Bear Creek Mine

Past Producer in San Miguel county in Colorado, United States with commodities Vanadium, Uranium, Lead, Selenium

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Public Land Survey System information
Commodities
Materials information
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Geologic structures
Ore body information
Controls for ore emplacement
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Land status
Ownership information
Production statistics
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10014241
MRDS ID	D010923
Record type	Site
Current site name	Bear Creek Mine
Alternate or previous names	Bear Creek Group, Patented Claims: Vanadis No. 4, MS 16864, Vanadis No.5, MS 16864, Vanadis No. 6,Ms 16864, Primos A, MS 19304, Primos No. 1, MS 19305, Primos No. 2, MS 19327, Primos No. 3, MS 19363, Primos No. 4, MS 19384
Related records	10289342

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-107.97676, 37.93444 (WGS84)
Elevation	2597
Relative position	8.9 MILES S 88 W FROM TELLURIDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Miguel(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Gray Head(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Miguel(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country	State	County
United States	Colorado	San Miguel

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian	Township	Range	Section	Fraction	State
New Mexico	042N;043N	010W;010W	04;33	N2 (04); S2 OF SW (33)	Colorado

Comments on the location information

CLAIMS COVER MINERALIZED BED ON BOTH SIDES OF BIG BEAR CREEK 1.7 TO 2.4 MILES SOUTH OF VANADIUM (CONFLUENCE OF BIG BEAR CREEK AND SAN MIGUEL RIVER), PARTLY OVERLAPPING CLAIMS AT CARPENTER MINE TO NORTH. PRINCIPAL WORKINGS LIE ON WEST SIDE OF CREEK IN N2 SEC. 04. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR CENTER OPENING ON WEST SIDE OF CREEK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Vanadium Critical	Primary
Uranium	Primary
Lead	Tertiary
Selenium	Tertiary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Galena	Gangue

Analytical data

Result	GALENA-CLAUSTHALITE SAMPLE CONTAINED 10% SE (COLEMAN AND DELEVAUX),1957)

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Rock unit name

Rhyolite

Rock description

Rhyolite

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Pliocene
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Late Jurassic
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Pliocene
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Late Jurassic

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
Rock unit name	Entrada Sandstone
Rock description	Entrada Sandstone

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-107.97676, 37.93444	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	Paradox Basin, Uncompahgre Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field, San Miguel Mtns
Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Placerville Anticline, Frazier Fault, Ross Graben

Ore body information

Thickness 6.1M

Thickness	6.1M

Controls for ore emplacement

Permeable Sandstone Underlying Pony Express Limestone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Past Producer
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Small
Significant	No
Discovery year	1903
Year of first production	1910
Year of last production	1957

Mining district

District name	Lower San Miguel District

Land status

Ownership category	Private

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Foote Minerals Co.

Home office Shiprock, N.M.

First year 1967

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Foote Minerals Co.
Home office	Shiprock, N.M.
First year	1967

Production statistics

Year 1946

Description Ap_Grade: ^2.79 % V205

Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage

Major V2O5 Ore Vanadium Vanadium 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 1910-1918 UNAVAILABLE, BUT FISCHER AND OTHERS REPORT ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF 130,000 TONS ORE. ANNUAL FIGURES FOR 1944-1957 FROM CDM RECORDS. MINE PRODUCED ORE IN 1944, 1946, AND 1947, BUT FUGURES WERE NOT REPORTED. NO REPORTED PRODUCTION IN OTHER INTERVENING YEARS. CUMULATIVE TOTAL THROUGH 1971 FROM NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS, BUT EXACT YEARS OF COVERAGE UNCERTAIN.

Comments on the workings information

MINE DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL SHORT TUNNELS WITH STOPES ON EAST SIDE OF CREEK. PRINCIPAL WORKINGS ON WEST SIDE CONSIST OF TWO GROUPS OF INTERCONNECTED OPENINGS AND STOPES FROM WHICH EXPLORATORY TUNNELS EXTEND. TO TEST FOR V LAYER ON DOWNTHROWN SIDE OF FRAZIER FAULT, INCLINE DRIVEN S 30 W AT 23% FOR ABOUT 1500 FT, THENCE SW AND WEST INTO EXPLORATORY TUNNELS AGGREGATING ABOUT 4000 FT.

Comments on development

VANADIS CLAIMS SURVEYED BY U.S. VANADIUM CO. IN 1903; REMAINDER SURVEYED AND PATENTED IN 1912-1915 BY HAROLD BOERICKE. PRIMOS CHEMICAL CO. OPERATED MINE IN 1910-1918, PRODUCING ABOUT 130,000 TONS ORE. MINING RESUMED IN 1943 OR 1944 BY VANADIUM CORP OF AMERICA.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	D010923
U.S. Bureau of Mines	Minerals Availability System	MAS	0081130047

Bibliographic references

Deposit

FISCHER, R.P., AND OTHERS, 1947, VANADIUM DEPOSITS NEAR PLACERVILLE, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO SCI. SOC. PROC., V. 15, NO. 3, P. 117-146.
Deposit

BUSH, A.L., AND OTHERS, 1961, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE GRAY HEAD QUADRANGLE, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-176.
Deposit

NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 405.
Deposit

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

BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 16864, 19304, 19305, 19327, 19363, 19384
Deposit

COLEMAN, R.G., AND DELEVAUX, MARYSE, 1957, OCCURRENCE OF SELENIUM IN SULFIDES FROM SOME SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 52, P. 499-527.
Production

FISCHER AND OTHERS, 1947, P. 133; COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS,; NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS, 1978, P. 405.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	BEDS DIP GENTLY EAST AND POSSIBLY SE OFF CREST OF PLACERVILLE ANTICLINE. RHYOLITE SILL INTRUDES DAKOTA SANDSTONE NEAR TOP OF RIM OF WILSON MESA. NW-TRENDING FRAZIER FAULT (DOWNTHROWN ON SW) FORM NE BOUNDARY OF ROSS GRABEN, TRUNCATES SE LIMB OF ANTICLINE, AND DISPLACES V-BEARING LAYER SW OF MINE. MINE PRODUCED ABNOUT 100,000 TONS OF ORE FROM TWO LARGEST ORE BODIES IN AREA, REPORTEDLY AVERAGING 2.5 TO 3% V205. DEPOSIT LIES CLOSE TO CENTER OF MINERALIZED BELT NEAR ITS SE END.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

BEDS DIP GENTLY EAST AND POSSIBLY SE OFF CREST OF PLACERVILLE ANTICLINE. RHYOLITE SILL INTRUDES DAKOTA SANDSTONE NEAR TOP OF RIM OF WILSON MESA. NW-TRENDING FRAZIER FAULT (DOWNTHROWN ON SW) FORM NE BOUNDARY OF ROSS GRABEN, TRUNCATES SE LIMB OF ANTICLINE, AND DISPLACES V-BEARING LAYER SW OF MINE. MINE PRODUCED ABNOUT 100,000 TONS OF ORE FROM TWO LARGEST ORE BODIES IN AREA, REPORTEDLY AVERAGING 2.5 TO 3% V205. DEPOSIT LIES CLOSE TO CENTER OF MINERALIZED BELT NEAR ITS SE END.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-NOV-1983	Schwochow, Stephen D.	Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

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