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Highland Chief Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10101906
MRDS ID D011613
Record type Site
Current site name Highland Chief Mine
Alternate or previous names Empire Chief Mine, Patented Claims: U.S., MS 1207, Empire, MS 1208, Highland Chief, MS 1209a, Highland Chief Mill Site, MS 1209b, Brick Pomeroy, MS 16478a, Wall Street, MS 16478a, Amazon, MS 16478a, Brick Pomeroy Mill Site, MS 16478b, Bonanza, MS 16479a, Magnolia, MS 16479a, Hondee, MS 16479a, Mathison, MS 16479a, Bonanza Mill Site, MS 16479b

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -107.52147, 37.97528 (WGS84)
Elevation 3343
Relative position 12.0 MILES S 71 W FROM LAKE CITY

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hinsdale(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Handies Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silverton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Durango(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gunnison(hydrologic unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic accounting unit)

Gunnison(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CO)

Bureau of Land Management CO BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Hinsdale

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 043N 006W 15,16,21,22 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • MINE LIES NORTH OF HENSON CREEK ON SOUTH SLOPE OF UNNAMED MOUNTAIN SW OF BOULDER GULCH AND EAST OF DOLLY VARDEN MOUNTAIN. MILL SITES LOCATED ALONG HENSON CREEK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PORTAL OF PROBABLE EMPIRE CHIEF NO. 3 TUNNEL IN NE SEC. 21. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE MINERALS LISTED ABOVE NOT DEFINITELY KNOWN BUT INFERRED ON BASIS ON PROBABLE SIMILARITY WITH OTHER ORES IN AREA.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result SEE PRODUCTION TABLE FOR ORE GRADES FROM EARLY 1900S
Result AVERAGE OF ORE SHIPPED IN THOSE YEARS IS 6.15 OZ/TON AG, 0.20 OZ/TON AU, 38.9% PB. ASSAYS FROM EMPIRE TUNNEL INCLUDE 8 OZ/TON AG, 0.5 OZ/TON AU, 10.45% PB, 1.1% CU
Result 4.7 OZ/TON AG, 0.06 OZ/TON AU, 37.5% PB. AVERAGE GRADE OF EMPIRE VEIN ORE: 5.26 OZ/TON AG, 0.176 OZ/TON AG, 29.43% PB. FROM HIGHLAND CHIEF VEIN, 48 SAMPLES OVER AVERAGE 3-FT-WIDE PAY STREAK ASSAYED 4.23 OZ/TON AG, 0.10 OZ/TON AU, 19.6% PB. FROM PORTAL NO. 2, 30 SAMPLES OVER 200-FT LENGTH AND 1.75-FT PAYSTREAK ASSAYED-5.10 OZ/TON AG, 0.20 OZ/TON AU, 28.8% PB. FROM HIGHLAND CHIEF NO. 2 LEVEL, 59-ST ORE LOT FROM 43-FT WINZE ASSAYED 4.77 OZ/TON AG, 0.14 OZ/TON AU, 38.17% PB.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Eureka Member Of Sapinero Mesa Tuff;Biotite-Quartz Latite Of Burns Member Of Silverton Volcanics;Porphyritic Andesite Of Pyroxene Andesite Member Of Silverton Volcanics
    Rock description Eureka Member Of Sapinero Mesa Tuff;Biotite-Quartz Latite Of Burns Member Of Silverton Volcanics;Porphyritic Andesite Of Pyroxene Andesite Member Of Silverton Volcanics
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
  • 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 > Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -107.52147, 37.97528
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression
Type of structure Local
Structure description San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Eureka Graben

Ore body information

  • Thickness 2.13M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne-Trending Fault Within Graben

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of last production 1930

Mining district

District name Galena (Henson Creek) District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Joe Pitts (Highland Chief Tunnel
    Home office Lake City, Co.
    First year 1965
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ajax Syndicate (Highland Chief Tunnel
    Home office Santa Barbara, Ca.
    First year 1965

Production statistics

  • Year 1908
    Material ORE AG AU ACC
    Description Ap_Grade: ^7.05 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.25 Oz/Ton Au, 52.00% Pb
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 7g/mt
    Lead Lead 52wt-pct
    Ore Silver Silver 199g/mt
  • Year 1930
    Material ?
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.25 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.01 To 0.25 Oz/Ton Au, 5.5% Cu, 1.19% Pb, 1.2% Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Copper Copper 6wt-pct
    Zinc Zinc 1wt-pct
    Gold Gold 7g/mt
    Silver Silver 35g/mt
    Lead Lead 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S. VOLUMES CITE PRODUCTION IN 1906-1908, 1911-1913, AND 1917, BUT NO ANNUAL FIGURES WERE GIVEN. FIRST SIX ENTRIES LISTED ABOVE (FROM MARKS, 1925) ARE FOR UNSPECIFIED YEARS, EXCEPT ONE ENTRY FOR 1908. PRODUCTION FOR 1929-1930 FROM CDM REPORTS.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL CROSSCUT AND DRIFT TUNNELS. BRICK POMEROY TUNNELS NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 (EXTENT UNKNOWN) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH OR NE ON BRICK POMEROY VEIN, LOCATED WEST OF EMPIRE VEIN. HIGHLAND CHIEF WORKINGS CONSIST OF THREE TUNNELS: NO. 1 (EXTENT UNKNOWN) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH ON HIGHLAND CHIEF VEIN. NO. 2 CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 250 FT, WITH 1000-FT EAST DRIFT AND 500-FT WEST DRIFT FROM WHICH IS DRIVEN 230-FT NE CROSSCUT, THENCE 40 FT NORTH CONNECTING WITH VERTICAL WINZE TO INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, FROM WHICH IS DRIVEN 40-FT NW CROSSCUT, THENCE 247-FT EAST DRIFT AND 263-FT WEST DRIFT ON VEIN. NO. 3 TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 500 FT, THENCE 173 FT WEST, THENCE 180 FT NORTH TO FACE. AT 450 FT FROM PORTAL IS 135-FT RAISE TO SUBLEVEL. EMPIRE CHIEF DEVELOPED BY FOUR TUNNELS: NO. 1 TUNNEL (UPPER) CAVED, EXTENT UNKNOWN; NO. 2 TUNNEL (ELEV 11200 FT) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH OR NE FOR 185 FT, WITH 450-FT EAST-WEST DRIFT ON VEIN; NO. 3 TUNNEL (ELEV 10968 FT) DRIVEN
  • GENERALLY NW FOR 720 FT; AT 525 FT FROM PORTAL, 475-FT DRIFT DRIVEN NE AND 575-FT DRIFT DRIVEN SW ON VEIN; AT 535 FT FROM PORTAL IS 250-FT SLIGHTLY INCLINED RAISE TO SECOND LEVEL AND CONNECTED BY 30-FT OFFSET DRIFT; AT FOOT OS RAISE IS 50-FT NE DRIFT. NO. 4 TUNNEL (MAIN) (ELEV 10200 FT) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 75 FT, THENCE AS 1260-FT NE DRIFT; AT 1025 FT IS 540-FT SE CROSSCUT; AT 1175 FT IS 75-FT NW CROSSCUT; AT 1300 FT IS 200-FT WEST CROSSCUT; AT 520 FT FROM PORTAL IS 158-FT RAISE; AT 500 FT FROM PORTAL IS 40-FT WINZE (FLOODED). AERIAL TRAM CONNECTS PORTAL NO. 3 WITH MILL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-962.

  • Deposit

    BROWN, W.H., 1926, THE MINERAL ZONES OF THE WHITE CROSS DISTRICT AND NEIGHBORING DEPOSITS IN HINSDALE COUNTY, COLORADO: MINES MAG., V. 15, NO. 11, P. 5-15.

  • Deposit

    CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE SILVERTON QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 120, 34 P.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1207, 1208, 1209A&B, 16478A&B, 16479A&B, 20166

  • Deposit

    LUEDKE, R.G., AND BURBANK, W.S., 1975, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE HANDIES PEAK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS OPEN-FILE REPT. 75-432.

  • Deposit

    MARKS, J.H., 1925, REPORT ON THE EMPIRE CHIEF MINING COMPANY PROPERTY: UNPUB. REPT., 15 P.

  • Production

    MARKS, 1925; COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT LIES TOWARD NORTH SIDE OF SAN JUAN-UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA IN INFILL SEQUENCE CONSISTING OF EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE OVERLAIN BY BURNS MEMBER QUARTZ LATITE. SEQUENCE IS CUT BY GENERALLY N 60 E-TRENDING FAULT ON NORTH SIDE OF EUREKA GRABEN. ACCORDING TO MARKS (1925), EMPIRE VEIN DIPPED VERTICALLY, WITH VEINS ON EITHER SIDE DIPPING TOWARD IT, INDICATING POSSIBLE MERGING AT DEPTH.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1984 Schwochow, Stephen D. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

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