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Bell Hamilton Mine

Prospect in Montezuma county in Colorado, United States with commodities Copper, Silver
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10094556
MRDS ID D009282
MAS/MILS ID 0080837004
Record type Site
Current site name Bell Hamilton Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -108.05926, 37.49084 (WGS84)
Elevation 3078
Location accuracy 250(meters)
Relative position 15.5 MILES N 35 W FROM DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Montezuma(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

La Plata(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cortez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Dolores(hydrologic unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Colorado-Dolores(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

San Juan National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Montezuma

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 037N 011W 23 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • Location from PP-219, pl. 13 transferred to La Plata 7.5' topo. At 10,100 ft. elevation.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • MALACHITE COATS CHALCOCITE AND FRACTURE SURFACES AS A MINOR CONSTITUENT

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Malachite Ore
Silver Ore
Calcite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration, Bleaching

Analytical data

Result UNSORTED ORE REPORTED TO CONTAIN 4-5% CU
Result SORTED ORE CONTAINED 25-30% CU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Dolores Formation
    Rock description Dolores Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -108.05926, 37.49084
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift (San Juan Mountains), La Plata Mountains Dome
Type of structure Local
Structure description Faults, Fractures Parallel To Dike For 10 To 20 Ft

Ore body information

  • General form LENSES, SEAMS, PEBBLE-LIKE MASSES
    Strike N30W
    Dip N20W
    Width 0.46M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults, Fracture Zones Paralleling Monzonite Dikes; Coaly Material

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALL OF THE DEPOSITS IN THIS AREA ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MONZONITE DIKES.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1882
Year of first production 1882
Year of last production 1932

Mining district

District name Bear Creek District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name San Juan N. F.

Comments on the production information

  • APPARENTLY "CONSIDERABLE SORTED COPPER ORE CONTAINING 25% CU WAS AT ONE TIME STACKED ON THE DUMP BUT WAS CARRIED AWAY BY A CLOUDBURST". NO REPORT OF SHIPPED ORE HAS BEEN FOUND.
  • According to PP-219, p. 91: "Apparently no ore was ever shipped from the property, and no minable ore was observed by the writer"

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 129.54M

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO CROSSCUT TUNNELS, 100 AND 300 FT LONG, BOTH CAVED IN 1932; ONE 25-FT TUNNEL ALONG a FAULT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GODDARD, E.N., 1949, COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE BEAR CREEK DISTRICT, IN ECKEL, E.B., 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 70-72, 90-91, pl. 13, #4.

  • Deposit

    BURCHARD, H.C., 1883, REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MINT FOR 1882, P. 508.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT WITHIN 40 FT OF BORDERS OF MONZONITE PORPHYRY DIKE; SOMETIMES CHALCOCITE DISSEMINATED ALONG BEDDING CLOSE TO CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, LOCALLY REPLACING LIMESTONE PEBBLES

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-82 Collins, Donna B. Colorado Geological Survey
Editor 23-JUL-08 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. 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.