Independence Mine

Past Producer in Baca county in Colorado, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10013981
MRDS ID D010562
Record type Site
Current site name Independence Mine
Related records 10101766

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -103.04632, 37.0756 (WGS84)
Elevation 1405
Relative position 31 MILES S45W FROM SPRINGFIELD

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Baca(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Furnish Canyon East(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Kim(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

La Junta(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Cimarron Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Cimarron(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Cimarron(hydrologic subregion)

Arkansas-White-Red(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Pike and San Isabel National Forests(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Baca

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 034S 050W 21 NW OF NE OF NW OF NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ON SOUTH SIDE OF SKULL CANYON

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Malachite, Azurite, Hematite

Analytical data

Result 0.05 TO 0.48% CU (AVG. 0.24%)
Result 0.1 TO 0.2 OZ/TON AG (AVG. 0.13 OZ/ TON AG)
Result 0.005 OZ/TON AU TUNNEL SAMPLES)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Sheep Pen Sandstone
    Rock description Sheep Pen Sandstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sierra Grande Uplift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Tecolote And Pat Canyon Monoclines

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1889
Year of first production 1900
Year of last production 1923

Mining district

District name Carrizo Creek (Estelene) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • FIGURES LISTED ARE TOTAL BACA COUNTY PRODUCTION ASSUMED TO BE MOST LY ATTRIBUTABLE TO INDEPENDENCE MINE. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1903- 14, 1918-22, AND AFTER 1923. SMALL UNKNOWN PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 192 3. OZ AU CALCULATED FROM REPORTED DOLLAR VALUES AT AVERAGE PRICE OF $2 0.65/OZ. PRODUCTION FOR 1900 AMOUNTED TO 8900 LB CU, 102 OZ AG, 5 OZ A U.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 170.08M

Comments on the workings information

  • 524-FT TUNNEL WITH TWO SHORT CROSSCUTS DEVELOPED AT 200 FT. SECON D ADIT IS 34 FT LONG AND LOCATED 75 FT WEST OF MAIN ADIT.

Comments on development

  • PROBABLY FIRST DISCOVERY IN DISTRICT. ALSO IS MOST EXTENSIVELY DE VELOPED MINE AND SOURCE OF MOST OF PRODUCTION IN DISTRICT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    FAY, R.O., 1981, TRIASSIC COPPER DEPOSITS IN THE SHEEP PEN SANDSTON E OF NORTHWESTERN CIMARRON COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: OKLAHOMA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (IN PREPARATION).

  • Deposit

    SOULE, J.H., 1956, RECONNAISSANCE OF "RED BED" COPPER DEPOSITS IN S OUTHEASTERN COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO: USBM IC-7740.

  • Deposit

    MCLAUGHLIN, T.G., 1954, GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF BACA COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1256.

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES 1917-18 BIENN. REPT., P. 158.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SANDSTONE BED THICKNESS VARIES FROM 14 FT AT PORTAL TO ABOUT 5 FT AT FACE OF MAIN TUNNEL. MINERALIZATION MOSTLY CONFINED TO JOINTS, WHI CH SHOW CHALCOCITE CORE BORDERED BY MALACHITE AND AZURITE ALTERATION.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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

Authoritative Colorado resources

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