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Iron Clad Mine

Past Producer in Dolores county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Cadmium, Germanium
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Ownership information
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101867
MRDS ID D010770
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Clad Mine
Alternate or previous names Silver Clad Mine, Patented Claims: Iron Clad, MS 865, Santa Cruz, MS 6132, Bancroft, MS 6515, St. Louis, MS 8099, Unpatented Claims: Rico Boy, Red Dog, Rainbow
Related records 10142160

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.03565, 37.68668 (WGS84)
Elevation 2659
Relative position 0.5 MILES S 41 W FROM RICO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dolores(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rico(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dove Creek(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 Dolores

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 040N 011W 35 E2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT BASE OF HILL ON WEST SIDE OF DOLORES RIVER BETWEEN IRON DRAW AND SULPHUR CREEK (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN FOR IRON CLAD NO. 1 ADIT ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Cadmium Secondary
Germanium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Gold Ore
Polybasite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
    Rock unit name Hornblende Latite Porphyry
    Rock description Hornblende Latite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Hermosa Formation;Leadville Limestone
    Rock description Hermosa Formation;Leadville Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.03565, 37.68668
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin
Type of structure Local
Structure description Rico Dome

Ore body information

  • Thickness 3.05M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fissure Veins Cutting Coarse Clastics And Favorability Of Limestone For Chemical Replacement

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1881
Discoverer L.B. Da Ponte And Others (Iron Clad Claimant)
Year of first production 1900
Year of last production 1975

Mining district

District name Pioneer (Rico) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Myron L. Jones
    Home office Rico, Co.
    First year 1978

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. PRODUCTION UNKNOWN FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1949. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1950, 1952-1954, 1957-1961, 1963-1966, 1968, AND AFTER 1975. SEPARATE FIGURES CITED IN 1971 FOR IRON CLAD AND SANTA CRUZ. PRODUCTION FOR OTHER YEARS CREDITED TO SILVER CLAD (IRON CLAD).

Comments on the workings information

  • MAIN WORKINGS CONSIST OF TWO 100-FT TUNNELS AND 600-FT TUNNEL (UPPER) ON IRON CLAD CLAIM AND 700-FT TUNNEL WITH THREE 40-FT RAISES AND STOPES ON ST. LOUIS CLAIM. LATER DEVELOPMENT INCLUDED OPEN CUTS ON ST. LOUIS AND IRON CLAD, INCLINED EXTENSIONS AND DRIFTS, AND NEW ADIT ON IRON CLAD. SANTA CRUZ INCLINE DEVELOPED TO 600 FT WITH SHRINK STOPES.

Comments on development

  • EARLY HISTORY UNKNOWN, BUT MINE DID PRODUCE AT LEAST 300 ST OF AG-CU ORE PRIOR TO 1900. IN LATER DEVELOPMENT, CLAIMS OWNED AND OPERATED BY MYRON JONES AND OTHERS FROM 1949-1967. SILVER BELL INDUSTRIES OF RICOOPERATED CLAIMS FROM 1969 TO 1975, TRUCKING ORE TO ITS MILL IN OPHIR. MUCH NEW DEVELOPMENT OF WORKINGS FROM 1972-1978. MYRON JONES WAS OWNER AND OPERATOR FROM 1976 TO 1978 AND CONDUCTED EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO, USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 94.

  • Deposit

    PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

  • Deposit

    RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 362.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 865, 6132, 6515, 8099

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LOWER HERMOSA FM SHALE, SANDSTONE, AND SHALY LIMESTONE STRIKE GENERALLY EAST-WEST AND DIP 15 SOUTH AND ARE INTRUDED BY HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY SILL. THREE PRINCIPAL VEINS TREND N 20 E, N 40 E, AND N 65 E, DIP 50 TO 80 NW. VEINS LIE IN SMALL-DISPLACEMENT FRACTURES BELOW PORPHYRY SILL, AND REPLACEMENT BODIES UP TO 10 FT THICK EXTEND FROM 2 TO 15 FT FROM FEEDER VEINS INTO SHALY LIMESTONE AND LIMY SHALE. VEINS ARE RICHER IN ARKOSE THAN IN SHALY ROCKS. SOME AG ORE CONTAINED AS SULFOSALTS. CORE DRILLING BY SILVER BELL INDUSTRIES IN 1969 REVEALED PB-ZN ORE (REPLACEMENT) IN UNDERLYING LEADVILLE LIMESTONE (MISSISSIPPIAN) AT DEPTH OF 625 TO 675 FT.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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

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.