The Blake (Mirage, Cotton Creek) District is a silver, copper, and gold mine located in Saguache county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,799 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 8,799 Feet (2,682 Meters)
Commodity: Silver, Copper, Gold
Lat, Long: 38.12806, -105.78139
Map: View on Google Maps
Satelite View
MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.
Blake (Mirage, Cotton Creek) District MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Blake (Mirage, Cotton Creek) District
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Location
State: Colorado
County: Saguache
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Year: 1939
Time Period: 1934-1939
Mined: 160.930 mt
Material type: ore
Deposit
Record Type: District
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Gold on flat faults
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: L
Description: Sangre De Cristo Fault
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Tertiary
Name: Gneiss
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Hematite
Ore: Malachite
Gangue: Quartz
Comments
Comment (Commodity): The Copperhead (Triple-T) mine was the largest mine in this small district.
Comment (Production): There was probably significantly more historic production than is recorded. Benson (1997) states that "extensive" historical mining and milling took place at the Copperhead Mine.
Comment (Production): Lead production not reported for 1935, 1938, 1939. Copper and silver not reported in 1935.
Comment (Location): Small district on the lower western slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 10 miles north-northwest of the town of Crestone. District is along the range front near the mouths of Spring Creek and Cotton Creek. The Copperhead, or Triple-T Mine is the most significant deposit.
Comment (Reserve-Resource): Sampling by Ellis and others (1983) in the Cotton Creek and Spring Creek area produced grades up to 0.58 oz/ton gold, 2.8 oz/ton silver, and 2% copper from iron- and copper-stained gneissic fault gouge, silicified fault breccia, and quartz veins.
Comment (Deposit): DEPOSITS ARE USUALLY VEINS IN SHEAR ZONES AND IRREGULAR FRACTURES, BUT ALSO INCLUDE ORIENT-TYPE FE REPLACEMENTS
Comment (Geology): Mineralization is associated with a low-angle fault zone similar to that at the large, modern San Luis Mine further south (Benson, 1997). A thick zone of silicified breccia underlies the fault zone. The faulting and mineralization are Tertiary in age and related to Rio Grande rifting.
References
Reference (Deposit): SCOTT, G.R., AND OTHERS, 1978. GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PUEBLO 1X2 QUADRANGLE, SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO: USGS I-1022.
Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO MINERAL RESOURCES BOARD, P. 191
Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES MINE MGR. AND INSPECTORS REPTS.
Reference (Deposit): Benson, R.G., 1997, Detachment fault-related mineralization in a rift setting at the San Luis gold deposit and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Alamosa, Costilla, and Saguache Counties, Colorado: Golden, Colorado School of Mines, Ph.D. dissertation, 226 p.
Reference (Deposit): Ellis, C.E., Hannigan, B.J., and Thompson, J.R., 1983, Mineral investigation of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Study Area, Alamosa, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, and Saguache Counties, Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines MLA 65-83, 190 p.
Reference (Production): VANDERBILT, 1947, P. 191
Reference (Deposit): SCOTT, G.R., AND TAYLOR, R.B., 1974, RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ELECTRIC PEAK QUADRANGLE, CUSTER AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MF-628.
Colorado Mining Photos
Check out this collection of Colorado's best historic mining photos: Incredible Photos of Colorado Mining Scenes.
