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Cliff Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Zinc, Silver, Lead, Copper, Gold
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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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012542
MRDS ID D008211
Record type Site
Current site name Cliff Mine
Alternate or previous names Cliff No. 1 Tunnel
Related records 10264697

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.12477, 38.30195 (WGS84)
Elevation 3200
Relative position 14.7 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 30 W2 OF E2 OF NE 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 ALONG COPPER GULCH 1500 FT EAST OF ST. LOUIS MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Jasper Gangue
Pyrite 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 ASSAYS FROM TUNNEL LEVEL YIELD TRACE TO 0.4 OZ/TON AU, 0.7 TO 12.8 OZ/TON AG, TRACE TO 0.8% CU, 0.5 TO 7.4% PB, 18 TO 22% ZN

Host and associated rocks

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.12477, 38.30195
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • Strike N50E
    Dip 60 TO 70 SE
    Width 1.52M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Year of last production 1957

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the workings information

  • TUNNEL DRIVE S74E FOR 220 FT. THENCE GENERALLY S55E FOR 220 INTO CAVED AREA. AT 200 FT INTO TUNNEL, DRIFT DRIVEN ALONG CLIFF VEIN FOR 280 FT. ACCORDING TO GEOLOGIC MAP, CRONJE TUNNEL INTERSECTS THE CLIFF VEIN AND WORKINGS AT POINT APPROX. 120 FT FROM CLIFF TUNNEL

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 ATTITUDE ABOVE IS FOR CLIFF VEIN

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-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.