN" rt"

il

* **

liCN"

88oco

COCN

co"co"

sl!l

ooo

05 rH

e

O i

8

%' Q} °~ ^L

-*!-SS

:34<,2 ° mhObflH O c3 CO 3

OWHw

00

r^to"

^

8

1

^

^

8

co"

100

8"

o

g06"

o

^

CN

O

£S5'

"»

pounds

e

B

jroducti<

§ SooS

>O i-H CO U^CO"CO"CN"

"SSS

to

III

rt

0000

to co

S

o 

r-8

t^o"

o

CN"

II.

§

!>.

i-l

§

O O 

OO O "^

!§¥§"

mi

888 »o to 10

I-H t^ o OOOS^<

OO

O3 » 4 S5

§2^ : 

131

S55|

(P MW)8 

eddy 

UWWco

^^

§

**

j

"

1

CO

o

i

1^"

o

CN

1

to"

CO~

CO

fH

sK

g10

c»

i9
Zinc production, in pounds

Eagle (Idaho) «__._. . ______ ... ..........

Eagle (Mont.) 8. . __ .. _ . ________ .

 SnTninit-.

Total.. .............. _ -_.... . 

.5,500

183,500

189,000

$224, 459

19,400

207,000

30,000

256,400

$206, 542

65, 000

- 50,000

170, 500

33,000

318,500

$225, 377

13,000

253;80tf

175; ,000

441,800

$280, 016

25

9

34

$31

i Data from U. S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbooks, 1936-51. 

' The largest producer of gold in the Beaver mining district was the Potosi Placer from 1935 to 1948. The fi

3 The largest producers of-gold and silver in the Coeur d'Alene mining district from 1935 to 1941 were the Mo

4 The main producers of gold in the Summit mining district were the Mother Lode and Golden .Chest mines

* In the Idaho part of .the "Eagle mining district, the-Jack Waite mine was the only producerfrom 1937 to 1

to 1951. Therefore, the total production from the Crystal Lead mine from 1943 to 1951 is as follows: 18,863 ounce

117,600-pounds of zinc. .Data from U. S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbooks, 1936-51.

6 In the Montana part of the Eagle mining district, the Jack Waite mine was the only base-metal producer f

Waite mine (both Idaho and Montana) from 1935 to 1951 is as follows: 313,335 ounces of silver; 425,755; pounds o

Data from U. S. Bureau of Mine? Minerals Yearbooks, 1936-51.
742 ' i - '«.5 i CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

JACK WAITE MINE

The Jack Waite mine (pi. 58) at Duthie on Tributary Qreek, 

a branch of the East Fork of Eagle Creek, is about 6 miles northeast 

of Murray and 30 miles northeast of Wallace, Idaho, the nearest rail 

point. According to the story told by the local people, in the old 

days the main trail from Thompson Falls, Mont., to Murray was up 

Beaver Creek to the divide and then down Butte Gulch. In about 

1900 Jack Waite was making this trip when he became lost near the 

divide, and instead of going down Butte Gulch he started down Tributary Creek. There he found the outcrop of the vein that has produced 

almost steadily since that time. The Jack Waite Mining Co. worked 

the property until the midthirties; it was leased then to the American 

Smelting & Kefining Co, which has worked the mine since. Table 1 

shows the production of the Jack Waite mine from 1935 to 1951 to b& 

as follows: 313,335 ounces of silver, 425,725 pounds of copper, 71,- 

113,677 pounds of lead, and 11,899,631 pounds of zinc. The mine has 

about 24,000 feet of drifts and crosscuts and several thousand feet of 

raises and winzes. The mine is divided in half by the Idaho-Montana 

State line; both sides can be reached through the adit of the 1500- 

level which has its portal about one-half mile upstream from the town 

of Duthie. The Idaho side, how inaccessible above the 1500 level,, 

was at one time open through an adit of the 1000 level. The Montana 

side of the mine is also accessible through the 100 level which has its 

portal near the head of Beaver Creek in Montana. The ore, howevjsrr 

mined from the Montana:.sideis lowered down through the Montana 

raise to the 1500 level and out to the mill at Duthie. Workings below 

the 1500 level on both the Idaho and Montana sides are under water.

The Jack Waite vein is a mineralized shear zone striking about N. 

60° W. and dipping 45° to 55° SW. The shear zone has been exposed 

along its strike for about 5,500 feet on the 1500 level and downdip 

for about 1,700 feet. The ore occurs in shoots which generally have 

9, Southeastern rake, although a few ore shoots have a southwestern 

rake. This pattern is especially noticeable OH tllC Montana side of 

the mine where more careful stope mapping has been done. The vein 

ranges in thickness from less than 1 inch to 12 feet; an average stope

width is abOUt 5 feet, The ore minerals are galena and sphalerite; 

the principal gangue is quartz, carbonate minerals, and COUlltrj lOCkj 

Which iS the lower part Of the Prichard formation. The ore is commonly, but not always, found on the footwall of the shear zone, which

has several inches of gOUge. In the Stopes on tne Montana .side <of 

the mine secondary shears that diverge upward from the main Jack

Waite shear have been observed. At the junctions of these secondary 

shears and the main shear zone the country rock has been extremely 

broken and shattered. It seems quite possible that these junctions
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 743

have played an important part in localizing the ore, .Smeared and 

shattered-galena indicates postmineralization movement. The lithologic character of the enclosing rocks do'es not seem to have had any 

control of the placement of the ore. The bedding of the.lower part 

of the Prichard formation dips from 20° to 40° to the northeast.

CRYSTAL LEAD MINE

The Crystal Lead mine (pi. 59), on Cottonwood Creek which is a 

tributary to the West Fork of Eagle Ci'eek, is about 6 miles north of 

Murray. The Day Mines, Inc. of Wallace owns the Crystal Lead 

property, but all of the production has been by lessors. The mine 

produced 18,863 ounces of silver, 18,600 pounds of copper, 1,443,000 

pounds of lead, and 117,600 pounds of zinc from 1943 to 1947 and in 

1951 (table 1). The Crystal Lead mine consists of 5,000 feet of 

drifts and crosscuts on 4 main and 3 intermediate levels, and it has 

about 500 feet of raises and winzes.. The vein is a mineralized shear 

zone striking about N. 35° W. and dipping 80° SW. Level 4, which 

was the only level accessible in 1953, exposes the shear zone for 1,250 

feet. The only ore shoot found in the mine oh this shear has a steep 

southeast rake. The ore shoot has a strike length of about 120 feet 

on level 4 and a vertical length of about 440 feet between level 2 and 

40 feet below level 4; it ranges in width from less than 1 inch to 5 

feet. Normally, the mineralized rock is in the footwall of the shear 

zone but at a few places it is bounded on both sides by faults. The 

ore minerals are galena and sphalerite; the gangue is mostly quartz, 

some carbonate minerals, and country rock. The ore minerals are 

extremely irregular in occurrence, which makes prospecting expensive 

and risky. . The lithologic character of the enclosing Burke formation 

does not seem to have had any control on the placement of the ore; 

but, as in the Jack Waite mine, junctions of the main shear zone and

-secondary shears have been important in ore control. The beds of 

the Burke formation dip from normal to 75° W. at the level 4 crosscut but are overturned 80° E. near .the east end of the level 4 drift. 

These beds are on the steep-dipping west limb of the Trout Creek 

anticline.

MONARCH MINE

' The^portal of the 1440 level of the Monarch mine (pi. 60) is near

 Prichard Creek ah'd is about 5: miles .-east; of -Murray. The portal of 

the 300 level of the mine is in Barton Gulch, about 1 mile south of 

the 1400 level portal. This mine reportedly has produced lead and 

zinc ores intermittently since 1905. The Monarch mine has about 

10,650 feet of crosscuts and drifts, of which about 6,550 feet are on 

the 1400 level. It has approximately 1,200 feet of raises and winzes.
744 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

The 1400 level is connected to the 600 level by the 875-foot G raise, and 

the 600 level is connected to the 300 level by the 237-foot A raise. The 

veins in the Monarch mine belong to the mineralized shear zone type; 

they have a strike of about N. 45° W. and dips ranging from vertical 

to 75° NE. On the 300 level there are two veins, about 15 to 30 feet 

apart, that have transverse veins trending east between them; the 

southwestern vein has been mined extensively below the 300 level. 

The same pattern seems to exist on the 400 level, and the ore mined 

between the 600 and 1000 levels is probably the southwestern vein. 

The vein exposed and mined on the southeastern end of the 1200 and 

1400 levels is about 200 feet northeast of the projected position of the 

veins exposed in the upper levels. The relations of the veins found 

in the Monarch are uncertain because part of the mine is inaccessible 

and the past exploration was not detailed enough. On the 1400 level 

two drifts, the Barton drift 1,100 feet from the portal and the Atlantic 

drift 2,400 feet from the portal, follow structures that contain barren 

quartz and siderite. The country rock in the Monarch mine is the 

Burke formation; the upper part of the Prichard formation, which 

underlies the Burke, is found-near,the portal of- the 1400 level. .£he 

principal ore minerals are galena and sphalerite. Copper-minerals, 

such as chalcopyrite, malachite, chrysocolla, and azurite, are common 

but not so abundant as galena and sphalerite. Veins containing 10 

inches of solid galena and sphalerite.have been mined. The principal 

gangue minerals are quartz and siderite.

BLACK HOUSE AND PARAGON MINES

The Black Horse (pi. 61) and Paragon mines are both located in 

Paragon Gulch approximately 6.5 miles east of Murray. Accurate 

production figures for these mines are not available. Judging from 

the size of the stopes in the Black Horse mine, it probably had a fair 

production for a short time. The Paragon mines were inaccessible 

in 1953; therefore it was impossible ,to know what their stopes are 

like. Umpleby and Jones (1923, p. 103) state that the lower Paragon 

mine had a production before 1923 of about 30 cars of 40 to 50 percent 

zinc ore and a few cars of lead ore. It is very doubtful if the upper 

Paragon mine produced more than several tons of ore.

The Black Horse (Murray Hill) mine exposes a mineralized shear

zone that strikes N. 55° to 65° W. and dips 65° to 75° SW. The shear

ZOne iS exposed on the lower level for about 500 feet and on the upper

level for 200 feet. The dip .distance from the upper level to the lower

level iS abOUt 625 feet. Stopes having an average width of about 

3 feet have been made on the southwest-plunging Ore shoots betWGeH

the middle and lower levels. The ore consists of sphalerite mainly 

and some galena in a gangue of quartz and carbonate minerals. In 

the lower level, 100 feet north of the main shear zone, another con-
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 745

siderably weaker shear, which may possibly be a split from the main 

shear, is exposed. This weaker shear has-some galena, pyrite,' and 

sphalerite in a gangue of quartz and carbonate minerals. The enclosing rocks, of the lower part of the Prichard formation, strike N. 

15° to 20° W. and dip steeply east, forming part of the east limb of the 

Trout Creek anticline.

The upper Paragon mine was inaccessible in the summer of 1953, 

but according to Kansome (Ransome and Calkins, 1908, p. 190) a 300- 

foot shaft that collars in the stream bottom follows a mineralized 

shear zone that strikes about N. 70° W. and dips 45° SW. The country rock includes both the upper and lower parts of the Prichard 

formation. The Prichard formation forms the eastern flank of Trout 

Creek anticline, strikes almost due north, and dips steeply ,to the east 

or is overturned to the west.

The inaccessible lower Paragon mine, often called the Chicago-London mine, is near the junction of Paragon Gulch and Prichard Creek. 

According to Umpleby and Jones (1923, p. 103), the mine has about 

1,500 feet of drifts exposing a mineralized shear-zone type of vein that 

strikes N. 77° W- and dips 70° S. The ore minerals are sphalerite, 

galena, and pyrrhotite in a gangue of quartz and carbonate minerals. 

The enclosing country rock is the lower part of the Prichard formation 

which has a northerly strike, an easterly dip, and is also part of the 

east limb of the Trout Creek anticline.

BEAR TOP, IONE, AND-OBOFINO MINES

The Bear Top, lone, and Orofino mines are on the south slope above 

Bear Gulch, a tributary to Prichard Creek, about 7 miles east of 

Murray. The country rock at these mines is the lower part of the 

Prichard formation, which forms part of the east flank of the Trout 

Creek anticline and here strikes almost due north and dips steeply to 

the east. Although these mines are close together and are close to the 

mines in Paragon Gulch, each of them has opened up a different but 

almost parallel mineralized shear zone.

At the Bear Top mine three levels expose the vein, which strikes N. 

45° to 65° W. and has dips ranging from 60° S. to vertical. The level 

consists of a 2,235-foot crosscut to the vein and 500 feet of drift along 

the vein. The middle level is 420 feet vertically above the lower level; 

it consists-;of a 450-foot crosscut to the vein and about 400 feet of drift 

along the vein. The upper iBfffeMs- 605-feet -vertically above the lower 

level; it has a 40-foot crosscut to the vein and a drift about 50 feet in 

length along the vein. Some stoping has been done between levels 

and above the upper level. The mineralized shear zone is offset on 

the middle level by a nearly north-striking fault that almost parallels 

the bedding and displaces the western part of the vein to the north 
746 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

a displacement that corresponds to apparent reverse faulting. The 

ore minerals are galena and some sphalerite and chalcopyrite in a 

gangue of quartz, pyrite, and carbonate minerals. The vein is reported to have had, in places, a seam of pure galena up to 10 inches 

thick. Production figures for the Bear Top mine are not available, 

but the mine has been worked periodically since about 1900.

At the lone mine, two levels expose a mineralized shear zone 

striking N. 70° E. and dipping about 65° SE. The lower level has 

a 700-foot crosscut to the vein and about 50 feet of drift along the 

vein. The upper level is 147 feet vertically above the lower level, 

and its portal is in the gully to the west of the lower level portal. The 

upper level has a 250-foot crosscut to the vein and about 60 feet of 

drift along the vein. An inclined raise was driven on the vein from 

the lower level to the upper level. The mineralized shear zone is offset, the west side to the north, by a north-striking fault on the upper 

level; the displacement corresponds to apparent reverse faulting. 

The ore minerals are galena and a little sphalerite in a gangue of 

quartz and a carbonate mineral. The vein, as seen in the raise, ranges 

from about 3 to 10 inches in width. Production from the lone mine 

has been very small to date; but some high-grade ore, mainly from 

the raise, has been carefully sorted on the dump. It has been reported that a small vein containing antimony has been found about 

500 feet south of and almost parallel to the lone shear zone.

The Orofino mine is directly down slope from the lone mine, and 

its two levels expose a vein that strikes from N. 60° W. to N. 80° E. 

and dips 50° to 60° S. The lower level consists of a 950-foot crosscut 

to the vein and about 400 feet of drift along the vein. The upper level 

is about 197 feet vertically above the lower level; it consists of a 300- 

foot crosscut to the vein and about 150 feet of drift along the vein.

Considerable stoping has been done between the two levels and above 

the upper level. Like the Bear Top and lone shear zones, the .Orofino 

shear zone is offset by a north-striking fault that parallels bedding 

and displaces the western part, to the .north; the displacement indicates reverse faulting. The ore minerals are galena and sphalerite 

in a gangue of quartz and a carbonate mineral. Production figures 

for the Orofino mine are not available, but, considering the size of 

the stopes, .this mine was probably the largest producer, in Bear Gulch.

SILVER STRIKE MINE

The Silver Strike mine is about 6 miles from Murray and about 2,5

miles Up Granite Gulch, a tributary to Prichard Creek. Three main 

levels and one sublevel expose a vein which strikes N. 25° W. and dips 

60° SW, The lower level has a crosscut 2,460 feet long to the F6m and 

a drift that follows the vein for about 1,200 feet. The middle level,
GEOLOGY OF THE MURRAY AREA, SHOSHONE COUNTY, IDAHO 747

now inaccessible, is 175 feet above the lower level, has a crosscut about 

1,000 feet long to the vein, and has a drift that follows the vein for 

about 1,000 feet. The upper level, partly accessible, is 225 feet above 

the middle level (400 feet above the lower level), has a 500-foot 

crosscut to the vein, and has a drift that follows along the vein for 600 

feet. .About 200 feet below the lower level a sublevel exppses.the.vein 

for about 350 feet. The country rock in the mine is predominantly 

quartzite and argillite of the lower part of the Prichard formation, 

which here strikes northerly and dips 30° to 60° W. About 1,000 feet 

in from the portal of the lower level a strong fault, which is believed to 

foe a continuation of the O'Neill Gulch fault, is marked by-a sheared 

and brecciated zone 40 feet wide. In the northern faces- of both the 

lower and middle levels, monzonite that has a normal intrusive contact against the Prichard formation is exposed. Winzes, raises, and 

stopes have been made on the vein from the upper, level down to the 

sublevel below the lower level. The vein ranges from several inches 

to 1 foot in thickness, and is reported to have contained, in places, 4 

to 8 inches of solid galena. The ore minerals are galena and some 

sphalerite in a gangue of .quartz, carbonate minerals, and some pyrite.

GIANT LEDGE PKOSPECT

The Giant Ledge prospect is 4.5 miles east of Murray, about 1 mile 

up Granite Gulch. A 400-foot shaft, which collars at creek level, has 

been sunk; from the bottom of the shaft, 2,250 feet of drifting has 

exposed a fault between the monzonite and the Prichard formation.. 

This fault, the French Gulch fault, strikes about N. 30° W. and dips 

85° NE. The average trend, of the bedding is about N. 10° W, and the 

dip is 75° NE., but near the fault zone the bedding is irregular and 

highly folded. No mineralized roqk other than very small (up to half 

an inch wide) stringers of quartz containing specks of galena were 

found. No stopes have been developed, and there apparently has 

been no production.

OTHER MINES AND PBOSPECTS

Many other mines and prospects are within the mapped area. A 

.few for example, the St. James, C .and R, Snpwshoe, Champion, 

Booster Goose, A and M, and Highland-Aurora are either partly or 

 completely inaccessible. In other mines and prospects exploration 

has not gone far enough to reach the objectives sought or has disclosed 

only unproductive veins; examples of unproductive mines and prospects are the Rob Roy, Giant, Liberty, Vendetta, St. Peter, Potosi, 

Currency, and Consolidated Silver-Lead.

At the Currency mine, about 400 feet in from the portal, a drift 600 

feet long follows a mineralized shear zone that strikes N. 45° W. and
748 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

dips from 60° to 85° NE. The vein ranges from a thin film to 5 or 

6 feet in width; in places it consists entirely of quartz and a carbonate 

mineral and .contains no ore minerals. Some diamond drilling has 

been done to test this vein at depth, but the results were not favorable. 

At the Consolidated Silver-Lead mine a drift, about 1,400 feet in 

from the portal of the lower levelj has been driven along a mineralized 

shear zone for about 1,100 feet. The vein is about 1,200 feet northeast 

of, and parallel to, the Jack Waite vein. It is almost vertical (much 

steeper than the Jack Waite vein) and is composed of 3 to 5 feet of 

quartz, a carbonate mineral, and some pyrite and specks of galena. 

The upper level intersects the vein, and a 200-foot raise connects the 

lower level with the upper level.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gibson, Russell, 1948, Geology and ore deposits of the Libby quadrangle, Montana: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 956. 

Gibson, Russell, Jenks, W. F., and Campbell, lan, 1941, Stratigraphy of the Belt

series in Libby and Trout Creek quadrangles, northern Montana and northern

Idaho: Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 52, p. 363-379. 

Kennedy, V. C., 1952, Geochenxical studies in the Coeur d'Alene mining district,

Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey Circ. 168. 

Lindgren, Waldemar, 1904, Geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot

Range and Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey

Prof. Paper 27. 

Ransome, F. L.,. 1904, Ore deposits of the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho: U. S.

Geol. Survey Bull. 260,.,p. 274-303. 

Ransome, F. L., and Calking, F. C., 1908, Geology and ore deposits of the Coeur

d'Aleneidistrict, Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 62. 

Shenon, P. J., 1938, Geology and ore deposits near Murray, Idaho: Idaho Bur.

Mines and Geology 'Pamph. 47.

Umpleby, J. B., and Jones, E. L., Jr., 1923, Geology and ore deposits of Shoshone 

County, Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 732.