Emerald Lake Mine

Occurrence in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10087899
MRDS ID D010705
Record type Site
Current site name Emerald Lake Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Emerald Lake Nos. 1-5, MS 14476a, Emerald Lake Mill Site, MS 14476b

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.66897, 37.59279 (WGS84)
Elevation 3450
Relative position 14.7 MILES S 1 W FROM SILVERTON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mountain View Crest(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Animas(hydrologic unit)

Upper San Juan(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Juan(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

San Juan National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Weminuche Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 039N;038N 007W;007W 31;05,06 S2 OF SE (31); W2 OF NE (05); NE (06) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). NE OF MOUNTAIN VIEW CREST ON NW SIDE OF EMERALD LAKE ONE MILE UP UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF NEEDLE CREEK AND 3.65 MILES WSW OF COLUMBINE PASS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE MINERALS LISTED BASED ON LIST FOR DISTRICT. STEVEN AND OTHERS (1969) ALSO NOTED OXIDIZED SULFIDES. OCCURRENCE OF NATIVE ORES AND OTHER AG AND CU SULFIDES IS UNVERIFIED.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Sulfide Minerals

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1969) ASSAYS OF TWO CHIP SAMPLES FROM FACE OF UPPER ADIT SHOWED 0.01 AND 0.02 OZ/TON AU, 0.72 AND 4.12 OZ/TON AG, TRACE TO 0.02% CU, 0.21% PB, TRACE ZN. DUMP AT MIDDLE TUNNEL ASSAYED 0.04 OZ/TON AU, 2.02 OZ/TON AG, 0.06% CU. DUMP AT LOWER TUNNEL ASSAYED 0.01 OZ/TON AU, 0.27 OZ/TON AG, 0.01% CU. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF THREE SAMPLES OF PYRITE-BEARING VEIN MATERIAL SHOWED 150 TO 1000 PPM TI, 20 TO 300 PPM MN, 0.7 TO 20 PPM AG, LT 200 TO 2000 PPM AS, 150 TO 300 PPM BA, LT 10 PPM BI, LT 20 PPM CD, LT 5 TO 10 PPM CR, 7 TO 30 PPM CU, LT 5 TO 30 PPM MO, 10 TO 30 PPM PB, LT 100 TO 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 PPM SR, 15 TO 20 PPM V, LT 50 PPM W, LT 200 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSIS SHOWED LT 0.02 TO 1.4 PPM AU, 13 TO 19 PPM CU, LT 25 TO 48 PPM PB, LT 25 TO 44 PPM ZN, 4 TO 30 PPM SB.

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 Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
    Rock description Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Irving Formation
    Rock description Irving Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.66897, 37.59279

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, San Juan Basin, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Needle Mtns Uplift, Eolus Batholith, Chicago Basin Stock, Trimble Stock

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1.83M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1901
Discoverer Ephraim Lissner (Claimant)

Mining district

District name Needle Mountain (Tacoma, Florida, Vallecito) District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name San Juan N. F.

Comments on the workings information

  • THREE CROSSCUT (?) TUNNELS 50, 300, AND 400 FT ABOVE LAKE AND CONTAINING ESTIMATED 300 TO 400 FT, 100 TO 125 FT, AND 50 TO 75 FT OF WORKINGS, RESPECTIVELY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SCHMITT, L.J., AND RAYMOND, W.H., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS DISTRICT, SOUTH-WESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1434, 40 P.

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 30-32, 55-67, 109, 166-167.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS FOLIO 131.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS 14476A&B

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUARTZ VEIN TRENDS N 40 W, 70 SW AND CONTAINS SPARSE SULFIDES AND OXIDIZED SULFIDES. DEPOSIT COULD BE REPLACEMENT TYPE IN SHEETED ZONE WITHIN METAMORPHICS, AS DESCRIBED BY CROSS AND OTHERS (1905).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1983 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.