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Comstock Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Tellurium, Bismuth, Antimony
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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. 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 10014160
MRDS ID D010811
Record type Site
Current site name Comstock Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Comstock, MS 89, Comstock, MS 90a, Comstock Mill Site, MS 90b
Related records 10288475

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.07815, 37.37723 (WGS84)
Elevation 2780
Relative position 12.8 MILES N 59 W FROM DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

La Plata(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle 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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 036N 011W 16 W2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ALONG WEST SIDE OF LA PLATA RIVER AT ROOT CREEK CONFLUENCE, 1.7 MILES SW OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Amalgam Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

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 > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Cutler Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) Morrison, Wanakah, and Entrada Fms
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform
Type of structure Local
Structure description La Plata Dome, Parrott Fault System

Ore body information

  • Thickness 2.44M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1873
Discoverer A.K. Fleming
Year of first production 1875
Year of last production 1931

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Montonati Brothers
    Home office Durango, Co.
    First year 1962
  • Type Owner
    Owner George And Lewis Toll
    Home office Vista, Ca.
    First year 1962

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. PRODUCTION FROM 1870S TO 1885 UNKNOWN BUT CONSIDERED SMALL. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION SINCE 1904 INCLUDES 1904, 1910-1912, 1914, 1918, 1930-1931.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY TWO ADITS, VERTICAL SHAFT, AND FOUR LEVELS. ADIT LEVEL DRIVEN N 30 W FOR 260 FT, THENCE N 75 W FOR 45 FT TO VEIN, ON WHICH 70-FT DRIFT DRIVEN S 20 W AND 100-FT DRIFT DRIVEN N 20 E; 25-FT RAISE AT 80 FR ON NE DRIFT DRIVEN TO 92-FT LEVEL THAT EXTENDS NNW 110 FT TO SHAFT; SAME RAISE ALSO GOLES TO INTERMEDIATE (80-FT) LEVEL ABOVE 92-FT LEVEL BUT EXTENDING NORTH OR NNW ONLY 50 FT. 40-FT LEVEL ADIT (CAVED) DRIVEN ALONG VEIN S 12 W FOR 95 FT TO SHAFT, THENCE S 35 W FOR 150 FT.VERTICAL SHAFT IS 160 FT DEEP. 75-FT LEVEL DRIVEN 95-FT NNE FROM SHAFT; INTERMEDIATE UNDEVELOPED LEVEL DRIVEN 20 FT SSW AT 60 FT IN SHAFT.

Comments on development

  • VEIN DISCOVERED IN 1873 BY A.K. FLEMING, WHO ALONG WITH CAPTAIN JOHN MOSS AND HARRY LIGHTLNER STAKED NORTH AND SOUTH COMSTOCK CLAIMS IN 1874. CLAIMS SOLD IN 1875 TO TIRBIRCIO PARROTT. SHAFT AND THREE DRIFTS OPENED BY 1881, BUT MINE WAS INACTIVE FROM 1885 TO LATE 1890S. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION FROM 1904-1931. COMSTOCK CREDITED AS FIRST DISCOVERY IN DISTRICT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 69-70, 103-104, PL. 17.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 103 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF RELATIVELY UNMETAMORPHOSED CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND IRREGULAR DIKELIKE MASSES. COMSTOCK VEIN FOLLOWS FAULT TRENDING N 20 E, DIPPING STEEPLY SE, WITH SHARPLY DEFINED WALLS. IN UPPER WORKINGS, VEIN IS 1- TO 8-FT ZONE OF BRECCIATED AND SILICIFIED ROCK WITH 1- TO 18-INCH PAY STREAK NEAR FOOTWALL. VEIN NARROWS THROUGH SHALE BUT WIDENS WHEN TRAVERSING PORPHYRY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-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.