Buena Vista Mine, Nevada facts for kids

The Buena Vista Mine is a special place located about 34 kilometers (21 miles) southeast of Lovelock, Nevada. This area has been known by different names, like the Mineral Basin, which was discovered way back in 1880. The mine is so important that the nearby Buena Vista Hills are named after it! This mining area covers about 54 square kilometers (21 square miles) and holds one of the biggest un-mined iron ore resources in the western United States.

History of the Buena Vista Mine

Early Mining Efforts

In the late 1880s, miners sent 500 tons of iron ore from Buena Vista to the Union Iron Works in San Francisco. However, they soon found out that most of the valuable ore was on land owned by the Central Pacific Railroad. Because of this, mining stopped for a while.

Later, in 1943, mining started again. It continued off and on until the 1960s. During this time, about 4 million tons of high-quality iron ore were dug up. This ore was mostly made of magnetite and a little bit of hematite.

Renewed Interest in Iron Ore

Around 2006, the price of steel went up a lot. This made companies interested in finding more iron ore. Several companies started looking for new ore in the Buena Vista area. They used special tools to explore the ground and drilled holes to find more ore. These efforts found much more iron ore than they expected!

In 2009, the entire Buena Vista Iron District was offered for sale for the first time. It was priced at $75 million.

Modern Developments

In June 2011, an Australian mining company called Richmond Mining LTD got a special permit. This permit allowed them to develop the Buena Vista Iron Ore Mine in Churchill County, Nevada. Their plan included building a 40-kilometer (25-mile) slurry pipeline. This pipeline would carry the ore north to Colado Siding, which is close to Interstate 80. They also got permission to use a lot of water each year for their operations.

Later in 2011, another company, Nevada Metal Mines LLC, explored parts of the area that had been missed before. They used magnetic surveys to map the ground. This exploration showed that there could be millions more tons of iron ore! Samples from these new areas showed that the ore was very pure, with more than 66% total iron.

In 2020, Nevada Iron LLC became part of a bigger company called Magnum Mining and Exploration Ltd. Nevada Iron is now working to turn the Buena Vista iron ore into something called "carbon-neutral pig iron." This special type of iron is used by steelmakers who use electric arc furnaces. The goal is for this operation to be the first "green" pig iron producer in the USA.

What is the Geology of Buena Vista?

The Buena Vista area is made up of very old rocks, formed during the Middle Jurassic period. These rocks include hardened lava from volcanoes and other volcanic materials. Below these, there are also gabbroic rocks. You can find many dark, thin rock formations called mafic dikes here.

The iron ore in this area formed without much silicification or sulfidation. The rocks here have veins and large amounts of pure magnetite. This magnetite is found in cracks or broken rock zones. It also appears as small clumps throughout the rocks. When the ore is crushed, the magnetite can be easily separated using magnets or gravity. It's common to find veins of pure magnetite that are over 3 meters (10 feet) thick in the open pits and drill holes! Over time, some of the magnetite has changed into hematite due to oxidation.

How Much Iron Ore is There?

The Buena Vista District holds a huge amount of iron ore. Experts have found over 500 million tons of iron ore that are "measured" and "indicated." This means they are quite sure it's there. Plus, there's even more iron ore that magnetic surveys and drill holes suggest could be present!