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Colorado Central Mine

Past Producer in Clear Creek county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold
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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. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10107835
MRDS ID D002832
Record type Site
Current site name Colorado Central Mine
Alternate or previous names Equator Tunnel, Marshall Tunnel, Aliunde Tunnel and Shaft, Ocean Wave Tunnel
Related records 10238635

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-105.70642, 39.69666 (WGS84) 3109
(click for info)
-105.70337, 39.68388 (WGS84) 3109 50

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Clear Creek(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Georgetown(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Denver West(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Denver(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Clear(hydrologic unit)

South Platte(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Platte(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Clear Creek

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 004S 074W 04 Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • At the mouth of Leavenworth Creek, 1-1/2 miles SSW of Georgetown, secs.19-20, T 4 S, R 74 W.

Commodities

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • The mine is noted for its large production of rich silver ore; lead and zinc are of less value, and very little copper or gold is present.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Polybasite Ore
Proustite Ore
Pyrargyrite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stephanite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) wall rock altered to sericite, quartz, siderite

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 Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Idaho Springs Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Proterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Silver Plume Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Proterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Proterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.70642, 39.69666
ListMap
(2) -105.70337, 39.68388
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description vein junctions, dip changes, wall rock compentency

Comments on the geologic information

  • The Colorado Central vein, a fissure sulfide vein, strikes NE and dips steeply NW or is vertical; in places it splits into the North and South veins and other veins branching between the two. The veins are often bounded by granite porphyry dikes.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Georgetown-Silver Plume District

Comments on the production information

  • Estimate total value of output exceeds $8 million.
  • High grade Ag ore in Colorado Central Mine ranged from 200-800 opt Ag. Colorado Central vein consistently produced ore in the 200 opt Ag range for 16 years after its discovery in 1872.

Comments on the workings information

  • The veins are accessed by several tunnels: the Aliunde, Equator, Ocean Wave, and Marshall and many shafts. Workings extend to 1050-foot level and 3/4 mile along strike of the vein.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Spurr, J. E., Garrey, G. H., and Ball, S. H., 1908, Economic geology of the Georgetown quadrangle, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 63, 422 p.

  • Deposit

    Lovering, T. S., and Goddard, E. N., 1950, Geology and ore deposits of the Front Range, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 223, 319 p.

  • Deposit

    Sunshine Mining Co. Colorado exploration files, unpublished data, Colorado Geological Survey.

  • Deposit

    REF:BOM ANNUAL REPORT 1915

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-77 Hasler, J. William U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 17-NOV-83 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 04-JAN-06 Beach, Richard A. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-07 Melton, Greg U.S. 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.