Free Coinage Mine

Occurrence in Dolores county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Copper, 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. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014229
MRDS ID D010906
Record type Site
Current site name Free Coinage Mine
Related records 10239334

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.10343, 37.76334 (WGS84)
Elevation 2484
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 6.3 MILES N 40 W FROM RICO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dolores(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dolores Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dove Creek(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Dolores(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(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 Dolores

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 041N;040N 011W;011W 32;05 SW OF SE (32); NW OF NE (05) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). MINE LIES ON SOUTH SIDE OF WEST DOLORES RIVER NEAR BASE OF HILL JUST WEST OF SMUGGLER MINE AND JUST SW OF MILL SITE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • COMMODITIES AND ORE MINERALS LISTED NOT DEFINITELY KNOWN BUT INFERRED ON BASIS OF PROBABLE SIMILARITY WITH EMMA AND SMUGGLER MINES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Polybasite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue

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 > Gabbro
    Rock unit name Microgabbro
    Rock description Microgabbro
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Cutler Formation;Dolores Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation;Dolores Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.10343, 37.76334

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rico Dome, Dunton Syncline, Emma Fault

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Probable Fault Subparallel To But Outside Graben

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Lone Cone (Dunton) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Warren E. Wright
    Home office Clifton, Co.
    First year 1979

Comments on the workings information

  • 1937 SPECIAL EDITION TOPO MAP OF DUNTON MINING AREA SHOWS MINE TO CONSIST OF THREE TUNNELS DRIVEN GENERALLY SE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BUSH, A.L., AND BROMFIELD, C.S., 1966, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DOLORES PEAK QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-536.

  • Deposit

    BASTIN, E.S., 1922, SILVER ENRICHMENT IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 735-D, P. 116-129.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE DEVELOPED IN DOLORES FM RED BEDS ON PROBABLE VEIN THAT TRENDS NW-SE AND IS PARALLEL TO EMMA VEIN AND TO OTHER FISSURES THAT LIE TO SW BEYOND GRABEN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-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

Authoritative Colorado resources

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