Exchequer Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101741
MRDS ID D008199
Record type Site
Current site name Exchequer Mine
Related records 10305557

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.14866, 38.3114 (WGS84)
Elevation 2999
Relative position 15.1 MILES N 02 W FROM SAGUACHE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Saguache(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bonanza(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Saguache(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Luis(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Rio Grande 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 Saguache

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N 007E 24 SE OF NE SW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV. TAKEN FROM BURBANK'S (1932) PLATE 1 (SCALE 1:12000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ALONG KERBER CR. SE OF BONANZA MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rhodochrosite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Early Barren Stage Of Alteration By Fumarolic Or Acid-Hot Spring Activity Resulted In Intense Silicification, Wallrock Replacement By Jasper And Alteration Products Hematite, Diaspore, Alunite, Barite, Zunyite, Rutile, And Kaolin Minerals. Later Mineralizing Stage By Alkaline Or Neutral Solutions Deposited Ore And Gangue And Caused Micaceous Alteration (Sericite And Chlorite) And Calcite, Quartz, And Pyrite.

Analytical data

Result FREE MILLING ORE REPORTEDLY CARRIED 50 TO 90 OZ/TON AG

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Bonanza Tuff;Rawley Andesite
    Rock description Bonanza Tuff;Rawley Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Bonanza Tuff;Rawley Andesite
    Rock description Bonanza Tuff;Rawley Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.14866, 38.3114

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sawatch Range, San Juan Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Bonanza Caldera

Ore body information

  • Strike N10 TO 15W
    Dip 20 TO 30NE
    Width 2.44M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • See Comments

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Bonanza (Kerber Creek)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • PATTON REPORTS APPROX. 500 TONS ORE PRODUCED FROM 1881 TO 1900, WITH VALUES IN AU AND AG, LITTLE APPARENT PRODUCTION SINCE 1900.

Comments on the workings information

  • OLD SHAFT INCLINED AT 26.5 DEG EASTWARD AND APPROX. 400 FT DEEP TO EXCHEQUER VEIN. TUNNEL PORTAL IS 360 FT SSW OF SHAFT AND DRIVEN AT INITIAL HEADING OF N23E FOR 105 FT, THENCE N10W FOR 75 FT. AT 140FT, CROSSCUT IS DRIVEN AT N71E FOR 415 FT, INTERSECTING VEIN AT 370 FT. DRIFT FOLLOWS VEIN NORTHWESTWARD FOR 130 FT AND THEN CONTINUES GENERALLY NORTHWARD FOR AT LEAST 650 FT APPARENTLY TO ANOTHER PORTAL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PATTON, H.B., 1916, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA DISTRICT, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 9, 136 P.

  • Deposit

    BURBANK, W.S., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 169, 166 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit EXCHEQUER VEIN DIPS AT LOW ANGLE, IS GOUGE FILLED, AND CONTAINS LITTLE OR NO MINERALIZED MATTER. THE HANGING WALL, HOWEVER, CONTAINS STEEPER FRACTURES TRENDING N45E, 45 TO 55 SE, AND CONTAINING SMALL MINERALIZED SEAMS. VEIN HAS CU MINERALIZATION SIMILAR TO COCOMONGO MINE BUT FAULT HAS CONSIDERABLY LESS DIP AND IS NOT AS WELL MINERALIZED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1981 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.