1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Valley Queen Mine

Past Producer in Conejos county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Antimony, Molybdenum
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  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 10101865
MRDS ID D010736
Record type Site
Current site name Valley Queen Mine
Alternate or previous names Valley Queen Group, Patented Claims: Valley Queen, MS 2371, Valley King, MS 7134, Unpatented Claims: Gold Wedge, Snowstorm, Chelan, Texas, Shasta, Ajax, Ajax Nos. 1-10, Platoro Tunnel, Platoro Tunnel Site
Related records 10166826

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.5381, 37.35419 (WGS84)
Elevation 3006
Relative position 1700 FT N 57 W FROM PLATORO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Conejos(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Platoro(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Antonito(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Conejos(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 Conejos

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 036N 004E 15,22 E2 OF SW (15); W2 OF NE (22) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • MINE LOCATED SOUTH OF CONEJOS RIVER ON NW SIDE OF TOWN. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SHAFT IN NE SE SW SEC. 15 (SECTIONS PROJECTED INTO UNSURVEYED AREA). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE MINERALS LISTED ABOVE ARE REPORTED FROM MAMMOTH-REVENUE MINE, AND ALTHOUGH NOT ALL ARE SPECIFICALLY NOTED AT OTHER MINES IN DISTRICT, THEY ARE GENERALLY APPLICABLE TO THEM (BIRD, 1973). ARSENOPYRITE REPORTED BY PATTON (1917) CITED FOR ENTIRE DISTRICT. PETZITE (TELLURIDE) REPORTED BY PATTON IN GILMORE AND PLATORO DISTRICTS WAS PROBABLY MISIDENTIFIED SULFIDE (BIRD, 1973). MINOR PRODUCTION OF CU AND PB UNCERTAIN DUE TO LACK OF OLDER PRODUCTION RECORDS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Covellite Ore
Digenite Ore
Electrum Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Marcasite Ore
Miargyrite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Polybasite Ore
Proustite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Zinkenite Ore
Anhydrite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chalcedony Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) All Wallrock Is Silicified To Some Extent Within Vein And Up To 6.5 Ft Into Footwall And Up To 16.5 Ft Into Hanging Wall. In Hanging Wall Zones, All Material Within 1.6 Ft Of Vein Is Completely Silicified. Sericite Progressivly Prominent At 1.6 To 6.5 Ft And Dominant From 6.5 To 26 Ft. At 13 Ft, Kaolinite Prominent. At 26 Ft, Rock Shows Regional Argillization.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name La Jara Canyon Member Of Treasure Mountain Tuff
    Rock description La Jara Canyon Member Of Treasure Mountain Tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Chronological age 29.8
    Dating method K-Ar
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name La Jara Canyon Member Of Treasure Mountain Tuff
    Rock description La Jara Canyon Member Of Treasure Mountain Tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Chronological age 29.8
    Dating method K-Ar

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.5381, 37.35419
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Platoro Caldera, Summitville Caldera, Platoro Fault Zone, Cornwall Block

Ore body information

  • Thickness 10.36M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Wider, Steeper Portions Of Fault Zone Next To Cornwall Resurgent Block

Economic information about the deposit and operations

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

Mining district

District name Ute (Platoro) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Coronado Silver Corp.
    Home office Antonito, Co.
    First year 1974

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 38.1M

Comments on the workings information

  • 125-FT VERTICAL SHAFT WITH 50-FT CROSSCUT DRIVEN EASTWARD

Comments on development

  • LAST REPORTED ACTIVITY WAS PUMPING, REHABILITATION, AND SAMPLING IN 1974

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PATTON, H.B., 1917, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PLATORO-SUMMITVILLE MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: CGS BULL. 13.

  • Deposit

    LIPMAN, P.W., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PLATORO CALDERA AREA, SOUTHEASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-828.

  • Deposit

    BIRD, W.H., 1972, MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE PLATORO CALDERA COMPLEX, SOUTHEAST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: MTN. GEOLOGIST, V. 9, NO. 4, P. 379-387.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 2371, 7134

  • Deposit

    BIRD, W.H., 1973, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE PLATORO CALDERA COMPLEX AND ITS RELATED MINERAL DEPOSITS, SOUTHEAST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES THESIS T-1440.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LENSES NEAR FOOTWALL. THIRD TYPE OF MATERIAL IS POST-MINERALIZATION, UNSILICIFIED, INCOMPETENT FAULT GOUGE TOWARD FOOTWALL.
Deposit VALLEY QUEEN IS NORTHERNMOST OF THREE MINES DEVELOPED ON SOUTH MOUNTAIN-PLATORO FAULT, LARGEST OF SEVERAL QUARTZ-PYRITE VEIN ZONES IN PLATORO FAULT ZONE. FAULT HAS BEEN INTERPRETED AS EXTENDING NW EITHER ON TREND WITH OR JOINING SOUTH MOUNTAIN FAULT OF SUMMIT AND DECATUR WEST DISTRICTS, AND SE INTO BIG LAKE RADIAL FRACTURE SYSTEM. FAULT TRENDS GENERALLY N 30 W WITH 80 TO 90 SW DIP. DUE TO MOVEMENT ON CORNWALL RESURGENT BLOCK IN FOOTWALL, STEEPER PORTIONS OF FAULT CONTAIN WIDER MINERALIZED ZONE THAN LESS STEEPLY DIPPING PORTIONS. DISPLACEMENT DECREASES SE FROM STUNNER PASS TO FOREST KING MTN-MAMMOTH MTN SADDLE. NORTH PART OF VEIN ZONE EXCEEDS 150 FT IN THICKNESS BUT DECREASES TO 50 FT SOUTH OF INTERSECTION WITH ENE-TRENDING EMMA CROSS-FAULT. IN MAMMOTH-REVENUE MINE, VEIN IS ACTUALLY VEIN ZONE CONSISTING OF NETWORK OF INTERWOVEN VEINS GENERALLY PARALLELING MAJOR FAULT BUT WITH CONSIDERABLE VARIATIONS, FROM N 0 TO 25 W IN STRIKE AND 85 NE TO 70 SW IN DIP. LESSER VEINS DIP VARIABLY FROM
Deposit 75 NE TO 55 SW. APPARENTLY SOME CYMOID LOOP DEVELOPMENT WITH SPLITTING AND JOINING OF SUBSIDIARY VEINS. MAMMOTH-REVENUE VEIN AND VALLEY QUEEN VEIN (APPARENTLY) FOUND IN FOOTWALL; PAROLE VEIN FOUND IN HANGING WALL. VEIN ZONE COMPOSED OF THREE TYPES OF MATERIAL. FIRST TYPE IS QUARTZ AND SULFIDE ORE IN CENTER OF STRUCTURE. WIDE AREAS ARE HIGHLY BRECCIATED, OFTEN VUGGY WITH WATER-COURSE RESIDUES OF MO AND FE OXIDES. BRECCIATION DECREASED OR ABSENT IN NARROWER PARTS. ORE APPEARS AS RIBBONS OF FINE-GRAINED QUARTZ AND FINE-GRAINED PYRITE/MARCASITE INTERSPERSED WITH WHITE QUARTZ CONTAINING DISSEMINATED PYRITE/MARCASITE AND LATE GANGUE MINERALS. HIGHER GRADE ORE GENERALLY FOUND WHERE SULFIDES CONTAIN RELATIVELY LESS MARCASITE. LOW-MARCASTLE HIGH-GRADE ORE SHOWS AG/AU RATIOS OF 50:1 TO 100:1; HIGH-MARCASITE LOWER GRADE ORE SHOWS RATIO OF 10:1. HIGHER METAL VALUES USUALLY FOUND IN CENTER OF HANGING WALL PORTIONS. SECOND TYPE OF MATERIAL IS BROKEN, HIGHLY ALTERED WALLROCK IN SLABS AND BRECCIA

Reporter information

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