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Alexite Vermiculite Mine

Past Producer in Gunnison county in Colorado, United States with commodity Vermiculite
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10014562
MRDS ID D011387
Record type Site
Current site name Alexite Vermiculite Mine
Alternate or previous names Powderhorn No. 1 Mine, Unpatented Claims: Inspiration Nos. 1-2, Novel, Model, Bud, Bob, December, Dead Mule Nos. 1-2, Christmas

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.05673, 38.23889 (WGS84)
Elevation 2630
Location accuracy 500(meters)
Relative position 22.0 MILES S 19 W FROM GUNNISON, Within 1500-Ft Radius, Within 1500-Ft Radius, Within 1500-Ft Radius, Within 1500-Ft Radius

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Gunnison(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rudolph Hill(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gunnison(hydrologic unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic accounting unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CO)

Bureau of Land Management CO BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Gunnison

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 046N 002W 14 E2 OF NE OF SE Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • EXACT LOCATION WITHIN SECTION IS UNCERTAIN BUT IS PRESUMED TO BE SERIES OF PROSPECTS IN AREA DESCRIBED ABOVE. ALONG ROAD ON WEST SIDE OF UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF ROAD BEAVER CREEK 3.35 MILES SE OF POWDERHORN AND ONE MILE SSW OF IRON HILL. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Vermiculite Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Augite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration Of Biotite And/Or Phlogopite To Vermiculite

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
    Rock unit name Pyroxenite;Uncompahgrite;Carbonatite;Nepheline Syenite
    Rock description Pyroxenite;Uncompahgrite;Carbonatite;Nepheline Syenite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.05673, 38.23889
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Iron Hill Alkalic Complex, Cimarron Fault, Powderhorn Stock

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1943
Year of last production 1944

Mining district

District name White Earth (Powderhorn) District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Alexite Engineering Co.
    Home office Colorado Springs, Co.
    First year 1944

Comments on the production information

  • MINE APPARENTLY PRODUCED ONLY THESE TWO YEARS.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN CUTS; 23-FT-DEEP SHAFT WITH SOME DEVELOPMENT FROM BOTTOM

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    OLSON, J.C., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RUDOLPH HILL QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON, HINSDALE, AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1177.

  • Deposit

    BUSH, A.L., 1951, SOURCES OF LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATES IN COLORADO: COLORADO SCI. SOC. PROC., V. 15, NO. 8, P. 339-340.

  • Deposit

    LA PLANTE, F.R., 1943, GUNNISON COUNTY ACTIVITIES: COLORADO MINING ASSOC. 1943 MINING YEARBOOK, P. 35-36.

  • Deposit

    ALEXANDER, J.D., 1944, ALEXITE'S YEAR OF GROWTH: COLORADO MINING ASSOC. 1944 MINING YEARBOOK, P. 85.

  • Deposit

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

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ON SOUTH SIDE OF IRON HILL COMPLEX, PYROXENITE IS CUT BY APOPHYSES OF UNCOMPAHGRITE. SWARMS OF CARBONATITE DIKES TREND GENERALLY EAST-WEST TO WNW-ESE PARALLEL TO LONG DIMENSION OF COMPLEX AND ALSO TREND GENERALLY NORTH-SOUTH TO NNW-SSE IN RADIAL ORIENTATION FROM MAIN CARBONATITE STOCK. VERMICULITE IS SPORADIC BUT LOCALLY ABUNDANT IN ALTERED PYROXENITE AS PODLIKE SEGREGATIONS AND DIKELIKE BODIES, RESULTING FROM WEATHERING OF BIOTITE OR PHLOGOPITE. BUSH (1951) DESCRIBES OCCURRENCE AS STEEPLY DIPPING ZONES UP TO 10 FT THICK. MOST OF VERMICULITE OCCURS IN BOOKS LESS THAN 0.25 INCH IN LONGEST DIMENSION WITH A FEW 2- TO 2-INCH BOOKS. GARNET-BEARING PEGMATITE (POSSIBLY NEPHELINE SYENITE DIKE) INTRUDES THE PYROXENITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-84 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

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