La Plata River Placers

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodity Gold
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Land status
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10097877
MRDS ID D010833
Record type Site
Current site name La Plata River Placers
Alternate or previous names Florence, Golden Rule, Durango, La Plata, and Deadwood Placers, Patented Claims: Durango Placer, MS 8767, La Plata Placer, MS 8767, Golden Rule Placer, MS 8824, Florence Placer, MS 8825, Deadwood Placer, MS 16493

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.07676, 37.38168 (WGS84)
Elevation 2719
Relative position 13.1 MILES N 44 W TO 11.7 MILES N 65 W FROM DURANGO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Plata(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)

Middle San Juan(hydrologic unit)

Upper San Juan(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Juan(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 La Plata

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 036N 011W 02,03,04,09,10,16,21,28 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ALONG LA PLATA RIVER FROM LEWIS CREEK CONFLUENCE SOUTH THROUGH TOWNSITE OF LA PLATA TO MAYDAY: INCLUDES LOWER TIRBIRCIO CREEK. DEPOSITS EXTEND ONTO HESPERUS QUAD. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR APPROX CENTER OF LINE OF CLAIMS IN N2 SEC. 16, APPROX MIDWAY BETWEEN MADDEN CREEK AND ROOT CREEK CONFLUENCES. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Sand and Gravel
    Rock unit name Alluvium
    Rock description Alluvium
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) Morrison, Wanakah, and Entrada Fms

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform
Type of structure Local
Structure description La Plata Dome

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1873

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 76.

  • Deposit

    PARKER, B.H., JR., 1974, GOLD PLACERS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES QUART., V. 69, NO. 4, P. 194-197.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1899, DESCRIPTION OF THE LA PLATA QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 60.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 8767, 8824, 8825, 16493

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER AU DERIVED FROM ERODED PORTIONS OF EXPOSED VEINS IN HEADWATERS OF LA PLATA RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES. PLACERS IN AREA GENERALLY WERE OF LOW GRADE BECAUSE (1) MUCH PRIMARY AU IS TELLURIDE, RELATIVELY LIGHT, EASILY BROKEN DOWN INTO FINE PARTICLES, (2) CHEMICAL WEATHERING PRODUCES "MUSTARD" AU THAT CAN BE CARRIED GREATER DISTANCES, (3) ERRATIC CONCENTRATIONS IN SMALL POCKETS IN WIDE VALLEYS SCOURED BY GLACIATION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1983 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Authoritative Colorado resources

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