Brown Bear Mine

Prospect in Montezuma county in Colorado, United States with commodity Copper
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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10013143
MRDS ID D009281
MAS/MILS ID 0080837003
Record type Site
Current site name Brown Bear Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.16148, 37.55084 (WGS84)
Elevation 2652
Relative position 24.5 MILES N37W FROM DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Montezuma(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Wallace Ranch(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dove Creek(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Dolores(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

San Juan 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 Montezuma

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 038N 012W 14 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON NORTH SIDE OF LA PLATA MOUNTAINS, ALONG BEAR CREEK NEAR ITS JUNCTION WITH THEDOLORES RIVER; SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF RICO; UNSURVEYED; SOUTHWEST SIDE OF BEAR CREEK OPPOSITE MUNSON GULCH ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1974)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Malachite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration, Bleaching

Analytical data

Result UNSORTED ORE REPORTED TO CONTAIN 4-5% CU
Result SORTED ORE CONTAINED 25-30% CU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Rocks--Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Porphyritic Rocks--Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Dolores Formation
    Rock description Dolores Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) Morrison, Wanakah, and Entrada Fms

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform
Type of structure Local
Structure description La Plata Dome

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults, Fracture Zones Paralleling Monzonite Dikes; Coaly Material

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1882

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name San Juan N. F.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 24.38M

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE TUNNEL DRIVEN DUE SOUTH FOR 35 TO FAULT, THENCE BRANCHING INTO 25-FT SE DRIFT ON FAULT AND 20-FT SW CROSSCUT TO DIKE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GODDARD, E.N., 1949, COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE BEAR CREEK DISTRICT, IN ECKEL, E.B., 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 70-72, 98 , PL. 13, #3.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINERALIZED FAULT TRENDS N 30 W, 80 NE AND PARALLELS VERTICAL MONZONITE PORPHYRY DIKE. SLIPS AND FRACTURES TREND EAST-WEST BETWEEN DIKE AND FAULT. CHALCOCITE OCCURS SPARINGLY IN PLANT MATERIAL IN FAULT AND IN FRACTURES IN SANDSTONE AND DIKE; PYRITE FINELY DISSEMINATED THROUGH SHATTERED AND BLEACHED ZONE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1982 Collins, Donna B. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Editor 23-JUL-2008 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. 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.