1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Sylvanite Mine

Past Producer in San Juan county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Tellurium, Antimony
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014097
MRDS ID D010726
Record type Site
Current site name Sylvanite Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.5148, 37.7114 (WGS84)
Elevation 3563
Relative position 10.6 MILES S 51 E FROM SILVERTON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Juan(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Storm King Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(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 San Juan

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 040N 006W 27 NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON HILLSIDE ABOVE UNNAMED HEADWATER TRIBUTARY OF BEAR CREEK 0.55 MILE NE OF HUNCHBACK PASS AND 1.0 MILES SW FROM BEARTOWN SITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • TELLURIDES (EXCEPT CALAVERITE), CU-PB-ZN SULFIDES, AND OXIDIZED ORES LISTED ARE REPORTED GENERALLY FROM DISTRICT AND NOT SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AT THIS MINE. MINOR PRODUCTION OF CU AND PB LIKEWISE NOT VERIFIED.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Calaverite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Galena Ore
Marcasite Ore
Petzite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Sylvanite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1969) SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF TWO SAMPLES OF VEIN MATERIAL CONTAINING SPHALERITE (SOUTHERN PORTION) AND CHALCOPYRITE-TETRAHEDRITE (NORTHERN PART) SHOWED (RESPECTIVELY) 1500 AND 500 PPM TI, 50 AND 70 PPM MN, 7 AND 20 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 1000 AND 300 PPM BA, LT 10 PPM BI, LT 20 AND GT 500 PPM CD, LT 5 PPM CO, 20 AND 10 PPM CR, 30 AND 700 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, 5 AND 10 PPM NI, 20 AND 300 PPM PB, 700 AND 500 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 AND 100 PPM SR70 AND 30 PPM V. LT 50 PPM W, 300 AND GT 10000 PPM ZN, 5 AND 15 PPM FE.CHEMICAL ANALYSES SHOWED 19 AND 0.2 PPM AU, 24000 AND 10 PPM CU, 44 AND200 PPM PB, 320 AND 5000 PPM ZN, 12 AND 8 PPM MO, LT 10 AND 20 PPM AS, GT 100 PPM SB, 0.5 AND 1.6 PPM HG, 38 AND 36 PPM TE, 64 AND 46 PPM AG.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 84
USGS model code 22b
Deposit model name Alkaline Au-Te (Au-Ag-Te veins)
Mark3 model number 80

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyodacite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    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) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name San Juan Formation;Early Intermediate Lavas And Breccias--Near-Source Facies
    Rock description San Juan Formation;Early Intermediate Lavas And Breccias--Near-Source Facies
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
    Rock unit name Uncompahgre Formation
    Rock description Uncompahgre Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Phyllite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Unnamed Fault, Unnamed Anticline

Controls for ore emplacement

  • North-Trending Fissures In Precambrian Quartzite And Slate

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1893
Year of first production 1892

Mining district

District name Beartown (Bear Creek) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Calaverite Mining Co.
    Home office Silverton, Co.
    First year 1897

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE TUNNEL DRIVEN 270 FT GENERALLY SW. AT MOUTH OF TUNNEL, 90-FT SHAFT SUNK WITH 60-FT SOUTH DRIFT DRIVEN AT 36 FT; 20-FT-LONG STOPE DEVELOPED THROUGH TO ADIT LEVEL; FROM BOTTOM OF SHAFT, SOUTH DRIFT AND WESTCROSSCUT OF UNKNOWN EXTENT DRIVEN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 67-71, 89-90.

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DURANGO QUADRANGLE, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-764.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INSP. REPTS., 1897, P. 284.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE LIES AT NORTH END OF ARCUATE NNE- TO NW- TRENDING (CONCAVE EAST) QUARTZ VEIN NEAR CREST OF SE-PLUNGING ANTICLINE (AS IMPLIED BY CROSS AND OTHERS' MAP). VEIN CUTS ACROSS SLATE AND PHYLLITE AT MINE SOUTH INTO QUARTZITES EAST OF KANKAKEE MINE.

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.

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.