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Durango Girl Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Mercury, Tellurium, Vanadium, Antimony
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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. 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. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014162
MRDS ID D010816
Record type Site
Current site name Durango Girl Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Durango Boy, MS 16438, Durango Girl, MS 16525, New Hope, MS 16525
Related records 10142540

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -107.99806, 37.41515 (WGS84)
Elevation 3011
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 11.5 MILES N 36 W FROM DURANGO, in upper Walls Gulch on the north side. Caved adit.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Monument Hill(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Durango(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 037N 010W 31,32 SE (31); SW (32) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE ON LOWER SE SLOPE OF LE IS MTN ALONG UPPER WALLS GULCH, 3.8 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = DURANGO 1:250000

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Tertiary
Mercury Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary
Vanadium Critical Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Coloradoite Ore
Gold Ore
Hessite Ore
Petzite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Dickite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Roscoelite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification

Analytical data

Result RITTER (1924?) TABULATED INDIVIDUAL ORE LOTS AND GRADES FROM 1893 TO 1921. LARGER SINGLE SHIPMENTS OF "LOWER" HIGH-GRADE ORE CONTAINED 0.41 TO 17.90 OZ/TON AU AND 4.6 TO 184.95 OZ/TON AG, WITH THE FOLLOWING VERY HIGH ASSAYS: 313.10 OZ/TON AU AND 574.40 OZ/TON AG, 134.03 OZ/TON AU AND 695.55 OZ/TON AG, 416.35 OZ/TON AU AND 1698.96 OZ/TON AG, 204.63 OZ/TON AU AND 834.22 OZ/TON AG, 181.25 OZ/TON AU AND 378.27 OZ/TON AG.

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 > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pleistocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Cutler Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -107.99806, 37.41515
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description La Plata Dome
Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1.52M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Vein Formation Controlled By Favorable Wall Rock Composition (Sandstone And Porphyry)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1893
Year of first production 1893
Year of last production 1939

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Durango Girl Gold Mining And Milling Co.
    First year 1921

Production statistics

  • Year 1919
    Description Ap_Grade: ^6.04 Oz/Ton Au, 66.60 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 1880g/mt
    Major Gold Gold 171g/mt
  • Year 1919
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.92 To 7.62 Oz/Ton Au, 57.50 To 94.25 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 2142g/mt
    Major Ore Gold Gold 135g/mt
  • Year 1920
    Description Ap_Grade: ^9.45 Oz/Ton Au, 63 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 1779g/mt
    Major Gold Gold 267g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • COMPLETE PRODUCTION RECORD EXCEPT FOR MISSING ORE FIGURE FOR 1926. GRADES GIVEN FOR 1893-1921 ARE RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL ORE LOT GRADES TABULATED BY RITTER (1924?). ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE ORE FIGURE EXCLUDES UNREPORTED FIGURE FOR 1926.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 551.69M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY THREE TUNNELS. TUNNEL NO. 1 (INACCESSIBLE) DRIVEN PRESUMABLY WNW FOR 105 FT ON VEIN. TUNNEL NO. 2 (UPPER TUNNEL) DRIVEN N 70 TO 85 W FOR 970 FT ALONG VEIN TO FACE; WINZES AT 79 FT, 280 FT, AND 390 FT FROM PORTAL; RAISES AT 740 FT AND 830 FT FROM PORTAL. TUNNEL NO. 3 (LOWER TUNNEL) LOCATED 70 FT NE OF AND ABOUT 45 FT BELOW TUNNEL NO. 2, DRIVEN GENERALLY N 70 W AT LEAST 520 FT TO STOPED AND CAVED AREA; RAISES TO UPPER LEVEL AT 120 FT, 330 FT, AND 450 FT FROM PORTAL. PRINCIPAL STOPES DEVELOPED ABOVE UPPER LEVEL FROM PORTAL TO 370 FT AND FROM 410 TO 530 FT FROM PORTAL.

Comments on development

  • VEIN LOCATED IN 1893 AND MINE PRODUCED CONTINUOUSLY FROM 1893 TO 1899 AND INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1902 TO 1926, WITH LAST PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1939. MINE PRODUCED RICH HAND-SORTED ORE, BUT VANDERBERGE (1908) CITED HISTORY OF DISCORDANT OWNERSHIP AND WRETCHED MANAGEMENT; ORE WAS HIGH-GRADED WITH MUCH LOWER GRADE ORE DUMPED IN STOPES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 73-76, 115-117.

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, W.H., 1905, THE NEGLECTED MINE AND NEAR-BY PROPERTIES, DURANGO QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 260, P. 121-127.

  • Deposit

    VANDERBERGE, J.H., 1908, REPORT OF THE DURANGO GIRL, LA PLATA COUNTY: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 7 P.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS 16438, 16525

  • Deposit

    RITTER, E.A., 1924?, REPORT ON THE DURANGO GIRL MINE OF THE DURANGO MINING AND MILLING COMPANY CONTAINED IN A PROSPECTUS OF THE COMPANY, LA PLATA COUNTY: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 5 P.

  • Deposit

    Neubert, J.T., and others, 1992, Mineral appraisal of San Juan Naitonal forest, Colorado: U.S. Bureau of Mines Mineral Land Assessment Open-File Report MLA 2-92.

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 115 (AS COMPILED FROM COMPANY, USGS, AND USBM RECORDS); RITTER, 1924?

  • Deposit

    U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1965, Mercury potential of the United States: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular IC-8252, p. 376 p.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEIN STRIKES N 75 W., DIPS 65 NE, CONSISTS OF QUARTZ, ROSCOELITE, PYRITE, TETRAHEDRITE, TELLURIDES AND GOLD. HOSTED IN CUTLER FRM CUT BY INTRUSIVE PORPHYRY. ADITS ARE CAVED.
Deposit COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF VARIABLY DIPPING, RELATIVELY UNALTERED CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZNITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIKES. VEIN, WHICH FOLLOWS NORMAL FAULT TRENDING N 75 W, 54 TO 78 NE, VARIES IN THICKNESS FROM FRACTION OF INCH TO 5 FT AND GENERALLY IS WIDER IN PORPHYRY AND SANDSTONE THAN IN SHALE. WALL ROCK IS ALTERED, BLEACHED, AND SILICIFIED FROM 2 INCHES TO 6 FT BEYOND VEIN AND CONTAINS DISSEMINATED PYRITE. VEIN IS BELT OF QUARTZ STRINGERS UP TO 3 FT WIDE, AVERAGING ONE FT. PYRITE ABUNDANT IN VEIN ZONE BUT RARE IN HIGH-GRADE VEIN QUARTZ. TELLURIDES, TETRAHEDRITE, AND FREE GOLD INTERGROWN WITH QUARTZ. RICHEST ORE FOUND BETWEEN SANDSTONE WALLS, BUT MOST SHIPPING ORE LAY BETWEEN PORPHYRY WALLS; LITTLE OR NO ORE IN SHALE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 1983-08-01 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Editor 2012-09-18 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey merged and deleted duplicate record 10142540.
Reporter 1996-12-31 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0080670078 = 10142540.

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.