Summitville Mine

Producer in Rio Grande county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, 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. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014044
MRDS ID D010660
Record type Site
Current site name Summitville Mine
Alternate or previous names Golconda Tunnel, Reynolds Tunnel
Related records 10288821

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.59282, 37.42585 (WGS84)
Elevation 3450
Relative position 0.25 MILES S 8 E FROM SUMMITVILLE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Rio Grande(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Summitville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Antonito(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alamosa-Trinchera(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 Rio Grande

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 037N 004E 30 SW OF NE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • AT NE BASE OF SOUTH MTN. PORTAL ELEV FROM STEVEN AND RATTE (1960, PL. 4) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Covellite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Quartz-Alunite Solfataric Alteration

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 Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Rock description Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Rock description Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.59282, 37.42585

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Platoro Caldera, Summitville Caldera, Summitville Fault, South Mountain Dome

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Quartz-Alunite Solfataric Replacement Bodies Following Nw-Trending Fractures Near Sw Margin Of South Mountain Feeder Conduit

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of last production 1971

Mining district

District name Summit (Summitville) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Summitville, Inc.
    Home office Lakewood, Co.
    First year 1972
  • Type Owner
    Owner Galactic Resources , Inc.
    Home office Vancouver, British Columbia
    First year 1988

Production statistics

  • Year 1944
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.452 Oz/Ton Au, 0.852 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.144% Cu (Mill Ore)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 0wt-pct
    Major Silver Silver 24g/mt
    Major Gold Gold 13g/mt
  • Year 1944
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.2 Oz/Ton Au, 0.65 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.45% Cu (Mill Ore)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Gold Gold 34g/mt
    Major Mill Ore Copper Copper 0wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 18g/mt
  • Year 1945
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.509 Oz/Ton Au, 0.73 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.246% Cu (Mill Ore)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mill Ore Copper Copper 0wt-pct
    Major Silver Silver 21g/mt
    Major Gold Gold 14g/mt
  • Year 1946
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.35 Oz/Ton Au, 1 Oz/Ton Ag, 1% Cu (Mill Ore)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mill Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 28g/mt
    Major Ore Gold Gold 10g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. ANNUAL AMOUNTS OF CON, AU, AND AG NOT CONSISTENTLY REPORTED. PRODUCTION IS FROM CONSOLIDATION OF CLAIMS AND OLDER MINE WORKINGS, BUT SOURCE WORKINGS FOR PARTICULAR YEAR'S PRODUCTION ARE UNKNOWN. NO CDM RECORDS PRIOR TO 1926. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1930-32, 1949-60, OR AFTER 1971. THIS YEAR (1990), GALACTIC PLANS TO MINE ABOUT 1 MT (1.2 MILLION ST) OF ORE AT AN ESTIMATED HEADGRADE OF 1.7 G/T (0.05 OZ PER ST). THE PRESENT MINE'S KNOWN RESERVES ARE EXPECTED TO LAST ONLY ANOTHER TWO YEARS (1990). TO DATE, 24 MILLION TONS OF ROCKS AND MATERIAL, INCLUDING 8 MILLION TONS OF ORE, HAVE BEEN REMOVED. IN 1988, ITS LAST FULL YEAR OF MINING OPERATIONS, THE MINE WAS THE LARGEST GOLD PRODUCER IN THE STATE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Total resources 3628000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.101 g/mt Gold Major 1988

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 2029.97M

Comments on the workings information

  • DEEP TUNNEL DRIVEN S 35 W FOR 2080 FT THROUGH SW END OF HIDDEN VEIN ZONE, CONTINUING 430 FT TO NORTH TEWKSBURY VEIN ZONE. 600 FT OF DRIFT DEVELOPED NW INTO HIDDEN VEIN ZONE WITH 250-FT CROSSCUT DRIVEN WSW TO TUNNEL ON EXTENSION OF TEWKSBURY AND AZTEC-BLACK WONDER VEIN ZONES. AT TEWKSBURY VEIN, 280-FT DRIFT DRIVEN SE. TUNNEL CONTINUES GENERALLY N 12 TO 25 W FOR 1680 FT TO FACE. HIDDEN VEIN CROSSCUT INTERSECTS THIS INTERVAL AT 400 FT NORTH OF TEWKSBURY INTERSECTION. AT FACE, 120-FT BRANCH DRIVEN WEST AND 140-FT BRANCH DRIVEN ENE THROUGH LITTLE ANNIE VEIN ZONE. AT 75 FT ON THIS BRANCH, 520-FT DRIFT DRIVEN NW ON VEIN. TUNNEL IS LOWEST LEVEL IN DISTRICT. TOTAL EXTENT EXCLUDES RAISES TO DEVELOP ORE ABOVE LEVEL AND RAISES TO CHANDLER, COPPER HILL, IOWA, AND POSSIBLY OTHER LEVELS. MILL AT PORTAL. OPEN-PIT AND HEAP LEACHING OPERATION (1988).

Comments on development

  • REYNOLDS TUNNEL DRIVEN 1897-1906 BY DAN KIRBY AND A.E. REYNOLDS (ONE OF CONTROLLING PRINCIPALS IN DISTRICT IN EARLY 1900S) AS CROSSCUT TUNNEL AND AS DRIFT ON VEINS AT DEPTH AND TO CONNECT WORKINGS ON DIFFERENT GROUPS OF CLAIMS. IN 1915, REYNOLDS MERGED HIS PROPERTIES WITH THOSE OF CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINING CO. OF NEW YORK TO FORM SUMMITVILLE GOLD MINES, INC., WHICH LEASED PROPERTIES AND PRODUCED SMALL AMOUNT OF ORE UNTIL 1925. IN 1934, MOST OF DISTRICT'S PROPERTIES CAME UNDER CONTROL OF SUMMITVILLE CONSOLIDATED MINES, INC. AND REYNOLDS-MORSE CORP., WHICH BEGAN MOST PRODUCTIVE PERIOD OF OPERATION. PROPERTIES RELINQUISHED TO GOLD LINKS MINING CO. IN 1942, THEN TRANSFERRED TO SUMMITVILLE MINING CO. IN 1946, AND OPERATED UNDER SEVERAL CONCERNS FROM 1948-1971.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TUNNEL DRIVEN BELOW WORKINGS ON MOST OF DISTRICT'S PRINCIPAL VEIN ZONES: NORTH TEWKSBURY, HIDDEN, COPPER HILL-ESMOND, AND LITTLE ANNIE. VEIN ZONES ARE GENERALLY STEEPLY DIPPING TO VERTICAL, IRREGULARLY TABULAR AND ELONGATE MASSES AND PIPES OF HIGHLY SILICIFIED ROCK, VUGGY AND COMPACT QUARTZ IN QUARTZ-ALUNITE ALTERATION ZONE. THIS LEVEL IS GENERALLYBELOW ZONE OF OXIDIZED ORE SUCH AS AURIFEROUS LIMONITE AND INTERSECTS UNOXIDIZED ZONE OF AU- AND AG-BEARING PYRITE AND CU SULFIDES. CONTINUITY OF ORE AT THIS DEPTH IS NOT KNOWN. SEE RECORDS OF REPRESENTATIVE MINES FOR DESCRIPTIONS OF PRINCIPAL VEIN ZONES.
Deposit MRDS RECORD D002369 WAS MERGED WITH THIS RECORD. D002369 HAS BEEN DELETED. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. (Hasler, J. William) Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1990 Berger, Mary A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.