The Rio Grande Claims is a uranium mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,879 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: 9,879 Feet (3,011 Meters)
Commodity: Uranium
Lat, Long: 37.76444, -107.38833
Map: View on Google Maps
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Rio Grande Claims MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Rio Grande Claims
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Rio Grande 1-10
Commodity
Primary: Uranium
Location
State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Rio Grande Reservoir Area
Land Status
Land ownership: National Forest
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
Owner Name: C. C. Wetherill
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field
Type: L
Description: Ute Creek Caldera, Lost Lake Caldera; Unnamed Fault
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1460.000000+-
Dating Method: U-Pb (zircon)
Material Analyzed: Zircon
Age Young: Precambrian
Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1460.000000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Precambrian
Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1466.000000+-
Dating Method: Rb-Sr
Age Young: Precambrian
Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mesoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: STEVEN AND OTHERS' SAMPLE CONTAINED 0.13% U308
Analytical Data: BACKGROUND RADIATION 0.05 MR/HR, RANGE 0.2 TO 0.3 MR/HR
Materials
Not available
Comments
Comment (Workings): BULLDOZER TRENCHING
Comment (Location): ON SOUTH SIDE OF ROAD 2.1 MILES WEST OF RIO GRANDE RESERVOIR. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977
Comment (Development): LOCAL RANCHERS DISCOVERED RADIOACTIVE ANOMALY, BUT CONSIDERABLE TRENCHING FAILED TO SHOW ORE-GRADE MATERIAL, AND CLAIMS WERE ABANDONED.
Comment (Deposit): ANOMALY WAS ABOVE-BACKGROUND RADIOACTIVITY IN FRACTURES(?) IN SMALL OUTCROP OF PRECAMBRIAN EOLUS GRANITE BENEATH THICK, INTRACALDERA UTE RIDGE TUFF IN UTE CREEK CALDERA. THICK INTRACALDERA SECTION OF TUFF AND THIN OUTFLOW SHEET SUGGEST SUBSIDENCE OF CALDERA CONCURRENT WITH ERUPTION. SUBSIDENCE RIM ON EAST NOTED BY STEVEN AND LIPMAN (1976), BUT LACK OF RING FRACTURE ON WEST SUGGESTS TRAP-DOOR COLLAPSE. LATER INTRUSIVES ALONG SOUTH RIM ON UTE CREEK AND ALONG WNW-TRENDING FAULT ACROSS RIVER VALLEY SW OF DEPOSIT. CALDERA IS TANGENTIAL ON EAST WITH LATER, BURIED LOST LAKE CALDERA.
References
Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITOVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 113-114.
Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 180.
Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DURANGO QUADRANGLE, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-764.
Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, CALDERAS OF THE SAN JUAN VOLCANIC FIELD, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 958, P. 7-10.
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