Belle Champion Mine

Past Producer in San Miguel county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10087925
MRDS ID D010924
Record type Site
Current site name Belle Champion Mine
Alternate or previous names Unpatented Claims: Belle Champion, Golden Era
Related records 10289379

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.99509, 37.99861 (WGS84)
Elevation 2493
Relative position 10.6 MILES N 68 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

Gray Head(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(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)

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 San Miguel

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 043N 010W 08 SW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • MINE LIES EAST OF UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF SAN MIGUEL RIVER 0.4 MILE NE OF SAWPIT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Limonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Microgabbro;Pyroxene Minette
    Rock description Porphyritic Microgabbro;Pyroxene Minette
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry > Lamprophyre
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Pony Express Limestone Member Of Wanakah Formation
    Rock description Pony Express Limestone Member Of Wanakah Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.99509, 37.99861

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 Gray Head Fault, Gray Head Laccolith

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Nw-Trending Fault And East-West-Trending Dike Cutting Limestone

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Lower San Miguel District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE TUNNEL HEADING GENERALLY EAST, EXTENT UNKNOWN

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BUSH, A.L., AND OTHERS, 1961, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE GRAY HEAD QUADRANGLE, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-176.

  • Deposit

    HESS, F.L., 1913, NOTES ON THE VANADIUM DEPOSITS NEAR PLACERVILLE, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 530, P. 142-156.

  • Deposit

    BUSH, A.L., AND OTHERS, 1959, AREAL GEOLOGY OF THE PLACERVILLE QUADRANGLE, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1072-E, P. 376-377.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TRIASSIC AND JURASSIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS CUT BY GRAY HEAD FAULT, WHICH AT MINE SITE TRENDS N 18 W, DOWNTHROWN ON NE. AT SAME PLACE, FAULT INTERSECTS GENERALLY EAST-WEST-TRENDING MICROGABBRO DIKE. PYROXENE MINETTE DIKE TRENDS PARALLEL TO AND 300 FT WEST OF FAULT. VEIN FOLLOWS DIKE ON GOLDEN ERA CLAIM; REPLACEMENT IN PONY EXPRESS LIMESTONE.

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

Authoritative Colorado resources

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