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Black Diamond Mine

Past Producer in La Plata county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Tellurium
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101870
MRDS ID D010804
Record type Site
Current site name Black Diamond Mine
Related records 10166867

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.05704, 37.4364 (WGS84)
Elevation 3609
Relative position 14.5 MILES N 43 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 037N 011W 27 E2 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON NE SIDE OF TOMAHAWK BASIN JUST SW OF DIORITE PEAK, 2.55 MILES NNE FROM LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Barite Gangue
Chalcedony Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Kaolinitization, Chloritization

Analytical data

Result MCCAUSLAND'S (1936) ASSAYS OF QUARTZ ORE: 1.66 OZ/TON AU AND 2.88 OZ/TON AU AND 4.4 OZ/TON AG, 2.14 OZ/TON AU AND 4.8 OZ/TON AG, 3.08 OZ/TON AG, 3.08 OZ/TON AU AND 1180 OZ/TON AG.

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 > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry;Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite
    Rock description Porphyritic Rocks--Diorite-Monzonite Porphyry;Nonporphyritic Rocks--Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
  • 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 Cutler Formation;Dolores Formation
    Rock description Cutler Formation;Dolores Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.05704, 37.4364
ListMap

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, Diorite Peak Stock

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Year of first production 1900
Year of last production 1939

Mining district

District name California (La Plata) District

Land status

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner R. S. Bullock
    Home office Hesperus, Co.
    First year 1940
  • Type Owner
    Owner Black Diamond Mining Co.
    Home office Hesperus, Co.
    First year 1940

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. PRODUCTION FROM 1900-1906 UNKNOWN.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY FIVE TUNNELS. NO. 1 TUNNEL DRIVEN SE FOR 30 FT, THENCE NE FOR 45 FT. OLD NO. 2 TUNNEL (CAVED) LOCATED 255 FT SW OF NO. 1 AND DRIVEN N 62 E FOR 310 FT, THENCE N 37 E FOR 150 FT. NO. 3 TUNNEL LOCATED 375 FT SW OF OLD NO. 2, DRIVEN N 55 E FOR 180 FT, THENCE INTO WHITE DIAMOND DRIFT AT N 64 E FOR 490 FT AND INTO BLACK DIAMOND DRIFT INITIALLY NW FOR 60 FT THENCE N 38 E FOR 175 FT. NO. 2 BLACK DIAMOND TUNNEL (CAVED) LOCATED 100 FT NW OF OLD NO. 2, DRIVEN N 39 E FOR 200 FT. FAULT TUNNEL LOCATED 290 FT NE OF OLD NO. 2 DRIVEN N 40 E FOR 200 FT. FIVE SHORT EXPLORATORY TUNNELS ON WHITE DIAMOND VEIN.

Comments on development

  • UNPATENTED CLAIMS LOCATED BY AUGUST EKBURG IN 1890S. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION 1900-1906, 1920-1921, 1935, AND 1938-1939.

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. 69-70, 93-96, 171.

  • Deposit

    BECKER, C.M., 1934, REPORT ON THE TOMAHAWK AND BLACK DIAMOND PROPERTIES, SAN JUAN DISTRICT, LA PLATA COUNTY, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 5P.

  • Deposit

    MCCAUSLAND, ROSS, 1936, TOMAHAWK-BLACK DIAMOND MINES, DURANGO, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 22 P.

  • Deposit

    COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

  • Production

    ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 94 (AS COMPLIED FROM USBM RECORDS).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF SILICIFIED CUTLER FM RED BEDS AND REPLACELIMESTONE CONGLOMERATE OF DOLORES FM INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIORITE. MINE DEVELOPED NEAR INTERSECTION OF BLACK DIAMOND (N 35 TO 40 E, 60 TO 65 NW) AND WHITE DIAMOND (65 E, 80 TO 85 SE) VEINS WITH FAULT N 35 TO 40 E, NEAR VERTICAL). BLACK DIAMOND VEIN CONSISTS OF 5 TO 15 FT OF SHEARED AND ALTERED ROCKS AND GOUGE CONTAINING STREAKS AND POCKETS OF PYRITE-BEARING QUARTZ. BARITE, CHALCOPYRITE, GALENA, AND AU. IN NO. 1 TUNNEL, WHITE DIAMOND VEIN HAS CORE OF BRECCIATED AND SILICIFIED COUNTRY ROCK FLANKED BY 1 TO 4 FT OF GOUGY, KAOLINITIZED ANDCHLORITIZED WALLROCK; BRECCIA CORE CONTAINS STREAKS AND VEINLETS OF QUARTZ, PYRITE AND CHALCOPYRITE, IREGULAR MASSES OF NATIVE AU. GREEN COLOR OF QUARTZ AND SIMILARITY WITH NEARBY VEINS SUGGEST SOME AU IS CARRIED AS TELLURIDE.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890S

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.

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.