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Morning Star Mine

Past Producer in San Miguel county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper, 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. 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 10014220
MRDS ID D010893
Record type Site
Current site name Morning Star Mine
Related records 10264456

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.94954, 37.86389 (WGS84)
Elevation 3121
Relative position 9.0 MILES S 56 W FROM TELLURIDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Miguel(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Wilson(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Miguel(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Lizard Head Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado San Miguel

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 042N 010W 34,35 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • UNPATENTED CLAIMS LIE ACROSS BILK CREEK AND EXTEND TO NORTH SLOPE OF SUNSHINE MTN 2 MILES ENE OF WILSON PEAK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR LOWER PORTAL ON WEST SIDE OF BILK CREEK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Copper Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

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

Analytical data

Result BROMFIELD AND OTHERS' (1972) FIRE ASSAY OF CHIP SAMPLE FROM VEIN IN SHORT BRANCH DRIFT CONTAINED 0.04 OZ/TON AU, 2.10 OZ/TON AG, 0.01% CU, 0.36% PB, AND 0.52% ZN
Result SAMPLE FROM FACE OF VEIN CONTAINED 0.46 OZ/TON AU, 9.28 OZ/TON AG, 0.32% CU, 11.54% PB, AND 0.72% ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF TWO SAMPLES FROM CAVED ADIT CONTAINED 10% FE, 0.07% MG, 0.15% CA, 0.015 AND 0.03% TI, 300 AND GT 5000 PPM MN, 150 AND 300 PPM AG, 2000 AND 7000 PPM AS, 15 PPM B, 20 AND 150 PPM BA, LT 10 PPM BI, LT 20 AND 300 PPM CD, 5 AND 10 PPM CO, LT 5 PPM CR, 700 AND 1500 PPM CU, 15 PPM MO, 5 AND 15 PPM NI, 2000 AND 3000 PPM PB, 700 AND 3000 PPM SB, LT 10 AND 10 PPM SN, LT 100 PPM SR, 10 AND 30 PPM V, 1500 AND GT 10000 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSES, 0.3 AND 1 PPM AU, 120 AND 190 PPM AG, 950 AND 1400 PPM CU, 15000 AND 18000 PPM PB, 6000 AND 13000 PPM ZN.

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 Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Wilson Peak Stock--Microgranogabbro;Ames Pluton--Granodiorite Porphyry
    Rock description Wilson Peak Stock--Microgranogabbro;Ames Pluton--Granodiorite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.94954, 37.86389
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Paradox Basin, San Miguel Mtns
Type of structure Local
Structure description Wilson Peak Stock, Ames Pluton

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Generally East-West-Trending Fissure Cutting Intrusive Rocks

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1878
Year of last production 1952

Mining district

District name Mount Wilson District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Gold Leaf Mining Co.
    Home office Grand Junction, Co.
    First year 1972
  • Type Owner
    Owner Phillip Klingensmith
    Home office Grand Junction, Co.
    First year 1972

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1904, BUT TOTAL PRODUCTION CONSIDERED SMALL. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1906, 1910-1911, 1915-1951, AND AFTER 1952.

Comments on the workings information

  • BROMFIELD AND OTHERS (1972) DESCRIBE WORKINGS AS FOUR TUNNELS: LOWEST (FOURTH), THIRD IS 125 FT HIGHER, SECOND IS 45 FT HIGHER, FIRST IS 65 FT HIGHER. CDM REPORTS CITE WORKINGS AS FIVE TUNNELS: 1700 FT LONG (PRESUMED LOWEST), 600 FT AND THREE TUNNELS EACH ABOUT 100 FT LONG. NEW TUNNEL BELOW NO. 3 BEING DRIVEN 150 FT TO VEIN WITH 450 FT OF DRIFT.

Comments on development

  • CDM REPORTS CITE CLAIM GROUP LOCATED IN 1878 AND PRODUCED TO 1903. MOST PRODUCTIVE PERIOD WAS 1904-1914. EXCEPT FOR SMALL PRODUCTION IN 1952, MINE INACTIVE, BUT WITH SOME EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN 1964-1971.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BROMFIELD, C.S., AND OTHERS, 1972, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE WILSON MOUNTAINS PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1353-A, P. 46-47, 66-67.

  • Deposit

    BROMFIELD, C.S., 1967, GEOLOGY OF THE MOUNT WILSON QUADRANGLE, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1227, P. 88-89.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

  • Production

    BROMFIELD, 1967 (AS COMPILED FROM USBM RECORDS)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MICROGRANOGABBRO AND GRANODIORITE LIE IN CONTACT WITH GRANODIORITE PORPHYRY OF AMES PLUTON ON NE EXTENSION OF WILSON PEAK STOCK. MORNING STAR VEIN OCCUPIES FISSURE TRENDING N 75 TO 90 W, AVERAGING ABOUT N 85 W, AND DIPPING 80 TO 90 NORTH. VEIN CUTS ALL THREE INTRUSIVE ROCKS, BUT WORKINGS CUT ONLY MICROGRANOGABBRO AND GRANODIORITE PORPHYRY. PARALLEL VEIN DIPPING 75 NORTH LIES 150 FT SOUTH OF MORNING STAR.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-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.