Bassick Mine

Past Producer in Custer county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Tellurium
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. Ownership information
  19. Production statistics
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101726
MRDS ID D007930
Record type Site
Current site name Bassick Mine
Alternate or previous names Maine, Georgia, Claims: Queen Victoria, Triangle, Nemeha, William, Augusta, Lookout, Maine, Querida gold prospect, Centenial Tunnel

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -105.33307, 38.12751 (WGS84)
Elevation 2777
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position main shaft

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Custer(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Tyndall(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Canon City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Pueblo(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Arkansas Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic subregion)

Arkansas-White-Red(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Custer

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 022S 071W 21 NW OF NE OF NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • On Bassick Hill 2 miles north of Rosita and just north of Querida, in the NE/4 NW/4 sec. 21, T 22 S, R 71 W.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Hemimorphite Ore
Jamesonite Ore
Petzite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Kaolin Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification

Analytical data

Result 1896 ASSAY RICH ORE: 475 OZ/TON AU, 694 OZ/TON AG
Result 1937 22 OZ/TON AG, 0.85 OZ/TON AU

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 153
USGS model code 25c + 25d
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, quartz adularia
Mark3 model number 25

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Rosita Andesite
    Rock description Rosita Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Undivided Gneiss, Granite Boulders Included In Breccia
    Rock description Undivided Gneiss, Granite Boulders Included In Breccia

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -105.33307, 38.12751

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Rosita Volcanic Center, Wet Mtns
Type of structure Local
Structure description Breccia Pipe, Faults, Mineralized Fissures, Fractures

Ore body information

  • General form Pipe
    Dip VERTICAL OR NE
    Thickness 426.72M
    Length 30.48M
    Width 9.14M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 426.72M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Junction Two Faults

Comments on the geologic information

  • High-grade ore bodies occurred as steeply plunging breccia pipe-like bodies and fissure veins in volcanic rocks. Although the pipes were small in cross section, they persisted to depths greater than 1700 ft.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1877
Year of first production 1878
Year of last production 1958

Mining district

District name Rosita Hills District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Dunne, Roy And Larry
    Home office Box 65, Silver Cliff, Co. 81249
    First year 1980
  • Type Owner
    Owner Edna Scarlett (Multi-Metals, Inc.)
    Home office Box 65, Silver Cliff, Co 81249
    First year 1980

Production statistics

  • Year 1896
    Period 1885-1893
    Material silver
    Ore mined 6840000g
    Accuracy Estimate

Comments on the production information

  • By far the most productive mine in the district, total quantities of metals from the Bassick are not available. Estimated production from 1877 discovery to 1885 was about $2 million or 80,000 oz. gold and several hundred thousand oz. silver, but little has been produced since.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • A summary report describes recent (1990s) exploration activities, but no resources have been developed. (Sunshine files)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 4572M
    Overall depth 548.64M
    Overall length 152.4M
    Overall width 30.48M

Comments on the workings information

  • A VERTICAL SHAFT, PLUS AT LEAST 12 LEVELS BELOW HAULAGE ADIT 150 FT BELOW THE SURFACE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, 1896, GEOLOGY OF SILVER CLIFF AND THE ROSITA HILLS, COLORADO: USGS 17TH ANN. REPORT, PT 2, P. 263-403.

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, S.F., 1896, THE MINES OF CUSTER COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS 17TH ANN. REPORT, PT. 2, P. 405-472

  • Deposit

    SHARP, W.N., 1978, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SILVER CLIFF AND ROSITA VOLCANIC CENTERS, CUSTER COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-1081.

  • Production

    EMMONS, S.F., 1896;

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    COLO DIV MINES SUMM OF MINERAL INDUSTRIES ACTIVITIES, 1974

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE-BEARING VEINS CUT TRACHYTE; AT LEAST TWO PARALLEL VEINS KNOWN

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1981 Collins, Donna B. Colorado Geological Survey
Reporter 30-MAR-2006 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 30-MAR-2006 Beach, Richard A. 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.