Wheel of Fortune Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101878
MRDS ID D010899
Record type Site
Current site name Wheel of Fortune Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Wheel of Fortune, MS 14799, Hattie Ross, MS 14799, Hidden Hand, MS 14799, St. John, MS 14799, Illinois, MS 14799, Silent Friend, MS 14799

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.01759, 37.85167 (WGS84)
Elevation 3578
Relative position 12.5 MILES S 62 W FROM TELLURIDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dolores(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dolores Peak(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)

Lizard Head Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness 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 041N;042N 010W;010W 06;31 N2 OF N2 (06); S2 OF S2 (31) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE ON NORTH SIDE OF NAVAJO BASIN NE OF NAVAJO LAKE, 1.9 MILES SW OF WILSON PEAK, AND INCLUDE HATTIE ROSS AND SILENT FRIEND WORKINGS. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR MAIN WHEEL OF FORTUNE TUNNEL (N2 NW NW SEC. 06). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :41? 01 1975

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Pyrite To Limonite

Analytical data

Result BROMFIELD AND OTHERS' (1972) FIRE ASSAY OF GRAB SAMPLE OF DUMP MATERIAL GAVE 0.01 OZ/TON AU, 0.19 OZ/TON AG, AND TRACES OF CU, PB, AND ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES: VEIN SAMPLE FROM OUTCROP CONTAINED 10% FE, 0.3% MG, 0.05% CA, 0.5% TI, 150 PPM MN, 1 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 70 PPM B, 500 PPM BA, LT 10 PPM BI, LT 20 PPM CD, LT 5 PPM CO, 5 PPM CR, 20 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, LT 5 PPM NI, 30 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 PPM SR, 70 PPM V, LT 200 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, 0.4 PPM AU, 1.5 PPM AG, 41 PPM CU, 40 PPM PB, LT 25 PPM ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF 3 DUMP SAMPLES: 5 TO 15% FE, 0.2 TO 0.5% MG, 0.05 TO 0.7% CA, 0.2 TO 0.3% TI, 70 TO 700 PPM MN, 1 TO 70 PPM AG, LT 200 TO 500 PPM AS, 20 TO 500 PPM B, 700 TO 3000 PPM BA, LT 10 TO 15 PPM BI, LT 20 TO 500 PPM CD, LT 5 TO 10 PPM CO, LT 5 TO 5 PPM CR, 10 TO 7000 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, LT 5 TO 5 PPM NI, 50 TO GT 20000 PPM PB, LT 100 TO 700 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 TO 500 PPM SR, 50 TO 70 PPM V, LT 200 TO GET 10000 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, LT 0.02 TO 1.2 PPM AG, 10 TO 24000 PPM CU, 30 TO 52 PPM PB, LT 25 TO 76000 PPM ZN.

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 Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Wilson Peak Stock--Granodiorite;Wilson Peak Stock--Porphyritic Adamellite
    Rock description Wilson Peak Stock--Granodiorite;Wilson Peak Stock--Porphyritic Adamellite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Telluride Conglomerate
    Rock description Telluride Conglomerate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.01759, 37.85167

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Paradox Basin, San Miguel Mtns
Type of structure Local
Structure description Wilson Peak Stock

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Generally Ne- And Ene-Trending Fissures Cutting Igneous Rocks

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1887
Discoverer John A. Ross
Year of last production 1937

Mining district

District name Mount Wilson District

Land status

Ownership category
Area name San Juan N. F. (?)

Comments on the workings information

  • WHEEL OF FORTUNE CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 310 FT, WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET OF DRIFT. HATTIE ROSS ADIT (INACCESSIBLE) LOCATED ABOUT 700 FT NW OF WHEEL OF FORTUNE, DRIVEN N 5 W, EXTENT UNKNOWN. SILENT FRIEND ADIT LOCATED ABOUT 2000 FT ENE OF WHEEL OF FORTUNE, DRVEN GENERALLY NE, EXTENT UNKNOWN.

Comments on development

  • CLAIMS LOCATED IN 1887 BY J.A. ROSS, AND PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT DONE IN 1890S, ALTHOUGH NO FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE AS TO AMOUNT PRODUCED, IF ANY. LAST ACTIVITY REPORTED WAS SMALL PRODUCTION IN 1937 FROM HATTIE CLAIM OR HATTIE GROUP, BUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS THE SAME AS HATTIE ROSS IS UNCERTAIN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BROMFIELD, C.S., AND OTHERS, 1972, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE WILSON MOUNTAINS PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1353-A, P. 39, 51-52, 66-67.

  • Deposit

    BUSH, A.L., AND BROMFIELD, C.S., 1966, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DOLORES PEAK QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-536.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 14799

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NEAR WEST END OF WILSON PEAK STOCK, WORKINGS INTERSECT SEVERAL STEEPLY NW-DIPPING QUARTZ-PYRITE VEINS TRENDING N 60 TO 80 E. STRONGEST VEIN IS 1.5- TO 2-FT-WIDE DECOMPOSED ZONE OF ALTERED PYRITE-IMPREGNATED GRANODIORITE WITH 6 TO 8 INCHES OF LIMONITIC CLAY, PYRITE, AND QUARTZ. HATTIE ROSS TUNNEL INTERSECTS NARROW MINERALIZED VEIN TRENDING N 75 E AND EXTENDING FROM GRANODIORITE INTO ADJACENT TELLURIDE COMGLOMERATE. SILENT FRIEND VEIN TRENDS ABOUT N 80 E AND CUTS ADAMELLITE NEAR CONTACT WITH GRANODIORITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-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.