In 1960 USGS geologist Ralph Roberts published three free pages on the alignment of Nevada's mining districts. Two years later a Newmont drill hole near Carlin cut 80 feet of gold-bearing rock, opening Nevada's modern gold belt. The episode lays the facts side by side: publicly funded science, given away, produced enormous private wealth, and it sets out the 2024 production and employment ledger.
Who's who
- Ralph J. RobertsUSGS geologist who mapped the thrust and wrote the 1960 paper
- John LivermoreNewmont exploration geologist in the 1961 field pair
- J. Alan CoopeNewmont geochemist in the 1961 field pair
- R. F. SheldonAuthor of the 1985 account of the Carlin discovery
- John Muntean+1 more episodeUniversity of Nevada, Reno geologist who supplied the cumulative production figure
Where it happens
- Carlin, NevadaSite of the first Carlin-type discovery, 1962
- North Carlin, NevadaJasperoid outcrops where the deposit was delineated
- Maggie Creek, NevadaClaims Newmont failed to acquire first
- Thacker Pass, Nevada+2 more episodesLithium project north of Winnemucca
Timeline
- 1960Roberts publishes Professional Paper 400-B on mining district alignment.
- Summer 1961Newmont's Livermore and Coope begin examining gold occurrences near thrust windows.
- September 10, 1962The third drill hole cuts 80 feet at over one ounce of gold per ton.
- May 1965First gold bullion is poured at Carlin.
- July 1, 2019Nevada Gold Mines is formed at 61.5 percent Barrick and 38.5 percent Newmont.
- 2024Nevada produces 3,479,748 ounces of gold, with 14,563 minerals workers.
Still debated
A story that Roberts personally directed Newmont's geologists to the discovery site could not be sourced and is not told. Nevada's share of U.S. gold depends on year and agency, and endowment is not the same as production.