Pickens Cut

Past Producer in Rio Grande county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, 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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014043
MRDS ID D010659
Record type Site
Current site name Pickens Cut
Alternate or previous names Claim: Little Annie, Ms 63

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.6006, 37.42474 (WGS84)
Elevation 3719
Relative position 0.5 MILES S 48 W FROM SUMMITVILLE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Rio Grande(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Summitville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Antonito(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alamosa-Trinchera(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 Rio Grande

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 037N 004E 30 SW OF NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ON NORTH NOSE OF SOUTH MTN 200 FT NNW OF ESMOND MINE. ELEV FROM STEVEN AND RATTE (1960; PL. 3). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary

Alteration

  • (Local) Quartz-Alunite Solfataric Alteration

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Rock description Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Rock unit name Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite
    Rock description Quartz Latite Of South Mountain;Summitville Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.6006, 37.42474

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Platoro Caldera, Summitville Caldera, Summitville Fault, South Mountain Dome

Ore body information

  • Length 9.14M
    Width 5.49M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Quartz-Alunite Solfataric Replacement Bodies Following Nw-Trending Fractures Near Sw Margin Of South Mountain Feeder Conduit

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1926
Discoverer Jack Pickens And Judge Wiley
Year of first production 1926
Year of last production 1931

Mining district

District name Summit (Summitville) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall length 18.29M

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN CUT; APPARENTLY STOPED TO LEVEL OF WINCHESTER TUNNEL (ELEV 11833)

Comments on development

  • PICKENS HAD SEEN OUTCROPS OF RICH ORE IN RUTS OF WAGON ROAD MANY YEARS EARLIER BUT SPENT 20 YEARS OBTAINING LEASE ON PROPERTY WITHOUT ATTRACTING ATTENTION TO HIS DISCOVERY. FROM 1926-1931, PICKENS AND WILEY PRODUCED 864 TONS OF HAND-SORTED RICH AU ORE VALUED AT OVER $500000.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OPEN CUT DEVELOPED IN SMALL IRREGULAR PIPE OR REPLACEMENT VEIN IN VUGGY QUARTZ ROCK OF QUARTZ-ALUNITE ZONE SURROUNDED BY HIGHLY ARGILLIZED QUARTZ LATITE. ORE SHOOT APPARENTLY CONTROLLED BY TWO INTERSECTING FRACTURE SYSTEMS TRENDING N25W, 85 NE, AND N60E, 75 SE. DESPITE LIMITED LATERAL EXTENT. STOPES EXTEND TO DEPTH OF WINCHESTER TUNNEL.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1983 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.