The Falcon Mine is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,177 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: 9,177 Feet (2,797 Meters)
Commodity: Silver, Lead, Zinc
Lat, Long: 37.69611, -108.02250
Map: View on Google Maps
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Falcon Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Falcon Mine
Secondary: Grand View Group
Secondary: Patented Claims: Alma Mater No. 2, MS 349
Secondary: Phoenix, MS 362
Secondary: Pelican, MS 363
Secondary: Yellow Jacket, MS 364
Secondary: Grand View, MS 383
Secondary: Major, MS 384
Secondary: Ingersoll, MS 413
Secondary: Hope, MS 939
Secondary: Cross, MS 940
Secondary: Pittsburgh, MS 941
Secondary: Nora Lilly, MS 1010
Secondary: Falcon, MS 2151
Secondary: Dayton, MS 2540
Secondary: Last Chance, MS 8622
Secondary: Dayton No. 2, MS 11636
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Artie
Secondary: Amazon
Secondary: Alma
Secondary: Ben Harrison
Secondary: Fate
Secondary: Frances
Secondary: America
Secondary: Flynn
Secondary: Godet
Secondary: Lillian
Secondary: Little
Secondary: Isabel
Secondary: Job Cooper
Secondary: Nutmeg
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Manganese
Location
State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (Rico) District
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.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Owner Name: Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
Home Office: Salt Lake City, Ut.
Years: 1948 -
Production
Year: 1927
Description: Ap_Grade: ^3.466 Oz/Ton Ag, 11.69% Pb, 16.42% Zn, 0.249% Cu, 0.0084 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1923
Description: Ap_Grade: ^30.53 Oz/Ton Ag, 2.92% Pb, 4.84% Zn, 6.15% Cu, 0.05 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1924
Description: Ap_Grade: ^22.04 Oz/Ton Ag, 17.53% Pb, 6.82% Zn, 1.11% Cu
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1880
Year Last Production: 1949
Discovery Year: 1877
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
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
Model Name: Polymetallic replacement
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin
Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Smelter Fault, Last Chance Fault, Yellow Jacket Fault, Nellie Bly Fault
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Galena To Cerussite
Rocks
Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleocene
Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene
Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: ORE GRADES FROM 1920S CONTAINED 3.466 TO 30.53 OZ/TON AG, 2.92 TO 17.53% PB, 4.84 TO 16.42% ZN, 0.249 TO 6.15% CU, 0.0084 TO 0.05 OZ/TO N AU. ORE GRADE FROM 1949 WAS 4 OZ/TON AG, 10% PB, 15.5% ZN, 0.3% CU, TRACE AU.
Materials
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Tremolite
Comments
Comment (Development): THIS AREA WAS SITE OF SOME OF DISTRICT'S EARLIEST MINES. CLAIMS SURVEYED 1880-1881. ALTHOUGH OXIDIZED ORES EASILY EXPLOITED ON UPPER LEVELS (GRAND VIEW), LOWER LEVELS CONTAINED DIFICULT SPHALERITIC ORES THAT LATER BECAME EXPLOITABLE AFTER PERFECTION OF FLOTATION PROCESS FOR SEPARATING PB AND ZN SULFIDES. MINES IN THIS AREA WERE REVIVED IN 1920S BY FALCON LEAD MINING CO., IDLE THROUGH 1930S, REVIVED AGAIN IN 1940S BY RICO-ARGENTINE MINING CO.
Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE NORTH OF SILVER CREEK ON AND ON SE SIDE OF SW PROJECTION OF TELESCOPE MTN. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR LOWER FALCON TUNNEL FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975
Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1923. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1930; NO APPARENT PRODUCTION IN OTHER INTERVENING YEARS BETWEEN 1925 AND 1948 AND AFTER 1949.
Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: LATE 1870S
Comment (Deposit): SECTION OF SW- AND NE-DIPPING HERMOSA FM LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, AND SHALE ACROSS AXIS OF RICO DOME INTRUDED BY HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY AND CUT (SOUTH TO NORTH) BY SMELTER, LAST CHANCE, YELLOW JACKET, AND NELLIE BLY FAULTS. STRUCTURE COMPLICATED BUT GENERALLY ORE DEPOSITS OCCUR AS SULFIDE REPLACEMENTS IN LOWER (FALCON) & MIDDLE (GRAND VIEW, YELLOW JACKET) HERMOSA FM LIMESTONE. IN FALCON MINE, MCKNIGHT NOTED CHLORITE AND TREMOLITE IN GANGUE, SUGGESTING HIGHER FORMATION TEMPERATURE. EXPLORATORY DRIFT FROM MIDDLE (MAIN) TUNNEL CUTS FAULT CONTACT BETWEEN HERMOSA FM AND LARSEN QUARTZITE (PENNSYLVANIAN) AND UNCOMPAHGRE QUARTZITE (PRECAMBRIAN). SOME SULFIDES FOUND IN FRACTURES IN UNCOMPAHGRE QUARTZITE. AT GRAND VIEW, ORES OXIDIZED FROM SURFACE THROUGH LEVEL 4 TO STAR LEVEL (BELOW GRAND VIEW NO. 4 OR PHOENIX NO. 1), LESS THOROUGHLY OXIDIZED BELOW STAR LEVEL.
Comment (Workings): FALCON MINE DEVELOPED BY THREE TUNNELS: UPPER TUNNEL CAVED, EXTENT UNKNOWN; MIDDLE (MAIN) TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 325 FT AS CROSSCUT, WITH EASTWARD EXPLORATORY DRIFT; LOWER TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 80 FT, WITH 50-FT RAISE TO MIDDLE TUNNEL. HOPE AND CROSS TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY N 80 TO 85 E FOR APPROX 430 FT; AT 250 FT FROM PORTAL, HOPE VEIN DRIFTS DRIVEN GENERALLY NW FOR 130 FT AND GENERALLY SE (HICKS DRIFT) FOR APPROX 575 FT TO GRAND VIEW VEIN; SEVERAL RAISES OFF MAIN HOPE LEVEL AND HICKS DRIFT. GRAND VIEW WORKING INCLUDE VERTICAL SHAFT FROM SURFACE TO LEVEL 3 (APPROX 100 FT), INCLINED SHAFT FROM LEVEL 2 TO LEVEL 4 (EQUIVALENT TO AND CONNECTING WITH PHOENIX OR YELLOW JACKET NO. 1 LEVEL). EXTENSIVE STOPES ABOVE ALL LEVELS NW OF SHAFT.
References
Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 375-379.
Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 91-92.
Reference (Deposit): PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS
Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.
Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 349, 362, 363, 364, 383, 384, 413, 939, 941, 1010, 2151, 2540, 8622, 11636
Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.
Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.
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