Gem Mine

Past Producer in Fremont county in Colorado, United States with commodities Nickel, Copper, Silver, Cobalt
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. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10013400
MRDS ID D009670
Record type Site
Current site name Gem Mine
Related records 10142558

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -105.54669, 38.27557 (WGS84)
Elevation 2487
Relative position 10.2 MILES S 50 E OF COTOPAXI

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fremont(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Hillside(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Canon City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Pueblo(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Arkansas Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic subregion)

Arkansas-White-Red(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Fremont

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 020S 073W 33 NW OF NE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • AT NORTH EDGE OF GEM PARK ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Silver Secondary
Cobalt Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • POSSIBLE NB MINERALIZATION; ORE IS ROUNDED OR NODULAR MASSES IN CARBONATITE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Annabergite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Niccolite Ore
Silver Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sphalerite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) carbonate

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 27
USGS model code 11
Deposit model name Alkaline complexes

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
    Rock unit name Carbonatite Dike (Dolomite-Barite-Monazite);Pyroxenite
    Rock description Carbonatite Dike (Dolomite-Barite-Monazite);Pyroxenite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.54669, 38.27557

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northern Wet Mountains, Canon City Embayment, Thirtynine Mile Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Ne-Trending Faults, Gem Park Complex

Ore body information

  • Strike E-W
    Dip 45N

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults, Fault Intersections; Shear Zones; Carbonatite Dikes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1885

Mining district

District name Gem Park Area

Land status

Ownership category Private

Production statistics

  • Year 1882
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^12% Ni, 2-2.5% Co
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Ore Cobalt Cobalt 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Nickel Nickel 12wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • HAND SELECTED ORE SHIPPED TO SWANSEA, WALES FOR REFINING-ABOUT 0.5 TON CONTAINING 34% NI, 3-4% CO

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Area 0.022HA
    Overall depth 22.86M
    Overall length 152.4M
    Overall width 1.52M

Comments on development

  • THE MINE WAS ORIGINALLY OPENED FOR COPPER, WHICH PREDOMINATED AT THE SURFACE. NI WAS ENCOUNTERED NEAR THE SURFACE AND BECAME PROMINENT AT 15 TO 20 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COKER, R. J., 1982, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE ARKANSAS CANYON PLANNING UNIT WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE FORMER GRAPE CREEK WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS AND THE MCINTYRE HILLS WILDERNESS STUDY AREA: US BLM MINERAL REPORT, 125 P.

  • Deposit

    TAYLOR, R. B., SCOTT, G. R., WOBUS, R. A. AND EPIS, R. C., 1975, RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE COTOPAXI 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, FREMONT AND CUSTER COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP -900, 1:62,500.

  • Deposit

    PARKER, R. L. AND SHARP, W. N., 1970, MAFIC-ULTRAMAFIC IGNEOUS ROCKS AND ASSOCIATED CARBONATITES OF THE GEM PARK COMPLEX, CUSTER AND FREMONT COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS PROF PAPER 649, 24 P.

  • Deposit

    ARGALL, PHILIP, 1893, NICKEL; OCCURRENCE, GEOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION AND GENESIS OF ORE DEPOSITS, WITH DISCUSSION BY THOMAS CHARLTON: COLORADO SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY PROCEEDINGS, V. 4, P. 419-421

  • Deposit

    5) CROSS, WHITMAN, 1884, A LIST OF SPECIALLY NOTEWORTHY MINERALS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY PROCEEDINGS, V. 1, P. 134

  • Deposit

    6) ECKEL, E.B., 1961, MINERALS OF COLORADO-A 100-YEAR RECORD: USGS BULLETIN 1114, P. 20, 55, 242.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEIN AVERAGED 3-4 FT WIDE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1982 Collins, Donna B. 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.