Mines and Museums

The Iwami Ginzan (石見銀山) was an underground silver mine in the city of Ōda, in Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Honshu, Japan. It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to its closing in 1923. The mines, mining structures, and surrounding cultural landscape — listed as the "Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and…

The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2007. The silver mine, the most famous in Japan, had its heyday from the early 1500s to the late 1600s, when it produced more than half of all of the silver mined in Japan. In those days, about a third of the silver on world markets came from Japan, so Iwami Ginzan had an important presence…

Kaslo is a village in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada, located on the west shore of Kootenay Lake. Known for its natural environment, it is a member municipality of the Central Kootenay Regional District. As of 2011, it had a population of 1,026.[ Originally designated as a sawmill site in 1889, Kaslo grew on the silver boom of the 19th century, and retains much of the history…

Keeley-Frontier Mine is a large abandoned mine in the ghost town of Silver Centre, Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It consists of two underground mines that were sunk 1,455 ft (443 m) below the surface. Keeley Mine was discovered in 1907 while Frontier Mine was constructed in 1921. The 8th level of the Keeley Mine connected with the 6th level of the Frontier Mine in 1962,:42 creating the two compartment…

Keno City is a small community in Yukon, Canada at the end of the Silver Trail highway. Its population was 15 in 2006 (stats Canada census). Keno City was the site of a former silver-lead mining area proximal to Keno Hill. Keno City is 13 kilometres away from Elsa, Yukon, which is owned by Alexco Resource Corp who currently own and operate the various Ag-Pb-Zn deposits in the Keno Hill area. Rich silver…

Kongsberg Silver works ( Kongsberg Sølvverk) was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Viken county in Norway. The town of Kongsberg is the site of the Norwegian Mining Museum (Norsk Bergverksmuseum). History Operating from over 80 different sites, Kongsberg silver mines constituted the largest mining field in Norway. It was the largest pre-industrial working place in Norway, with over 4,000 workers…

Kongsberg Silver works ( Kongsberg Sølvverk) was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Viken county in Norway. The town of Kongsberg is the site of the Norwegian Mining Museum (Norsk Bergverksmuseum). Operating from over 80 different sites, Kongsberg silver mines constituted the largest mining field in Norway. It was the largest pre-industrial working place in Norway, with over 4,000 workers at its peak…

From the Middle Ages to the start of the 20th century, Fournel gorges, situated not far from the little town of L'Argentière-la-Bessée, were the location of a large argentiferous lead ore mine. Dedicated to the history of the mine, the silver mine museum (Musée des Mines d'Argent), located at the foot of the cliffs in the former stables of the Saint-Jean château, houses collections of rocks and…

Laurium was famous in Classical antiquity for its silver mines, which was one of the chief sources of revenue of the Athenian state. The metallic silver was mainly used for coinage. The Archaeological Museum of Lavrion shows much of the story of these mines.Recent discoveries date the first mines to 3200BC Systematic exploitation of mineral resources seem to have begun un the 6th century BC under Peisistratus.…

Mining of copper, lead and silver in the area around Lautenthal started about 1225. In the middle of the 14th century, however, the Harz was depopulated because of plague and mining came to an end. Mining in the Harz was started again in 1524. Lautenthal was founded in 1538 as a mining settlement on the river Laute, a small tributary of the Innerste, and had already been given the status of a town…

The Lavrion Mining District has been dated to the Early Bronze Age at about 3200-2800BC and is considered to be the earliest recorded site for the extraction of ore in Europe. From the recorded history of the mines (thanks to the Athenians) after a perceived lull there was an upsurge of mining activity in about 500BC. At this time Silver output was so vast that the Athenians are thought to have constructed…

Gold was discovered in the area in late 1859, during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. However the initial discovery, where California Gulch empties into the Arkansas River, was not rich enough to cause excitement. On April 26, 1860, Abe Lee made a rich discovery of placer gold in California Gulch, about a mile east of Leadville, and Oro City was founded at the new diggings. By July 1860 the gold rush was…

The London Silver Vaults is a large subterranean market that opened as The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit on 7 May 1885. Originally renting out strong rooms to hold household silver, jewellery and documents, it transitioned to housing silver dealers in secure premises a few years later. It is located on Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1QS. One vault was used to store a farthing, with the owner paying over…

Maya Gold & Silver’s goal is to create shareholder value by generating revenue and robust growth through acquisition and exploration programs. Our experienced team of directors and officers have, between them, opened and operated several precious and base metal mines around the world. Maya is concentrating its efforts on developing its flagship project, the Zgounder Silver Mine, to commercial…

The McArthur River mine is a zinc-lead mine, situated about 70 kilometres southwest of Borroloola, near the Gulf of Carpentaria in the northeastern Northern Territory, Australia. It is operated by McArthur River Mining (MRM), a subsidiary of the Swiss mining company Glencore. Although discovered in the 1950s, when it was originally called the HYC or "Here's Your Chance" deposit, it only opened as a…

The El Gallo Complex is located in Mexico’s Sinaloa State, along the foothills of the Sierra Madres. McEwen Mining announced the initial discovery holes from the El Gallo silver/gold discovery in November 2008. The Complex includes the El Gallo and Palmarito silver deposits and the Magistral gold deposit, located within a 13 km (8 mile) radius. The El Gallo Mine achieved first gold pour in September…

Mina Proaño, an underground silver mine located in central Mexico, is one of the world's largest and most profitable silver mines. The mine is located just outside the city of Fresnillo, Zacatecas; and is also known as Mina Fresnillo and Fresnillo Silver Mine. The mining operation is run by Peñoles which, since 1967, has been controlled by Mexico City-based Grupo BAL. In 2004, Mina Proaño produced…

The Mineralogical Museum of Lavrion was inaugurated in 1986 through the efforts of the “Society for Lavrion region Studies” (the Scientific Society of Lavrion, in Greek “Etaireia Meleton Lavreotikis”, E.ME.L.), a non-profit cultural association founded in 1984 and recognized by the Ministry of Culture with the status of a private legal association grouping the scientific community of the city…

Gold Resource Corporation's Mirador underground mine is located at the Company's Alta Gracia Project in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Oxide mineralization from the Mirador mine is trucked to and processed in the Aguila Mill's agitated leach circuit. Initial mining rates target 100 to 200 tonnes per day and an initial mill processing rate of 150 tonnes per day. The Mirador mine has the potential…

Morro Velho, also called AngloGold Ashanti Brasil Mineração, after its current owner AngloGold Ashanti, is a complex of gold mines located near the city of Nova Lima in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil. It is one of two mining operations of the company in Brazil, the other being the Serra Grande Gold Mine. In 2008, the Brazilian operations contributed 8% to the company's overall production.  Wikipedia

Mount Isa Mines Limited ("MIM") operates the Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia as part of the Glencore group of companies. For a brief period in 1980, MIM was Australia's largest company. It has pioneered several significant mining industry innovations, including the Isa Process copper refining technology, the Isasmelt smelting technology, and the IsaMill…

The Naica Mine of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, is a lead, zinc and silver mine. Located in Naica in the municipality of Saucillo, the Naica Mine is owned by Industrias Peñoles, the world's largest silver producer. Caverns discovered during mining operations contain gigantic crystals of CaSO4 · 2 H2O (calcium sulfate dihydrate, gypsum, also sometimes called selenite. Peñoles announced in October…

The Nasa (Nasafjäll) silver mine (Swedish: Nasa silvergruva), located on Nasa Mountain on the border between Sweden and Norway, was used for mining silver, mainly from 1635 to 1659 and from 1770 to 1810. Smelting occurred during the first period (1635-1659) at Skellefteälven; during the second period (1770-1810) at Adolfström in Arjeplog . It was an indigenous Sami man by the name of Peder Olofsson…

The National Mining Hall of Fame is a museum located in Leadville, Colorado, United States, dedicated to commemorating the work of miners and people who work with natural resources. The museum also participates in efforts to inform the public about the mining industry. The museum occupies 71,000 square feet (6,600 m2). Major exhibits include an elaborate model railroad, a walk-through replica of an…

Barton Mine, also known as Net Lake Mine, is an abandoned surface and underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located about 0.50 km (0.31 mi) north of the Temagami Arena in Temagami North and just east of the Ontario Northland Railway in northwestern Strathy Township. Dating back to the early 1900s, it is one of the oldest mines in Temagami. Barton was the site of a fire in the early…

Silver mining in Nevada, a state of the United States, began in 1858 with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver-mining district in the United States. Nevada calls itself the "Silver State." Nevada is the nation's second-largest producer of silver, after Alaska. In 2014 Nevada produced 10.93 million troy ounces of silver, of which 6,74 million ounces were as a byproduct of the mining…

New Denver is a village in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, along the shore of Slocan Lake. New Denver was founded as a mining town in 1892, and briefly known as Eldorado City before being renamed after Denver, Colorado. It was incorporated as a village in 1929 and currently has approximately 504 residents. During World War II, New Denver became a Japanese Canadian internment camp. Not long after…

The Nipissing Mine is an abandoned silver mine in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, located on Nip Hill on the east side of Long Lake. It was developed in the subsequent Cobalt silver rush of 1903. The original 843 acres of claims were purchased by Ellis P. Earle from the Ferland Syndicate. By 1907, it was the top producing mine in the area. The company completely surrounded Peterson and Carr lakes and occupied…

The Noche Buena mine is one of the largest silver mines in Mexico and in the world. The mine is located in the center of the country in Zacatecas. The mine has estimated reserves of 1 million oz of gold and 32.4 million oz of silver. Noche Buena translates into English literally as "Good Night", but is typically the term used for the Christmas Eve holiday in Latin American cultures.

The 100% owned Pallancata silver/gold property is located in the Department of Ayacucho in southern Peru, approximately 160 kilometres from the Arcata operation. Pallancata commenced production in 2007 and up until December 2013 was a joint venture, in which Hochschild held a controlling interest of 60% with International Minerals Corporation (“IMZ”). Following the purchase of IMZ, Hochschild now…

Manantial Espejo is an open pit and underground silver-gold mine located in Santa Cruz, Argentina and is 100% owned by Pan American. Silver and gold mineralization is present as epithermal veins, vein breccias, sheeted and stockwork veining, and minor disseminations. Ore is mined at Manantial Espejo using a combination of conventional open pit and underground mining methods. The surface mining operations…

Navidad is a development stage silver property located in Chubut, Argentina. Pan American acquired the project in 2010 through the acquisition of Aquiline Resources Inc. Silver, lead, and minor amounts of copper mineralization are present as epithermal, stratiform veins and disseminations A preliminary economic assessment completed in 2011 anticipated a daily production rate of 15,000 tonnes per day…

Pan American holds a 95% interest in Pan American Silver Bolivia (“PASB”). The remaining 5% of PASB is owned by Urion Holdings (Malta) Ltd., an affiliate of Trafigura Baheer B.V. PASB has a joint venture agreement (Contrato de Riesgo Compartido) with Corporación Minera de Bolivia (“COMIBOL”) the state mining company of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, pursuant to which PASB holds a 62.5%…

Pan American’s vision is to be the world’s pre-eminent silver producer, with a reputation for excellence in discovery, engineering, innovation and sustainable development. Pan American Silver is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, and was founded in 1994 with the intention to provide investors with the best vehicle to gain real exposure to silver. Today, after more than two decades of production and…

Dolores is an open pit silver-gold mine located in Chihuahua, Mexico, and was acquired in 2012 as part of Pan American’s acquisition of Minefinders Corporation Ltd. Silver and gold mineralization is present as structurally controlled, low to medium sulphidation epithermal veins, silica stock works, breccias, and replacements. Mining at Dolores is currently by standard open pit methods using shovels,…

The mine was acquired by Pan American in 2001. Silver, zinc, lead, and copper mineralization is present as epithermal veins, mantos, and limestone replacements. Mining is undertaken using a combination of mechanized sub-level long hole stoping, and mechanical and conventional cut and fill. Huaron operates an 870,000 tonne per year nominal capacity mill using froth induced flotation technology to produce…

La Colorada is an underground polymetallic silver mine located in Zacatecas, Mexico, and was acquired by Pan American in 1998. Silver, gold, zinc, and lead mineralization is present as epithermal veins, breccia pipes, mantos, and lime stone replacements in three main zones known as Candelaria, Estrella, and Recompense. The mining method used at all three mines is cut and fill stoping. The operation…

Pan American entered into an agreement in 2004 to purchase the mine and currently has a total ownership interest of approximately 92.3%. Silver, zinc, lead, and copper mineralization is present as a complex system of epithermal veins, mantos, and limestone replacements. Underground mining operations at Morococha consist primarily of conventional and mechanized overhand cut and fill, long hole open…

Pearce, Arizona, and Sunsites, Arizona, are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The two communities are often referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites. Pearce is located between the Cochise Stronghold, Chiricahua National Monument, and the winter Sandhill Crane refuge of Whitewater Draw making it popular…

Pearce, Arizona, and Sunsites, Arizona, are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The two communities are often referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites. Pearce is located between the Cochise Stronghold, Chiricahua National Monument, and the winter Sandhill Crane refuge of Whitewater Draw making it popular…

The Peñasquito Polymetallic Mine is the fifth largest silver mine in the world and the second largest in Mexico. It is located in north-eastern corner of the State of Zacatecas and is wholly owned by Newmont Goldcorp. It is an open pit operation which began operations in March 2010, but still managed to produce 13,952,600 ounces of silver that year. Estimated reserves for the Peñasquito Mine are…

The Pitarrilla deposit is a large silver deposit located in north central Mexico in the state of Durango. Pitarrilla represents one of the largest unexploited silver resources in Mexico and in the world having estimated reserves of 479 million oz of silver. The deposit also has reserves amounting to 157.2 million tonnes of ore grading 0.29% lead and 0.79% zinc.

Planchas de Plata (Spanish for slabs of silver), sometimes called Bolas de Plata (balls of silver) is a historic silver-mining district near Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and a few miles south of the border with the US state of Arizona. Native silver was discovered here in 1736 by Antonio Siraumea, a Yaqui Indian, on the Rancho Arizona of Bernardo de Urrea. Historian Donald Garate believes Urrea's Arizona…

Planchas de Plata (Spanish for slabs of silver), sometimes called Bolas de Plata (balls of silver) is a historic silver-mining district near Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and a few miles south of the border with the US state of Arizona. Native silver was discovered here in 1736 by Antonio Siraumea, a Yaqui Indian, on the Rancho Arizona of Bernardo de Urrea. Historian Donald Garate believes Urrea's Arizona…

The Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine is a large mine in the west of Poland near Polkowice and Sieroszowice, Polkowice County, 350 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Polkowice-Sieroszowice represents one of the largest copper and silver reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 387 million tonnes of ore grading 2.65% copper and 54 g/tonnes silver. The annual ore production is around 11 million tonnes…

Potosí was founded as a mining town in 1546, while Bolivia was still part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Over the next 200 years, more than 40,000 tons of silver were shipped out of the town, making the Spanish Empire one of the richest the world had ever seen. But such vast wealth also came at a price. Thousands of the indigenous people were forced to work at the mines, where many perished through accidents,…

Priest Mine is an abandoned surface and underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located about 19 km (12 mi) northwest of the hamlet of Marten River on an island in north-central Cross Lake. Dating back to the early 1900s, it is one of the oldest mines in the municipality of Temagami. History The mine was discovered in 1907 when attention was focused there by the discovery of a quartz…

The Prominent Hill Mine is a major copper, silver, and gold mine in north west South Australia, 130 km south-east of Coober Pedy, which has been developed by Oxiana Limited, later to become OZ Minerals. The deposit is an iron oxide copper gold style mineralisation. The mine, which cost A$1.15 billion to develop, was projected to produce 100,000 tonnes of copper and 115,000 ounces of gold in concentrates…

The Rammelsberg is a mountain, 635 metres (2,083 ft) high, on the northern edge of the Harz range, south of the historic town of Goslar in the North German state of Lower Saxony. The mountain is the location of an important silver, copper, and lead mine, the only mine which had been working continuously for over 1,000 years when it finally closed in 1988. Since 1992, the visitor mine of Rammelsberg…

Sala Silver Mine (Swedish: Sala silvergruva) is a mine in Sala Municipality, in Västmanland County in Sweden. The mine was in continuous production from the 15th century until 1908. Additional mining occurred in 1950-1951 and also in 1945-1962 in the neighboring Bronäs Mine. Geology The Sala ore is mainly known for its high silver content though the ore also contained economic amounts of lead and…