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Copper Hill Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Palladium
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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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10087912
MRDS ID D010812
MAS/MILS ID 80670064
Record type Site
Current site name Copper Hill Mine
Alternate or previous names Gold Eagle, Delaware Claims
Related records 10167021

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.07278, 37.40028 (WGS84)
Elevation 3042
Relative position 0.5 MI NORTHWEST OF LA PLATA; 13.5 MI N53W OF DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

La Plata(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle San Juan(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 036N 011W 4 SE4 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • UNSURVEYED. IN SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST. IN LA PLATA MOUNTAINS ON COPPER HILL, RIDGE BETWEEN BEDROCK AND BOREN CREEKS SOUTHWEST OF LA PLATA RIVER AND 0.5 MI WEST-NORTHWEST OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE
  • Deleted MAS record 0080670064 gave coordinates as 37-24-10, -108-43-30 with accuracy of 10 m to the main entrance. This is substantially different location. Someone should verify the correct coordinates.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Platinum Critical Secondary
Palladium Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Malachite Ore
Marcasite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Apatite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sanidine Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Extreme Potassic Metasomatism, Sericitized And Felspathized Porphyry. Fe Oxidation, Oxidation Of Cu Sulfide

Analytical data

Result PT=0.24, 0.14 OZ/TON (8.23, 4.8 PPM), PD=0.30, 0.12 OZ/TON (10.3, 4.1 PPM), CU=17.66, 13.1%, AU=0.04, 0.01 OZ/TON (1.37, 0.34 PPM), AG=1.21, 2.52 OZ/TON (41.5, 86.4 PPM) (2 CHALCOPYRITE SAMPLES, ECKEL). 370 PPB PT, 450 PPB PD (FROM MINE DUMP)
Result 1.87% CU, 0.49 OZ/TON AG (17 PPM), 0.005 OZ/TON PGM (170 PPB) (FROM AREA SURROUNDING GLORY HOLE)
Result 0.08% CU, 0.0034 OZ PT (120 PPB) (FROM TUNNEL). USBM SAMPLE FROM GLORY HOLE: 1.87% CU, 0.49 OZ/TON AG (17 PPM), 0.005 OZ/TON PT (170 PPB). ESTIMATED TENOR OF CRUDE ORE IN PLACE: 2-4% CU, 0.02-0.06 OZ/TON (0.7-2 PPM) PT, 0.02-0.04 (0.7-1.4 PPM) OZ/TON PD, 0.14-0.76 (4.8-26 PPM) OZ/TON AG

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Syenite
    Rock unit name Granitic Rocks;Allard Stock
    Rock description Granitic Rocks;Allard Stock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Cutler Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.07278, 37.40028
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Short Discontinuous Faults Of Small Displacement, Intense Late-Stage Fracturing. La Plata Dome >15 Mi Diameter
Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift. Four Corners Platform. Northeast-Trending Fracture Zone

Ore body information

  • General form POD, VEINS, DISSEMINATED GRAINS
    Thickness 15.24M
    Length 24.38M
    Width 18.29M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Deposit Is Near Border Of Syenite Stock. Intense Late-Stage Fracturing And Metamorphosed Clastic Rocks Near Intrusion.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1902
Year of first production 1911
Year of last production 1917
Production years 1911-1914, 1917

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner La Plata Mines Co.
    First year 1932

Production statistics

  • Year 1913
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.9% Cu, 1.25 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 35g/mt
    Minor Copper Copper 3wt-pct
  • Year 1913
    Material ORE CU AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^4.1% Cu, 1.83 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 52g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 4wt-pct
  • Year 1917
    Period 1911-1917
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.19 Oz/Ton (6.5 Ppm)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 5g/mt
  • Year 1917
    Period 1911-1917
    Material AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.025 Oz/Ton (860 Ppb)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 1g/mt
  • Year 1917
    Period 1911-1917
    Material ORE CU AG
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4.8% Cu, 1.97 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 56g/mt
    Minor Ore Copper Copper 5wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • NO PRODUCTION RECORDED FOR 1915-1916 AND AFTER 1917

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • REMAINING ORE MUCH LOWER GRADE THAN THAT ALREADY MINED. VALUES FALL OFF SHARPLY AWAY FROM GLORY HOLE. MERTIE (1969) INDICATES NO POTENTIAL FOR PGE

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 394.72M
    Overall depth 15.24M
    Overall length 22.86M
    Overall width 15.24M

Comments on the workings information

  • PLAN OF TUNNELS AND GLORY HOLE OF COPPER HILL MINE IN ECKEL, P. 105. UPPER TUNNEL DRIVEN S55E FOR 100 FT TO GLORY HOLE, WITH BRANCH TUNNELS AGGREGATING 735 FT. LOWER TUNNEL LOCATED 410 FT SW OF UPPER PORTAL AND DRIVEN N75E FOR 280 FT, THEN 260 FT AT N5E TO GLORY HOLE

Comments on development

  • UNPATENTED CLAIMS STAKED NEAR MINE AS EARLY AS 1902. MINE WORKED BY COPPER HILL MINING CO. IN 1911-1917. LA PLATA MINES CO. TOOK CONTROL BETWEEN 1927 AND 1932, DID DEVELOPMENT WORK BUT PRODUCED NO ORE. MOST OF THE PRODUCTION WAS FROM THE GLORY HOLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit STOCKWORK CHALCOPYRITE VEINLETS ARE UP TO 2 IN. WIDE. PERIPHERAL TO STOCKWORK ARE QUARTZ-PYRITE-FLUORITE-TELLURIDE VEINS. DEPOSIT IS ON NORTHEAST BORDER OF STOCK. SYENITE STOCK FROM GIBBS PEAK TO COPPER HILL INTRUDED, METAMORPHOSED, AND PARTLY REPLACED CUTLER FM. CLASTIC ROCKS. IRREGULAR GRAINS AND MASSES OF CHALCOPYIRTE ARE DISSEMINATED IN METAMORPHIC ROCK, WHICH IS CUT BY CLOSELY SPACED NORTH- TO NE-TRENDING VEINLETS OF CHALCOPYRITE, HEMATITE, MAGNETITE, AND PYRITE, SLIGHTLY OXIDIZED. BETTER ORE FOUND IN ZONE OF INTENSE FRACTURING WHERE COUNTRY ROCK WAS REPLACED BY ORTHOCLASE. EXACT NATURE OF PGE IS UNCERTAIN - COULD OCCUR AS DISCRETE PARTICLES IN CHALCOPYRITE OR IN SOLID SOLUTION; UNPUBLISHED MODEL NAME: SYENITE-HOSTED CU-AG-PGE.
Deposit PT MAY BE PRESENT ELSEWHERE IN THE DISTRICT BUT HAS BEEN FOUND ONLY AT COPPER HILL THUS FAR
Deposit RECORD D003065 HAS BEEN MERGED AND DELETED.
Deposit A FEW TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF COPPER ORE CONTAINING GOLD, SILVER, AND PLATINUM GROUP ELEMENTS. ORE HOSTED NEAR PERIPHERY OF SYENITE STOCK. IRREGULAR CHIMNEY OF HIGH- GRADE ORE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 1975-02-01 Blair, Will N. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 1978-01-01 Hasler, J. William U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 1983-08-01 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 1989-12-01 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 2012-11-20 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey merged and deleted duplicate record 10167021,
Reporter 1992-07-21 Intermountain Field Operations Center U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0080670064 = 10167021

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.