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Alma Placers

Past Producer in Park county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10091016
MRDS ID DC00282
Record type Site
Current site name Alma Placers
Alternate or previous names Alma Placer & Leaching Plant, Alma Gold Placer
Related records 10118386

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
Centroid -106.05968, 39.26742 (WGS84) Original record had no geographic coordinates; these coordinates were derived from the PLSS description provided.
(click for info)
-106.05421, 39.28193 (WGS84) 100 S1/2 NW1/4 SEC 12; S1/2 NE1/4, W1/2 SW 1/4, SE1/4 SW1/4, SW1/4 NW1/4 SEC 11

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Park(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Alma(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Platte Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

South Platte(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Platte(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Pike and San Isabel National Forests(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Park

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 09S 78W 13,12,11 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • Directly east of Alma, on east side of the South Platte River, mostly in the E/2 sec 12, T 9 S, R 78 W.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sand and Gravel, Construction Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Deposit was first worked for gold, but in recent years was worked for sand and gravel.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Glacial Sediment
    Rock unit name terminal moraine or outwash deposits
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pleistocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene

Nearby scientific data

Centroid (1) -106.05968, 39.26742
ListMap
(2) -106.05421, 39.28193
ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Alma District

Comments on the production information

  • Production from 1870 to 1960 totaled about 27,000 oz. of gold 825 fine. (Sunshine files, 1961.)
  • Timberline Enterprises operated the placer and a gold recovery plant at Alma, 1977 to 1980. (CO DIV. MINES)
  • Several lessors worked parts of the placer in the 1930s. (USBM IC 7101)

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • In 1949, 32 holes were drilled: gravel is 70' deep for a total of 750,000 yards, averaging $0.32/yd. (assuming $35/oz Au), with 4 paystreaks. One paystreak on bedrock ran ~$1/yd. (Sunshine files, 1961)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PARKER, 1961, GOLD PLACERS OF COLO.

  • Deposit

    COLO. STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 3 PL. 1

  • Deposit

    CONSV. DIV. COMP. DATE, 9,64

  • Deposit

    Sunshine Mining Co. Colorado exploration files, unpublished data, Colorado Geological Survey.

  • Deposit

    Singewald, Q. D., 1950, Gold placers and their geologic environment in northwestern Park County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 955-D, p. 103-172.

  • Deposit

    COLO DIV OF MINES, A SUMMARY OF MINERAL ACTIVITIES IN COLO

  • Deposit

    REVISED BY MILS USING CURRENT MSHA SHEETS 3-80

  • Deposit

    USGS CRIB A002264

  • Deposit

    Guiteras, J. R., 1940, Mining and milling methods and costs in the Alma district, Colorado: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 7101, 63 p.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OPEN CUT 110' LONG, DRIFT ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit Workings consist of trenching.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-72 Conservation Division Files U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 31-DEC-96 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 27-JAN-06 Beach, Richard A. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusIntermittent since 07/12/2023
MSHA mine ID0504987
Mine name (MSHA)Alma Placer
Current operatorHigh Mountain Mining Company LLC
Current controller (parent)Arthur D Gibson; David A Wilds
Mine typeSurface (Metal / non-metal)

Inferred by coordinate + name similarity (467 m, 0.96 match). Confirm against MSHA if precision matters — non-USGS-curated cross-references may occasionally point at a neighbouring mine.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

External references

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.