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Orient Iron Mine

Past Producer in Saguache county in Colorado, United States with commodities Iron, Manganese, Copper, Graphite
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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. 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. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10016274
MRDS ID DC00818
Record type Site
Current site name Orient Iron Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Anna Lee, Beehive, MS 1504, Booth, MS 11400, Brutus, MS 11400, Caesar, MS 11400, Cleopatra, MS 11400, D.W. Jones, Enterprise, MS 1506, Ephemeris, MS 11400, Flag, MS 1507, Grand Tower, Grand View, Hamlet, MS 11400, Ironton, Macbeth, MS 11400, Mcclelland, MS 1684, Mercutio, MS 11400, Nero, MS 11400, Othello, MS 11400, Poormans, MS 4933, Portia, MS 11400, Prospector, MS 1505, Runaway, MS 1539, Security Placer, MS 1903, Top Gallant, MS 11400, Trilby, MS 11400, Valley View, MS 8940, Villa Grove, Vivia B., MS 4988, West Virginia

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -105.81392, 38.20473 (WGS84)
Elevation 2774
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position 8 MILES S68E FROM VILLA GROVE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Saguache(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Valley View Hot Springs(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Canon City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Pueblo(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Luis(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Saguache

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 46N 10E 25 E2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • AT MOUTH OF ORIENT CANYON 1 MILE NORTH OF VALLEY VIEW HOT SPRINGS ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Manganese Critical Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Graphite Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AMORPHOUS GRAPHITE DISCOVERED IN 1924 BUT WAS TOO SMALL QUANTITY TO MINE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Limonite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Graphite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Gold Trace

Analytical data

Result SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS SHOWS 0.001 TO 0.01 % GA, PB, TI, ZR, CR
Result 0.01 TO 0.1 % CO, NI
Result 0.1 TO 1.0 % CU, MN. AVERAGE ORE ASSAYED 43.3 % FE, 0.026 % P, 0.06 % S, 7.87 % SI02, 1.43 % MN, 0.92 % AL203, 1.92 % CA0, 0.61 % MGO, 10.17 % L01, 12.3 % H20. USBM CHARACTER SAMPLE A SSAYED 40.1 % FE, 0.01 % P,0.36 % S, 11.8 % SI02, 0.5 % MN, 16 % L01. ANALYSES OF VARIOUS LODE ORES GAVE FOLLING RESPECTIVE PERCENTAGES OF FE AND P: B EEHIVE, 54.47, 0.026
Result PROSPECTOR, 55.56, 0.058
Result POORMANS, 51.64, 0.055
Result MCCLELLAND, 55.61, 0.034
Result SAGUACHE, 45.39, 0.045. H1GH-GRADE ORE FROM DRILL HOLE ASSAYED 59.6 % FE, 3.6 % SI02, 0.65 % MN, 1.0 % CA0. THREE SAMPLES OF YELLOW OCHRE CONTAINED 26.0 TO 31.7 % FE AND 33.6 TO 38.7 % SI02.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 141
Deposit model name Karst-hosted Fe, Al, Pb-Zn
Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Leadville Limestone
    Rock description Leadville Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -105.81392, 38.20473
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Arch, Sangre De Cristo Range, Rio Grande Rift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Sangre De Cristo Fault, Steel Canyon Anticline

Controls for ore emplacement

  • paleokarst sinkholes and other solution features

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: OXIDATION OF PYROMETASOMATIC MAGNETITE - HEMITITE DEPOSITS, ORE BODIES PARALLEL TO BEDDING PLANE OF LST.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880
Year of first production 1880
Year of last production 1931

Mining district

District name Orient area

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner C. F. And I. Steel Corp.
    Home office Pueblo, Co.
    First year 1931

Production statistics

  • Year 1916
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^45.8% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 46wt-pct
  • Year 1917
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 50wt-pct
  • Year 1920
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Approx. 43% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 43wt-pct
  • Year 1921
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^40% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 40wt-pct
  • Year 1922
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^47.1% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 47wt-pct
  • Year 1923
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 50wt-pct
  • Year 1924
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 50wt-pct
  • Year 1925
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^44-54% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Manganese Manganese 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Iron Iron 49wt-pct
  • Year 1926
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^42-52% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Manganese Manganese 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Iron Iron 47wt-pct
  • Year 1927
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^42-52% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Manganese Manganese 2wt-pct
    Major Ore Iron Iron 49wt-pct
  • Year 1928
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^42.6% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 43wt-pct
  • Year 1929
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^43% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 43wt-pct
  • Year 1930
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^42.75% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 43wt-pct
  • Year 1931
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^42.31% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Iron Iron 42wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Name iron ore
    Estimate year 1959
    Inferred 4500000mt ore

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 1030M

Comments on the workings information

  • SEVERAL TUNNELS, DRIFTS, AND RAISES, AT LEAST 2 ANDPOSSIBLY 5 LEVELS, SURFACE GLORY HOLE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.

  • Deposit

    STONE, J.B., 1934, LIMONITE DEPOSITS AT THE ORIENT MINE, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 29, NO. 4, P. 317-329.

  • Deposit

    HARRER, C.M., AND TESCH, W.J., JR., 1959, RECONNAISSANCE OF IRON OCCURRENCES IN COLORADO: USBM 1C 7918.

  • Deposit

    LITSEY, L:R., 1960, GEOLOGY NEAR ORIENT MINE, SANGRE DE CRIST0 MOUNTAINS, COLORADO, IN WEIMER, R.J., AND HAUN, J.D., EDS., GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGY OF COLORADO: RMAG, GSA, AND CSS, P. 129-131.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS

  • Production

    PRODUCTION TONNAGES AND ORE GRADES (PARTIAL RECORD) FROM COLO. DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS. CUMULATIVE ESTIMATE FROM HARRER AND TESCH (1959)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1972 Unknown Unknown
Updater 01-FEB-1982 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.