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Mendota Mine (Victoria Tunnel)

Past Producer in Clear Creek county in Colorado, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Silver, Gold, Copper
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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. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10017218
MRDS ID DC03090
Record type Site
Current site name Mendota Mine (Victoria Tunnel)
Alternate or previous names Mendota-Frostberg, Mendota-Smuggler, Mendota-Apex Shaft
Related records 10287726

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-105.73616, 39.69971 (WGS84) ON SHERMAN MT., N. OF W. LIMIT OF SILVER PLUME
(click for info)
-105.73699, 39.69666 (WGS84) 10 ON SHERMAN MT., N. OF W. LIMIT OF SILVER PLUME

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Clear Creek(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Georgetown(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Denver West(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Denver(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Clear(hydrologic unit)

South Platte(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Platte(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Clear Creek

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 04S 75W 13 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • The Mendota Mine (Victoria Tunnel) is at the west end of Silver Plume, at highway level, in the SE/4 SW/4 sec. 13, T 4 S, R 75 W.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Although early production was valued mostly for silver and lead, zinc values would be predominant in the ore today.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) silicification, sericitization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Idaho Springs Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Idaho Springs Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Silver Plume Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesoproterozoic

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description granite wall rock and vein intersections are favorable

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Changes In Strike And Dip. Granite Wall Rock Favorable, Schist Unfavorable.

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: FISSURE VEINS, STRIKE NNE TO NEARLY EAST, DIP STEEPLY TO SOUTH WITH LOCAL REVERSING TO NORTH. VEINS ARE FILLED WITH COARSELY CRYSTALLINE BANDED QUARTZ AND SULFIDES.
  • 5 major sulfide veins: Mendota-Smuggler, Tishomingo, Silver Cloud, North Frostberg-Terrible, and S. Frostberg. Appear to be extensional fracture-filling in nature. Sunshine geologist predicted that this would be primarily a Zn mine at depth as Ag values drop off to <4 opt.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Georgetown-Silver Plume District

Comments on the production information

  • Probably several million dollars from the Terrible vein group, including the Mendota.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • A 1980 report estimated 650,000 tons of possible ore (projected to 300' below old mine workings). (Sunshine files)

Comments on the workings information

  • Extensive workings include the main haulage adit (Victoria tunnel) (1850 feet long), and at least 8 levels above and 4 levels below that level.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USBM MINERAL EXAM. FILE, DENVER

  • Deposit

    CONSV. DIV. COMP. DATE, 6,63

  • Deposit

    Spurr, J. E., Garrey, G. H., and Ball, S. H., 1908, Economic geology of the Georgetown quadrangle, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 63, 422 p.

  • Deposit

    Sunshine Mining Co. Colorado exploration files, unpublished data, Colorado Geological Survey.

  • Deposit

    Lovering, T. S., and Goddard, E. N., 1950, Geology and ore deposits of the Front Range, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 223, 319 p.

  • Deposit

    REF: REF: MINE MAP REPO. # 402390, MMR #405009,USGS CRIB

  • Deposit

    REF:CBM ANNUAL REPORT 1920 OWN/OP:WASATCH COLORADO MINING CO

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-73 Conservation Division Files U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-74 Unknown U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 17-NOV-83 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 12-JAN-06 Beach, Richard A. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-07 Melton, Greg U.S. 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.