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Aztec Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014118
MRDS ID D010760
Record type Site
Current site name Aztec Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Aztec, MS 367a, Aztec Mill Site, MS 367b
Related records 10239747

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.03982, 37.70279 (WGS84)
Elevation 2908
Relative position 0.92 MILES N 37 W FROM RICO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dolores(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rico(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dove Creek(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Dolores(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Dolores

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 040N 011W 26 S2 OF N2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIM LIES IN AZTEC GULCH 0.58 MILE FROM DOLORES RIVER (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Gold Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result 1895 ORE SHIPMENT OF 24 ST CONTAINED 17 OZ/TON AG, 11% PB, AND 0.1 TO 0.14 OZ/TON AU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Hornblende Latite Porphyry;Alaskite Porphyry
    Rock description Hornblende Latite Porphyry;Alaskite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Hermosa Formation
    Rock description Hermosa Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.03982, 37.70279
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Rico Dome, Nellie Bly Fault
Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1.52M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • East-Trending Fault Cutting Limestone And Shale

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Discoverer John P. Jones And Others (Claimants)
Year of first production 1879
Year of last production 1895

Mining district

District name Pioneer (Rico) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner E. A. Edwards
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1951
  • Type Owner
    Owner George E. Hicks
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1951

Comments on the workings information

  • CDM INF. REPT. DESCRIBES WORKINGS AS FOUR CROSSCUT TUNNELS: NO. 1 (UPPER), 75 FT LONG; NO. 2, 150 FT LONG; NO. 3, 300 FT LONG; NO. 4 (LOWER, MAIN), 500 FT LONG, ALL DRIVEN GENERALLY WEST OR WNW.

Comments on development

  • AZTEC WAS ONE OF FIRST MINES OPENED IN DISTRICT AND PRODUCED INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1879 TO AT LEAST 1895.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 364-365.

  • Deposit

    MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P.92.

  • Deposit

    PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 367A&B

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AZTEC LODE TRENDS N 70 W, 80 TO 85 NE ALONG NELLIE BLY FAULT. MINERALIZATION APPEARS TO BE METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT OF CALCAREOUS SHALE BANDS. ON FOOTWALL, PYRITIZED BRECCIATED SHALE AND SHALY LIMESTONE GRADE INTO UNDISTURBED LOWER HERMOSA FM COUNTRY ROCK. ON HANGING WALL, BRECCIA AT LEAST 5 FT THICK CONSISTS OF QUARTZ-AND ORE-CEMENTED SHALE FRAGMENTS. CDM INF. REPT. CITES AS DEPOSIT AS REPLACEMENT IN LIMESTONE.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1870S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.