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Ralston Buttes District

Producer in Jefferson county in Colorado, United States with commodities Uranium, Copper, Molybdenum, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Gold, Bismuth, Manganese, Nickel, Cobalt
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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. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10087816
MRDS ID D010161
Record type District
Current site name Ralston Buttes District

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -105.28141, 39.84443 (WGS84)
Elevation 2057
Relative position IN SECTOR 4 MILES N 80 W TO 8 MILES N 20 W FROM GOLDEN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jefferson(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ralston Buttes(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Denver West(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Denver(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Clear(hydrologic unit)

South Platte(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Platte(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Jefferson

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 002S;003S;003S 071W;071W;070W 23,24,25,26,36;;18,19,20,29,30 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ALONG RALSTON CREEK AND TRIBUTARIES WEST OF RALSTON BUTTES, ALONG HALFMILE GULCH, AND THE AREAS AT AND 2 MILES BELOW JUNCTION OF TUCKER AND CRAWFORD GULCHES. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR DISTRICT'S LARGEST MINE, THE SCHWARTZWALDER, IN SE SEC. 25, T 2 S, R 71 W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Copper Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Gold Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Manganese Critical Tertiary
Nickel Critical Tertiary
Cobalt Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuth Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcanthite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Coffinite Ore
Covellite Ore
Galena Ore
Jordisite Ore
Marcasite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Niccolite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Uranophane Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration Of Fe And Cu Minerals And U Ore; Potassic Alteration; Some Silicification

Analytical data

Result ORE SHIPMENTS FROM DISTRICT FROM 1953-1960 RANGED FROM 0.16 TO 1.32% U3O8 WITH OVERALL AVERAGE OF 0.74% U3O8. HIGH-GRADE ORE SAMPLE FROM MENA MINE CONTAINED 10.82% CU, 5.8% BI, AND 43.6 OZ/TON AG. SCHWARTZWALDER MINE SAMPLES CONTAINED AS MUCH AS 1.16% CU, 4.77% MNO, 0.077% V2O5, 0.053% NI, 0.95% MO, 0.050% CO, 0.19% ZN, 1.63% PB, 7.1 OZ/TON AG. SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES SHOWED RELATIVELY HIGH TI, AS, BI, Y, ZR. TRACE AMOUNTS OF NB, AU, YB, GA, CR, BE.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Rock unit name Granitic Pegmatite;Hornblende Diorite And Hornblendite
    Rock description Granitic Pegmatite;Hornblende Diorite And Hornblendite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Idaho Springs Formation-Hornblende Gneiss Unit;Idaho Springs Formation-Microcline-Quartz-Plagioclase-Biotite Gneiss
    Rock description Idaho Springs Formation-Hornblende Gneiss Unit;Idaho Springs Formation-Microcline-Quartz-Plagioclase-Biotite Gneiss
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.28141, 39.84443
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Front Range Uplift, Denver Basin, Idaho Springs-Ralston Shear Zone
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rogers, Hurricane Hill, Junction Ranch, And Livingston Fault Systems (Breccia Reefs)

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR, LINEAR, IRREGULAR
    Thickness 12.19M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intersections Of Nw-Trending Laramide Breccia Reefs And Favorable Gneisses

Comments on the geologic information

  • SHERIDAN AND OTHERS' (1967) STAGES OF STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION AS FOLLOWS: 1) EARLY PLASTIC FOLDING OF PRECAMBRIAN SEDIMENTARY AND VOLCANIC (?) ROCKS, WITH PROBABLE REGIONAL METAMORPHISM; 2) SECOND PERIOD OF PLASTIC FOLDING AND REGIONAL METAMORPHISM, WITH INTRUSION AND PARTIAL METAMORPHISM OF PRECAMBRIAN IGNEOUS ROCKS; 3) CATACLASTIC DEFORMATION OF IGNEOUS AND METASEDIMENTARY ROCKS IN IDAHO SPRINGS-RALSTON SHEAR ZONE; 4) PROBABLE LATE PRECAMBRIAN MOVEMENT FORMING ANCESTRAL EQUIVALENTS OF NW-TRENDING FAULTS AND FRACTURES; 5) COMPLEX MOVEMENT ALONG NW FAULT SYSTEMS IN LARAMIDE OROGENY (LATE CRETACEOUS TO EARLY TERTIARY) WITH LOCAL DEPOSITION OF HYDROTHERMAL VEINS AND DIKE INTRUSION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1884
Year of first production 1895

Mining district

District name Ralston Buttes District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. AMOUNT OF CU FROM EARLY OPERATIONS UNKNOWN BUT CLASSIFIED AS SMALL. AMOUNT OF MO RECOVERED FROM SCHWARTZWALDER ORE AT COTTER CORP.'S CANON CITY MILL UNKNOWN. LB U3O8 NOT CONSISTENTLY REPORTED FOR SCHWARTZWALDER MINE, SO ONLY FIGURES FOR 1972-80 CITED. NO PRODUCTION FROM DISTRICT IN 1954 AND 1965. 1961 FIGURE INCLUDES ESTIMATED TONNAGE FROM ASCENSION MINE; 1971 FIGURE EXCLUDES SMALL UNKNOWN PRODUCTION FROM LADWIG GROUP CLAIMS. TOTAL PRODUCTION IS FROM FOLLOWING MINES FOR RESPECTIVE YEARS: ASCENSION (1956, 1960-63, 1972), AUBREY LADWIG (1955-56), FORK PROSPECT (1964), LADWIG GROUP (1971), MENA (1956-60, 1962), OHMAN (1959-60), SCHWARTZWALDER (1953, 1955-64, 1966-80 AND STILL ACTIVE).

Comments on the workings information

  • MOST MINES DEVELOPED BY SHORT CROSSCUT ADITS AND DRIFTS ON VEIN ON ONE TO FIVE LEVELS; FEW SHAFTS; MINOR OPEN PITTING BEYOND EXPLORATORY SURFACE CUTS. SCHWARTZWALDER, DISTRICT'S DEEPEST MINE, ATTAINED ABOUT 1500-FT DEPTH.

Comments on development

  • RALSTON CREEK DISTRICT AND EVERGREEN AREA WERE FIRST PROSPECTED IN 1880S AND 1890S FOR CU, WHICH WAS VISIBLE ON OUTCROPS. PROBABLY SOME SMALL SHIPMENTS OF CU ORE MADE. INITIAL DISCOVERY OF PITCHBLENDE PROBABLY MADE BEFORE 1884 BUT WAS THOUGHT TO BE NONECONOMIC. INTERMITTENT MINING OF BERYL AND NONMETALS FROM PEGMATITES IN AREA TOOK PLACE FROM LATE 1800S THRU 1950S. PITCHBLENDE AND TORBERNITE DISCOVERED IN 1949 BY FRED SCHWARTZWALDER, AND SUBSEQUENT DISCOVERIES MADE BY USGS IN EARLY 1950S. AFTER FIRST ORE SHIPMENTS IN 1953, SCHWARTZWALDER MINE HAS BEEN DISTRICT'S LARGEST PRODUCER AND ONE OF LARGEST VEIN U MINES IN NORTH AMERICA. RALSTON CREEK DISTRICT IS FRONT RANGE'S LARGEST URANIUM PRODUCER.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUART VEINS. FAVORABILITY OF GNEISSES APPARENTLY DUE TO HIGH FE-CONTENT (HORNBLENDE) MINERALS READILY ATTACKED BY SOLUTIONS; SUBSEQUENT PRECIPITATION OF FE PROVIDED EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR U DEPOSITION. GENERAL PARAGENESIS, AS DETERMINED AT MENA MINE: 1) FAULTING, BRECCIATION, WALLROCK ALTERATION; 2) K-FELDSPAR DEPOSITION; 3) DEPOSITION OF COARSE- AND FINE-GRAINED ANKERITE; 4) DEPOSITION OF PITCHBLENDE, THEN MINOR QUARTZ; 5) MINOR FRACTURING; 6) DEPOSITION OF LATE ANKERITE, CALCITE, BASE-METAL SULFIDES AND ASSOCIATED METALS. OTHER MINES SHOW THAT OTHER PERIODIC FRACTURING MAY HAVE INTERRUPTED PITCHBLENDE DEPOSITION.
Deposit INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR FOLLOWING MINES AND PROPERTIES: ASCENSION MINE, AUBREY LADWIG MINE, BANKERS LODE CLAIM FORK PROSPECT, LADWIG GROUP, MENA MINE, OHMAN MINE, SCHWARTZWALDER MINE, UNNAMED CU PROSPECT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit URANIUM MINERALIZATION CONTROLLED BY N 30 TO 50 W TRENDS OF LARAMIDE BRECCIA REEF FAULTS AND FRACTURES WHERE THEY CROSS HORNBLENDIC, LAYERED CALC-SILICATE, AND MICROCLINE GNEISSES IN PRECAMBRIAN IDAHO SPRINGS FORMATION. AT RALSTON CREEK, PRINCIPAL PITCHBLENDE ORE (SOOTY, MASSIVE, AND COLLOFORM) AND VARIOUS SECONDARY U MINERALS OCCUR IN TRANSITIONAL EPITHERMAL TO MESOTHERMAL VEINS IN FAULT BRECCIAS. THOSE IN GOLDEN GATE CANYON AREA TO SOUTH ARE TYPICAL EPITHERMAL VEINS. U ASSOCIATED WITH MINOR AMOUNTS OF SULFIDES OF CU, PB, ZN, FE, MO, AND NI, WITH SECONDARY CU AND NI MINERALS, NATIVE METALS, AND TRACE AMOUNTS OF AU, V, AND CO. PRINCIPAL GANGUES ARE CARBONATES (ANKERITE AND CALCITE) AND K-FELDSPAR AND COMMON FE STAINING. DEPOSITS RANGE FROM SMALL VEINLETS AND MINERALIZED FAULT BRECCIA TO LARGE ORE SHOOTS CONSISTING OF BRANCHING AND COALESCING VEINS. RICHEST GRADES FOUND IN BRECCIA ON HANGING WALLS AND FOOTWALLS OF REEFS. MINOR OCCURRENCES FOUND ALONG PEGMATITES AND IN SULFIDE-BEARING

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-83 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey
Editor 16-NOV-11 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey Changed record type from site to district.

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.