Climax Mine

Site Name

Primary: Climax Mine
Secondary: Ceresco Ridge portal, orebody
Secondary: Phillipson portal, level
Secondary: Storke portal, level

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Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Secondary: REE
Secondary: Tungsten
Secondary: Tin
Secondary: Sulfur-Pyrite
Tertiary: Niobium (Columbium)
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Titanium, Metal

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Location

State: Colorado
County: Lake
District: Climax

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Land Status

Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Climax Molybdenum Co., Division Of American Metal Climax Inc. (Amax)

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Production

Year: 1930
Time Period: 1916-30
Mined: 13738718.450 mt
Material type: ore

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1915
Discovery Year: 1879
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Climax Mo

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Orebody

Form: ORE ZONES ARE IRREGULARLY CIRCULAR TO OVAL IN PLAN, ARCUATE IN SECTION GIVING OVERALL SHAPES OF INVERTED HEMISPHERES OR CUPS

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Park Range, Colorado Mineral Belt, Tenmile Range

Type: L
Description: Mosquito Fault, East Fault, South Fault, Precambrian Anticline

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Potassic Metasomatism; Silicification, Sericitization; Oxidation Of Mo And Fe Sulfides

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Rocks

Name: Granitoid
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mesoproterozoic

Name: Gneiss
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Paleoproterozoic

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SEE REPORTED ORE GRADES IN PRODUCTION TABLE

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Materials

Ore: Cassiterite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Wolframite
Ore: Huebnerite
Ore: Monazite
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Chalcocite
Gangue: Galena
Gangue: Sphalerite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Jarosite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Molybdite
Gangue: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Rhodochrosite
Gangue: Orthoclase
Gangue: Topaz
Gangue: Brannerite

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Comments

Comment (Development): DEPOSIT DISCOVERED IN 1879 BUT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AS M0 UNTIL 1895. SEVERAL ORE SHIPMENTS WERE MADE IN 1915-17 BUT REAL PRODUCTION DID NOT BEGIN UNTIL 1918-19. LACK OF MARKETS CLOSED THE NINE UNTIL 1924 WHEN PEACETIME USES FOR MO IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY DEVELOPED. ALTHOUGH ORE GRADES HAVE DECREASED THROUGH THE YEARS, IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN MINING AND MILL RECOVERY. BY-PRODUCTS PLANT BUILT IN 1948 RECOVERS W (AS WO3), SN, PYRITE CONC., AND RARE-EARTH CONC. (AS MONAZITE).

Comment (Geology): FOUR SEPARATE MINERALIZATIONS. SOUTHWEST MASS OF THE CLIMAX STOCK AND AN ASSOCIATED IRREGULAR AND ANASTOMOSING DIKE SWARM, RELATED TO CERESCO ORE BODY. CENTRAL MASS OF THE CLIMAX STOCK AND RELATED ARCUATE DIKES AND SHEETS RELATED TO UPPER ORE BODY. APLITIC PORPHYRY PHASE OF THE CLIMAX STOCK AND INTRAMINERAL PORPHYRY DIKES (RADIAL DIKE SWARMS) RELATED TO THE LOWER ORE BODY. THE PORPHYRITIC GRANITE PHASE OF THE CLIMAX STOCK AND LATE RHYOLITE PORPHYRY DIKES RELATED TO LATE BARREN" STAGE OF MINERALIZATION. TUNGSTEN MINERALIZATION IS OUTSIDE DOMES OF MOLYBDENITE MINERALIZATION. ALL BY-PRODUCT WO3 PRODUCTION IS FROM A 700 FT TO 1000 FT THICK ZONE AROUND THE LOWER ORE BODY . PYRITE-TUNGSTEN ZONE ON UPPER AND OUTER EDGES OF UPPER ORE BODY IS APPROX. 4000 FT WIDE, 300-500 FT THICK, AND AVERAGES 0.06% NO3.. PYRITE-TUNGSTEN ZONE ON UPPER AND OUTER EDGES OF UPPER ORE BODY IS APPROX. 4000 FT WIDE, 300-500 FT THICK, AND AVERAGES 0.06% NO3. THE CLIMAX ORE DEPOSIT IS BOUNDED ON THE WEST BY THE MOSQUITO FAULT.

Comment (Location): ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEADVILLE, ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE JUST EAST OF FREMONT PASS, IN SEC. 12, T 8 S, R 79 W; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1980

Comment (Production): NEARLY COMPLETE PRODUCTION RECORD. SMALL BUT UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TONNAGE CITED FOR 1915-1916. NO PRODUCTION CITED IN 1917 OR 1920-1923. SEE SEPARATE PRODUCTION FILE FOR REMAINDER OF RECORD (1918-1977). 1980 IS LAST YEAR FOR WHICH FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE AT COLO. DIV. MINES. BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY OF SN, W, AND PYRITE BEGAN 1948 BUT PRODUCTION FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR 1948-1952. FIGURES FOR BY-PRODUCT MONAZITE RECOVERY (IF ANY) UNAVAILABLE FOR 1948-1952, 1954-1965, AND AFTER 1969. FIGURES FOR ORE AFTER 1957 AND FOR LB MO AFTER 1952 LISTED IN TABLE AS ESTIMATED DUE TO NECESSARY ROUNDING OF QUANTITIES OVER 10,000,000. ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE TOTALS HAVE BEEN ROUNDED AFTER SUMMATION OF ACTUAL ANNUAL FIGURES.,CUMULATIVE ORE AND LB MO CALCULATED FOR YEARS IN WHICH ACTUAL FIGURES WERE REPORTED. CUMULATIVE LB MO FOR 1953-1980 INCLUDES CALCULATED ESTIMATE FOR 1965. CUMULATIVE TOTALS FOR WO3, SN, AND PYRITE EXCLUDES INITIAL YEARS' RECOVERY (1948-1952) AND INCLUDES CALCULATED ESTIMATES FOR 1965.

Comment (Production): Total production from 1918 to 1991 is about 470 million tons of ore at an average grade of 0.22% molybdenum. The mine was placed on a care-and-maintenance status in 1995. In April 2006, the company announced plans to re-open the mine in 2009.

Comment (Production): CUMULATIVE MONAZITE NOT CALCULATED DUE TO HIGH UNCERTAINTY OF ACTUAL YEARS OF RECOVERY.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): At the end of 2005, reserves were 156.4 million tons at a grade of 0.19% molybdenum plus 87 milllion tons of mineralized material at a grade of 0.25% molybdenum. (Phelps Dodge 2005 Annual Report)

Comment (Deposit): MOSQUITO FAULT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 5 PERS COMM

Comment (Reserve-Resource): TERRY FITZSIMONS, AMAX, PERS. COMM. 1980; 1980 AMAX ANNUAL REPORT.

Comment (Commodity): MO IS THE MAIN PRODUCT; BY-PRODUCTS ARE W AND SN, PYRITE CONCENTRATES AND RARE EARTH CONCENTRATES (AS MONAZITE).

Comment (Deposit): LOWER, UPPER, AND CERESCO ORE BODIES OF MULTIPLE-INTRUSION ORIGIN FORM TILTED STACK OF APPROX. COAXIAL MINERALIZED ZONES, EACH CONNECTED TO NEXT LOWER ZONE ON LOWER EDGE. EACH MO ZONE LIES BETWEEN PYRITE-W MINERALIZED ZONE (ABOVE) AND QUARTZ ZONE (BELOW). MO OCCURS IN 1) 0.25 INCH QUARTZ-FILLED FRACTURES AND VEINLETS; 27 TABULAR STRUCTURES EQUILAVENT TO VEINS; 37 DISSEMINATIONS IN PEGMATITES AND APLITE DIKES; 4) INCLUSIONS AND FRAGMENTS IN YOUNGER INTRUSIVE ROCK AND BRECCIA; 5) CLOTS AND SPARSE CRYSTALS IN HIGH-SILICA ROCK; 6) FRACTURE/JOINT COATINGS. MOST BY-PRODUCT PYRITE AND W COMES FROM 700- TO 1000-FT-THICK ZONE ABOVE AND PARTLY COINCIDENT WITH LOWER ORE BODY.

Comment (Workings): PRINCIPAL PRODUCTION LEVELS ARE/WERE LEAL (EL. 12163), WHITE (EL. 11940), PHILLIPSON (EL. 11463), STORKE (EL. 11168), 500 (EL. 10968), 600 (EL. 10868), 929 (EL. 10539). LEAL OPENED 1918 AND WITH WHITE WAS ABANDONED IN 1930S. PHILLIPSON OPENED 1931 AND ABANDONED 1974. STORKE OPENED EARLY 1950S. CERESCO OPENED 1965 AND ABANDONED 1974. 600 OPENED 1972. OPEN PIT DEVELOPED 1973. NO. 4 SHAFT (754 FT DEEP,19-FT DIAM) SERVES 600 AND LOWER LEVELS FROM STORKE LEVEL. NO.(5 SHAFT ) SERVES 600 AND LOWER LEVELS FROM STORKE LEVEL. NO. 5 SHAFT (670 FT DEEP, 23-FT DIAM) FOR SERVICE. NO. 7 SHAFT (370 FT DEEP, 29-FT DIAM) PROVIDES POWER AND VENTILATION TO STORKE AND LOWER LEVELS. FACILITES INCLUDE SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND CRUSHERS, SURFACE GRINDING MILL, FOUR-STAGE FLOTATION, FILTERING AND PACKAGINE, BYPRODUCTS PLANT, TAILINGS DISPOSAL PONDS. DC00634 AND D000448 WERE MERGED INTO THIS RECORD AND DELETED.

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References

Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MISCELLANEOUS METALS--MOLYBDENUM, IN MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO MINERAL RESOURCES BD., P. 222-226.

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): JUNE 1969: MINING MAGAZINE, CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, AND KING, R.U., 1955, HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION AT THE CLIMAX MOLYBDENITE DEPOSIT: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 7, NO 1, P.41-53.

Reference (Deposit): COLO. STATE METAL MINING FUND, 1960, TUNGSTEN MINES OF COLORADO, P.20.

Reference (Deposit): WALLACE, S.R., AND OTHERS, 1968, MULTIPLE INTRUSION AND MINERALIZATION AT CLIMAX, COLORADO, IN RIDGE, J.D., ED., ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1933-1967: AIME GRATON-SALES VOLUME, V. 1, P. 605-640.

Reference (Deposit): CONSV. DIV. COMP. DATE, 8,69

Reference (Deposit): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1942, TENMILE MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (UNCLASSIFIED MAP), SCALE: 1:12,000.

Reference (Deposit): BUTLER, B.S., AND VANDERWILT, J.W., 1933, THE CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 846-C.

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPORTS 1924-1980 (EXCEPT 1965) FOR TONS ORE (1924-1939, 1944-1964, 1966-1968, 1977-1978), TONS CONCENTRATE (1924-1926, 1930, 1933-1939), % MOS2 IN CONCENTRATE (1924, 1926, 1928, 1930-1933, 1936-1939), % MOS2 IN ORE (1927-1928, 1930-1933, 1938-1939, 1944-1950), LB MO (1953-1964, 1966-1980), LB WO3 (1953-1964, 1966-1980), % WO3 (1948-1950), LB SN (1953-1964, 1966-1980), % SN (1949-1950), TONS PYRITE CONCENTRATE (1953-1964, 1966-1980), LB MONAZITE CONCENTRATE (1953, 1966-1969). LB MO FOR 1918-1930 FROM BUTLER AND VANDERWILT (1933); LB MO FOR 1931-1945 FROM VANDERWILT (1947). ORE TONNAGE FOR 1940-1943 AND 1965 FROM CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM CO. (TERRY FITZSIMMONS, PERS. COMM., 8/82).

Reference (Development): Climax Molybdenum Co. and Phelps Dodge Corp. information accessed on the internet on May 25, 2006

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