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Rico Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Copper, Gold, Zinc
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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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101732
MRDS ID D008046
Record type Site
Current site name Rico Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.12671, 38.34334 (WGS84)
Elevation 3566
Relative position 17.5 MILES N02E FROM SAGUACHE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Saguache(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bonanza(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Saguache(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Luis(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Rio Grande 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 Saguache

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N 008E 07 SW OF SW NE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV. TAKEN FROM BURBANK'S (1932) PLATE 1 (SCALE 1:12000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ON NW SIDE OF ROUND MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stromeyerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Barite Gangue
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Early Barren Stage Of Alteration By Fumarolic Or Acid-Hot Spring Activity Resulted In Intense Silicification, Wallrock Replacement By Jasper And Alteration Products Hematite, Diaspore, Alunite, Barite, Zunyite, Rutile, And Kaolin Minerals. Later Mineralizing Stage By Alkaline Or Neutral Solutions Deposited Ore And Gangue And Caused Micaceous Alteration (Sericite And Chlorite) And Calcite, Quartz, And Pyrite.

Analytical data

Result ORE SHIPMENTS RANGED 30 TO 120 OZ/TON AG, L.T. 1 TO 5% PB, 2 TO 4% CU, 0.2 TO 0.6 OZ/TON AU. ONE 15-TON SHIPMENT CARRIED 4.9% PB, 4.25% CU, 63 OZ/TON AG, 0.6 OZ/TON AU

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Rawley Andesite
    Rock description Rawley Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Rawley Andesite
    Rock description Rawley Andesite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Range, San Juan Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Bonanza Caldera

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR
    Strike N45 TO 50E
    Dip 25 TO 30SE
    Thickness 0.61M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek) District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Comments on the workings information

  • 130-FT-LONG CROSSCUT TUNNEL WITH 300 FT OF DRIFT ON VEIN ON TUNNEL LEVEL. 70-FT WINZE SUNK ON TUNNEL LEVEL. INITIAL PORTAL HEADING N70E.

Comments on development

  • MINE HAS YIELDED ONLY SMALL SHIPMENTS OF ORE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PATTON, H.B., 1916, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA DISTRICT, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 9, 136 P.

  • Deposit

    BURBANK, W.S., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 169, 166 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE OCCURS AS SMALL LENSES AND POCKETS IN ARCUATE FAULT ZONE (ATTITUDE GIVEN ABOVE) CONCAVE TO SE AND FLATTENING WITH DEPTH. DECREASE IN FISSURE DIP AND NARROWNESS OF GOUGY SHEAR ZONE WERE NOT CONDUCIVE TO FORMATION OF WIDE OR CONTINUOUS ORE BODIES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1981 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.