Alexite Manganese Mine

Past Producer in Gunnison county in Colorado, United States with commodity Manganese
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. Alteration
  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. Production statistics
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014561
MRDS ID D011386
Record type Site
Current site name Alexite Manganese Mine
Related records 10288522

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.06506, 38.23444 (WGS84)
Elevation 2786
Relative position 22.3 MILES S 20 W FROM GUNNISON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Gunnison(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rudolph Hill(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gunnison(hydrologic unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic accounting unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CO)

Bureau of Land Management CO BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Gunnison

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 046N 002W 14 SW OF SW OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ON NORTH SLOPE OF NE PROJECTION OF RUDOLPH HILL ABOUT 0.5 MILE SW OF ALEXITE'S POWDERHORN NO. 1 VERMICULITE MINE, 3.35 MILES SE OF POWDERHORN AND 1.4 MILES SW OF IRON HILL. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Wad Ore
Jasper Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Opal Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Fe And Mn

Analytical data

Result MUILENBURG (1919) CITES AVERAGE SAMPLE ASSAY OF 21.66% MN. 21.20% SIO2, 19.65% FE, 0.034% S, 0.147% P. ALEXITE'S STOCKPILED ORE CONTAINED 38% MN.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
    Rock unit name Jasper;Pyroxenite;Fine-To Medium-Grained Granite;Powderhorn Granite
    Rock description Jasper;Pyroxenite;Fine-To Medium-Grained Granite;Powderhorn Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.06506, 38.23444

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Iron Hill Alkalic Complex, Cimarron Fault, Powderhorn Stock, Unnamed Faults

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Extinct Hot Springs At Fault Intersection

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1943
Year of last production 1943

Mining district

District name White Earth (Powderhorn) District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Alexite Engineering Co.
    Home office Colorado Springs, Co.
    First year 1944

Production statistics

  • Year 1943
    Description Ap_Grade: ^38% Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Manganese Manganese 38wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PRESUMABLY 1943 WAS ONLY YEAR OF PRODUCTION. ORE WAS STOCKPILED AT SALIDA.

Comments on the workings information

  • 25-FT-DEEP SHAFT, TWO SHORT TUNNELS OF UNKNOWN EXTENT; OPEN CUTS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    OLSON, J.C., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RUDOLPH HILL QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON, HINSDALE, AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1177.

  • Deposit

    MUILENBURG, G.A., 1919, MANGANESE DEPOSITS OF COLORADO: CGS BULL. 15, P. 38-40.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

  • Deposit

    LA PLANTE, F.R., 1943, GUNNISON COUNTY ACTIVITIES: COLORADO MINING ASSOC. 1943 MINING YEARBOOK, P. 35-36. PROD

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPT. AND INF. REPT.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OLSON (1974) DESCRIBES JASPER VEIN AS CONTAING FE AND MN STAINS AND OPAL IN CAVITIES AND FRACTURES. AT THIS SITE, JASPER LIES ON TWO INTERSECTING FAULTS (TRENDING N 22 W AND N 2 W) AT INFERRED FAULT CONTACT OF FINE- TO MEDIUM-GRAINED GRANITE ON WEST WITH PYROXENITE AND POWDERHORN GRANITE ON EAST. SEVERAL SMALL JASPER BODIES ON WEST WALL OF MORE NORTH-TRENDING FAULT TREND GENERALLY N 65 W. JASPER THOUGHT TO BE SILICEOUS SINTER OF HOT SPRING ORIGIN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1984 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.