Dix and Cimarron Chief Groups

Occurrence in Hinsdale county in Colorado, United States with commodities Molybdenum, Silver, Gold, Lead, Bismuth
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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Controls for ore emplacement
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Land status
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014728
MRDS ID D011627
Record type Site
Current site name Dix and Cimarron Chief Groups

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.50258, 38.06694 (WGS84)
Elevation 3804
Relative position 10.5 MILES N 76 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

Wetterhorn Peak(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

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

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Uncompahgre Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Hinsdale

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 044N 006W 01,02,03,08,09,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,21,22,23 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ALTHOUGH TOTAL EXTENT OF DIX (190 UNPATENTED CLAIMS) AND CIMARRON CHIEF (50 UNPATENTED CLAIMS) GROUPS IS UNCERTAIN, THEY APPARENTLY COVER GENERAL AREA OF MATTERHORN PEAK, EXTENDING ABOUT TWO MILES TO NORTH, TO UNCOMPAHGRE PEAK ON EAST, TO COXCOMB PEAK ON WEST, AND TO UPPER MATTERHORN CREEK ON SOUTH. CLAIMS EXTEND EAST ONTO UNCOMPAHGRE PEAK (1963) QUAD. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PROSPECT TRENCH NEAR HEAD OF EAST FORK CIMARRON RIVER ON NORTH SIDE OF SADDLE BETWEEN WETTERHORN AND MATTERHORN PEAKS, FROM WHICH ANOAMLOUS MO WAS REPORTED IN GEOCHEMICAL SAMPLE, IN NE SEC. 15 (UNSURVEYED). LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 7-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH USFS LAND OWNERSHIP BOUNDARIES, 1:126,720 SCALE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Molybdenum Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Secondary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • COMMODITIES LISTED ABOVE OCCUR AS GEOCHEMICAL ANOMALIES

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1977) SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES.
Result CHIP, GRAB, AND SPECIMEN SAMPLES FROM THREE TRENCHES ALONG EAST FORK CIMARRON RIVER ABOUT 2000 FT NNW OF LOCATED PROSPECT: GT 5% AL, 0.06 TO 0.1% CA, 4 TO 5% FE, 0.8 TO 2% MG, 0.03 TO 0.05% MN, 0.2 TO 0.4% TI, LT 100 PPM B, 100 PPM CR, 40 TO 100 PPM CU, LT 20 PPM MO, 100 TO 400 PPM PB, LT 1000 PPM SR, 100 TO 200 PPM ZR, TRACE AU, 0.1 OZ/TON AG.
Result CHIP SAMPLE FROM VEIN IN SHAFT ALONG PACK TRAIL ON NORTH SIDE OF EAST FORK 0.75 MILE NE OF LOCATED PROSPECT: GT 5% AL, 0.1% CA, 4% FE, 0.8% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.4% TI, 100 PPM CR, 60 PPM CU, LT 20 PPM MO, 100 PPM PB, 100 PPM ZR, 0.1 OZ/TON AG.
Result CHIP SAMPLE FROM PIT WALL AT PROSPECT ON UNNAMED NW TRIBUTARY OF EAST FORK 0.7 MILE NNE OF LOCATED PROSPECT: GT 5% AL, 0.03% CA, 3% FE, 0.2% MG, 0.03% MN, 0.4% TI, 100 PPM CR, 40 PPM CU, LT 20 PPM MO, 700 PPM PB, 1000 PPM SR, 300 PPM ZR, TRACE AU, 0.1 OZ/TON AG.
Result TWO CHIP SAMPLES FROM PROSPECT PIT AT HEAD OF UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF MIDDLE FORK CIMARRON RIVER 1.2 MILE NNW OF LOCATED PROSPECT: 1 AND 4% AL, 0.03% CA, 4 AND 1% FE, LT 0.004% MG, 0.03 AND 0.01% MN, 0.2 AND 0.1% TI, 0 AND 100 PPM B, 4000 AND 0 PPM BA, 0.04% AND 100 PPM BI, 500 AND 100 PPM CR, 80 AND 40 PPM CU, LT 20 PPM AND 0 MO, 700 PPM PB, 1000 AND LT 1000 PPM SR, 70 PPM ZR, 0.04 AND 0.02 OZ/TON AU, 9.6 AND 1.2 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAYS)
Result CHIP SAMPLE FROM TRENCH WALL OF LOCATED PROSPECT: GT 5% AL, 0.06% CA, 1.0% FE, 0.05% MG, 0.006% MN, 0.2% TI, 100 PPM CR, 40 PPM CU, 60 PPM MO, 500 PPM PB, 100 PPM ZR.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Early Intermediate-Composition Lavas And Related Rocks--Lava Flows;Intrusive Rocks--Monzonite;Intrusive Rocks--Monzonite Porphyry;Intrusive Rocks--Andesite And Rhyodacite Porphyries
    Rock description Early Intermediate-Composition Lavas And Related Rocks--Lava Flows;Intrusive Rocks--Monzonite;Intrusive Rocks--Monzonite Porphyry;Intrusive Rocks--Andesite And Rhyodacite Porphyries
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyodacite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Early Intermediate Composition Lavas And Related Rocks--Cone Breccias
    Rock description Early Intermediate Composition Lavas And Related Rocks--Cone Breccias
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyodacite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) Glacial drift

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, Matterhorn Peak Stock

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Precaldera Composite Intrusion With Radiating Dikes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Matterhorn Peak Area

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Comments on the workings information

  • SEVERAL TRENCHES AND SURFACE PROSPECT PITS; ONE SHALLOW SHAFT, DEPTH UNKNOWN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT LIES IN WIDESPREAD PRECALDERA SEQUENCE OF INTERBEDDED, HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED, INTERMEDIATE-COMPOSITION FLOWS AND BRECCIAS INTRUDED BY SMALL, COMPOSITE MONZONITE STOCK (NORTH SLOPE OF MATTERHORN PEAK) FROM WHICH ANDESITE/RHYODACITE PORPHYRY DIKES RADIATE TO NW, NORTH, AND NE. GEOCHEMICAL ANOMALIES FOUND INDICATE VEIN AND POSSIBLE DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION. HIGHER GRADE MINERALIZATION COULD EXIST AT DEPTH. ALTHOUGH LOCATED OUTSIDE UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA, STOCK COULD POSTDATE UNCOMPAHGRE COLLAPSE AND PREDATE LAKE CITY COLLAPSE. AGE DATE INDICATES CLOSER ASSOCIATION WITH LAKE CITY CYCLE.

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.

Authoritative Colorado resources

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