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Whale Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Lead, Gold, Uranium, Zinc
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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 10012954
MRDS ID D008986
Record type Site
Current site name Whale Mine
Related records 10239861

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.12449, 38.31918 (WGS84)
Elevation 3328
Relative position 15.9 MILES N 03 E 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 19 NE OF NW 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 ON SOUTH SIDE OF RAWLEY GULCH ACROSS VALLEY FROM RAWLEY MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pitchblende Ore
Sphalerite Ore

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 OXIDIZED ORE ASSAYED 100 TO 140 OZ/TON AG, 8 TO 12% CU, AND A LITTLE AU. RECORDED RADIATION OF 0.06 TO 20 MR/HR WITH BACKGROUND OF 0.03 TO 0.06 MR/HR.

Host and associated rocks

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.12449, 38.31918
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

  • Thickness 1.52M

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

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • OZ AND LB OF METALS ESTIMATED FROM DOLLAR VALUES BY USING $20/OZ AU, $1.29/OZ AG, $87/ST PB, $240/ST CU NO INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION RECORD FOR 1889.

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO INACCESSIBLE TUNNELS HEADING SE AND ESE APPROX. 300 TO 430 FT TO VEIN. SHAFT 100-FT DEEP WITH 80 FT OF DRIFT

Comments on development

  • MINE INACTIVE SINCE 1890S BUT WAS REOPENED IN 1955 IN SEARCH FOR URANIUM.

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.

  • Deposit

    NELSON-MOORE, J.L., COLLINS, D.B., AND HORNBAKER, A.L., 1978, CGS BULL. 40, P. 396.

  • Production

    BURBANK (1932) AS COMPILED FROM U.S. MINT RECORDS

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit WHALE VEIN TRENDS N10E, DIP NEARLY VERTICAL. ORE CHANGES FROM PB-AG IN UPPER WORKINGS TO CU-AG IN LOWER WORKINGS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1982 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.