1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Iron Mountain

Past Producer in Albany county in Wyoming, United States with commodities Iron, Titanium, Chromium, Zirconium, Vanadium
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Mineral rights holdings
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10229543
MRDS ID ISM0604
MAS/MILS ID 0560010016
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Mountain
Alternate or previous names Iron Mountain Titaniferous Magnetite, Iron Mountain Titanif. Magnetite, Iron Mountain Area

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -105.3275, 41.59967 (WGS84)
Elevation 2250
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Albany(county)

Wyoming(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Goat Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Rock River(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cheyenne(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Laramie(hydrologic unit)

North Platte(hydrologic accounting unit)

North Platte(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Wyoming Albany

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
6th Principal 019 N 071 W 22 SESESE Wyoming

Comments on the location information

  • Located in Sec. 22, 23, 26, 27, T19N, R71W.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Titanium Critical Secondary
Chromium Critical Tertiary
Zirconium Critical Tertiary
Vanadium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Ilmenite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Olivine Gangue
Spinel Gangue
Hypersthene Gangue
Plagioclase Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Limonite Unknown
Fayalite Unknown
Forsterite Unknown

Analytical data

Result AL2O3 = 8.12%, FE2O3 = 26.26%, FEO = 41.80%, MGO = 3.62%, TIO2 = 19.30%, MNO = 0.09 [from 10080932 = W032473, reference is Bull. 50, p. 106]

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Anorthosite
    Rock unit name Laramie Anorthosite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -105.3275, 41.59967
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 76M
    Length 518M
    Width 244M
    Depth to top 0.3M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. SLIGHT
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. .3
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 820817
  • Area 180HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 180
    Date of Last Modification 910418
  • Name ? (from 10205264 =0560010036)
    General form massive, magmatic differ.,
    Strike N25E
    Thickness 225M
    Length 2100M
    Width 68M
    Area 1037HA
  • Name ? (from 10080932 =W0324730
    General form IRREGULAR
    Dip 65-40SE
    Length 1524M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE OREBODIES OCCUR AS NUMEROUS DIKES, OFTEN LENTICULAR IN SHAPE. THE MINERALIZED PART OF THE MAIN IRON MOUNTAIN AREA CONSISTS OF DISCONTINUOUS, OVERLAPPING, LENTICULAR BODIES OF MASSIVE MAGNETITE-ILMENITE AND IRREGULAR BODIES OF DISSEMINATED MAGNETITE-ILMENITE EXTENDING ALONG THE CREST OF THE MOUNTAIN FOR 2134 METERS. SINCE THE ORE OCCURS AS NUMEROUS SMALL BODIES, ALL DIMENSIONS CANNOT BE GIVEN. THE DIMENSIONS SHOWN IN THE G-SET ARE THOSE OF THE LARGEST OREBODY. STRIKE IS GENERALLY NE. SINCE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MAGMATIC OREBODIES CONTAINED IN A PRIMARY MAGMATIC INTRUSIVE, DIP VARIES FROM HORIZONTAL TO VERTICAL.
  • GEOL.DESC: FINELY INTERGROWN ILMENITE AND MAGNETITE IN MASSIVE AND DISSEMINATED BODIES IN ANORTHOSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN INTRUDED BY LATER GRANITE; ALSO FAULTED. [copied from 1008228 = D00223]
  • TYPICAL WEATHERING OF THE GRANITE; CSTR + ZRCN + PCLR + CLMB + TNTL + XNTM; MAIN ORE BODY AT MADEIRA IS 2KM IN DIAMETER, HAS A WEATHERED ZONE 40M DEEP WHICH CONTAINS 300,000T SN, 300,000T NB205 AND 30,000 TA205, AS WELL AS HAFNIUM, YTTRIUM, AND ZIRCONIUM.1.8GA GRANITES IN 1.96A RHYOLITE ASHFLOWS, GRANITES FOLLOWED BY SANDSTONE AND SHALES. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, A SERIES OF GRANITES RANGING FROM RAPAKIVI THROUGH PORPHYRITIC GRANITES TO SUBALKALINE BIOTITE GRANITE. GREISENISATION OF BIOTITE GRANITE PRODUCED OREBODY. ORE MINERALS INCLUDE ZIRCON, PYROCHLORE, COLUMBITE, TANTALITE, XENOTIME, CASSITERITE. [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604].
  • FOLDING, FAULTING AND METAMORPHISM; PREC; VANADIFEROUS MGNT + ILMN + SPNL +- OLVN + APTT + BOTT + FLDP + FRSR; MAGNETITE-ILMENITE OCCUR IN NUMEROUS DIKE-LIKE BODIES. THE MINERALIZED PART OF THE MAIN IRON MOUNTAIN ALSO INCLUDES DISCONTINUOUS OVERLAPPING LENTICULAR BODIES OF MASSIVE MAGNETITE-ILMENITE AND IRREGULAR BODIES OF DISSEMINATED MAGNETITE-ILMENITE. [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604].

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1850
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1897
Milling method Magnetic

Mining district

District name Laramie Range District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Other
Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Private Lease

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Wyomex Res, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office P. O Box 185, Cheyenne, Wy 82003
    Year 1993
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Anaconda Co.
    Home office New York
    Year 1976
  • Type Owner
    Owner Union Pacific Railroad
    Home office Nebraska
    Year 1976
  • Type Owner
    Owner Rocky Mountain Energy Co (64%), Anaconda (35%), Local Rangers (1%)

Comments on the ownership information

  • WYOMEX RESOURCES, INC OWNS LEASES OF IRON MT. (PHONE CONVERSATION WITH JOHN P. SIMONS, PRESIDENT, 303-635-9397, 2/93)

Comments on the production information

  • THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN MINED IN THE RECENT PAST FOR AGGREGATE AND A FEW TONS WERE MINED IN 1897 AND 1898 FOR SMELTING ATTEMPTS BY THE COLORADO FUEL AND IRON CORP. SERIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPERTY FOR THE COMMODITIES IN THIS EVALUATION HAS NOT OCCURRED.
  • PROPOSED RECOVERIES ARE 71.66% FOR FE AND 73.98% FOR TIO2. THEY HAVE BEEN ROUNDED IN THE Y-DATA SET.
  • Deleted record 10205264 (MAS 0560010036) claims that first production was in 1961.
  • SMALL PRODUCTION (EXTENSIVE EXPLORATION BY USBM AND U.P.R.R. SOME MINING IN 1950'S AND 1960'S FOR TESTS AND HEAVY AGGREGATE.
  • NO ZRCN HAS OR IS BEING PRODUCED. NO ZRCN HAS BEEN PRODUCED. [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604].
  • 1,080,000 MT ORE PER ANNUM (ESTIMATED) IF PRODUCING (1982) NO SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF FE OR TI. NO V PRODUCTION. [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604].

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1961
    Indicated 27216000mt ore
    Demonstrated 27216000mt ore
    Inferred 27216000mt ore
    Total resources 54432000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silica SiO2 10 wt-pct Silica Trace 1961
    Titanium TiO2 20 wt-pct Titanium Major 1961
    Iron Fe 45 wt-pct Iron Minor 1961
    Vanadium V2O5 0.64 wt-pct Vanadium Trace 1961
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1961
    Indicated 134266000mt ore
    Demonstrated 134266000mt ore
    Inferred 134266000mt ore
    Total resources 268532000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silica SiO2 35.6 wt-pct Silica Trace 1961
    Titanium TiO2 9.6999 wt-pct Titanium Major 1961
    Iron Fe 20.1999 wt-pct Iron Minor 1961
    Vanadium V2O5 0.17 wt-pct Vanadium Trace 1961

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • INCLUDES A PROPOSED SLAG SMELTER.
  • THE ABOVE RESERVES WERE OBTAINED DIRECTLY FROM THE MINERAL HOLDERS, ANACONDA AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN ENERGY, AND WERE USED FOR THIS EVALUATION. APPROXIMATELY 72% OF THE ABOVE RESERVES ARE CONSIDERED RECOVERABLE.
  • THE RESERVE SHOWN IN R COL 1 IS MASSIVE ORE (HIGHER GRADE) WHILE R COL 3 IS DISSEMINATED ORE (LOWER GRADE).
  • RE-REC 030-GRID AREA 1,SEC.13,14,T18N,R71W.-GRID AREAS 3,4,S 8N,R71W.-GRID AREA 5,SEC.5,T18N,R71W.-GRID AREA 7,SEC. ,R71W.-GRID AREA 75,SEC.4,T 18N,R71W.-GRID AREA 8,T19N,R71W.-GRID AREA 14,SEC.4,T1 RESERVE FIGURES ARE CUMULATIVE FOR ALL 9 GRID AREAS AS ESTIM THE U.S.B.M. (10 TO 50% PROB. FIGURES BASED ON 50% ADDITIONAL RESERVES INFERRED AT DEPTH) [copied from deleted record 10205264 = 0560010036, probably from USBM IC-8037]
  • (105,000 IN MASSIVE ORE, 145,000 IN DISSEMINATED ORE) [copied from 1008228 = D00223]
  • UNOFFICIAL ESTIMATES ARE SEVERAL TIMES LARGER. [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604].

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 92HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method BENCH (BERM)
    Swell Factor .67
    Percent Waste Rock 22.5
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 0
    Primary Material Cover HARD ROCKS
    Percentage 100
    Hardness of Ore HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 7.6
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 50
    Capacity 3175
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 0
    Unit Production Cost 5.26
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 340
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on development

  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. ( PROCESSING; X; HIGH COST). DEVELOPMENT(NO); EXPLORATION(NO); ASSESSMENT(DEVELOPMENT WOULD PROBABLY BE BASED PRINCIPALLY ON DEMAND FOR TI (OR FE).); WOULD MOST LIKELY BE DEVELOPED USING THE QIT SLAG PROCESS TO RECOVER A TITANIUM SLAG, A PIG IRON AND POSSIBLY THE VANADIUM [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604]

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    SALISBURY, R. FIELD VISIT TO IRON MOUNTAIN (FIELD NOTES), 1975, U.S. BUREAU OF MINES.

  • Production

    ELGER, G. OF U.S. BUREAU OF MINES (AMRC), PROVIDED INFORMATION TO EVALUATOR DURING PHONE CONVERSATION ON MARCH 4, 1982.

  • Geology

    DIEMER, R.A. TITANIFEROUS MAGNETITE DEPOSITS OF THE LARAMIE RANGE, WYOMING. UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, JUNE, 1941, P. 1-11.

  • Production

    NAFZIGER, R.H., 1981, ELECTRIC-ARC FURNACE PROCESSING OF DOMESTIC TITANIFEROUS MATERIALS: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES RI-8511, P. 1-35.

  • Production

    KOPPERS COMPANY, INC. FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR PLANT TO PRODUCE TITANIUM DIOXIDE PIGMENT AND GRANULATED IRON, AUG. 31, 1964, P. III-1 TO III-6, V-6 THRU V-14, DIAGRAMS, VII-1 THRU VII-16.

  • Deposit

    Wilson, W.H., 1966, Mineral Resources of Wyoming: WGS Bull. 50, p. 105-106.

  • Reserve-Resource

    MEYER, A. OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN ENERGY, PROVIDED INFORMATION TO EVALUATOR DURING MARCH 3, 1982 VISIT.

  • Reserve-Resource

    NORMAN, J. OF ANACONDA CORP., PROVIDED INFORMATION TO EVALUATOR DURING PHONE CONVERSATION MARCH 9, 1982.

  • Deposit

    Harrer, C.M., 1966, Wyoming iron-ore deposits: USBM IC-8315, p. 14-15.

  • Deposit

    DOW, V.T. 1961, U.S. Magnetite and ilmenite resources, Iron Mountain area, Albany County, Wyoming: US BUREAU OF MINES IC-8037, 133 PP.

  • Deposit

    Diemer, R.A., 1941, Titaniferous magnetite deposits of the Laramie Range, Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming Bulletin 31, 23 p.

  • General

    Newhouse, W.H., and Hagner, A.F., 1957, Geologic map of anorthosite areas, southern part of laramie Range, Wyoming: USGS MF-119, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Pinnel, D.E., and Marsh, J.A., 1954, Summary geological report on the titaniferous iron deposts of the Laramie Range, Albany County, Wyoming: Presented at the Colo. Mining Assoc. meeting, Jan. 30, 1954, 10 p.

  • Deposit

    PINNEL, D.B. AND MARSH, J.A., 1954, SUMMARY GEOLOGICAL REPORT OF THE TITANIFEROUS IRON DEPOSITS OF THE LARAMIE RANGE: WY MINES MAG. V. 44, NO. 5, 30 P.

  • Deposit

    GOLDBERG, S.A., 1984, GEOCHEMICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANORTHOSITE AND ASSOCIATED IRON-RICH ROCKS, LARAMIE RANGE, WYOMING: CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY, V. 87, P. 376-387.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 2.45% CR203 IN IRON MTN. TITANIFEROUS MAGNETITE DEPOSIT (Bull. 50, p. 25)[copied from deleted record 10205264 = 0560010036, and 10132702 = 0560010148]
General THIS RECORD WAS COMPILED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERALS INVENTORY. THE DATA WERE USED IN PREPARATION OF THE USGS CIRCULAR 930 SERIES OF REPORTS. MINERAL RESOURCE CATEGORIES AND CODES HEREIN ARE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. (SEE NATIONAL RESOURCES FORUM, V. 4, NO. 3, P. 307-313.). OPEN-CUT CHEMICALS AND METALS DATE OF ORIGINAL: 10-APR-89; DATE OF LAST CHANGE: 05-MAY-89 [copied from 10024852 = ISM0604]
Deposit GRADE 1-MASSIVE MAGNETITE-ILMENITE WITH 0-35% BY VOLUME OF SILICATES, CHIEFLY OLIVINE AND MINOR SPINEL. TIO2% RANGES FROM 16-23% INCLUSIVE.
GRADE 2-MAGNETITE-ILMENITE WITH 35-65% BY VOLUME OF SILICATES, CHIEFLY OLIVINE AND MINOR SPINEL, PLAGIOCLASE, AND HYPERSTHENE. TIO2 RANGES FROM 10-16%. THIS GRADE ORE RARELY CROPS OUT.
GRADE 3-MAGNETITE-ILMENITE WITH 65-85% BY VOLUME OF SILICATES, LARGELY PLAGIOCLASE WITH MINOR OLIVINE AND HYPERSTHENE. TIO2 RANGES FROM 5-10%
[copied from Bull. 50, p. 106]

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-73 Force, Eric. R. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-SEP-73 Fischer, Richard P. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 18-NOV-83 Intermountain Field Operations Center U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 27-FEB-84 Wilson U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-OCT-85 Fantel, Richard J. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 05-APR-95 Dolzani, Roger L. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Editor 10-DEC-09 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Anaconda Co. — dissolved ~1977
    Acquired by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) in 1977 and shut down most operations in the 1980s. Mineral assets were sold off piecemeal; some are now in Glencore via intermediate owners.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

Maps centered on this site