The data below represent everything available in the MBMG Abandoned and Inactive Mines (AIM) database.

Sites Table
AIM Id Name Alternate Name District County
JF005021 BOULDER CHIEF BASIN JEFFERSON
MRDS AMLI MILS Latitude Longitude Datum
22-132 300430167 46.3303 -112.2094
Township Range Section QSection UTM Northing UTM Easting UTM Zone UTM Datum
07N 05W 27 ACDA
Average Elevation Elev Units Land Owner 250K Quad 100K Quad 24K Quad
7600 F BUTTE BUTTE NORTH MOUNT THOMPSON
Property Type Update Date Who Updated
LODE 3/26/1995 JDL
Commodities Table
Commodities Identified
ZINC
Agency Info Table
Information
Agency: NF
Region District: R1
Ranger District: JEFFERSON
Forest Service Tract:
Watershed Code: 10020006
Forest or Resource Area: DEERLODGE
Owner: N
Impact:
Report: Boulder Chief-Ida M. These two sites are treated as one mine because they are located within 1,000 feet of each other on the same shear zone. This shear zone trends N82W 79NE and appears to be continuous for at least 1,500 feet. Workings consist of the Ida M. adit (caved) with about 800 feet of workings, the Boulder Chief with one locked adit and one caved 350 foot shaft with four levels (unpublished information, MBMG files) and approximately 4,000 feet of workings, and a large surface cut along the shear zone. The property is located at the contact between Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics andesite and Boulder Batholith quartz monzonite. Most of the material on the dumps is quartz monzonite with quartz, sericite, and pyrite alteration products. Becraft and others (1963) and Roby and others (1960) provide some background information. Apparently lead, silver, and copper were the main commodities, with most production from 1913-1917. The remaining badly eroded gravity tailings from the Boulder Chief mill suggest one to two thousand tons of ore was mined. The vein contained the typical Boulder Batholith assemblage of quartz, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and arsenopyrite. Weak radioactivity was measured on the east end of the vein by Becraft and others (1963), who estimated that it contained .01% uranium. Our own scintillometer measurements of the dump material were only slightly anomalous. Today, both adits discharge water. In addition, tailings and dump material from the Boulder Chief have been carried over 700 feet down slope by runoff. An estimated 7,000 tons of dump material remains (JJBC-1) at 0.010 oz/ton Au, 1.14 oz/ton Ag, 0.019% Cu, 0.47% Pb, and 0.19% Zn. A composite sample (JJBC-2) of the 1,000-2,000 tons of tailings carried .018 oz/ton Au, 4.34 oz/ton Ag, .055% Cu, 2.32% Pb, and 3.87% Zn. The entire affected area is on USFS lands.
Assay Table
Information
Sample Id: JJBC-1
Material Type: WA
Sample Method: COMP
Comments:
Mines Table
Type Condition Ground Water Photos Available? Photo Numbers Ownership Comments
A01 COLP FLOW NF
Sample Table
Sample Id Sampler pH SC Date TempC Flow Rate Flow Units Flow Method Source Ind No Veg Stain Salt Sulf Turb Location Related to Stream Stream Sedimention Photos Available? Photo Numbers Remarks
CBCS10H ORB 2.63 1714.9 7/29/1992 7.8 0.07 GPM BUCKET ADIT Y Y Y Y N NA UNNAMED MOD
CBCS20H ORB 6.18 76.5 7/29/1992 15 0.26 GPM BUCKET WASTE Y Y N Y N DOWN SPRING BELOW DUMP NO Y INDICATES CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER PLUME.
Screening Criteria Table
Information
Mill Tailings: Y
Adit Discharge: Y
Metal Leaching: Y
Water Erosion: N
Residence: N
Hazardous Materials: N
Open Adit: Y
Visit: Y
Comments: THE IDA M. IS PART OF THIS SITE; BUT IS A SEPARATE DATABASE ENTRY. JEFF LONN 7/4/92
Solids Table
Sample Id Source Date Sampler Sample Type L Transect Soil Interval Indicator of contamination Path Veg Color Salt Photos Available? Photo Numbers
CBCD11H MI 7/24/1992 JCF COMP 50 1-1.5 Y Y Y N Y
Structures Table
Type Number Condition Photos Available Photo Numbers Comments
MI01 1 P
ST01 1 P ORE STORAGE BIN
Waste Table
Type Wind Erosion Veg Rill Gully Seep Pond Breach None Stability Floodplain Dist Stream Photos Available? Photo Numbers
MI01 MOD BARREN Y Y N N LIKE OUT 800 Y
WA01 LOW BARREN Y Y Y Y N LIKE OUT 1000 Y
M-Mines Table
Type Latitude Longitude UTM_N UTM_E UTM_Z Size Open Length Size Open Width Elevation Elevation Units
A01
Rank Table
Information
Investigator: J. METESH
Date: 7/29/1992
Photos Available?:
Access: IR
Nearest Wetlands/Bog: 1
Drainage Basin: CATARACT CREEK
Water Contact Stream:
Nearest Surface Water Intake: 5
Number of Surface Water Intake(s) observed within 15 miles downstream: 2
Uses of Surface Water Intake(s) observed within 15 miles downstream: IRRIGATION
Nearest Wells (miles): 3
Number of Wells within 4 miles: 2
Uses of Wells within 4 miles: DOMESTIC
Nearest Dwelling (miles): 3
Number of Months Occupied: 4
Number of Houses within 2 miles: 2
Recreational Usage on Site: L
Nearest Recreational Area (miles): 4
Name or Type of Recreational Area:
Safety Risk from Open Adit/Shaft:
Safety Risk from Highwall or Unstable Slopes: Y
Safety Risk from Unstable Structures: Y
Safety Risk from Chemicals:
Safety Risk from Solid Waste (includes sharp rusted items):
Safety Risk from Explosives:
Sensitive Environments within 2 miles of Site or 15 miles Downstream:
Population within 0-0.25 miles: 0
Population within 0.25-0.5 miles: 2
Population within 0.5-1 miles: 0
Population within 1-2 miles: 0
Population within 2-3 miles: 0
Population within 3-4 miles: 2
Public Interest: L
Soil Chemistry Table
Sample Id Lab Id Description Project Comments
CBCD11H 92S0572 BOULDER CHIEF AND IDA M DLFORST

End of report. Retrieved 5/3/2024 7:04:55 PM.

The preceding materials represent the contents of the databases at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology at the time and date of the retrieval. The information is considered unpublished and is subject to correction and review on a daily basis. The Bureau warrants the accurate transmission of the data to the original end user at the time and date of the retrieval. Retransmission of the data to other users is discouraged and the Bureau claims no responsibility if the material is retransmitted. There may be data in the request area that are not recorded at the Bureau.