Eagle Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Copper, Gold, Manganese, Zinc, Bismuth
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. 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. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012566
MRDS ID D008248
Record type Site
Current site name Eagle Mine
Alternate or previous names Eagle-Hawk Mine Eagle and Hawk Claims
Related records 10240026

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.12921, 38.26862 (WGS84)
Elevation 2923
Relative position 12.5 MILES N 03E FROM SAGUACHE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Saguache(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bonanza(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Saguache(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Luis(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 Saguache

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 046N 008E 06 NW OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV. TAKEN FROM BURBANK'S (1932) PLATE 1 (SCALE 1:12000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ALONG EAGLE GULCH 4000 FT FROM KERBER CR. CONFLUENCE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Cerargyrite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Proustite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Fluorite Gangue
Nontronite Gangue
Psilomelane Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue
Wad Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Early Barren Stage Of Alteration By Fumarolic Or Acid-Hot Spring Activity Resulted In Intense Silicification, Wallrock Replacement By Jasper And Alteration Products Hematite, Diaspore, Alunite, Barite, Zunyite, Rutile, And Kaolin Minerals. Later Mineralizing Stage By Alkaline Or Neutral Solution Deposited Ore And Gangue And Caused Micaceous Alteration (Sericite And Chlorite) And Calcite, Quartz, And Pyrite.

Analytical data

Result PATTON REPORTS ORE ASSAYS FROM 1901-1905 RANGING FROM 35.6 TO 227.4 OZ/TON AG, AVERAGING (ARITH.) 123.3 OZ/TON, AND 0.05 TO 1.25 OZ/TON AU, AVERAGING (ARITH.) 0.33 OZ/TON. FURTHER ANALYSIS OF ORE GAVE 58.88 OZ/TON AG, 12.8% SIO2, 2.6% FE, 30% MN, 3.2% ZN, 2.2% S. BURBANK REPORTS ORE ANALYSES FROM FOLLOWING LEVELS, EACH SET OF VALUES BEING OZ/TON AU, OZ/TON AG, % MN, % FE, % PB, % N, % SIO2, % AL203, % S (TR=TRACE, NR=NOT REPORTED): 90 LEVEL, 0.01, 2.4, 9.6, 3.4, 0.15, TR, 62.4, NR, 0.4
Result 134 LEVEL, 0.01, 9.8, 4.8, 2.4, 0.09, 0.10, NR, NR, NR
Result 200 LEVEL, NR, 7.0, NR, 2.0, 0.10, 0.09, NR, NR, NR
Result 300 LEVEL, NR, 22.7, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR
Result 400 LEVEL, NR, 15.2, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR
Result 500 LEVEL, 0.02, 15.5, 7.6, 3.1, 0.50, 0.20, 46.6, 1.7, 1.7
Result 600 LEVEL, 0.02, 10.6, 13.6, 3.0, 0.10, 0.20, 48.8,1.2, 1.1.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Eagle Gulch Latite
    Rock description Eagle Gulch Latite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Eagle Gulch Latite
    Rock description Eagle Gulch Latite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.12921, 38.26862

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Bonanza Caldera
Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Range, San Juan Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR TO PINCH-AND-SWELL
    Strike N12 TO 37 W
    Dip 75 TO 90 NE
    Length 609.6M
    Width 21.34M
    Depth to top 21.34M
    Depth to bottom 198.12M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1882
Year of first production 1898
Year of last production 1922

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Saguache Eagle Mining Co.
    Home office Villa Grove, Co.
    First year 1922

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 1.376HA
    Length 1267.97M
    Overall depth 198.12M
    Overall length 280.42M
    Overall width 48.77M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE IS DEVELOPED BY 650-FT-DEEP SHAFT WITH TOTAL 790 FT OF CROSSCUT TUNNELS EXTENDING NORTHEASTWARD TO VEINS ON 10 LEVELS. PRINCIPAL LEVEL NAMES (BASED ON DEPTH FROM SHAFT COLLAR) AND DRIFT FOOTAGES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 90 LEVEL, 70 FT, 134 LEVEL, 120 FT, 200 LEVEL, 380 FT, 250 LEVEL, 100 FT, 300 LEVEL, 130 FT, 350 LEVEL, 730 FT, 400 LEVEL, 110 FT, 500 LEVEL, 420 FT, 600 LEVEL, 510 FT, 640 LEVEL, 150 FT, FOR TOTAL LENGTH OF DRIFTS OF 2720 FT. TOTAL LENGTH OF ALL WORKINGS 4160 FT. MAJOR STOPES WORKED ON EAGLE VEIN BETWEEN 134 AND 350 LEVELS. MAJOR STOPES WORKED ON INTERMEDIATE VEIN ABOVE 250 LEVEL. MAJOR STOPES WORKED ON EAST VEIN BETWEEN 300 AND 600 LEVELS.

Comments on development

  • ASSESSMENT WORK AND MINOR PRODUCTION OF NATIVE AG AND CERARGYRITE FOLLOWED THE 1882 DISCOVERY. PRODUCTION FROM SHAFT CAME IN 1898. LARGER SCALE OPERATION TOOK PLACE AFTER 1917, BUT MINE AND MILL CLOSED IN 1922 BECAUSE LOW ORE GRADES COULD NOT BE PROFITABLY TREATED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PATTON, H.B., 1916, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA DISTRICT, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 9, 136 P.

  • Deposit

    BURBANK, W.S., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 169, 166 P.

  • Deposit

    WUENSCH, C.E., 1923, SECONDARY ENRICHMENT AT THE EAGLE MINE, BONANZA, COLO.: AIME TRANS., V. 69, P. 96-109.

  • Production

    BURBANK, 1932, P.151, AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEINS (ATTITUDE ABOVE) LIE IN FISSURED ZONE 60 TO 70 FT WIDE. PRINCIPAL VEINS, EAGLE (WEST) AND EAST, VARY FROM 2.5 TO 17 FT WIDE, AVERAGING 4 TO 5 FT. AT NORTH END MINE, EAGLE AND EAST VEINS INTERSECT, PITCHING SOUTH. VEIN WIDENS AT DEPTH. INTERMEDIATE VEIN PINCHES AND SWELLS AND IS RARELY MORE THAN 6 INCHES WIDE. NUMEROUS FEEDERS AND FRACTURES BRANCH FROM MAIN VEINS AND LIE MOSTLY IN HANGING WALL. HIGH-GRADE AG ORES OCCUR AS LENSES AND CHIMNEYLIKE SHOOTS IN LATE FISSURES IN AND ALONG EARLIER LOW-GRADE VEIN MATERIAL. HIGH-GRADE AG ALSO OCCURS IN FOOTWALL VEINLETS ON LOWER MINE LEVELS. ORES COMPLETELY OXIDIZED IN UPPER 100 FT, AND OXIDATION EXTENDS 250 TO 300 FT. EAGLE IS ONLY MINE IN BONANZA DISTRICT TO HAVE PRODUCED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM FLUORITE-RHODOCHROSITE VEIN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1981 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado 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.