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Commodore Mine

Past Producer in Mineral county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Antimony, Manganese
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012365
MRDS ID D007965
Record type Site
Current site name Commodore Mine
Related records 10288358

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.92951, 37.87057 (WGS84)
Elevation 2819
Relative position 1.2 MILES N 06 W FROM CREEDE (B.M. 8853 AT NORTH END OF TOWN)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mineral(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Creede(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Del Norte(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Rio Grande National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Mineral

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 042N 001W 24 NW OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV DETERMINED FROM EMMONS AND LARSEN'S (1923) TOPO MAP (1:24,000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ALONG W. WILLOW CR. ALONG EAST SIDE OF BACHELOR MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Gold Secondary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Manganese Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Acanthite Ore
Anglesite Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyromorphite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Amethyst Gangue
Barite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue
Wad Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Chloritization, Silicification, Argillization; Fe-Mn Oxides

Analytical data

Result SEE REPORTED ORE GRADES ON PRODUCTION TABLE

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Campbell Mtn. Member Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite;Willow Creek Member Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite
    Rock description Campbell Mtn. Mbr. Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite;Willow Cr. Mbr. Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Campbell Mtn. Member Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite;Willow Creek Member Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite
    Rock description Campbell Mtn. Mbr. Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite;Willow Cr. Mbr. Of Bachelor Mtn. Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.92951, 37.87057
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field; La Garita, Creede, And Bachelor Calderas
Type of structure Local
Structure description Creede Graben; Amethyst Fault Zone

Ore body information

  • Strike N 20 W
    Dip 65 TO 70 SW
    Width 9.14M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Amethyst Fault, Ancestral Amethyst Fault, Subparallel And Antithetic Hanging-Wall Fractures

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1891
Discoverer J.C. Mackenzie, W.V. Mcgilliard
Year of first production 1891

Mining district

District name Creede District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Harrison-Western Corp.
    First year 1980
  • Type Owner
    Owner Minerals Engineering Co. (Meco)
    Home office Grand Junction, Co.
    First year 1981

Production statistics

  • Year 1937
    Accuracy Estimate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 593g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. AMTS. OF METALS FOR 1903-06, 1916, 1921, 1926 (PB ONLY), 1928, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, AND 1942 CALCULATED FROM REPORTED ORE GRADES. AMT. OF METALS AND ORE FOR 1925 ESTIMATED FROM REPORTED ORE GRADES AND REPORTED DOLLAR VALUES OF AG AND PB, USING CONVERSIONS OF $0.69/OZ AG AND $0.09/LB PB BASED ON TOTAL DISTRICT PRODUCTION AND VALUE IN 1925. AFTER 1942, WORKINGS CONSOLIDATED WITH OTHERS AND REPORTED AS EMPERIUS MINE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 569.98M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY 5 TUNNELS DRIVEN ON AMETHYST VEIN OVER 1130-FT VERTICAL INTERVAL. LEVEL 5 (MANHATTAN) IS LOWEST AND LIES 45 FT ABOVE NELSON-WOOSTER-HUMPHREYS TUNNEL. LEVEL 4 IS 399 FT ABOVE LEVEL 5; LEVEL 3 IS 401 FT ABOVE LEVEL 4; LEVEL 1 IS 330 FT ABOVE LEVEL 3. LEVEL 2 (CLOSED) LIES APPROX. 120 FT BELOW LEVEL 1. DISCOVERY SHAFT SUNK FROM SURFACE. DOWN TO LEVEL 5 ON INCLINE ALONG AMETHYST VEIN TO DEPTH OF 1450 FT. 60-DEG INCLINED WINZE SUNK 480 FT (420 VERTICAL FT) ON VEIN BELOW LEVEL 5. TOTAL LENGTH OF ALL WORKINGS UNDETERMINABLE. PARTIAL MEASUREMENT OF WORKINGS ON LEVEL 3 (STEVEN AND RATTE, 1965) INCLUDES 1700 FT DRIFT ON AMETHYST VEIN, 1260 FT DRIFT ON DEAN FAULT, 1540 FT OTHER DRIFTS, 1280 FT CROSSCUTS (TOTAL 5780 FT). PARTIAL MEASUREMENT OF LEVEL 5 (INCL. PORTAL, OH AND AMETHYST VEINS EXTENDING NORTH TO PARK REGENT MINE) INCLUDES 9650 FT DRIFT ON AMETHYST VEIN, 4500 FT DRIFT ON OH, 650 FT WEST DRIFT, 600 FT MCCLURE DRIFT, 600 FT OTHER DRIFT. AT LEAST 900
  • FT POAL, 4450 FT CROSSCUTS (TOTAL 21,350 FT).

Comments on development

  • AS AMETHYST, LAST CHANCE, AND OTHER SHAFTS SUNK DEEPER ON AMETHYST VEIN, MUCH WATER WAS ENCOUNTERED, PROMPTING FORMATION OF NELSON TUNNEL CO. AND DRIVING OF DRAINAGE TUNNEL. COMMODORE WAS TOPOGRAPHICALLY HIGHER AND DID NOT ENTER NELSON TUNNEL CONTRACT BUT DROVE ITS OWN DEEP ADIT, TUNNEL 5 (MANHATTAN), WHICH LIES ABOUT 45 FT ABOVE NELSON TUNNEL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PRINCIPAL LODES ARE AMETHYST VEIN, OH VEIN, AND ANCESTRAL AMETHYST (DEAN) FAULT. AVERAGE ATTITUDE ABOVE IS FOR AMETHYST VEIN ON LEVEL 5. PRINCIPAL HANGING-WALL FRACTURE IS OH VEIN, TRENDING N 45 TO 50 W, DIPPING VERTICAL TO STEEPLY NE, CONTAINING DISSEMINATED GALENA, SPHALERITE, AND PYRITE AND VEIN CHALCOPYRITE IN HEMATITIC CHLORITE GANGUE, AND REPRESENTING OPEN FRACTURE WITH MINOR RIGHT-LATERAL MOVEMENT. ON LEVEL 3, DEAN FAULT TRENDS N 0 TO 15W, DIPS 70 TO 80W; AMETHYST TRENDS N 10 TO 30 W, 45 TO 60 SW. SOUTHERN AMETHYST VEIN MINERALIZATION IS VEIN-TYPE AND DISSEMINATED, BOTH CONFINED TO DENSELY FRACTURED AND BRECCIATED CAMPBELL MTN. RHYOLITE IN HANGING WALL AND IN SOME PLACES OCCURRING IN WILLOW CR. RHYOLITE BETWEEN AMETHYST AND ANCESTRAL AMETHYST FAULTS. TWO-STAGE PARAGENESIS INCLUDES 1) STAGE 1, QUARTZ, BARITE, RHODOCHROSITE, NO AG; 2) STAGE 2, SUBSTAGE A, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, NO AG; SUBSTAGE B, AMETHYST, BARITE, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, AG-BEARING CU
Deposit SULFIDE(ECONOMIC); SUBSTAGE C, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, CU AND BASE-METAL SULFIDES, FE-MN OXIDES, TETRAHEDRITE, ACANTHITE, AND NATIVE AG (ECONOMIC), ALSO PROBABLE DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION IN CLOSELY SPACED MICROVEINLETS AND INTERGRANULAR PORE FILLING.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1981 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.