Vulcan Mine

Past Producer in Gunnison county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Tellurium, Sulfur, Copper, Zinc, Antimony, Vanadium, Bismuth, Arsenic
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101796
MRDS ID D009439
Record type Site
Current site name Vulcan Mine
Alternate or previous names Vulcan
Related records 10288149

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.00506, 38.34333 (WGS84)
Elevation 2755
Relative position 14.4 MILES S 18 W FROM GUNNISON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Gunnison(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Powderhorn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gunnison(hydrologic unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic accounting unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Gunnison

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N 001W 07 N2 OF N2 OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • SE OF CAMP CREEK 0.2 MILE SE OF VULCAN, ABOUT 700 FT EAST OF MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)
  • ALONG DOUGLAS CREEK ON S SIDE OF DOUGLAS MT SOUTH TO GIRD CREEK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1971)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Tellurium Critical Primary
Sulfur Primary
Copper Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Vanadium Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • TETRADYMITE (BI2TE2S) WAS NOT DEFINITELY RECOGNIZED BUT INFERRED ON THE BASIS OF ANALYSES OF NATIVE TE, RICKARDITE, AND ARSENOPYRITE. VULCAN AND MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINES ARE TYPE LOCALITIES FOR RICKARDITE AND WEISSITE. PETZITE PROBABLY IS THE PRINCIPAL GOLD-BEARING MINERAL. THE NEW TELLURIDE, VULCANITE (CUTE), WAS IDENTIFIED CIRCA 1960. GOOD HOPE MINE IS ONLY COLORADO OCCURRENCE OF BERTHIERITE (FESB2S4). ROSCOELITE NOT DEFINITELY IDENTIFIED BUT INFERRED ON BASIS OF ASSOCIATION WITH TELLURIDES. ALL ORE MINERALS AND OTHER PERTINENT MINERALS LISTED FOR VULCAN MINE NOT VERIFIED BUT INCLUDED ON BASIS OF COMMON ASSOCIATION AND PROXIMITY TO MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Petzite Ore
Rickardite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Sulfur Ore
Sylvanite Ore
Tetradymite Ore
Jasper Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Roscoelite Gangue

Analytical data

Result 1929 ORE SHIPMENT FROM GOOD HOPE/VULCAN ASSAYED 2.34 OZ/TON AU, 6.04 OZ/TON AG, 1 % ZN, 4 % FE, 0.7 % S. CDM INSPECTORS REPT. (9/7/28) CITED ORE CONTAINING 0.5 OZ/TON AU, 6 OZ/TON AG, 7 % ZN, 3 % CU. SULFUR ORE CONTAINED 80 %

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Granite Of Tolvar Peak;Quartz Vein
    Rock description Granite Of Tolvar Peak;Quartz Vein
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock
    Rock unit name Dubois Greenstone (Felsite And Felsite Porphyry);Quartz Vein
    Rock description Dubois Greenstone (Felsite And Felsite Porphyry);Quartz Vein

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.00506, 38.34333

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gunnison Uplift; San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Gunnison Gold Belt

Ore body information

  • Thickness 7.62M

Comments on the geologic information

  • FROM CRETACEOUS-KOOTENAI FM TO DEVONIAN-JEFFERSON LIST ROCKS ARE FOUND IN THE DISTRICT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1897
Discoverer J. A. Himebaugh And Others (Claimants)
Year of first production 1898
Year of last production 1930

Mining district

District name Domingo (Vulcan) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Diamond C Mining And Milling Co.
    Home office Gunnison Co.
    First year 1937

Comments on the production information

  • SEE MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE RECORD FOR COMBINED GOOD HOPE/VULCAN PRODUCTION FIGURES. IN ADDITION TO MATTE SMELTER RECOVERY PROCESSING OF ORE AND DUMP MATERIAL, NELSON REPORTS TREATMENT OF MINE WATER LEACHED FROM OLD STOPES TO RECOVER CU BY PRECIPITATION ON SCRAP IRON.
  • USGS-USBM MINERAL YEARBOOKS

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 315.47M
    Overall depth 124.97M

Comments on the workings information

  • VULCAN SHAFT IS VERTICAL AND 410 FT DEEP WITH 500-FT DRIFT EXTENDING WESTERLY AT THE BOTTOM. SULPHUR SHAFT (IN WHICH SULFUR DEPOSIT DISCOVERED) IS 125 FT DEEP.

Comments on development

  • MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE AND VULCAN MINES ARE PRINCIPAL MINES IN DISTRICT, HAVING PRODUCED FROM 1898 TO 1904 AND INTERMITTENTLY THRU 1930. SULFUR WAS PRODUCED IN 1907. A 40-TON MATTE SMELTER WAS OPERATED ON SITE FOR A WHILE TO TREAT ORE. FROM 1916 TO 1926 GOOD HOPE MINE WAS OWNED BY GOOD HOPE MINING AND REDUCTION CO., WHOSE PRINCIPAL WAS ONE DR. WEISS (PRESUMABLY FOR WHOM THE TELLURIDE WEISSITE WAS NAMED). VULCAN PROPERTY WAS OWNED BY J.H. HIMEBAUGH. IN 1928 VULCAN, GOOD HOPE AND OTHER CLAIMS (HUMBOLDT, MS 16392; MILL SITE, MS 19920; WAR EAGLE, HUMMING BIRD, ROSE BUD, IRON CLAD, MS 10910) WERE CONSOLIDATED AND OPERATED BY VULCAN CONSOLIDATED MINES CORP. LAST REPORTED PRODUCTION WAS IN 1930, BUT ASSESSMENT WORK WAS CONDUCTED IN 1937 BY DIAMOND C MINING AND MILLING CO.
  • MINES: OMER EDGAR, NW IMPROVEMENT, GIRD CREEK, BARNS, BLUEBELL, DOUGLAS CREEK

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    OLSON, J. C., STEVEN, T. A., AND HEDLUND, D. C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPRING HILL CREEK QUADRANGLE, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-713

  • Deposit

    HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POWDERHORN QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1178

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 10909

  • Deposit

    SHARPS, T.I., 1965, SULFUR DEPOSITS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULL., V. 8, NO. 6 &&

  • Deposit

    COLO. DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPORTS AND INSPECTORS REPORTS. &&

  • Deposit

    NELSON, A.P., NO DATE , MINING DISTRICTS, PRODUCING MINES AND PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES (OF GUNNISON CO.): COLO. STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT. &&

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VULCAN CONSOLIDATED MINES CORP. PROPERTIES INCLUDED HUMBOLDT CLAIM (N2 NE SW SEC. 07; 38-20-34N, 107-00-41W); MILL SITE CLAIM (S2 SW NE SEC. 07; 38-20-39N, 107-00-20W); WAR EAGLE, HUMMING BIRD, ROSE BUD, AND IRON CLAD CLAIMS (S2 NE SEC. 07 AND W2 W2 SW NW SEC. 08; 38-20-52N, 107-00-02W) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit ALSO DESCRIBED AS A CHIMNEY, MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE/VULCAN DEPOSIT IS QUARTZ VEIN TRENDING N 87 W, 85 NE AND APPROX. PARALLEL TO FOLIATION OF ENCLOSING QUARTZ-CHLORITE AND QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST (IN FELSITE UNIT OF DUBOIS GREENSTONE). VEIN REPLACES SCHIST AND ORE GRADES INTO SCHIST WITHOUT SHARP CONTACT. AT DEPTH OF ABOUT 100 FT IN SULPHUR SHAFT IS A 12- TO 20-FT-THICK NATIVE SULFUR ZONE THAT GRADES DOWNWARD INTO LOOSE "QUICKSAND" IRON PYRITE, THENCE INTO SOLID MASSIVE PYRITE. FORMATION OF NATIVE SULFUR MAY HAVE RESULTED FROM DOWNWARD DESULFURIZATION OR OXIDATION OF PYRITE OR BY PRECIPITATION FROM ASCENDING SULFURATED HYDROGEN GASES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1982 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.