Wagon Wheel Gap Fluorspar Mine

Past Producer in Mineral county in Colorado, United States with commodities Fluorine-Fluorite, Silver, Gold, Zinc

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Public Land Survey System information
Commodities
Materials information
Alteration
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Geologic structures
Ore body information
Controls for ore emplacement
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Land status
Ownership information
Production statistics
Workings at the site
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10014057
MRDS ID	D010674
Record type	Site
Current site name	Wagon Wheel Gap Fluorspar Mine
Alternate or previous names	Claims: Sierra Vista 1-6, Ms 20278
Related records	10215269

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-106.82644, 37.74612 (WGS84)
Elevation	2682
Relative position	18.4 MILES S 38 E FROM CREEDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mineral(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Lake Humphreys(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	040N	001E	01,02	W2 (01); E2 (02)	Colorado

Comments on the location information

ON HILLSIDE EAST OF GOOSE CREEK 2 MILES SW OF WAGON WHEEL GAP ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical	Primary
Silver	Tertiary
Gold	Tertiary
Zinc Critical	Tertiary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Fluorite	Ore
Barite	Gangue
Calcite	Gangue
Chalcedony	Gangue
Halloysite	Gangue
Hematite	Gangue
Limonite	Gangue
Pyrite	Gangue
Quartz	Gangue

Alteration

(Local) Alteration Of Fluorite To Rare Fluorides; Alteration Of Pyrite To Limonite And Hematite

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Rock unit name

Volcanics Of Wagon Wheel Gap--Farmers Creek Tuff;Carpenter Ridge Tuff

Rock description

Volcanics Of Wagon Wheel Gap--Farmers Creek Tuff;Carpenter Ridge Tuff

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Oligocene
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Oligocene

Host or associated Associated

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
Rock unit name	Volcanics Of Wagon Wheel Gap--Farmers Creek Tuff;Carpenter Ridge Tuff
Rock description	Volcanics Of Wagon Wheel Gap--Farmers Creek Tuff;Carpenter Ridge Tuff

Host or associated Host

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-106.82644, 37.74612	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	San Juan Volcanic Field, Creede Caldera, Mountahope Caldera, La Garita Caldera
Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Creede Caldera Ring Fracture Zone, Postulated Wagon Wheel Gap Volcanic Center

Ore body information

Thickness 10.67M

Thickness	10.67M

Controls for ore emplacement

Ring Fractures And Faults Related To Caldera Formation And Subsidence

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Past Producer
Commodity type	Both
Deposit size	Small
Significant	No
Discovery year	1911
Discoverer	S.B. Collins
Year of first production	1913
Year of last production	1950

Mining district

District name	Wagon Wheel Gap District

Land status

Ownership category	Private

Ownership information

Type Operator

Owner Boyles Brothers

Home office Salt Lake City, Ut.

First year 1975
Type Owner

Owner Colorado Fuel And Iron Corp. (Cfandi)

Home office Pueblo, Co.

First year 1975

Type	Operator
Owner	Boyles Brothers
Home office	Salt Lake City, Ut.
First year	1975

Type	Owner
Owner	Colorado Fuel And Iron Corp. (Cfandi)
Home office	Pueblo, Co.
First year	1975

Production statistics

Year 1945

Description Ap_Grade: ^Crude Ore, 42.13% Fluorspar

Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage

Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 42wt-pct
Year 1946

Description Ap_Grade: ^Crude Ore, 36.13% Fluorspar

Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage

Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 36wt-pct
Year 1947

Description Ap_Grade: ^Crude Ore, 27.13% Fluorspar

Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage

Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 27wt-pct
Year 1948

Description Ap_Grade: ^Crude Ore, 33.47% Fluorspar

Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage

Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 33wt-pct

Comments on the production information

PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION FROM 1913 TO 1950. NO CDM RECORDS PRE 1916 OR FOR 1917-18, 1921, 1923, 1932-34 1936. 1938. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR 1915, 1928, 1935, 1937, 1939-41, 1949-50, BUT PRODUCTION CLASSIFIED AS SMALL. NO APPARENT PRODUCTION IN 1914, 1932-33, 1938. CDM RECORDS CITE EQUAL AMOUNTS OF MILLED ORE AND CRUDE ORE FOR 1943-46.

Workings at the site

Type of workings Underground

Overall depth 213.36M

Type of workings	Underground
Overall depth	213.36M

Comments on the workings information

THREE TUNNELS (WILSON, INTERMEDIATE, MAIN)

Comments on development

VEIN PROBABLY FIRST LOCATED IN 1890S OR EARLY 1900S IN SEARCH FOR AG AND AU ON POSSIBLE FAULT EXTENSIONS FROM CREEDE DISTRICT. PURPLE FLUORITE APPARENTLY MISTAKEN FOR AMETHYST. LOW AG AND AU CONTENT DID NOT GENERATE MUCH INTEREST. FLUORITE RECOGNIZED IN 1911 BY S.B. COLLINS, PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN FLUORSPAR MINING CO., WHICH MADE FIRST SHIPMENT IN 1913. PROPERTY BOUGHT BY CF&I IN 1924, AND METALLURGICAL-GRADE FLUORSPAR USED AS FLUX AT PUEBLO STEEL MILL.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	D010674
U.S. Bureau of Mines	Minerals Availability System	MAS	0080790097

Bibliographic references

Deposit

AURAND, H.A., 1920, FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF COLORADO: CGS BULL. 18, P. 61-67.
Deposit

VAN ALSTINE, R.E., 1947, FLUORSPAR INVESTIGATIONS--WAGON WHEEL GAP DEPOSIT, MINERAL COUNTY, IN VANDERWILT, J.W., MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO MINERAL RESOURCES BD., P. 465.
Deposit

BRADY, B.T., 1975, MAP SHOWING FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN COLORADO: USGS MAP MR-70, P. 13-14.
Deposit

BURCHARD, E.F., 1934, FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN UNITED STATES: AIME TRANS., V. 109, P. 370-396.
Deposit

EMMONS, W.H., AND LARSEN, E.S., 1913, THE HOT SPRINGS AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF WAGON WHEEL GAP, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 8, P. 235-246.
Deposit

COLORADO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS. AND INSP. REPTS.
Deposit

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

LUNT, H.F., 1915, A FLUORSPAR MINE IN COLORADO: MINING SCI. PRESS, P. 925-926 (12/18/15).
Deposit

LARSEN, E.S., AND WELLS, R.C., 1916, SOME MINERALS FROM THE FLUORITE-BARITE VEIN NEAR WAGON WHEEL GAP, COLORADO: NATL. ACAD. SCI., V. 2, P. 360.
Production

COLORADO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS. (1916-50); AURAND, 1920 (1913-17)

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN FISSURE VEIN STRIKING N 80 E AND SEVERAL SUBPARALLEL FRACTURES DIPPING 70 TO 80 SE ALONG EAST MARGIN OF CREEDE CALDERA IN VOLCANICS BELIEVED TO BE OF LOCAL ORIGIN. FAULT DISPLACES OLDER WAGON WHEEL GAP VOLCANICS ON SOUTH AGAINST CARPENTER RIDGE RHYOLITE TUFF ON NORTH. VEIN WIDTH VARIABLE FROM AVERAGE 6 TO 8 FT TO MAXIMUM 35 FT. FLUORITE OCCURS AS 1) WHITE, GRANULAR MASSES; 2) YELLOW-GREEN TO BLUE-GREEN TO PURPLE ENCRUSTATIONS ON WALL ROCK FRAGMENTS; 3) BANDED FLUORITE ON VEIN WALLS; 4) MASSIVE VEIN FILLING; 5) CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL IN WATER COURSES. COARSE CRYSTALLINE AND EUHEDRAL BARITE COMMON IN UPPER 25 FT OF DEPOSIT. WALL ROCK CONTAINS FINELY DISSEMINATED PYRITE ALTERED TO LIMONITE AND HEMATITE. DEPOSIT ALSO CONTAINS RARE FLUORIDE ALTERATION MINERALS GEARKSUTITE AND FIRST DESCRIBED OCCURRENCE OF CREEDITE (EMBEDDED IN HALLOYSITE). TRAVERTINE DEPOSITED BY HOT SPRINGS IN VALLEY NW OF MINE CONTAINED 0.22% FLUORINE AND APPRECIABLE BA AND ZN. DEPOSIT COULD HAVE
Deposit	BEEN FORMED AFTER ERUPTION OF FISHER QUARTZ LATITE (LATE OLIGOCENE) SIMILAR TO CREEDE DISTRICT OR LATER IN MIOCENE OR PLIOCENE DURING ERUPTION OF HINSDALE FM BASALT FLOWS.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN FISSURE VEIN STRIKING N 80 E AND SEVERAL SUBPARALLEL FRACTURES DIPPING 70 TO 80 SE ALONG EAST MARGIN OF CREEDE CALDERA IN VOLCANICS BELIEVED TO BE OF LOCAL ORIGIN. FAULT DISPLACES OLDER WAGON WHEEL GAP VOLCANICS ON SOUTH AGAINST CARPENTER RIDGE RHYOLITE TUFF ON NORTH. VEIN WIDTH VARIABLE FROM AVERAGE 6 TO 8 FT TO MAXIMUM 35 FT. FLUORITE OCCURS AS 1) WHITE, GRANULAR MASSES; 2) YELLOW-GREEN TO BLUE-GREEN TO PURPLE ENCRUSTATIONS ON WALL ROCK FRAGMENTS; 3) BANDED FLUORITE ON VEIN WALLS; 4) MASSIVE VEIN FILLING; 5) CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL IN WATER COURSES. COARSE CRYSTALLINE AND EUHEDRAL BARITE COMMON IN UPPER 25 FT OF DEPOSIT. WALL ROCK CONTAINS FINELY DISSEMINATED PYRITE ALTERED TO LIMONITE AND HEMATITE. DEPOSIT ALSO CONTAINS RARE FLUORIDE ALTERATION MINERALS GEARKSUTITE AND FIRST DESCRIBED OCCURRENCE OF CREEDITE (EMBEDDED IN HALLOYSITE). TRAVERTINE DEPOSITED BY HOT SPRINGS IN VALLEY NW OF MINE CONTAINED 0.22% FLUORINE AND APPRECIABLE BA AND ZN. DEPOSIT COULD HAVE

Deposit

BEEN FORMED AFTER ERUPTION OF FISHER QUARTZ LATITE (LATE OLIGOCENE) SIMILAR TO CREEDE DISTRICT OR LATER IN MIOCENE OR PLIOCENE DURING ERUPTION OF HINSDALE FM BASALT FLOWS.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-MAY-1983	Schwochow, Stephen D.	Colorado 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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