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Mountain Lily Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Tellurium
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014181
MRDS ID D010843
Record type Site
Current site name Mountain Lily Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Mountain Lily, MS 9421, Darby, MS 12611, Timberline, MS 17241, Tip Top, MS 17276, Gold Dollar, MS 17276, Camp Bird, MS 19403, Unpatented Claims: Mountain Lily Extension, Darby Extension, Ramona
Related records 10288498

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.04426, 37.42807 (WGS84)
Elevation 3194
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 13.6 MILES N 43 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 037N 011W 26 S2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON SE SLOPE OF DIORITE PEAK ON NOSE BETWEEN WILLIAMS GULCH AND BASIN CREEK, 2.25 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Pyrite Ore
Sylvanite Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Kaolinitization, Chloritization

Analytical data

Result ORE GRADES FROM 1920 TO 1940 GENERALLY RAN 1.1 TO 8 OZ/TON AU AND 1.2 TO 10 OZ/TON AG, WITH HIGH GRADES FROM APPARENT SMALL SHIPMENT IN 1922 OF 31.35 OZ/TON AU AND 42.47 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 Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite;Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite;Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite
    Rock description Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.04426, 37.42807
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

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1.52M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Discoverer Daniel Shively And Owen F. Boyle (Mountain Lily Claimants)
Year of first production 1895
Year of last production 1942

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 Robert H. Sayres And Associates
    Home office Hesperus, Co.
    First year 1940
  • Type Owner
    Owner Merritt, A. J.
    Home office Walsenburg, Co.
    First year 1940

Production statistics

  • Year 1935
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.1 Oz/Ton Au, 1.25 Oz/Ton Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Silver Silver 35g/mt
    Major Ore Gold Gold 31g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1902, BUT AMOUNT CONSIDERED SMALL. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1903-1919, 1923-1928, 1936-1939, AND AFTER 1942. ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE ORE TONNAGE EXCLUDES UNREPORTED BUT SMALL (PROBABLY LESS THAN 1 ST) TONNAGE FOR 1920. CUMULATIVE AU FIGURE ESTIMATED DUE TO ESTIMATED FIGURE FOR 1902. ORE GRADES FOR 1932, 1934, AND 1935 FROM CDM ANNUAL OPERATOR REPORTS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 469.39M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY FOUR TUNNELS. MOUNTAIN LILY NO. 1 TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY WEST FOR ABOUT 430 FT TO FACE, WITH RAISES AT 80, 145, AND 320 FT FROM PORTAL, AND PRINCIPAL STOPES AT 65 TO 280 FT AND 320 TO 370 FT FROM PORTAL. MOUNTAIN LILY CROSSCUT TUNNEL LOCATED 75 FT SW OF AND 50 FT BELOW MOUNTAIN LILY NO. 1, DRIVEN N 22 W FOR 75 FT, WITH DRIFT DRIVEN N 68 E FOR 40 FT AND DRIFT DRIVEN GENERALLY S 87 W FOR 320 FT, WITH RAISES AT 10, 80, AND 180 FT FROM CROSSCUT AND PRINCIPAL STOPES AT 55 TO 120 FT AND 140 TO 235 FT FROM CROSSCUT, UNDERHAND STOPE AT 35 TO 70 FT FROM CROSSCUT. TIP TOP NO. 2 PORTAL LOCATED 235 FT ENE OF AND 80 FT BELOW MOUNTAIN LILY NO. 1, DRIVEN S 62 W FOR 110 FT TO FACE. TIP TOP NO. 1 LOCATED 365 FT ENE OF AND 165 FT BELOW MOUNTAIN LILY NO. 1, DRIVEN WEST FOR 170 FT, THENCE GENERALLY S 80 W FOR 325 FT TO FACE, WITH RAISE AT 345 FT FROM PORTAL AND PRINCIPAL STOPES AT 115 TO 140 FT, 230 TO 275 FT, 335 TO 415 FT, AND 470 TO 490 FT FROM PORTAL.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS ACTIVE IN 1896, WAS OPERATED BY O.F. BOYLE IN 1902, BUT WAS IDLE UNTIL 1920 WHEN BOYLE'S ESTATE RENEWED PRODUCTION FOR SEVERAL YEARS. PROPERTY LEASED TO A.J. MERRITT AND ASSOCIATES (MARIPOSA MINES) IN 1929, WHO WORKED MINE UNTIL 1935.

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, 154-155.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 9421, 12611, 17241, 17276, 19403

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 154 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS); COLORADO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIORITE OF DIORITE PEAK STOCK. MOUNTAIN LILY VEIN TRENDS GENERALLY N 80 E, DIPS STEEPLY NW. NARROW SUBSIDIARY FRACTURE ZONES EXTEND INTO WALLS. 1- TO 5-FT-WIDE VEIN ZONE CONSISTS OF 1- TO 10-INCH MEDIAL SHEET OF ORE-BEARING SILICIFIED DIORITE FLANKED BY KAOLINITIZED AND CHLORITIZED DIORITE WITH PYRITE, GRADING INTO UNALTERED DIORITE.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-83 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.