Lower Star of the West Mine

Past Producer in Costilla county in Colorado, United States with commodities Iron, Gold, Silver
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. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  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 10011663
MRDS ID D006732
Record type Site
Current site name Lower Star of the West Mine
Alternate or previous names Stoddard Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -105.27612, 37.61113 (WGS84)
Elevation 2902
Relative position 3.9 MILES N 9 E OF RUSSELL

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Costilla(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Russell(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Blanca Peak(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Trinidad(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Costilla

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 028S 071W 13 SE OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ALTHOUGH DISTRICT ACTUALLY IS IN UNSURVEYED PRIVATE LAND GRANT, SECTIONS REPORTED ARE BASED ON PATTON AND OTHERS (1910) MAP RATHER THAN PROJECTIONS FROM ADJACENT QUADS. LAT-LONG AND ELEVATIONS DETERMINED FROM TOPO QUAD. MINE OR CLAIM LIES ALONG GRAYBACK CREEK 0.55 MILE SW OF SUMMIT OF GRAYBACK MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue

Analytical data

Result AVERAGE OF FOUR ANALYSES ON ENTIRE IRON DEPOSIT YIELDED 53.78% FE AND 0.931%

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 62
USGS model code 18d
Deposit model name Skarn Fe

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Minturn Formation
    Rock description Minturn Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.27612, 37.61113

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sierra Blanca Massif, Ft. Garland Embayment
Type of structure Local
Structure description Vega Cr. Anticline, Wagon Mesa Fault

Ore body information

  • General form moderately dipping layer
    Strike S 80 E
    Dip 25 SW
    Thickness 1.52M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • faulted thin limestone beds near monzonite intrusion

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Grayback (Russell) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Otto Drum
    First year 1959
  • Type Owner
    Owner Trinchera (Estate)
    First year 1910

Comments on the workings information

  • ADIT DRIVEN NE TO ORE ZONE ON NW SIDE OF MONZONITE INTRUSION. TUNNEL TURNS RIGHT TO FOLLOW FAULT ZONE THAT OFFSETS ORE. ORE WORKED OUT ALONG FAULT ZONE FOR LENGTH OF 50 FT AND WIDTH OF 25 FT. TUNNEL CAVED BEYOND.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit IRON ORE REPLACES CALCITE IN CONTACT-METAMORPHOSED LIMESTONE. ORE CONFORMS WITH ORIGINAL BEDDING AND IS OVERLAIN BY 12-FT-THICK TACTITE. FAULT THAT OFFSETS ORE TRENDS S 40 E, 70 NE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1981 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-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.