Note 6 - Business Segments - Identifiable Assets by Reporting Segments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Greens Creek [Member]
Identifiable assets	$ 696,209	$ 698,265
Lucky Friday [Member]
Identifiable assets	437,925	393,338
Casa Berardi [Member]
Identifiable assets	799,570	779,423
San Sebastian [Member]
Identifiable assets	23,109	22,238
Other Segments [Member]
Identifiable assets	406,866	328,661
Identifiable assets	$ 2,363,679	$ 2,221,925