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Bird Mine

Producer in Brewster county in Texas, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  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 10085707
MRDS ID W701337
Record type Site
Current site name Bird Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -103.51686, 30.3427 (WGS84)
Relative position 8 MI (13 KM) E OF ALPINE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Brewster(county)

Texas(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bird Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Alpine(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Fort Stockton(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Coyanosa-Hackberry Draws(hydrologic unit)

Lower Pecos(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Pecos(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Texas Brewster

Comments on the location information

  • IN SECTION 56, BLOCK 300, GULF, COLORADO AND SANTA FE RR SURVEY. PROPERTY CONSISTS OF 3 PATENTED AND 13 LOCATED CLAIMS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Molybdenum Primary
Copper Primary
Zinc Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Goethite Ore
Hematite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Kaolinitization, Sericitization, Local Chloritization, Silicification (Jasperoid Formation), Iron And Manganese Oxide Gossans

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Syenite
    Rock unit name Intrusive Breccia
    Rock description Intrusive Breccia
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pleistocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Capitan Formation
    Rock description Capitan Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -103.51686, 30.3427
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Localized By E-W Faults Intruded By Altered Dikes That Intersect Solution Channels Developed Along N-S Fractures.

Comments on the geologic information

  • DRACO MINES HAS EXPLORED FOR PORPHYRY-TYPE MOLYBDENUM MINERALIZATION AT BOTH THE NORTHERN AND THE SOUTHERN BRECCIA PIPES. NOTED THAT THE ORES WERE RICH IN LEAD AND SILVER AND CONTAINED SOME ZINC, ARSENIC, AND ANTIMONY. SOME ORE OCCURRED IN IGNEOUS BRECCIA. NOTED OCCURRENCES OF HYDROTHERMAL MINERALIZATION IN BRECCIAS ALONG A 1-MI (2 KM) TREND SOUTH OF THE BIRD MINE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1885
Discoverer J.C. Bird

Mining district

District name Altuda Area

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Bird Mining Co.
    First year 1942

Production statistics

  • Year 1942
    Period 1942
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^31.9% Pb, 26.5 Opt Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Silver Silver 748g/mt
    Ore Lead Lead 32wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ESTIMATED TOTAL PRODUCTION OF 600 TONS; IN 1942, ORE GRADED 18.6 TO 31.2 OZ GOLD/TON AND 22.4 TO 37.7% LEAD.

Comments on the workings information

  • SOUTH WORKINGS: DISCOVERY (1885) SHAFT AND DRIFTS; ADIT CONNECTING WITH A SHAFT WITH A MORE RECENT 78 FT WINZE INCLINED 78 DEG TO SOUTH; ANOTHER ADIT DRIVEN 120 FT SOUTHWARD ON A 30 FT WIDE GOSSAN TRACABLE 700 FT ON SURFACE. NORTH WORKINGS: A 325 FT ADIT WITH AIR SHAFT, RAISES, WINZES, CROSS-CUTS AND STOPES; A 58 FT DEEP PROSPECT SHAFT IN MN OXIDES.

Comments on development

  • WORKED INTERMITTENTLY 1885 TO 1942; LEASED 1927 TO CECEIL SMITH. ACQUIRED 1/1941 BY J.R. HIBBS WHO OPERATED MINE TO 9/1941 WHEN BIRD MINING CO. WAS FORMED. PROPERTY EXPLORED BY DRILLING FROM ABOUT 1978 TO 1980.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PRICE, J. G., HENRY, C. D., AND STANDEN, A. R., 1983, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL DEPOSITS IN TRANS-PECOS TEXAS: BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY (TEXAS), MINERAL RESOURCE CIRCULAR NO. 73, 108 P.

  • Deposit

    UNIV TEX PUB 4301 P. 31-33.

  • Deposit

    EVANS (1975) TXBEG MRC-56

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    ITEM 1 AND 2: UNIV TEX PUB 4301, P. 31; ITEM 3: EVANS (1975)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NEAR-SURFACE REPLACEMENT BODIES IN LIMESTONE; DEEPER PORPHYRY-TYPE MINERALIZATION IN BRECCIA PIPE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1990 Paidakovich, Matthew E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1992 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site