Silver Peak, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silver Peak, Nevada
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Albemarle Corporation (Formerly Chemetall Foote) Lithium Operation at Silver Peak
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 Silver Peak, Nevada
Location in Nevada
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Esmeralda |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2) |
| • Land | 0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,321 ft (1,317 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 121 |
| • Density | 122.22/sq mi (47.18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
89047
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| FIPS code | 32-67000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 845661 |
Silver Peak is a small community in Nevada, USA. It's located in Esmeralda County. You can find it along State Route 265. It's about 20 miles (32 km) south of U.S. Route 6. Goldfield, the main town in Esmeralda County, is 30 miles (48 km) to the west. Silver Peak has its own post office (ZIP code 89047). In 2020, 121 people lived there.
Contents
A Look at Silver Peak's History
Silver Peak is one of the oldest mining towns in Nevada. It started in 1864 near a well. This was two years after Esmeralda County was formed. Silver was found nearby in 1863, and mining began.
In 1865, a 10-stamp mill was built to crush ore. By 1867, a bigger 20-stamp mill was working. The Silver Peak Railroad was built in 1906. This happened after the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Company bought many mines. They built a huge 100-stamp mill in Blair, Nevada in 1907.
Blair's mill closed in 1915. By 1920, Blair had become a ghost town. But Silver Peak kept its people, even after a fire in 1948.
In 1939, a famous boxer named Max Baer fought "Big Ed" Murphy from Silver Peak. Max Baer won the fight in just one round.
Weather in Silver Peak
Silver Peak has a cold desert climate. This means it has cold winters and hot summers.
| Climate data for Silver Peak, Nevada, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1967–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
77 (25) |
87 (31) |
91 (33) |
102 (39) |
110 (43) |
111 (44) |
111 (44) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
79 (26) |
69 (21) |
111 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46.4 (8.0) |
52.9 (11.6) |
61.6 (16.4) |
67.7 (19.8) |
77.9 (25.5) |
89.2 (31.8) |
96.7 (35.9) |
94.6 (34.8) |
85.4 (29.7) |
71.6 (22.0) |
56.5 (13.6) |
44.8 (7.1) |
70.4 (21.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) |
38.6 (3.7) |
47.1 (8.4) |
53.4 (11.9) |
63.5 (17.5) |
73.3 (22.9) |
79.9 (26.6) |
77.6 (25.3) |
68.3 (20.2) |
54.8 (12.7) |
41.5 (5.3) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
55.2 (12.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.8 (−7.3) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
32.7 (0.4) |
39.2 (4.0) |
49.0 (9.4) |
57.3 (14.1) |
63.2 (17.3) |
60.7 (15.9) |
51.3 (10.7) |
38.0 (3.3) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
17.6 (−8.0) |
39.9 (4.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−21 (−29) |
4 (−16) |
14 (−10) |
19 (−7) |
24 (−4) |
39 (4) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
10 (−12) |
−2 (−19) |
−14 (−26) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.27 (6.9) |
0.40 (10) |
0.50 (13) |
0.47 (12) |
0.32 (8.1) |
0.24 (6.1) |
0.69 (18) |
0.41 (10) |
0.24 (6.1) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.22 (5.6) |
4.33 (110) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 1.9 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 28.0 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Silver Peak's Economy and Lithium Mining
Silver Peak is located near a dry lake bed. This area is rich in lithium and other important minerals.
At first, people mined salt in the area. In 1906, a report said that salt was dug up for local use. Miners would dig a shallow hole until water appeared. Then they waited for the water to dry up, leaving the salt behind. This salt was said to be very pure, about 99% clean.
During World War II, people looked for important minerals like potash in Clayton Marsh. A company called American Potash Corp. rented the marsh land. In the 1950s, Leprechaun Mining took over the leases. They found that lithium was also present, not just potassium.
In 1964, Leprechaun Mining made a deal with Foote Minerals. Foote Minerals changed the old silver mill. They started making lithium in 1967. Over the years, the company changed hands several times:
- In 1988, Cyprus Minerals bought Foote.
- In 1998, Chemetall bought the operation.
- In 2004, Rockwood Holdings took over.
In 2010, the mine was made bigger. This helped it produce twice as much lithium carbonate. The U.S. Department of Energy helped fund this project with a $28.4 million grant. This money was used to make more lithium for advanced batteries used in cars. In 2014, the Albemarle Corporation bought Rockwood for $6.2 billion.
As of October 2021, the Albemarle Corporation Lithium Operation in Silver Peak employs about 100 people. They extract a salty liquid called brine from the ground. This is the only place in the United States that currently produces lithium. It supplies about 1% of the world's lithium.
Education for Kids in Silver Peak
Students in Silver Peak go to schools in the Esmeralda County School District. This is for grades from kindergarten through 8th grade.
For high school, all students in Esmeralda County attend Tonopah High School. This school is part of the Nye County School District.
See also
In Spanish: Silver Peak (Nevada) para niños
