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Smuggler Mine

Past Producer in Pitkin county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Cadmium, Antimony, Uranium
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10013388
MRDS ID D009653
Record type Site
Current site name Smuggler Mine
Alternate or previous names Smuggler - Durant, Claims: Smuggler, Emma, Trueworthy, General Jackson, Silver Brick, I. X. L., Leadville, Accident, Ground Hog, Glendale, Arkansaw, Williams Ranch
Related records 10167322

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.80701, 39.19277 (WGS84)
Elevation 2463
Relative position 0.7 MILES N 63 E FROM ASPEN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pitkin(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Aspen(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Roaring Fork(hydrologic unit)

Colorado Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Colorado Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Pitkin

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 010S 084W 07 SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • IN SMUGGLER MOUNTAIN AREA AT BASE OF NW END. ELEV AND LAT-LONG FROM BRYANT (1972) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Manganese Critical Tertiary
Cadmium Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Uranium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Near-Complete Oxidation Of Zn Ore; Dolomitization; Ferration

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Aplite Porphyry
    Rock description Aplite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Leadville Limestone (Redcliff Member);Belden Formation
    Rock description Leadville Limestone (Redcliff Mbr);Belden Formation

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Uplift, Central Colorado Trough, Piceance Basin, White River Uplift, Elk Uplift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Silver Fault, Clark Fault, Smuggler Fault, Della Fault, Emma Fault

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding Plane Fault, Later Less-Steep Cross-Faults, Later High-Angle Normal Fault

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1881
Discoverer D. H. Hyman (Smuggler Claimant)
Year of first production 1882
Year of last production 1948

Mining district

District name Aspen (Roaring Fork) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Mcculloch Consolidated Mining Co.
    Home office Aspen, Co.
    First year 1969
  • Type Owner
    Owner Mcculloch Oil Corp.
    Home office Los Angeles, Ca.
    First year 1969

Production statistics

  • Year 1929
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^10 Oz/Ton Ag, 9% Pb, 12% Zn, 6% Fe, 4% S
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Sulfur Sulfur 4wt-pct
    Ore Iron Iron 6wt-pct
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 12wt-pct
    Major Ore Lead Lead 9wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 282g/mt
  • Year 1929
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^8.5 Oz/Ton Ag, 5% Pb, 6% Zn, 5% Fe, 2% S
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Sulfur Sulfur 2wt-pct
    Ore Iron Iron 5wt-pct
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 6wt-pct
    Major Ore Lead Lead 5wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 240g/mt
  • Year 1930
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^8 Oz/Ton Ag, 5% Pb, 6% Zn, 5% Fe, 2% S
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Sulfur Sulfur 2wt-pct
    Ore Iron Iron 5wt-pct
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 6wt-pct
    Major Ore Lead Lead 5wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 226g/mt
  • Year 1931
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^5.312 Oz/Ton Ag, L. T. 2% Pb
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Lead Lead 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 150g/mt
  • Year 1939
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^3 Oz/Ton Ag, 3% Pb
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Lead Lead 3wt-pct
    Major Silver Silver 85g/mt
  • Year 1939
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^403 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 1379g/mt
  • Year 1939
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^403 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 11379g/mt
  • Year 1940
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.01 Oz/Ton Au, 9.9 Oz/Ton Ag, 8.32% Pb, 3.65% Zn, 2.1% Fe, 1.5% S
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Sulfur Sulfur 2wt-pct
    Ore Iron Iron 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 4wt-pct
    Major Ore Lead Lead 8wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 279g/mt
    Ore Gold Gold 0g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES FOR EARLY 1880S TO 1915 NOT AVAILABLE. NO PRODUCTION RECORDED FOR 1921, 1949-50. NO CDM RECORDS FOR 1925, 1932-36, 1943-47. RECORD BUT NO FIGURES FOR 1937. REMAINING ANNUAL AND CUMULATIVE FIGURES SHOWN MAY NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENT SMUGGLER MINE PRODUCTION BECAUSE MANY PROPERTIES WERE CONSOLIDATED THRU OWNERSHIP AND LEASE BY SMUGGLER LEASING CO. AND REPORTED AS SAME. VARIOUS PRODUCTION CREDITS AS FOLLOWS: 1916-23, SMUGGLER LEASING CO.; 1925, LATE ACQUISITION TUNNEL (TRAYNOR ET. AL.) AND LENADO, RESPECTIVELY; 1926, SMUGGLER-DURANT, LENADO, GREAT WESTERN & LATE ACQUISITION; 1927, SMUGGLER AND DURANT; 1931 AND 1938, SMUGGLER LEASING AND SPAR CONSOLIDATED; 1942, ASPENLEASE, VETERAN TUNNEL, SPAR, UPPER AND LOWER DURANT; 1948, DURANT. FOR 1949-50, EXPLORATION ONLY, NO PRODUCTION (LAST CDM RECORD.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Area 12.141HA
    Overall depth 365.76M
    Overall length 426.72M
    Overall width 274.32M

Comments on the workings information

  • D002512 HAS BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED.

Comments on development

  • FOLLOWING HIGH PRODUCTION IN LATE 1800S, MANY MINE PROPERTIES WERE CONSOLIDATED, AND SMUGGLER LEASING CO. OWNED AND/OR OPERATED NUMEROUS CLAIMS ON SMUGGLER MTN. AND ASPEN MTN. VARIOUS PROPERTIES INTERMITTENTLY WORKED TO 1950 BUT PRODUCTION WAS REPORTED UNDER GENERAL NAMES OF SMUGGLER LEASING CO. AND SMUGGLER-DURANT MINING CORP.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SPURR, J. E., 1898, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS MON. 31, P. 185-188

  • Deposit

    BRYANT, BRUCE, 1971, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-933

  • Deposit

    BRYANT, BRUCE, 1972, MAP SHOWING MINES, PROSPECTS, AND AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT SILVER, LEAD, AND ZINC PRODUCTION IN THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-785-D

  • Deposit

    VOLIN, M. E., AND HILD, J. H., 1950, INVESTIGATION OF SMUGGLER LEAD-ZINC MINE, ASPEN, PITKIN COUNTY, COLO.: USBM RI-4696, 47 P.

  • Deposit

    HEYL, A. V., 1964, OXIDIZED ZINC DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, PART 3--COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1135-C, P. 26-28, 60-62.

  • Deposit

    BRYANT, BRUCE, 1979, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 1073, P. 108-109.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1656, 2120, 3740 AM, 3941, 3952, 5051, 5270 AM, 5835, 6858, 6859, 8394

  • Production

    COLO. DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATORS REPTS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1982 Schwochow, Stephen D. (Hasler, J. William) Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

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