Twin Creeks gold mine

Twin Creeks gold mine, also known as Twin Creeks Mine, is an active open pit mine near Winnemucca, Nevada.[1]

Machinery is minuscule compared to the size of this mine.
Rock blasting at the mine. Note the size of the excavators for scale (foreground, left), and that the bottom of the mine is not visible.

It is a gold and silver mine operated by Newmont.[2][3] The Chimney Creek gold deposit, now part of Twin Creek, was first identified in the 1980s.[4] A rare specimen of orpiment discovered in the mine was donated to the Smithsonian.[5]

In 1911, the Battle of Kelley Creek occurred in the area. Eventually, a marker was placed just to the west of where the mine was later located. The 1996 environmental impact statement mentions a reconfiguration of an overburden and interburden site so as to avoid the location of the marker for the battle.[6]

In 1993, the Twin Creeks mine was created as a combination of the Chimney Creek and Rabbit Creek mines during a coal-for-gold swap between Santa Fe Pacific and Hansen Natural Resources.[7]

  1. ^ Rockin' around Battle Mountain: Gold Mines of Central Nevada. Phoenix Gold Mine, Marigold Gold Mine, Twin Creeks Gold Mine, and Adelaide Exploration Project. 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Mineral Monday field trip to Twin Creeks Gold Mine, part 1". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Twin Creeks Mine MRDS details". Western Mining History. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  4. ^ Breslin, Dylan. "The Discovery History of Gold Fields' Chimney Creek Gold Deposit – A Greenfield Exploration Endeavor". Atoka Gold Corporation. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  5. ^ Morris, Jack H. (May 10, 2010). Going for Gold:The History of Newmont Mining Corporation. University of Alabama Press. p. 65. ISBN 9780817316778. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. ^ Twin Creeks Mine: final environmental impact statement (Report). Vol. 1. Bureau of Land Management. 1996. p. 2-51. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "Coal-for-gold swap merges mines". Elko Daily Free Press. July 3, 1993. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2022.