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St. Louis Tunnel

Past Producer in Dolores county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold, Bismuth, Tellurium
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014139
MRDS ID D010786
Record type Site
Current site name St. Louis Tunnel
Related records 10263780

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.03148, 37.70751 (WGS84)
Elevation 2696
Relative position 1.04 MILES N 1 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 NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT WEST BASE OF CHC HILL ON EAST SIDE OF 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
Zinc Critical Primary
Gold Primary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Sphalerite Ore
Fluorite Gangue
Tetradymite Gangue

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) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hermosa Formation;Rico Formation
    Rock description Hermosa Formation;Rico Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.03148, 37.70751
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Pioneer (Rico) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1950

Comments on the workings information

  • ST LOUIS DEEP CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN N 70 E FOR 5150 FT. WITH RAISES AT 4170, 4380, 4565, 4620, 4800, 4820, 4960, AND 5150 FT FROM PORTAL. AT 4540 FT FROM PORTAL, DRIFT DRIVEN SE ALONG BLACKHAWK FAULT FOR 4450 FT TO RICO-ARGENTINE WORKINGS ON SILVER CREEK; AT 375 FT IN DRIFT, DRIFT CUTS PRINCETON FAULT ON WHICH 150-FT DRIFT DRIVEN WITH RAISE TO IRON ROD WORKINGS FROM END OF SW BRANCH; OTHER RAISE AT 460 FT IN MAIN DRIFT. AT 4560 FT FROM PORTAL, NW DRIFT DRIVEN ON BLACKHAWK FAULT FOR 2880 FT, WITH RAISES AT 780, 950, 1430 (TO MOUNTAIN SPRINGS LEVEL), 2270 (TO SHERIDAN LEVEL), AND 2765 FT FROM CROSSCUT. APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF TUNNELS AND DRIFTS (EXCLUSIVE OF RAISES) 13000 FT.

Comments on development

  • ST. LOUIS TUNNEL DRIVEN IN 1930-1931 BY ST. LOUIS SMELTING AND REFINING CO. TO EXPLORE DEEP HORIZONS BELOW CHC HILL. ORIGINALLY ONLY DRIVEN TO PRINCETON FAULT, BUT LATER IN 1950S, RICO-ARGENTINE EXTENDED IT TO ITS WORKINGS ON SILVER CREEK. LEADVILLE-OURAY LIMESTONE TARGETS NEVER REACHED DUE TO UNUSUAL THICKNESS OF LOWER HERMOSA FM, BUT SOME ORE WAS PRODUCED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 79-81.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TUNNEL TRAVERSES LOWER HERMOSA FM SANDSTONE, SHALE, LIMESTONE, AND DOLOMITE DIPPING GENTLY SSW BUT STEP FAULTED SO AS TO LIMIT AMOUNT OF EXPOSED STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION. BLACKHAWK FAULT HAS DISPLACEMENT OF ABOUT 200 FT. SOME ORE TAKEN FROM PYRITIC BEDS IN LOWER HERMOSA ON HANGIN WALL OF BLACKHAWK FAULT. DUE TO UNUSAUL THICKNESS OF LOWER HERMOSA, LEADVILLE AND OURAY LIMESTONE TARGETS WERE NEVER ENCOUNTERED. PYRITE INTERSECTED IN DRILL HOLES THOUGHT TO REPRESENT REPLACEMENT IN LIMESTONE AND DOLOMITE. BLACKHAWK FAULT BELIEVED TO BE TRUNK CHANNEL FOR INTRODUCTION OF ORE SOLUTIONS IN CHC HILL MINES. ALTHOUGH PRINCETON FAULT WAS EARLY BREAK, IT APPARENTLY HAD NO MINERALIZING INFLUENCE BUT SEPARATED BLOCKS THAT WERE LATER MINERALIZED THROUGH BLACKHAWK TRANSCURRENT FAULT (EXTENSIVE DEPOSITS CONTAINED IN PRINCETON'S FOOTWALL BLOCK.

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.

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.