Porphyry Peak Alunite Deposit

Occurrence in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Aluminum, Titanium, Metal
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012933
MRDS ID D008956
Record type Site
Current site name Porphyry Peak Alunite Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.16282, 38.34251 (WGS84)
Elevation 3475
Location accuracy 500(meters)
Relative position 17.5 MILES N 5 W OF 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

Pike and San Isabel National Forests(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 047N 007E 11 E2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ON BROAD FLAT-TOPPED MESA ONE MILE SW OF PORPHYRY PEAK ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Aluminum Critical Tertiary
Titanium, Metal Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Ore
Rutile Ore
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification; Intense Solfataric Alteration

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Porphyry Peak Rhyolite
    Rock description Porphyry Peak Rhyolite
    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 > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Porphyry Peak Rhyolite
    Rock description Porphyry Peak Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.16282, 38.34251

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek) District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ALTHOUGH FORMATION IS MOSTLY FLOWS AND TUFFS, SOLFATARIC ALTERATION CHARACTERISTIC OF ALUNITE OCCURRENCES INDICATES THAT SOME OF THE RHYOLITE IS OF INTRUSIVE ORIGIN, PROBABLY FROM A BURIED VENT, FISSURE, OR NECK. ROCK HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ALTERED TO TOUGH JASPERY MASSES OF QUARTZ, ALUNITE, AND MINOR AMOUNTS OF OTHER MINERALS INCLUDING RUTILE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1982 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.