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

Tomahawk Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Tellurium, Uranium, Manganese, 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. 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 10014193
MRDS ID D010860
Record type Site
Current site name Tomahawk Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Little Kate, MS 8964, Little Jane, MS 12239, Ground Hog, MS 12901, Trail, MS 12901, Klondike, MS 12901, Ben Hill, MS 12918, Surprise, MS 12918, Clydesdale, MS 12967, Side Cut, MS 13607, Bluff, MS 13607, Castaway, MS 13607, Columbine, MS 13611, Tomahawk No. 1, MS 18533a, Tomahawk No. 2, MS 18533a, Excelsior, MS 18533a, Tomahawk Mill Site, MS 18533b, American Eagle, MS 18711, Unpatented Claims: Mile Hi Uranium Nos. 1-4, Basin Creek Uranium Nos. 1-2
Related records 10190947

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.05648, 37.43001 (WGS84)
Elevation 3280
Relative position 14.2 MILES N 54 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 037N 011W 26,27 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON SOUTH SLOPE OF DIORITE PEAK ALONG AND NE OF BASIN CREEK IN TOMAHAWK BASIN, 2.15 MILES NNE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result MCCAUSLAND'S (1936) TABULATED ASSAYS: LITTLE JANE HIGH-GRADE QUARTZ, 21.86 OZ/TON AU AND 12.8 OZ/TON AG
Result LITTLE JANE ORE NEAR K.P. SHAFT, 0.50 OZ/TON AU AND 1 OZ/TON AG
Result CLYDESDALE VEIN PYRITIC ORE, 2.1 OZ/TON AU AND 1.4 OZ/TON AG. SMELTER RETURNS FROM TOMAHAWK ORE: 942 LB (NOV. 1922), 0.84 OZ/TON AU, 23.7 OZ/TON AG, 2.6% CU, 1.6% ZN
Result 968 LB (AUG. 1923), 8.95 OZ/TON AU, 19.3 OZ/TON AG, 2% ZN
Result 22828 LB (AUG. 1923), 2.35 OZ/TON AU, 8.9 OZ/TON AG, 1.5% CU, 1.3% ZN
Result 28750 LB (NOV. 1923), 1.81 OZ/TON AU, 7.3 OZ/TON AG, 1.5% CU, 2% ZN
Result 22296 LB (NOV. 1923), 0.92 OZ/TON AU, 5.6 OZ/TON AG, 2% ZN
Result 17148 LB (DEC. 1925), 1.7 OZ/TON AU, 7.3 OZ/TON AG, 1.8% CU, 1.8% ZN
Result 33740 LB (SEP. 1934), 1.71 OZ/TON AU, 11.9 OZ/TON AG, 1.8% CU, 1.4% ZN, 0.6% MN. NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS (1978) REPORT CHANNEL SAMPLES CONTAINING 0.02 TO 0.38% U308.

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 Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite;Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite;Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite
    Rock description Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.05648, 37.43001
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

Ore body information

  • General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Thickness 3.05M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1892
Year of first production 1892
Year of last production 1934

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 George Strauss And Frank Head
    Home office Oklahoma
    First year 1934
  • Type Owner
    Owner Thomas Kelly (Estate)
    Home office Durango, Co.
    First year 1934

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNKNOWN FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1902, BUT PRODUCTION CONSIDERED SMALL. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1903-1906, 1910, 1912-1916, 1918, 1920-1921, 1923, 1927-1933, AND AFTER 1934. ESTIMATED AU AND AG FOR 1934 CALCULATED FROM REPORTED ORE TONNAGE AND GRADE (MCCAUSLAND, 1936).

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY TOMAHAWK, GROUND HOG, AND LITTLE JANE TUNNELS AND BY LITTLE KATE TUNNEL (SEE LITTLE KATE MINE RECORD FOR DESCRIPTION). TOMAHAWK CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN N 15 E FOR 1100 FT, WITH DRIFTS AT 970 FT FROM PORTAL DRIVEN N 78 E FOR 800 FT AND GENERALLY WEST FOR 1250 FT. GROUND HOG TUNNEL LOCATED 720 FT NW OF TOMAHAWK PORTAL, DRIVEN N 17 W FOR 215 FT, THENCE INTO DRIFT ON GROUND HOG VEIN AT VARIABLY N 16 TO 60 E FOR 420 FT TO CAVED AREA: RAISE ON SHORT SUBSIDIARY DRIFT AT 130 FT ALONG GROUND HOG DRIFT; AT 260 FT ON DRIFT, SECOND DRIFT DRIVEN ON CLYDESDALE VEIN VARIABLY N 83 E TO S 80 E FOR 300 FT, WITH 20-FT RAISE AT 35 FT AND 45-FT RAISE AT 120 FT ALONG CLYDESDALE DRIFT. LITTLE JANE TUNNEL LOCATED 1100 FT NNW OF TOMAHAWK PORTAL, DRIVEN N 71 E FOR 180 FT ALONG LITTLE JANE VEIN TO FACE. SURPRISE TUNNEL LOCATED 1300 FT NNW OF TOMAHAWK PORTAL, DRIVEN N 42 E FOR 90 FT ON SURPRISE VEIN TO FACE. SEVERAL OTHER SHORT TUNNELS AND OPEN CUTS.

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT LOCATED IN EARLY 1890S BY AUGUST EKBURG; FIRST LOCATION WAS LITTLE KATE. TOMAHAWK MINING CO. ORGANIZED IN 1904, CONSOLIDATED MINING CLAIMS, BUILT 20-STAMP MILL TO WORK UNSHIPPABLE LOW-GRADE ORES, BUT MILL WAS NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL. CYANIDIZATION NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL DUE TO COMPLEXITY OF LITTLE-KNOWN TELLURIDE ORES. PROPERTY IDLED IN 1911, BUT WORKED INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1911 TO 1934.

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. 73-76, 169-171, PL. 29.

  • Deposit

    BECKER, C.M., 1934, REPORT ON THE TOMAHAWK AND BLACK DIAMOND PROPERTIES, SAN JUAN DISTRICT, LA PLATA, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 5 P.

  • Deposit

    MCCAUSLAND, ROSS, 1936, TOMAHAWK-BLACK DIAMOND MINES, DURANGO, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 22 P.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 8964, 12239, 12901, 12918, 12967, 13607, 13611, 18533A&B, 18711

  • Deposit

    NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 206.

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 169 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS); MCCAUSLAND, 1936 (FIGURES FOR 1934)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND BY DIORITE OF DIORITE PEAK STOCK. TWO SETS OF VERTICAL MINERALIZED FRACTURES CUT DIORITE AND TREND APPROX EAST-WEST (TOMAHAWK, CLYDESDALE) AND NE-SW (SURPRISE, GROUND HOG, LITTLE JANE, CASTAWAY, NIGHT WATCH). FISSURES RANGE FROM 0.25 TO 10 FT WIDE, AVERAGING 3 TO 4 FT, AND SHOWING TENDENCY TO PINCH AND SWELL WITHIN SHORT DISTANCES AND SPLIT OFF INTO WALLS. THOSE CUTTING DIORITE CHARACTERIZED BY SILICIFIED CENTRAL PARTS FLANKED BY SOFT ALTERED WALLROCK. INTERSECTION OF LITTLE JANE AND GROUND HOG VEINS FORMED SMALL BUT HIGH-GRADE CHIMNEY DEPOSIT.
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY 1890S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. (Hasler, J. William) 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.