Headlight Mine

Past Producer in Gunnison county in Colorado, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Zinc
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101887
MRDS ID D011167
Record type Site
Current site name Headlight Mine
Alternate or previous names Patented Claims: Headlight, MS 16336, Poorman, MS 16336, Portland. MS 16336: Gray Horse, MS 16336, Baltimore, MS 1981, Camp Bird, MS 19981, Boston, MS 19982, Badger, MS 19983, Portland Extension, MS 20114, Camp Bird No. 1, MS 20114, Camp Bird No. 2, MS 20114, Boston Extension, MS 20115, Headlight Extension, MS 20115
Related records 10191538

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.11507, 38.35083 (WGS84)
Elevation 2691
Relative position 16.6 MILES S 38 W FROM GUNNISON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Gunnison(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Powderhorn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Montrose(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gunnison(hydrologic unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic accounting unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Gunnison

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 047N 002W 04,05 SW OF SW (04); SE OF SE (05) Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • ON WEST SIDE OF WILDCAT GULCH 0.8 MILE NW OF COLORADO RTE 149. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR HEADLIGHT SHAFT IN C W2 E2 SE SE SEC. 05. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Cordierite Gangue
Gahnite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Malachite Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Analytical data

Result OVERALL ANALYSIS OF SAMPLES FROM EACH OF THE FIVE MINES IN AREA (HEADLIGHT, IRONCAP, ANACONDA, GOOD HOPE, VULCAN) CONTAINED 0.07 TO 7.0% CU, AVERAGE 2.3%
Result 0.1 TO GT 10% ZN, AVERAGE GT 6%
Result 0 TO 0.3% PB, AVERAGE 0.13%
Result 0.096 TO 2.24 OZ/TON AG (3 TO 70 G/MT), AVERAGE 0.96 OZ/TON (30 G/MT)
Result 0.004 TO 0.067 OZ/TON AU (0.13 TO 2.11 G/MT), AVERAGE 0.023 OZ/TON (0.71 G/MT). DROBECK'S (1979) SAMPLES CONTAINED AS HIGH AS 5.07% ZN, 0.3% PB, 0.73% CU, 0.5 OZ/TON AG, 0.04 OZ/TON AU.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Diabase Dikes
    Rock description Diabase Dikes
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Dubois Greenstone--Felsite And Felsite Porphyry;Dubois Greenstone--Hornblende Schist And Amphibolite;Dubois Greenstone--Quartzite
    Rock description Dubois Greenstone--Felsite And Felsite Porphyry;Dubois Greenstone--Hornblende Schist And Amphibolite;Dubois Greenstone--Quartzite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.11507, 38.35083

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field
Type of structure Local
Structure description Gunnison Gold Belt, Iron Hill Alkalic Complex, Tolvar Peak Stock, Headlight Syncline

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Alteration Of Felsic Volcanics On Limb Of Syncline

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discoverer Headlight Gold Mining And Milling Co. (Claimant)
Year of last production 1919

Mining district

District name Goose Creek District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Headlight Gold Mining And Milling Co.
    Home office Cincinnati, Oh.
    First year 1921

Production statistics

  • Year 1919
    Material ORE AU AG ACC
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.255 Oz/Ton Au, 2.8 Oz/Ton Ag, 5.3% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 5wt-pct
    Ore Silver Silver 79g/mt
    Ore Gold Gold 7g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1919, WHICH WAS LAST YEAR OF REPORTED PRODUCTION.

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO SHAFTS; OPEN CUTS. CDM REPORT DESCRIBES ONE SHAFT AS 400 FT DEEP, VERTICAL, WITH TWO LEVELS: LEVEL 2 HAS 500 FT OF DRIFT AND CROSSCUTS, LEVEL 4 HAS 65-FT CROSSCUT AND 125-FT DRIFT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POWDERHORN QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1178.

  • Deposit

    SHERIDAN, D.M., AND OTHERS, 1981, PRECAMBRIAN SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN THE GUNNISON REGION, COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 273-277.

  • Deposit

    NELSON, C.J., AND RIESMEYER, W.D., 1983, GEOLOGY OF THE ANACONDA-GUNNISON MINE AREA, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO, IN HANDFIELD, R.C., ED., GUNNISON OLD BELT AND POWDERHORN CARBONATITE FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: DREGS, P. 8-18.

  • Deposit

    TROST, P.B., 1975, GEOLOGIC REPORT ON THE VULCAN-ANACONDA-HEADLIGHT MINE AREA, DUBOIS GREENSTONE BELT, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO: UNPUB. CONSULTING REPT.

  • Deposit

    NELSON, A.P., (NO DATE), MINING DISTRICTS, PRODUCING MINES AND PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES (OF GUNNISON COUNTY): COLORADO STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT., P. 6.

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 16336, 19981, 19982, 19983, 20114, 20115

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    DROBECK, P.A., 1979, GEOLOGY AND TRACE ELEMENT GEOCHEMISTRY OF A PART OF THE GUNNISON GOLD BELT: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES M.SC. THESIS T-2251, P. 141-142.

  • Production

    COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPT.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NELSON AND RIESMEYER (1983) DESCRIBED DEPOSIT AS THICK PILE OF FELSIC VOLCANICS (RHYOLITE), VOLCANICLASTICS, AND CHERT LAYER FOLDED INTO WEST-PLUNGING SYNCLINE. RHYOLITE BELOW CHERT LAYER ON NORTH LIMB OF SYNCLINE STRONGLY ALTERED TO SERICITE-CHLORITE+/-TREMOLITE+/-GARNET+/-CORDIERITE AND CONTAINS DISSEMINATED CHALCOPYRITE-SPHALERITE+/-TETRAHEDRITE AND THE ZN SPINEL, GAHNITE. ALTERED SEQUENCE IN MINE AREA IS ABOUT 200 FT THICK, TRACEABLE FOR ABOUT 5000 FT TO WEST WHERE IT LOCALLY THICKENS TO OVER 1000 FT. DISTRIBUTION MAY REFLECT ALTERATION SYSTEM DEVELOPED ON FLANKS OF MASSIVE RHYOLITE PILE THAT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DRAGGED OUT ALONG NORTH LIMB OF COMPLEX, DEFORMED SYNFORM.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1984 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.