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Monarch Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014180
MRDS ID D010842
Record type Site
Current site name Monarch Mine
Alternate or previous names Tip Top Mine, Patented Claims: Tip Top, MS 8870, Chandler, MS 8870, Lafe Pence, MS 8870, Capitan, MS 8870, Platora, MS 8870, Unpatented Claims: Protection, Eclipse, Monitor, Sunshine, Jupiter, Echo, Lonesome, Happy
Related records 10263586

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.06398, 37.38251 (WGS84)
Elevation 3170
Relative position 12.3 MILES N 56 W FROM DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

La Plata(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle San Juan(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 036N 011W 10,15 SW (10); NW (15) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ABOVE BURNT TIMBER CREEK ON SOUTH SIDE OF BRAGDON RIDGE, 1.2 MILES SOUTH OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Pyrite To Limonite; Sericitization Of Feldspars

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 > Syenite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry;Nonporphyritic Rocks--Syenite
    Rock description Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry;Nonporphyritic Rocks--Syenite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Cutler Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.06398, 37.38251
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Discoverer Jacob Ohlwiler And Others (Claimants)
Year of last production 1933

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Monarch Gold Mining Co.
    Home office Hesperus, Co.
    First year 1934

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. MINE MAY HAVE PRODUCED ORE IN UNKNOWN AMOUNTS IN 1890S.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 213.36M

Comments on the workings information

  • LOWER CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN N 35 W FOR 263 FT TO FACE. UPPER CROSSCUT DRIVEN N 22 W FOR 65 FT TO VEIN: S 40 W DRIFT DRIVEN 73 FT, GENERALLY N 40 E DRIFT DRIVEN 230 FT WITH 30-FT RAISE TO SHORT NE DRIFT AT 70 FT FROM CROSSCUT.

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT DISCOVERED IN EARLY 1890S PROBABLY, AND ORIGINALLY CALLED TIP TOP MINE. MINE ACTIVE IN 1896 BUT FIRST PRODUCTION RECORDED IN 1932 AND 1933 WHEN MINE RENAMED TO MONARCH BY MONARCH GOLD MINING CO. LATER DEVELOPMENT WORK DONE IN 1934-1935 BUT MINE ABANDONED BY 1936.

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. 67-68, 152-154.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 8870

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 152 (AS COMPILED FROM USBM RECORDS)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890's
Deposit COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS GRADING NORTHWARD INTO SYENITE. DEPOSIT LIES IN ZONE OF CRUSHED, ALTERED PORPHYRY WITH STEEPLY DIPPING SHEAR PLANES AND ABUNDANT DISSEMINATED PYRITE AND SERICITIZED FELDSPARS. VEIN TRENDS N 20 TO 40 E, DIPS 72 TO 90 NW, 3 TO 24 INCHES WIDE WITH IRREGULAR, ILL-DEFINED WALLS INDICATING REPLACEMENT RATHER THAN FISSURE FILLING.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-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

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.