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Joe Wheeler Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Gold, Bismuth
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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. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012422
MRDS ID D008037
Record type Site
Current site name Joe Wheeler Mine
Alternate or previous names Claim: Golden Wave
Related records 10190971

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.10199, 38.35195 (WGS84)
Elevation 3271
Relative position 18.1 MILES N06E FROM SAGUACHE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Saguache(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Whale Hill(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Saguache(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Luis(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 Saguache

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N 008E 05 NE OF SE OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV. TAKEN FROM BURBANK'S (1932) PLATE 1 (SCALE 1:12000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ON UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF ALDER CREEK ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Copper Primary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Gold Secondary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stromeyerite Ore
Barite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Early Barren Stage Of Alteration By Fumarolic Or Acid-Hot Spring Activity Resulted In Intense Silicification, Wallrock Replacement By Jasper And Alteration Products Hematite, Diaspore, Alunite, Barite, Zunyite, Rutile, And Kaolin Minerals. Later Mineralizing Stage By Alkaline Or Neutral Solutions Deposited Ore And Gangue And Caused Micaceous Alteration (Sericite And Chlorite) And Calcite, Quartz, And Pyrite.

Analytical data

Result 23-TON ORE SHIPMENT ASSAYED 8.4% PB, 5.7% ZN. A 16.4-TON ORE SHIPMENT ASSAYED 6.9 OZ/TON AG, 11.7% PB, 9.7% ZN, 11.4% S, 55.9% INSOL.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Rawley Andesite;Bonanza Tuff
    Rock description Rawley Andesite;Bonanza Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Rawley Andesite;Bonanza Tuff
    Rock description Rawley Andesite;Bonanza Tuff

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.10199, 38.35195
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Range, San Juan Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Bonanza Caldera

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR
    Strike N10 TO 15W
    Dip 70SW TO 75SE
    Width 2.44M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1917
Year of last production 1928

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek) District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Joe Wheeler Mining And Milling Co.
    First year 1928

Comments on the production information

  • ORE SHIPMENTS MADE IN 1917, 1919, 1926, 1927, AND 1928 TOTALLED 138 TONS, WHICH YIELDED 0.35 OZ AU, 1210 OZ AG, 39,653 LB PB, 840 LB CU, AND UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF ZN.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 228.6M
    Overall length 182.88M
    Overall width 30.48M

Comments on the workings information

  • TUNNEL DRIVEN AT N12W FOR 100 FT, THENCE N59W FOR 190 FT, THENCE IRREGULARLY N12 TO 20W FOR 380 FT. SEVERAL OTHER TUNNELS AND SHAFTS OF UNKNOWN EXTENT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PATTON, H.B., 1916, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA DISTRICT, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 9, 136 P.

  • Deposit

    BURBANK, W.S., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 169, 166 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit JOE WHEELER VEIN (ATTITUDE ABOVE) LIES IN 6- TO 8-FT-WIDE FAULT ZONE. ORE IS FOUND IN TWO LENSES-A 1- TO 4-FT-WIDE ZONE ON EAST WALL CONTAINING QUARTZ-BARITE GANGUE WITH CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE, ARSENOPYRITE, AND SOME PYRITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, AND 1- TO 2-FT-WIDE ZONE ON WEST WALL CONTAINING HIGHER AMOUNT OF GALENA. ZONES SEPARATED BY HORSE OF ALTERED ROCK AND LOW-GRADE VEIN MATTER. VEIN IS TRUNCATED BY SPHALERITE-GALENA-BEARING FAULT TRENDING N10 TO 20E. AT END OF TUNNEL FISSURE MAY SPLIT TO FORM ARCUATE BOUNDARIES OF GRABEN OF BONANZA TUFF. WEST BOUNDARY ZONE UP TO 200 FT WIDE ON SURFACE HIGHER UP HILLSIDE. PROSPECTS HERE SUGGEST THAT PB CONTENT DECREASES WITH DEPTH.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-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.