Pittsburg Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, 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 10014089
MRDS ID D010713
Record type Site
Current site name Pittsburg Mine
Related records 10288558

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.60563, 37.57112 (WGS84)
Elevation 3831
Relative position 16.3 MILES S 11 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 038N 007W 02,11 NW OF SW (02); SE OF SW (11) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). TUNNEL LIES ON SE SIDE OF AZTEC MTN 0.8 MILE SW OF COLUMBINE PASS; ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SHAFT NEAR NORTH END OF EAST SILVER MESA IN SEC. 11, 1.9 MILE SSW OF COLUMBINE PASS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1969) ASSAY OF SELECTED DUMP SAMPLE CONTAINED 0.02 OZ/TON AU, 6.84 OZ/TON AG, 1.08% CU, 1.20% PB, 2.36% ZN
Result SELECTED GOSSAN SAMPLE FROM DUMP CONTAINED 3.30 OZ/TON AG, 0.04% CU, TRACES OF AU, PB, AND ZN: SELECTED DUMP SAMPLE FROM SHAFT CONTAINED 0.04 OZ/TON AU, 83.66 OZ/TON AG, 0.18% CU, 0.73% PB, 0.12% ZN. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF SULFIDE-BEARING QUARTZ VEIN MATERIAL CONTAINED 20 PPM TI, 30 AND 200 PPM MN, 100 AND 5000 PPM AG, LT 200 AND 200 PPM AS, 500 AND 3000 PPM BA, LT 10 AND 50 PPM BI, LT 20 AND 300 PPM CD, LT 5 AND 5 PPM CR, 1500 AND 2000 PPM CU, 30 AND 100 PPM MO, 500 AND 20000 PPM PB, 150 AND 1500 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, LT 100 PPM SR, 10 AND 20 PPM V, LT 50 PPM W, 200 AND GT 20000 PPM ZN
Result CHEMICAL ANALYSES CONTAINED 0.30 AND 5 PPM AU, 1900 AND 3000 PPM CU, 800 AND 20000 PPM PB, 220 AND 6000 PPM ZN, 50 AND GT 100 PPM SB.

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 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    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 Trimble Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
    Rock description Trimble Granite;Intrusive Bodies And Related Rocks (Younger And Older Bodies Of Chicago Basin Stock)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1350
    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 Trimble Granite
    Rock description Trimble Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 10.1
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Chronological age 9
    Type of media Zircon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Precambrian
    Chronological age 1350
    Dating method Rb-Sr

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.60563, 37.57112

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 Past Producer
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

  • ONE SHAFT OF UNKNOWN DEPTH; ONE TUNNEL DRIVEN NNW ALONG VEIN, EXTENT UNKNOWN

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, 105-107, 164-165.

  • Deposit

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TUNNEL DEVELOPED ON QUARTZ VEIN TRENDING N 10 W, 70 NE, WHICH IS PART OF PRINCIPAL CONTINUOUS RADIAL FAULT OR FRACTURE CENTERED ON CHICAGO BASIN STOCK. SHAFT SUNK ON DETACHED SOUTHERN SEGMENT OF SAME VEIN ON SAME TREND.

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.

External references

Authoritative Colorado resources

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