Mt. Eolus Mine

Occurrence in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc
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. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014086
MRDS ID D010710
Record type Site
Current site name Mt. Eolus Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.61035, 37.61668 (WGS84)
Elevation 3584
Relative position 13.4 MILES S 13 E FROM SILVERTON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Columbine Pass(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Animas(hydrologic unit)

Upper San Juan(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Juan(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)

Weminuche Wilderness(Wilderness)

Wilderness FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 039N 007W 26 NW OF SW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT SE BASE OF MT EOLUS AT HEAD OF CHICAGO BASIN 1.3 MILES NW OF COLUMBINE PASS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PRINCIPAL ORE MINERALS LISTED ARE BASED ON LIST FOR DISTRICT. OCCURENCE OF OTHER AG AND CU SULFIDES UNVERIFIED.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1969) SAMPLE OF QUARTZ VEIN AT FACE OF UPPER DRIFT CONTAINED TRACE AU, 3.52 OZ/TON AG, TRACES OF CU, PB, AND ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANSLYSES OF TWO SAMPLES OF QUARTZ VEIN MATERIAL CONTAINED 50 AND 2000 PPM TI, 500 AND GT 5000 PPM MN, 7 AND 50 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 70 AND 1000 PPM BA, LT 10 PPM BI, LT 20 PPM CD, LT 5AND 5 PPM CR, LT 5 AND 300 PPM MO, 100 AND 300 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 AND 500 PPM SR, 10 AND 50 PPM V, LT 50 PPM W, LT 200 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSES SHOWED LT 0.02 AND 0.08 PPM AU, 10 AND 430 PPM CU, 30 AND 190 PPM PB, 40 AND 200 PPM ZN.

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 > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
    Rock description Eolus Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Eolus Granite
    Rock description Eolus Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method U-Pb (zircon)
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1466
    Dating method Rb-Sr
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1460
    Dating method K-Ar

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.61035, 37.61668

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, San Juan Basin, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Needle Mtns Uplift, Chicago Basin Stock, Eolus Batholith, Trimble Stock

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Metalliferous Veins Controlled By Regional Rectangular Fracture System In Granites And By Local Radial Fracture System Associated With Emplacement Of Chicago Basin Stock

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Needle Mountain (Tacoma, Florida, Vallecito) District

Land status

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

Comments on the workings information

  • UPPER TUNNEL IS 265-FT DRIFT ON VEIN TRENDING N 65 E; LOWER TUNNEL IS CROSSCUT OF UNKNOWN EXTENT

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SCHMITT, L.J., AND RAYMOND, W.H., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS DISTRICT, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1434, 40 P.

  • Deposit

    STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 30-32, 55-67, 94, 162-163.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS FOLIO 131.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE DEVELOPED ON TWO VEINS TRENDING N 50 W AND N 65 E, 83 NW, BOTH IN THE EAST-WEST-TRENDING FRACTURES OF THE REGIONAL RECTANGULAR SYSTEM

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-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.