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Creede Formation

Producer in Mineral county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Barium-Barite, Manganese
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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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Reserves and resources
  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 10118250
MAS/MILS ID 0080790003
Record type Site
Current site name Creede Formation
Alternate or previous names Bachelor Mountain

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -106.93812, 37.87941 (WGS84)
Elevation 3109
Location accuracy 10(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mineral(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Luis Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Del Norte(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rio Grande Headwaters(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 Mineral

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 042 N 001 W 23 Colorado

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Manganese Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Acanthite Unknown
Barite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Manganite Unknown
Pyrolusite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Silver Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -106.93812, 37.87941
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 60M
    Length 1520M
    Width 310M
    Depth to top 100M
    Field Value
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #2 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 INTERM ARGILLIC
    Minimum Depth to Top 20
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 810721
  • Area 90HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 90
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE CREEDE FM CONSISTS OF SEVERAL DISTINCT FACIES, EACH OF WHICH SHOWS MANY LOCAL VARIATIONS. THIN-BEDDED TUFFACEOUS LAKE DEPOSITS, LARGELY SHALE AND SANDSTONE WITH SOME TUFF BEDS, CONSTITUTE THE PREDOMINATE FACIES. THESE ROCKS INTERTONGUE MARGINALLY WITH FLUVIATILE SANDSTONE AND CONGLOMERATE BEDS. VOLCANIC BRECCIAS, TRAVERTINE AND CALCAREOUS TUFA, AND BENTONITE BEDS ALSO PRESENT. THE OREBODY IN THE CREEDE FM IS A SILVER REPLACEMENT OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN FLUVIAL DEBRIS. THE MATERIAL IS VERY POORLY SORTED, BOULDERS TO 2 METERS, AND FOLLOWS OLD CHANNELS ON BACHELOR MOUNTAIN. THE GRADE RANGES FROM 68-617 PPM SILVER AT THICKNESSES FROM 4.8-8.0 METERS. (GENTRY, SEPTEMBER 1976).
  • NATIVE SILVER OCCURS WITH MANGANGSE MINERALS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1973

Comments on exploration

  • A TOTAL OF 73 ROTARY AND CORE HOLES HAVE BEEN DRILLED ON THE PROPERTY (AS OF JAN 1981).

Mining district

District name Solomon

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented
Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Minerals Engineering Co.
    ID 502905
    Interest 50
    Home office 950 17th, Denver, Co 80202
    Year 1981
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Homestake Mining Co.
    ID 502905
    Interest 50
    Home office 650 Calif. St, San Francisco, Ca 94108

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1981
    Indicated 3037000mt ore
    Demonstrated 3037000mt ore
    Total resources 3037000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 219 g/mt Silver Major 1981

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • R1=M1C1. ESTIMATED THAT 30% OF PROVEN + PROBABLE RESERVES ARE CLAS- SIFIED AS PROVEN. MINERALIZED AREA WAS DIVIDED INTO NORTH, CENTRAL, & SOUTH BLOCKS. ONLY CENTRAL BLOCK WAS USED IN THE MINING AND ECONOMIC ANALYSES BECAUSE OF INCOMPLETE DATA FOR THE OTHER AREAS. AFTER MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE GEOLOGIC RESERVES FOR MINING RECOVERY AND DILUTION, THE PROVEN AND PROBABLE MINABLE RESERVES WERE CALCULATED TO BE 3,348 MILLION SHORT TONS AT A GRADE OF 6.39 OZ/SHT SILVER (1980 SEC FORM 10-K P 4.)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Capacity 1524
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 250

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NOTE: DATA TO COMPLETE FILE NOT PRESENTLY OBTAINABLE HOWEVER THE EVALUATOR FEELS THAT MINERALS ENGINEERING AND HOMESTAKE MINING WILL BE RELEASING MORE INFORMATION ON THE DEPOSIT BY THE END OF 1981.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 27-FEB-1984 Hite, Alan G. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 03/31/1986
MSHA mine ID0502905
Mine name (MSHA)Creede Venture
Current operatorMinerals Engineering Company
Mine typeUnderground (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Homestake Mining Co. — acquired by Subsidiary of Barrick Gold (2001)
    Operator of the historic Homestake Mine in South Dakota; acquired by Barrick Gold in 2001.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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.