Iron Mine

Past Producer in Dolores county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead
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 10014127
MRDS ID D010771
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claim: Iron Mine, Ms 8758
Related records 10166738

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.01482, 37.70057 (WGS84)
Elevation 2865
Relative position 1.0 MILES N 54 E 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 25 E2 OF E2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). NORTH OF SILVER CREEK ON SE SIDE OF SW PROJECTION OF TELESCOPE MTN. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Lead Secondary

Materials information

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

Analytical data

Result STOPED ORE CONTAINED 40 TO 70 OZ/TON AG, 2 TO 3% CU. 30% FE

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
    Rock description Hornblende Latite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hermosa Formation
    Rock description Hermosa Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.01482, 37.70057

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Chemically Favorable Limestone Cut By Fissure

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1882
Year of last production 1920

Mining district

District name Pioneer (Rico) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner John Doyle Mining And Milling Co.
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1920
  • Type Owner
    Owner H. Obendorfer And Matt Jacobson
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1920

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1920. NO REPORTED PRODUCTION AFTER 1920.

Comments on the workings information

  • UPPER TUNNEL ABANDONED, EXTENT UNKNOWN; MIDDLE TUNNEL DRIVEN N 16 W ALONG VEIN FOR 953 FT; LOWER TUNNEL DRIVEN PRESUMABLY ALONG VEIN AT N 16 W FOR 675 FT, CONNECTED BY 140-FT WINZE FROM MIDDLE TUNNEL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 383-385.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 8758

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MIDDLE AND UPPER HERMOSA FM LIMESTONES, SANDSTONES, AND SHALES TREND NW-SE, DIP 25 TO 30 NE, AND ARE INTRUDED BY HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY SILL. IRON VEIN TRENDS N 16 W, 60 TO 85 NE, AND CONSISTS OF 4 TO 10 INCHES OF BANDED QUARTZ ON HANGING WALL FOLLOWED BY DISTURBED QUARTZ AND COUNTRY ROCK, WITH PINKISH MANGANIFEROUS (?) CALCITE AS GANGUE. PRACTICALLY NO ORE FOUND WHERE FAULT TRAVERSES SANDSTONE AND SHALE. LIMESTONE REPLACED OVER 100-FT LENGTH AND 6- TO 12-FT WIDTH WHERE VEIN CUTS MIDDLE HERMOSA FM. ORE ALSO EXTENDS INTO LIMESTONE FOR SOME DISTANCE FROM VEIN ALONG FISSURES DIPPING 40 SW AND COMING TO MAIN VEIN FROM NE. PRESENCE OF EAST-WEST-TRENDING NELLIE BLY FAULT SUGGESTED BY CHANGE IN DIP OF BEDDING AND THIN VEIN OF CRUSHED BANDED QUARTZ. LOWER TUNNEL WORKED DOWNDIP EXTENSION OF LIMESTONE REPLACEMENT ORE, BUT NELLIE BLY FAULT MAY TRUNCATE MINERALIZED BEDS AT DEPTH.

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.

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.