Golconda Mine

Past Producer in Hinsdale county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Antimony
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 10014719
MRDS ID D011611
Record type Site
Current site name Golconda Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: New Brighton Mill Site, MS 673b, Thunderbolt Mill Site, MS 685b, Fort Donaldson, MS 1230, Bob Ingersoll, MS 16129, Dewey No. 2, MS 16374, Goodwin, MS 16754, Unpatented Claims: Golconda, Gold Pick, Colchis, Edward E. Yater, Grassey, Croesus, Gold Crescent, Midas, Golden Scepter, Jensen, Ensign, Payteller
Related records 10118240

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.54814, 37.95583 (WGS84)
Elevation 3773
Relative position 13.6 MILES S 68 W FROM LAKE CITY

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hinsdale(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Handies Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(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 Hinsdale

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 043N 006W 20,29,30 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • CLAIMS LIE ACROSS UPPER HURRICAN BASIN EAST OF SEIGAL MTN AND DENVER PASS. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PROBABLE MAIN CROSSCUT TUNNEL IN SE SEC. 29. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Apparent Supergene Oxidation Of Sulfides To Pyrargyrite And Argentite

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Biotite-Quartz Latite Of Burns Member Of Silverton Volcanics;Eureka Member Of Sapinero Mesa Tuff
    Rock description Biotite-Quartz Latite Of Burns Member Of Silverton Volcanics;Eureka Member Of Sapinero Mesa Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression
Type of structure Local
Structure description San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Eureka Graben

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne-Trending Fault Within Graben

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of last production 1919

Mining district

District name Galena (Henson Creek) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Golconda Mines
    Home office Silverton, Co.
    First year 1977

Production statistics

  • Year 1919
    Description Ap_Grade: ^7.34 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.946 Oz/Ton Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 27g/mt
    Major Ore Silver Silver 207g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR PRIOR YEARS. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1916-1918, 1921-1926, 1962-1964, 1966-1969.

Comments on the workings information

  • DEWEY TUNNEL DRIVEN 300 FT, DIRECTION AND EXTENT UNKNOWN; HURRICANE TUNNEL DRIVEN 800 FT, DIRECTION AND EXTENT UNKNOWN. GOLCONDA TUNNEL DRIVEN 1690 FT, PRESUMABLY SE; VEIN INTERSECTED AT 900 FT FROM PORTAL, WITH 3380 FT OF DRIFT AND 140-FT RAISE AT 885 FT. MAIN DRIFT WAS CONTINUED ABOUT 115 FT IN 1967-1969; NEW 150-FT CROSSCUT BEING DRIVEN IN 1977 TO INTERSECT OLD CROSSCUT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO USGS MAP I-962.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE SILVERTON QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 120, 34 P.

  • Deposit

    BROWN, W.H., 1926, THE MINERAL ZONES OF THE WHITE CROSS DISTRICT AND NEIGHBORING DEPOSITS IN HINSDALE COUNTY, COLORADO: MINES MAG., V. 15, NO. 11, P. 5-15.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 673B, 685B, 1230, 16129, 16374, 16754

  • Deposit

    LUEDKE, R.G., AND BURBANK, W.S., 1975, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE HANDIES PEAK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS OPEN-FILE REPT. 75-432.

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPT.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE DEVELOPED ON FAULT LYING TOWARD NW SIDE OF EUREKA GRABEN AND TRENDING GENERALLY N 45 E, DISPLACING (DOWNDROPPING) BURNS MBR QUARTZ LATITE ON SE AGAINST EUREKA MBR RHYOLITE ON NW. GENERAL PARAGENESIS IDENTIFIED BY BROWN (1926): (1) SPHALERITE; (2) GALENA AND CHALCOPYRITE; (3) LATE PYRITE. IN UPPER LEACHED OR OXIDIZED ORE, QUARTZ FORMED BY DEPOSITION FROM SOLUTION AND BY REPLACEMENT OF WALLROCK AND CONTAINS SPHALERITE THAT HAS PYRARGYRITE COATINGS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1984 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.