The Delta Limonite Deposit is a iron mine located in Delta county, Colorado at an elevation of 5,341 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: 5,341 Feet (1,628 Meters)
Commodity: Iron
Lat, Long: 38.71917, -107.89833
Map: View on Google Maps
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Delta Limonite Deposit MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Delta Limonite Deposit
Secondary: Iron Cap Mine
Secondary: Iron Cap Claim
Secondary: Mingen Limonite Deposit
Commodity
Primary: Iron
Tertiary: Manganese
Location
State: Colorado
County: Delta
District: Delta Area
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.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1890
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Canyon Lands
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: Gunnison Uplift, Piceance Basin, Montrose Syncline
Type: L
Description: Gunnison Uplift, Montrose Syncline
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: 0.1 TO 1.0% ZN
Analytical Data: 0.01 TO 0.1% MN, NI, TI
Analytical Data: SAMPLE SENT TO CF&I BY MIKE MINGEN CONTAINED 39.7% FE, 28.0% SI02, 1.5% MN, TRACE TI02. SECOND SAMPLE CONTAINED 57.2% FE, 0.019% P, 3.7% SI02, 0.2% MN, TRACE TI02. COMPOSITE SAMPLE BY USBM 5/26/43 CONTAINED 49.0% FE, 12.4% SI02. USBM CHARACTER SAMPLE FROM 1957 CONTAINED 47.5% FE, 0.03% P, 0.47% S, 13.8% SI02, LESS THAN 0.01% MN, 12.6% LOI. SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS SHOWED 0.001 TO 0.01% CU, GA, SC, YB, ZR, AND PB
Materials
Ore: Limonite
Comments
Comment (Development): DEPOSIT WAS OPERATED PRE 1900 AS SOURCE OF FLUX FOR SMELTERS IN SALIDA AND GUNNISON AND UP TO 1920 AS IRON ORE FOR PUEBLO STEEL MILL. SITE EXAMINED DURING WW II AS POTENTIAL SOURCE OF STRATEGIC MINERAL (FE)
Comment (Workings): A FEW SHORT ADITS, OPEN CUTS, AND SHALLOW PITS
Comment (Location): PROBABLY ALONG UNNAMED TRIBUTARY TO PEACH VALLEY ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1980
Comment (Deposit): LIMONITE ZONE OCCURS UP TO 10 FT IN THICKNESS AND IS EXPOSED OVER LENGTH OF 250 FT ON OUTCROP OF MANCOS SHALE JUST ABOVE (WEST OF) CONTACT WITH DAKOTA SANDSTONE. HIGHER GRADE ORE IS POROUS TO CLINKERY AND BROWN TO BLACK IN COLOR. LOWER GRADE ORE APPEARS OCHEROUS. LIMONITE ACTS AS CEMENT BINDER AND COATING ON SANDSTONE AND SHALE FRAGMENTS. AS CONTACT BETWEEN DAKOTA AND MANCOS IS SOMETIMES GRADATIONAL AND UPPER DAKOTA HAS CARBONACEOUS OR COALY SHALES, LIMONITE COULD REPRESENT OXIDATION OF CONTAINED PYRITE.
References
Reference (Deposit): TWETO, OGDEN, AND OTHERS, 1976, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MONTROSE 1X2 QUADRANGLE, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-761
Reference (Deposit): HARRER, C.M., AND TESCH, W.J., JR., 1959, RECONNAISSANCE OF IRON OCCURRENCES IN COLORADO: USBM IC 7918, P. 25-26
Colorado Mining Photos
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