Yellow Jacket Mine

Past Producer in Dolores county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Manganese
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101869
MRDS ID D010794
Record type Site
Current site name Yellow Jacket Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Phoenix, MS 362, Pelican, MS 363, Yellow Jacket, MS 374
Related records 10142719

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.01815, 37.69945 (WGS84)
Elevation 2847
Relative position 0.8 MILES N 47 E FROM RICO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dolores(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rico(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dove Creek(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Dolores(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(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 Dolores

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 040N 011W 25 SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). NORTH OF SILVER CREEK ON SE SIDE OF SW PROJECTION OF TELESCOPE MTN. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN (NO. 6 PORTAL) ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Pyrolusite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Galena To Cerussite

Analytical data

Result ORE ASSAYS FROM 1920S: 3.4 TO 7.396 OZ/TON AG, 10.41 TO 22% PB, 11 TO 21.19% ZN, 0.025 TO 0.775% CU, 0.0034 TO 0.013 OZ/TON AU. ORE ASSAYS FROM 1940S: 5.32 TO 5.45 OZ/TON AG, 17 TO 19.08% PB, 25.47 TO 30% ZN, 0.38 TO 0.81% CU, 0.005 TO 0.01 OZ/TON AU. TETRAHEDRITE-TENNANTITE-BEARING SPHALERITE FROM GRAY COPPER STOPE ON NO. 5 LEVEL CONTAINED 0.8% AG AND LESS THAN 0.1% BI
Result ELECTRON-PROBE ANALYSIS SHOWED 39.1% CU, 5.0% ZN, 1.0% FE, 0.8% AG, 15.5% SB, 8.4% AS, 28.1% S.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Hornblende Latite Porphyry
    Rock description Hornblende Latite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hermosa Formation
    Rock description Hermosa Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.01815, 37.69945

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rico Dome, Yellow Jacket Fault, Nellie Bly Fault, Last Chance Fault

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Chemically Favorable Limestone Near Faults

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1877
Year of first production 1880
Year of last production 1946

Mining district

District name Pioneer (Rico) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Markey Brothers
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1946
  • Type Owner
    Owner Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
    Home office Salt Lake City, Ut.
    First year 1946

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1923. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1927, 1931-1939, 1941-1944, AND AFTER 1946.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED ON SIX LEVELS. RANSOM'S (1901) SECTION OF UPPER LEVELS SHOWS NO.1 PORTAL DRIVEN NW FOR ABOUT 250 FT, JOINING GRAND VIEW SHAFT AND WINZE AND GRAND VIEW NO.4 WORKINGS; STOPES AND RAISES ABOVE TUNNEL. NO.2 (WOODS) LEVEL LOCATED ABOUT 175 FT BELOW NO. 1 LEVEL AND DRIVEN NW FOR ABOUT 230 FT, WITH SEVERAL STOPES, 30-FT WINZE TO SHORT SUBLEVEL, AND 110-FT PARTLY INCLINED WINZE TO 170-FT-LONG STOPED STAR LEVEL. NO. 3 (300-FT, ELEV 9690) LEVEL DRIVEN ABOUT 160 FT NW; NO. 3.5 (300-FT, ELEV 9670) LEVEL LOCATED 140 FT SW OF NO. 3 (MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL.2), EXTENT UNKNOWN. NO.4 (400-FT, ELEV 9618) LEVEL DRIVEN NW WITH MAIN BRACHCHES TO NORTH AND SW, NUMEROUS RAISES, 3800 FT APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF TUNNELS AND DRIFTS. NO.5 (500-FT, ELEV 9510) LEVEL DRIVEN NW WITH SEVERAL MAJOR BRANCHES AND RAISES, 2800 FT APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF TUNNELS AND DRIFTS. NO.6 (700-FT, ELEV 9340) LEVEL DRIVEN N 25 W FOR 320 FT, THENCE N 40 E FOR 450 FT TO FACE, WITH 190-FT BRACH TUNNEL DRIVEN N 57 W AT 390 FT
  • ALONG NE BRANCH; 190-FT-LONG LAST CHANCE TUNNEL DRIVEN N 85 W OFF SHORT BRANCH NEAR PORTAL.

Comments on development

  • THIS AREA WAS SITE OF SOME OF DISTRICT'S EARLIEST MINES. CLAIMS SURVEYED IN 1880. ALTHOUGH OXIDIZED ORES EASILY EXPLOITED ON UPPER LEVELS, LOWER LEVELS CONTAINED DIFFICULT SPHALERITIC ORES THAT LATER BECAME EXPLOITABLE AFTER PERFECTION OF FLOTATION PROCESS FOR SEPARATING PB AND ZN SULFIDES. MINES IN THIS AREA WERE REVIVED IN 1920S BY FALCON LEAD MINING CO., IDLE AFTER 1930, REVIVED AGAIN IN 1940S BY RICO-ARGENTINE MINING CO.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 375-379.

  • Deposit

    MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 89-91, PL. 2.

  • Deposit

    PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 362, 363, 364

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SECTION OF NE-DIPPING LOWER AND MIDDLE HERMOSA FM LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, AND SHALE INTRUDED BY HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY AND CUT (SOUTH TO NORTH) BY GENERALLY EAST-WEST-TRENDING LAST CHANCE, YELLOW JACKET, AND NELLIE BLY FAULTS ON NORTH FLANK OF RICO DOME. STRUCTURE COMPLICATED BUT GENERALLY ORE DEPOSITS OCCUR AS MINERALIZED FAULTS AND FRACTURES TRENDING N 50 TO 80 W, DIPPING STEEPLY NE TO VERTICAL TO STEEPLY SW AND CONTAINING LOW-GRADE PB-ZN PYRITIC ORE. PARALLEL SUBSIDIARY FRACTURES AND SOME CROSS FRACTURES (BEDDING FAULTS) ARE ALSO MINERALIZED. TWO OR THREE LIMESTONE BEDS IN MIDDLE HERMOSA FM CONTAIN REPLACEMENT SULFIDES NEAR FAULT ZONES. ORES WERE OXIDIZED FROM NO.1 THROUGH STAR LEVELS, LESS THOROUGHLY OXIDIZED BELOW STAR LEVEL, UNOXIDIZED ON NO.3 LEVEL.
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1870S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-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.