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White Spar Mine

Occurrence in San Miguel county in Colorado, United States with commodities Uranium, Copper, Vanadium
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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. 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. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014254
MRDS ID D010948
Record type Site
Current site name White Spar Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: White Spar, MS 4819, New Discovery, MS 4819

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.04621, 38.01861 (WGS84)
Elevation 2377
Relative position 13.7 MILES N 67 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

Placerville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Nucla(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Moab(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 044N 011W 35 S2 OF S2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • CLAIMS LIE ALONG SLOPE IMMEDIATELY NE OF PLACERVILLE. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PRINCIPAL WORKINGS AT END OF ROAD FROM PLACERVILLE (SW NE SW SEC. 35). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Copper Primary
Vanadium Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Cu Sulfide To Carbonate; Wallrock Bleaching Due To Hydrothermal Alteration

Analytical data

Result MOREHOUSE (1951) REPORTED ANALYSES OF CHANNEL SAMPLES OF VEIN MATERIAL: SAMPLE 12052, 0.05% U308 (RADIOMETRIC), 0.04% U308 (CHEMICAL)
Result SAMPLE 12051, 0.13% U308 (RADIOMETRIC), 0.15% U308 (CHEMICAL)
Result SAMPLE 12068, 0.06% U308 (RADIOMETRIC), 0.06% U308 (CHEMICAL), 0.15% V205.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • 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
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.04621, 38.01861
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 Black King Fault

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Principal Fault Zone In Nw-Trending Fault System Of District

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1887
Discoverer Ephraim Flangher And Others (Claimants)

Mining district

District name Lower San Miguel District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY SURFACE CUT (TRENCH), AND FOUR SHAFTS, 12, 20, 10, AND 150 FT DEEP.

Comments on development

  • CLAIM ORIGINALLY STAKED AS CU PROSPECT IN 1880S; PRODUCTION OF CU ORE FROM 1890 TO ABOUT 1910 IS UNCERTAIN. ALTHOUGH LATER PROSPECTED LATER FOR U AND/OR V, NO APPARENT PRODUCTION WAS MADE.

Reference information

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, 1959, AREAL GEOLOGY OF THE PLACERVILLE QUADRANGLE, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS BULL 1072-E.

  • Deposit

    NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 447.

  • Deposit

    MOREHOUSE, G.E., 1951, INVESTIGATION OF THUCHOLITE DEPOSITS NEAR PLACERVILLE, COLORADO: AEC RMO-910, P. 9, 13.

  • Deposit

    WILMARTH, V.R., 1953, PLACERVILLE HYDROCARBONS, COLORADO, IN SEARCH FOR AND GEOLOGY OF RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS: AEC TEI-330, P. 107-108.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 4819

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE DEVELOPED ON SE EXTENSION OF BLACK KING FAULT, ONE OF PRINCIPAL FAULTS IN NW-TRENDING SYSTEM CHARACTERISTIC OF DISTRICT. THREE SEGMENTS OF FAULT TREND ABOUT N 20 W AND N 50 W, JOINING TO FORM CONTINUATION OF MAIN FAULT AT ABOUT N 80 W. MAIN FAULT AND SEGMENTS ALL DOWNTHROWN ON NE AND CUT CUTLER AND DOLORES FM RED BEDS. ON RIDGE NORTH OF MINE, CLASTIC DIKE TRENDS GENERALLY N 80 TO 90 W. WHITE SPAR SHOWS FEWER SULFIDES AND LESS WALLROCK ALTERATION THAN BLACK KING, BUT BOTH ARE PROBABLY GENETICALLY RELATED. URANIUM OCCURS AS SCATTERED GRAINS OF URANINITE AND COFFINITE AND POSSIBLY AS ORGANIC COMPLEX DISSEMINATED THROUGH HARDENED PETROLIFEROUS HYDROCARBON OR ASPHALTIC MATERIAL (TERMED THUCHOLITE). ASPHALT OCCURS IN FAULT ZONE, AS FRACTURE FILLINGS, AND DISSEMINATION IN SEDIMENTARY ROCK. RADIOACTIVITY SEEMS MORE CONCENTRATED IN SHINY LUSTROUS HYDROCARBON THAN IN SOOTY VARIETY. GENERAL PARAGENESIS: CALCITE, BARITE, PYRITE, HYDROCARBONS, SULFIDES (PYRITE, CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE,
Deposit ARGENTIFEROUS TETRAHEDRITE, GALENA, SPHALERITE) (GENERAL SEQUENCE FORAREA AS DETERMINED BY WILMARTH, 1953).

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.

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.