OVERVIEW
The Silver Strand Mine consists of 15 unpatented load claims wholly owned by Shoshone. The claims are on public lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
The Silver Strand deposit was discovered during nearby logging activities during the 1960’s and mined during the 1970’s and 1980’s for siliceous smelter flux. Production was 13,752 tons grading 0.093 ounces of gold per ton, 9.6 ounces per ton silver, and 87.1 % silica. The mining operation was shut down when the ASARCO Tacoma smelter was closed in the early 1980’s. Previous owners include Silver Strand Mining Company, Silver Trend Mining Company and Trend Mining Company. The mine was most recently owned and operated by New Jersey Mining Company. New Jersey’s most current work at the mine was aimed to gain better access to the ore shoot at the 300 level to mine the ore above that level.
Claims Highlights
• 300 Total Acres | 121 Hectares
Claim Geology
The upper part of the Revett formation outcrops at the mine. The upper Revett member contains alternating sequences of quartzite and siltite-argillite. Bed dip shallowly to moderately to the north (30 to 50 degrees). Alfred L. Anderson of the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology mapped the geology and discussed mineral resources of Kootenai County in 1940 (Pamphlet 53). Anderson combined the Burke and Revett formations and estimated the combined thickness to be from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. There are no large intrusive rock bodies near the Silver Strand Mine except for a diabase dike which has intruded the Silver Strand mineralized zone. The Burnt Cabin fault is the major geologic structure near the Silver Strand Mine.
The Silver Strand ore body consists of a nearly-vertical, silicified (quartz) replacement zone which cuts the flat to moderately dipping Revett beds. The zone is not a fissure filling vein. The boundaries and shape of the silicified zone were determined to some extent by a previous operator. The sulfide ore mined to date appears to be enclosed within the quartz zone. The ore is black and very fine veined. Sulfide minerals are not easy to identify because of the fine grained texture. Occasional euhedral crystals of pyrite can be observed, and tetrahedrite is visible in the higher grade ore. Minerals observed by microscopic study during metallurgical tests include: pyrite, tetrahedrite, Sphalerite, arsenopyrite and stibnite.
The Silver Strand is an underground gold and silver mine with exciting exploration potential, the Silver Strand is an intriguing deposit. Hosted by the prolific silver-producing Revett formation of the Coeur d’Alene Mining District, the Silver Strand is unique in its high gold content. The project is located about 19 kilometers east-northeast of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and consists of 300 acres of unpatented claims.
