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Piedra Peak-Red Mountain Alunite Deposits

Occurrence in Mineral county in Colorado, United States with commodities Aluminum, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Silver, 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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014054
MRDS ID D010670
Record type Deposit
Current site name Piedra Peak-Red Mountain Alunite Deposits
Alternate or previous names Colorado Tunnel

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.99173, 37.57973 (WGS84)
Elevation 3536
Relative position 19.4 MILES S 9 W FROM CREEDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mineral(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

South River Peak(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 039N;038N 001W;001E 33;06 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). IN HEADWATERS OF EAST FORK OF RED MOUNTAIN CREEK BETWEEN PIEDRA PEAK AND SOUTH RIVER PEAK (SEC. 33 DEPOSIT). SECOND DEPOSIT LIES ON DIVIDE BETWEEN GOOSE CREEK AND BEAVER CREEK 5.5 MILES ESE OF PIEDRA PEAK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SAMPLE LOCALITY IN SEC. 33. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 7-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH USFS LAND OWNERSHIP BOUNDARIES, 1:126,720 SCALE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975
  • Covers a fairly large area. This is not a site or individual prospect but a prospective area.

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification Argillization, Propylitization, Alunitization

Analytical data

Result CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF SAMPLES (DS109) FROM SEC. 33 SHOWED LT 0.02 PPM AU, 10 TO 30 PPM CU WITH HIGH OF 100 PPM, LT 25 PPM PB, UP TO 146 PPMZN, 2 PPM MO, UP TO 10 PPM AS, 1.1 TO 5.8 PPM HG
Result SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES GAVE 2000 TO 7000 PPM TI, UP TO 1000 PPM MN, LT 0.5 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 300 TO 1000 PPM BA, UP TO PPM CO, 20 TO 50 PPM CR, 5 TO 50 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, UP TO 20 PPM NI, 10 TO 30 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, 100 TO 700 PPM SR, 70 TO 200 PPM V, LT 200 PPM ZN. ROCK TYPES INCLUDED SILICIFIED, ARGILLIZED AND/OR QUARTZ-ALUNITE ROCK WITH PYRITE. SAMPLES OF PROPYLITIZED, ARGILLIC, OR QUARTZ-ALUNITE ROCK WITH PYRITE FROM SEC. 6 SHOWED LT 0.02 PPM AU, 10 TO 40 PPM CU, UP TO 200 PPM PB, UP 70 PPM ZN, 2 PPM MO, UP TO 40 PPM AS, UP TO 1.8 PPM HG: SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES SHOWED 1000 TO 5000 PPM TI, UP TO 500 PPM MN, LT 0.5 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 200 TO 1000 PPM BA, UP TO 10 PPM CO, UP TO 30 PPM CR, 10 TO 20 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, UP TO 5 PPM NI, 10 TO 300 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, 300 TO 400 PPM SR, 70 TO 150 PPM V, LT 200 PPM ZN.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Fisher Quartz Latite;Volcanics Of Table Mountain
    Rock description Fisher Quartz Latite;Volcanics Of Table Mountain
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Fisher Quartz Latite;Volcanic Of Table Mountain
    Rock description Fisher Quartz Latite;Volcanic Of Table Mountain

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.99173, 37.57973
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field, La Garita Caldera
Type of structure Local
Structure description Creede Caldera, Mount Hope Caldera, Small Unnamed Intrusive Centers

Ore body information

  • General form POD

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Small Intrusive Centers

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Piedra Peak-South River Peak-Red Mountain Area

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name San Juan N. F.

Comments on the workings information

  • 300-FT TUNNEL

Comments on development

  • AREA ORIGINALLY PROSPECTED FOR AU, BUT NO APPRECIABLE METALS FOUND. USGS ANALYZED SAMPLES DURING WILDERNESS RESOURCE EVALUATION.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND LIPMAN, P.W., 1973, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPAR CITY QUADRANGLE, MINERAL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1052.

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 80-81, 174-177.

  • Deposit

    HALL, R.B., 1980, ALUNITE--A POTENTIALLY ECONOMIC SOURCE OF ALUMINUM AND POTASH?, IN SCHWOCHOW, S.D., ED., PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTEENTH FORUM ON GEOLOGY OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS: CGS RESOURCE SERies 8, P. 77-88.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit STEVEN AND OTHERS (1969) FOUND SEVERAL SMALL INTRUSIVE PLUGS IN AREA AROUND PIEDRA PEAK. ZONATION OF ALTERATION AROUND PLUGS SHOWS OUTER WEAK PROPYLITIZATION WITH ABUNDANT CHLORITE AND DISSEMINATED PYRITE ENVELOPING MORE INTENSE ZONES OF ARGILLIZATION (KAOLINITE) AND SERICITE, ALSO WITH ABUNDANT DISSEMINATED PYRITE. MOST HIGHLY ALTERED ROCK IS SILICIFIED MASS WITH ABUNDANT ALUNITE AND WIDESPREAD PYRITE. ALUNITE DEPOSIT PROBABLY FORMED THROUGH HYDROTHERMAL AND SOLFATARIC ALTERATION AND REPLACEMENT DURING LATE STAGES OF VOLCANISM, AS DESCRIBED BY HALL (1980). ZONED PATTERN INDICATES SULFURIC ACID-CHARGED FLUIDS RISING THROUGH VENT LEACHING ACID-SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS FROM SURROUNDING ROCKS AND PERMITTING METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT BY MINERALS OF ALTERATION SUITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-83 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Editor 26-FEB-11 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

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