Empire (Marquette Minerals)

Prospect in Clear Creek county in Colorado, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10141589
MRDS ID DC05240
MAS/MILS ID 0080190586
Record type Site
Current site name Empire (Marquette Minerals)
Alternate or previous names Minnesota Mine (Crown Prince, Atlantic, Comet, Comet Extension), Grace Gold Mine
Related records 10018335

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -105.68365, 39.77888 (WGS84)
Elevation 2621
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Clear Creek(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Empire(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

Comments on the location information

  • About 40 miles west of Denver and 1-1/2 miles NNW of Empire, NE/4 sec. 20 and NW/4 sec. 21, T 3 S, R 74 W.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Chalcopyrite Trace
Galena Trace

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -105.68365, 39.77888

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • PYRITIC-GOLD FISSURE VEINS TRENDING NE, IN PRECAMBRIAN GRANITE ADJACENT TO TERTIARY STOCK.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Pit
Plant type Leach
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Empire District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Clear Creek Resources Inc.
    Year 1991
  • Type Owner
    Owner Marquette Minerals Inc.
    Year 1991

Comments on the ownership information

  • NEVADA GOLDFIELDS HAS DROPPED THEIR LEASE ON THIS PROPERTY, BUT RETAINS A 3% ROYALTY IF THE PROPERTY COMES INTO PRODUCTION IN THE FUTURE.

Comments on the production information

  • From 1934 to 1943, the Minnesota mine was the principal producer in the district; total output is not known but estimated at about 90,000 oz. of gold.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • A 1998 report estimated 11.8 million tons of material grading 0.06 oz/ton gold (about 708,000 oz. gold). (USGS OFR 98-206).
  • NOT SURE OF EXACT TREATMENT METHOD(HEAP LEACH, MILLING ORE, FLOTATION, ETC.). EXPECTED START OF PRODUCTION IS SOMETIME IN 1989 AT AN ANNUAL LEVEL OF 60,000 OZ. AU. 1988 RESERVE=750,000 CONT. OZ. AU. PROPERTY NOT BEING ANALYZED FOR 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY. PROPERTY DID NOT PRODUCE DURING 1989.

Comments on the workings information

  • PROPOSED OPEN PIT, HEAP LEACH OPERATION

Comments on development

  • NEVADA GOLDFIELDS CORPORATION AND ITS JOINT-VENTURE PARTNERS, MARQUETTE MINERALS, INC. AND CLEAR CREEK RESOURCES, INC., HAVE AGREED TO ENTER AN OPTION AGREEMENT WITH NORANDA EXPLORATION, INC. FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMPIRE PROJECT GOLD MINE. THE JOINT VENTURE WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL EXPLORATION FOR GOLD MINERALIZATION ON THE 7,000-ACRE PROPERTY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-AUG-1993 Hite, Alan G. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 01-SEP-1990 Berger, Mary A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 03-MAY-2006 Beach, Richard A. Colorado Geological Survey
Updater 30-JUL-0007 Melton, Greg U.S. 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.