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

Star of the West Mine

Past Producer in Costilla county in Colorado, United States with commodities Iron, Gold, Silver, Copper
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10017027
MRDS ID DC02744
Record type Site
Current site name Star of the West Mine
Alternate or previous names Ainsworth

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -105.27112, 37.61196 (WGS84)
Elevation 3085
Relative position 4 MILES N11E OF RUSSELL.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Costilla(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Russell(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Blanca Peak(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Trinidad(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alamosa-Trinchera(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Costilla

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 028S 070W 18 W2 OF SW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ALTHOUGH DISTRICT ACTUALLY IS IN UNSURVEYED PRIVATE LAND GRANT, SECTIONS REPORTED ARE BASED ON PATTON AND OTHERS' (1910) MAP RATHER THAN PROJECTIONS FROM ADJACENT QUADS. LAT-LONG AND ELEVATIONS DETERMINED FROM TOPO QUAD. MINE OR CLAIM LIES 0.3 MILE SW OF SUMMIT OF GRAYBACK MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary
Copper Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Limonite In Irregular Zone At Base Of Magnetite Ore; Some Copper Carbonate

Analytical data

Result AVERAGE OF FOUR ANALYSES ON ENTIRE IRON DEPOSIT YIELDED 53.78 % FE AND 0.931 % P. ASSAY OF 2- TO 6-INCH COPPER-STAINED STREAK RAN $9.92/TON AU AND $0.08/TON AG. ENTIRE IRON DEPOSIT ASSAYED $2.90/TON AU AND $0.10/TON AG. FIVE USBM ANALYSES YIELDED 59.23 % FE, 0.016 % P
Result 47.74 % FE, 0.008 %P
Result 57.50 % FE, 0.04 % P, 11.90 % SIO2, 3.90 % AL2O3, 0.20 % CAO, TRACE MGO, 4.20 % L.O.I.
Result 56.84 % FE, 0.045 % P, 8.60 % SIO2, 1.20 % AL2O3, 2.20 % CAO, 0.38 % MGO, 4.60 % L.O.I.
Result 67.30 % FE, 0.007 % P, 0.03 % S, 3.53 % SIO2, 0.11 % MN, 1.70 % AL2O3, 0.83 % CAO, 0.91 % MGO.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 62
USGS model code 18d
Deposit model name Skarn Fe

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Minturn Formation
    Rock description Minturn Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.27112, 37.61196
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sierra Blanca Massif, Ft. Garland Embayment
Type of structure Local
Structure description Vega Cr. Anticline, Wagon Mesa Fault

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N80E
    Dip 35 SE
    Thickness 2.44M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault, Igneous Intrusion

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: MAGNETITE AND HEMATITE REPLACING METAMORPHOSED LIMESTONES AT OR NEAR A CONTACT WITH MONZONITE PORPHYRY. BED 6-10 FT THICK, N80W 35S. BED 1-4 FT THICK, N80W 45S.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1877
Year of last production 1883

Mining district

District name Grayback (Russell) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Trinchera (Estate) ; Winfield Ripley
    First year 1910

Production statistics

  • Year 1909
    Period 1881 to 1883
    Material iron ore
    Ore mined 13250mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace deposit Silver Silver 1g/mt
    Trace deposit Gold Gold 3g/mt
    Major deposit Iron Iron 53.78

Comments on the production information

  • CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION FIGURE PROBABLY INCLUDES ORE FROM LOWER AND UPPER STAR OF THE WEST WORKINGS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit IRON ORE REPLACES CALCITE IN GARNETIFEROUS CONTACT-METAMORPHOSED LIMESTONE ALONG SOUTHWEST EDGE OF INTRUSION. TRANSITIONAL CONTACT OF ORE DOWNDIP INTO BARREN LIMESTONE. A 15-FT-THICK TACTITE OVERLIES THE ORE BED . ORE BODY LIES CLOSE TO MONZONITE INTRUSION, BUT NO CONTACT OBSERVED BECAUSE HIGH-ANGLE REVERSE FAULT TRENDING EAST-WEST AND DIPPING 70 S HAS OFFSET ORE. ORE ON FOOTWALL IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN UPTHROWN TO A POINT ABOVE GROUND SURFACE AND ERODED AWAY. 8 TO 10 FT OF DRAG ON ORE NOTED IN FAULT ZONE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1981 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-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.