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Gem Park Complex

Prospect in Custer county in Colorado, United States with commodities Barium-Barite, Molybdenum, Niobium (Columbium), Phosphorus-Phosphates, REE, Strontium, Thorium, Vermiculite
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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. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10214241
MRDS ID DC01548
MAS/MILS ID 0080270202
Record type Deposit
Current site name Gem Park Complex
Alternate or previous names Wet Mountains
Related records 10016566

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -105.54228, 38.25781 (WGS84)
Elevation 2408
Location accuracy 10(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Custer(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Hillside(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Canon City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Pueblo(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Arkansas Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic subregion)

Arkansas-White-Red(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Custer

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 021 S 073 W 04 SE Colorado

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Primary
Phosphorus-Phosphates Tertiary
REE Critical Tertiary
Strontium Tertiary
Thorium Tertiary
Vermiculite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Apatite Unknown
Barite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Columbite Unknown
Crocidolite Unknown
Dolomite Unknown
Ilmenite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Monazite Unknown
Phlogopite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown
Strontianite Unknown
Thorianite Unknown
Vermiculite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -105.54228, 38.25781
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 152M
    Length 500M
    Width 430M
    Depth to top 0.9M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #2 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 OTHER
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. .9
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830415
  • Area 200HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 200
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE TYPE OF OREBODY IS A GROUP OF CARBONATITE DIKES INTRUDING PRECAMBRIAN GRANITIC GNEISS. THE CARBONATITE DIKES CONTAINE A SMALL AMOUNT OF VERMICULITE, NIOBIUM MINERALS AND GABBRO. THE ORIGIN OF THE CARBONATITES IS CONTROVERSIAL. ALTHOUGH HIGH TEMPERATURE MAGMA IS PROBABLY THE MOST ACCEPTED THEORY, SOLID FLOW, HYDROTHERMAL SOLUTION, AND GASEOUS TRANSFER HAVE ALSO BEEN PROPOSED. WALLROCK ALTERATION HAS OCCURRED AS FENITIATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Both
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1880
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1880
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Wet Mountains Area

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Fee Ownership
Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Coco Mines
    Interest 80
    Home office Colorado
    Year 1991
    First year 1991

Comments on the ownership information

  • COCA MINES CONTROLS 80 PERCENT OF THE MINERAL RIGHTS AND HAS MADE FORMAL AGREEMENTS FOR CONTROL OF THE REMAINING RIGHTS THROUGH FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS. COCO MINES WAS ACQUIRED BY HECLA IN 1991; HECLA HAS DROPPED PROPERTY AND IT REVERTED BACK TO ORIGINAL OWNERS.

Comments on the production information

  • THE PROPERTY IS BEING EVALUATED FOR ONLY ONE PRODUCT, COLUMBIUM, SINCE GRADES AND RESERVES ARE AVAILABLE FOR ONLY THIS COMMODITY. IT IS PROSSIBLE, HOWEVER, THAT RARE EARTH METALS COULD BE PRODUCED AS BYPRODUCTS. GRADES AS HIGH AS 9.97% LIGHT RARE EARTHS HAVE BEEN NOTED, BUT RESERVES HAVE NOT YET BEEN DELINEATED. ALSO, ASSAY DATA INDICATES MOLYBDENUM AND URANIUM MAY BE POSSIBLE BYPRODUCTS. AGAIN. RESERVES HAVE NOT BEEN ESTIMATED FOR THESE COMMODITIES.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE RESERVE FIGURE WAS PROVIDED BY COCA MINES INC. AND IS BASED ON CONSIDERABLE EXPLORATION. IT IS ESTIMATED, HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE ORE OCCURENCE AND GEOLOGIC FACTORS, ONLY A 90 PERCENT RECOVERY WILL BE ACHIEVED.
  • RESERVE ARE THE RECOVERABLE TONNAGE AS USED ON THE 8-84 ETD.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 20HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Swell Factor .6
    Percent Waste Rock 69.7
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 3
    Primary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Percentage 100
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 10
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 50
    Capacity 3000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 183
    Unit Production Cost 9.18
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 318
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    THOMPSON, J.V. PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL STUDIES

  • Production

    OF THE POWDERHORN COLUMBIUM DEPOSITS. PREPARED FOR

  • Production

    BUTTES GAS AND OIL CO. BY KAISER ENGINEERS, OCT. 1969.

  • Production

    MINING MAGAZINE. ARAXA NIOBIUM MINE, FEB. 1982, PP. 134-147.

  • Production

    E&MJ. ST. LAWRENCE COLUMBIUM PROJECT STARTS PRODUCTION IN

  • Production

    QUEBEC, OCT. 1961, PP. 99-104.

  • Geology

    PARKER, R.L., W.N. SHARP. MAFIC-ULTRAMAFIC IGNEOUS ROCKS

  • Geology

    AND ASSOCIATED CARBONATITES OF THE GEM PARK COMPLEX,

  • Geology

    USGS PAPER 649, 1970, PP. 1-23

  • Production

    BISS, R. PYROCHLORE BENEFICIATION AT NIOBEC CONCENTRATOR,

  • Production

    QUEBEC, CANADA, LES SERVICES T.M.G. INC., 1981, PP.

  • Production

    1-19.

  • Reserve-Resource

    RIVERA, R. COCA MINES, INC. DENVER, CO., PERSONAL

  • Reserve-Resource

    COMMUNICATIONS AND FIELD VISIT IN NOV. 1982.

  • Workings

    LAMARRE, A.L. GEM PARK PROJECT 1008 FINAL REPORT, JAN. 13,

  • Workings

    1976, COMPANY REPORT- COCA MINES, PP. 1-18.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-OCT-1996 Dolzani, Roger L. U.S. Bureau of Mines

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.