Black Giant Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014078
MRDS ID D010700
Record type Site
Current site name Black Giant Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Black Giant, Jr., MS 1608, Black Giant, MS 1609, Black Monster, MS 1762, Baby Giant, MS 1764

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.59757, 37.60557 (WGS84)
Elevation 3780
Relative position 14.2 MILES S 15 E FROM SILVERTON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Columbine Pass(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper San Juan(hydrologic unit)

Upper San Juan(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Juan(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

San Juan National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Weminuche Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 039N 007W 35,36 S2 OF NE (35); N2 (36) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). MINE LIES ABOVE CHICAGO BASIN ON SE SIDE OF JUPITER MTN, 0.55 MILE NE OF COLUMBINE PASS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1969) ASSAY OF SELECTED DUMP SAMPLE CONTAINED 1.40 OZ/TON AG, 0.08% CU, 0.56% PB, 0.90% ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF TWO SULFIDE-BEARING QUARTZ VEIN SAMPLES CONTAINED 150 TO 500 PPM TI, 2000 TO GT 5000 PPM MN, 70 TO 100 PPM AG, LT 200 TO 300 PPM AS, 100 PPM BA, LT 10 TO 10 PPM BI, GT 500 PPM CD, LT 5 PPM CR, 500 TO 700 PPM CU, 30 TO 100 PPM MO, GT 20000 PPM PB, 100 TO 300 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 PPM SR. 10 TO 15 PPM V, LT 50 PPM W, GT 10000 PPM ZN: CHEMICAL ANALYSES SHOWED 0.04 TO 0.06 PPM AU, 700 PPM CU, 190 TO 310 PPM PB, GT 10000 PPM ZN.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock
    Rock description Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Eolus Granite
    Rock description Eolus Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.59757, 37.60557

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, San Juan Basin, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Needle Mtns Uplift, Chicago Basin Stock, Eolus Batholith, Trimble Stock

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Metalliferous Veins Controlled By Regional Rectangular Fracture System In Granites And By Local Radial Fracture System Associated With Emplacement Of Chicago Basin Stock

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discoverer W.E. Webb And W.H. Whiton (Claimants)

Mining district

District name Needle Mountain (Tacoma, Florida, Vallecito) District

Land status

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

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE TUNNEL OF UNKNOWN EXTENT DRIVEN INTO VEIN AT S 77 E

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SCHMITT, L.J., AND RAYMOND, W.H., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS DISTRICT, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1434, 40 P.

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 30-32, 55-67, 98-99, 162-163.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS FOLIO 131.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 1608, 1609, 1762, 1764

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUARTZ VEIN TRENDS N 77 W, 48 TO 58 NE, AND LIES IN GENERALLY EAST-WEST-TRENDING REGIONAL RECTANGULAR FRACTURE SYSTEM. APPROX ON TREND AND FARTHER TO SE OF MINE IS PRECAMBRIAN (?) MAFIC DIKE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1983 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.