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La Sal District

Producer in Montrose county in Colorado, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Uranium, Antimony, Arsenic, Manganese
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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. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014259
MRDS ID D010955
Record type District
Current site name La Sal District
Alternate or previous names Paradox Valley District, Patented Claims: Red Chief, MS 13029a, Red Chief Mill Site, MS 13029b, Cashin, MS 13030a, Maude, MS 13030a, Titon, MS 13030a, Titon Mill Site, MS 13030b, Humboldt, MS 13031a, Angel, MS 13031a, Bennie, MS 13031a, Maude Mill Site, MS 130 31b, Sunrise, MS 16001, Cliff Dweller, MS 17486, Rainbow, MS 17487, Queen of the West, MS 18541a, Paradox, MS 18541a, Bay City, MS 18541a, White Chief, MS 18541a, General Lee, MS 18541a, Way Up, MS 18541a, Morgan, MS 18541a, Isabella, MS 18541a, Colorado, MS 18541a, Paradox Mill Site, MS 18541b, Michigan, MS 19163, Horse Shoe, MS 19163, Red Rock, MS 19163, Red Bird, MS 19163, Malachite, MS 19164

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.94957, 38.3111 (WGS84)
Elevation 1634
Relative position 11 TO 13 MILES S 72 W FROM URAVAN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Montrose(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Paradox(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Nucla(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Moab(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Montrose

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N;048N 019W;019W 22,23,27,28;23,24 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • PRINCIPAL PART OF DISTRICT (CASHIN AND CLIFF DWELLER MINES) LIES ON SW SIDE OF PARADOX VALLEY ALONG LA SAL CREEK ON SW SIDE OF NYSWONGER MESA ABOUT 2.5 TO 2.8 MILES ABOVE DOLORES RIVER CONFLUENCE; ACCESSIBLE VIA TRAIL DOWN LA SAL CREEK FROM COLORADO RTE 90 SOUTH FROM PARADOX. OTHER PART OF DISTRICT (SUNRISE MINE) LIES ON NE SIDE OF PARADOX VALLEY ON RIM BELOW CARPENTER RIDGE; ACCESSIBLE VIA ROAD AND TRAILS NE FROM PARADOX. LATTER PORTION OF DISTRICT LIES ON ROC CREEK (1960) QUAD. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR DISTRICT'S PRINCIPAL MINE, CASHIN, IN SE NW SE SEC. 22, T47N, R19W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Uranium Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Manganese Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • COPPER PITCH DEFINED AS MIXTURE OF TENORITE, MALACHITE, CHRYSOCOLLA, LIMONITE, AND MN OXIDES

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Amalgam Ore
Argentite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Copper Ore
Cuprite Ore
Galena Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Cu Sulfides To Carbonates And Oxide

Analytical data

Result CU-AG ORES CONTAINED 6 TO 8% CU, 2.6 TO 8 OZ/TON AG, TRACE AU, 0.7% PB, AND 2% ZN. HIGH-GRADE CRUDE ORE FROM CASHIN MINE CONTAINED 12% CU AND 68 OZ/TON AG. OTHER HIGH-GRADE CRUDE ORE AVERAGED 12.5% CU AND 134 OZ/TON AG. FORMER LEACHING OPERATION AT CASHIN MINE YIELDED AVERAGE 3.5% CU AND 28 OZ/TON AG. ONE SHIPMENT OF NATIVE CU CONTAINED 89% CU AND 77 OZ/TON AG.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Wingate Sandstone;Chinle Formation
    Rock description Wingate Sandstone;Chinle Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.94957, 38.3111
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Paradox Basin Fold And Fault Belt, La Sal Centers
Type of structure Local
Structure description Paradox Valley Graben, Unnamed Faults

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault Cutting Poorly Cemented, Friable Sandstone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1896
Year of first production 1899
Year of last production 1975

Mining district

District name La Sal (Paradox Valley) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner New Star Corp. (Cashin Mine)
    Home office Provo, Ut.
    First year 1981

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. ANNUAL FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR 1896-1912 AS HENDERSON'S (1926) TABLES INCLUDE PROBABLE SMALL PRODUCTION FROM OTHER DISTRICTS. NO APPARENT PRODUCTION IN DISTRICT IN 1918, 1921, 1923-1936, 1948-1953, 1955-1956, 1959, 1961-1963, 1965-1971, 1973, AND AFTER 1975. PB PRODUCED ONLY IN 1944. FIGURES FOR PLACER AU IN DISTRICT WERE TABULATED IN HENDERSON (1926) AND IN VANDERWILT (1947); BECAUSE THESE PLACERS MAY ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN LOCATED ON DOLORES RIVER NE OF DISTRICT, PLACER PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN AU PRODUCTION SHOWN IN TABLE.

Comments on the workings information

  • MAJOR MINES DEVELOPED BY HILLSIDE DRIFT TUNNELS WITH INCLINED WINZES DOWN VEIN AND OFF WHICH AS MANY AS THREE LEVELS DEVELOPED. SURFACE LEACH PONDS.

Comments on development

  • REHABILITATION CONDUCTED BY CASHIN COPPER CORP IN 1955, INTERSTATE OIL AND GAS IN 1962, GOLD BAR RESOURCES IN 1963-1965, AND AUSTIN SMITH IN 1972 WHO SHIPPED DUMP ORE TO LEACH PLANT IN LISBON VALLEY, UTAH, BUT NO VALUES WERE RECOVERED. IN 1981, NEW STAR CORP ACQUIRED PROPERTY, DID EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AND SHIPPED TRIAL LOT OF ORE THAT WAS UNSUCCESSFULLY MILLED. WORK AT CLIFF DWELLER MINE CONSISTED OF SHIPPING DUMP ORE AND DRIVING NEW ADIT AS LATE AS 1975.
  • HISTORY OF DISTRICT TIED CLOSELY TO HISTORY OF CASHIN MINE, WHERE FIRST DEPOSITS DISCOVERED IN 1896; HOWEVER, NO ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION TOOK PLACE UNTIL 1898 OR 1899. CONSIDERABLE CU AND AG HAD BEEN PRODUCED BY 1905. CASHIN GROUP CLAIMS SURVEYED ALONG CASHIN AND CLIFFDWELLER VEINS IN 1899 AND PATENTED IN 1900 BY JAMES N. MCBRIDE. ADJACENT CLAIMS ALONG EXTENSIONS OF THESE VEINS WERE SURVEYED IN 1905 AND PATENTED IN 1906 BY L. W. AND J. R. GALLOWAY. IN 1910-1912, LA SAL COPPER MINING COMPANY PATENTED ADDITIONAL CLAIMS ALONG VEIN EXTENSIONS AND PRODUCED ORE. CASHIN PROPERTY SOLD IN 1918-1919 TO MICHIGAN-COLORADO COPPER COMPANY. DUE TO HIGH TRANSPORTATION COSTS IN EARLY YEARS, ONLY HIGH-GRADE SULFIDE AND NATIVE CU ORE COULD BE MINED. SMALL LEACH PLANT AND SMELTER AT CASHIN SITE PRODUCED MATTE IN EARLY 1900S USING PYRITE FROM OPHIR AND COAL FROM OVENS WEST OF NATURITA. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION TOOK PLACE BY VARIOUS OPERATORS FROM 1922-1946. FURTHER EXPLORATION/DEVELOPMENT AND

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSITS OCCUR IN WINGATE AND SANDSTONE AND CHINLE FM ON FLANKS OF PARADOX VALLEY ANTICLINE. ALTHOUGH FLANKS OF FOLD ARE CHARACTERIZED BY NUMEROUS GRABEN-TYPE NORMAL FAULTS TRENDING NW-SE AND DOWNTHROWN ON NE, CU-AG DEPOSITS ARE LOCALIZED IN VEINS ALONG FAULTS TRENDING GENERALLY N 20 E (CLIFFDWELLER), N 35 E (SUNRISE), AND N 45 E (CASHIN), POSSIBLY REPRESENTING ESTENSIONS OF SALT INTRUSIVE BULGES FROM INTERIOR OF PARADOX VALLEY. CASHIN AND CLIFFDEWELLER ORES CHARACTERIZED BY ARGENTIFEROUS CU SULFIDES, CU ARSENIDES, NATIVE CU AND NATIVE AG. REPLACEMENT ORE CONSISTS OF CHALCOPYRITE REPLACING SAND GRAINS, IN TURN REPLACED BY CHALCOCITE; MINOR ASSOCIATED SPHALERITE. VEIN ORE CONSISTS OF DOLOMITE FILLING VEIN AND CEMENTING BRECCIA OF SPHALERITE, GALENA, CHALCOPYRITE, ANDFINE-GRAINED INTERGROWTH OF CHALCOPYRITE AND UNKNOWN SULFIDE. LATER LUZONITE AND COVELLITE CUT AND REPLACE GANGUE AND EARLY SULFIDES. ARBOREAL MASSES OF ARGENTIFEROUS NATIVE CU WEIGHING 400 TO 500 LB REPORTEDLY OCCURRED IN
Deposit CHINLE FM RED BEDS UNDERLYING WINGATE. ORE AT SUNRISE MINE WAS MAINLY MASSIVE CHALCOPYRITE WITH LESSER AMOUNTS OF INTERGROWN CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE, AND LUZONITE (UPPER LEVEL), AND MASSIVE CHALCOCITE FILLING VEINS AND OPEN FRACTURES (LOWER LEVEL). OXIDIZED ORE CHARACTERIZED BY CU PITCH, SELECTIVELY REPLACING LUZONITE IN CENTERS OF COLLOFORM MASSES. ALTHOUGH SOME AGE RELATIONS WERE INCONCLUSIVE, FISCHER (1936) PROPOSED GENERAL PARAGENESIS: EARLY BARITE (?); PYRITE, EARLY CHALCOPYRITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, CHALCOPYRITE INTERGROWTH; BORNITE, CHALCOCITE, TENNANTITE (?), UNKNOWN SILVERY WHITE MINERAL; (BRECCIATION OF ORE BY POSSIBLE FAULT MOVEMENT); DOLOMITE (CEMENTING); LUZONITE, COVELLITE. FISCHER (1936) BELIEVED NATIVE CU AND CU ARSENIDES TO BE OF HYPOGENE ORIGIN. LINES OF EVIDENCE FOR HYPOGENE ORIGIN OF FINE-GRAINED CHALCOCITE: (1) REPLACEMENT OF SPHALERITE SIMULTANEOUSLY BY GALENA, BORNITE, CHALCOCITE, AND OTHER MINERALS; (2) REPLACEMENT INDEPENDENT OF FRACTURING; (3) GRANULAR TEXTURE
Deposit AND INTERLOCKING GRAINS; (4) UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF SCATTERED MINERALS IN HOST SULFIDES; (5) ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE OF SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT. WEIR AND PUFFETT (1981) STUDIED CU DEPOSITS IN LA SAL MTNS INTRUSIVE CENTERS AND CONCLUDED THAT THEY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN OF SYNGENETIC ORIGIN BECAUSE OF THEIR WIDE STRATIGRAPHIC OCCURRENCE. DUE TO SIMILARITY OF THOSE WITH THE CASHIN DEPOSITS, DEPOSITION SUGGESTS BASEMENT SOURCE WITH ASCENDING HYDROTHERMAL SOLUTIONS (HYPOGENE). ALL CU DEPOSITS IN AREA MAY BE RELATED TO HYDROTHERMAL PHASE OF LA SAL MTNS INTRUSIONS. SOLUTIONS MOVING OUTWARD FROM IGNEOUS CENTERS ALONG LISBON VALLEY FAULT SYSTEM WOULD BE DILUTED BY CONNATE WATERS WITHIN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS, SO THAT ORES WOULD BE OF LOW-TEMPERATURE (TELETHERMAL) TYPE. OCCURRENCE OF PYROBITUMEN WITH CU MINERALS AT CASHIN MINE SUGGESTS THAT SOME CU MAY HAVE BEEN PRECIPITATED BY H2S DERIVED FROM UNDERLYING PETROLIFEROUS PENNSYLVANIAN ROCKS.
Deposit BLM CLAIM RECORDS ASSIGN DISTRICT NAME "LA SAL" TO MINERAL SURVEYS 13029, 13030, 13031, 16001, AND 18541, AND DISTRICT NAME "PARADOX VALLEY" TO MINERAL SURVEYS 17486, 17163, AND 19164; BUT LA SAL AND LA SAL AND LA SAL CREEK ARE COMMON NAMES USED FOR AREA. INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR FOLLOWING MINES: CASHIN, CLIFF DWELLER, MORNING STAR, SUNRISE. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: (11) VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO STATE MINERAL RESOURCES BD., P. 153; (12) HENDERSON, C.W., 1926, MINING IN COLORADO, A HISTORY OF DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRODUCTION, USGS PROF. PAPER 138, P. 181-182; (13) SHOEMAKER, E.M., 1956, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ROC CREEK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-83. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1994 Unknown Unknown
Editor 12-NOV-2008 Wilson, Anna U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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Authoritative Colorado resources

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