Wellington Group

Site Name

Primary: Wellington Group
Secondary: Mountain Spring-Wellington Group
Secondary: Patented Claims: Harvey, MS 914
Secondary: Uncle Ned, MS 915
Secondary: Undine, MS 1090
Secondary: Tip Top, MS 1248
Secondary: Robber State, MS 1464
Secondary: Maid of Australia, MS 1587
Secondary: General Logan, MS 2476
Secondary: General Sherman, MS 2477
Secondary: General O.O. Howard, MS 2478
Secondary: General Sheridan, MS 2479
Secondary: Gipsy, MS 2499
Secondary: Leap Year, MS 6105
Secondary: Mountain Springs, MS 6129
Secondary: Ethlena, MS 6136
Secondary: C.S.H.H., MS 6286
Secondary: Black Night, MS 8135
Secondary: Iron Rod, MS 8140
Secondary: Excelsior, MS 8141
Secondary: Excelsior No. 2, MS 8141
Secondary: Lottie, MS 8223
Secondary: Worlds Fair, MS 15233
Secondary: Cerebus, MS 19665
Secondary: X-Ray, MS 19665
Secondary: Little Casper, MS 19665
Secondary: Goliath, MS 19665
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Baby Ruth
Secondary: Acme
Secondary: Empire
Secondary: Slide
Secondary: Telescope
Secondary: Triangle
Secondary: Fair View
Secondary: Iron Claw
Secondary: Hornet
Secondary: Mountain Boy
Secondary: Hidden Treasure

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Commodity

Primary: Zinc
Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Quartz
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Sulfur-Pyrite
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Manganese

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Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (Rico) District

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
Home Office: Rico, Co.
Years: 1966 -

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1887
Year Last Production: 1966
Discovery Year: 1885
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Canyon Lands

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic replacement

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Blackhawk Fault, Princeton Fault

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Sulfide Ore; Oxidation Of Pyrite To Limonite

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Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Smithsonite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Limonite
Gangue: Diaspore
Gangue: Alabandite
Gangue: Topaz
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Siderite
Unknown: Quartz

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Comments

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1915. FIGURES FOR 1915-1930 ARE FROM CDM REPORTS FOR WELLINGTON MINE; FIGURES FOR 1947-1966 ARE FROM CDM REPORTS FOR MOUNTAIN SPRINGS MINE. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1927, 1931-1938; NO REPORTS FOR 1923-1926, 1928-1929, 1939-1946, 1955, 1961, 1964, OR AFTER 1966. PRODUCTION FIGURES NOT GIVEN IN REPORTS FOR 1957-1958, BUT ANY PRODUCTION ASSUMED TO BE SMALL. PYRITE MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED (FOR MANUFACTURE OF SULFURIC ACID) IN MORE YEARS THAN INDICATED, WITH 1964 AS LAST PROBABLE YEAR OF PRODUCTION.

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1880S

Comment (Workings): WELLINGTON TUNNEL DRIVEN N 86 E FOR 1020 FT TO SEVERAL RAISES AND WINZES; BRANCH TUNNELS AT 510 AND 960 FT FROM PORTAL DRIVEN TO DEVELOP VARIOUS MINERALIZED BEDS NEAR BLACKHAWK AND PRINCETON FAULTS; NUMEROUS RAISES; APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF MAIN TUNNEL LEVEL 9500 FT. MOUNTAIN SPRINGS TUNNEL (ELEV 9443) LOCATED 700 FT S 88 W FROM WELLINGTON TUNNEL, DRIVEN N 76 E FOR 2260 FT THROUGH MOUNTAIN SPRINGS AND BLACKHAWK FAULTS, THENCE N 80 TO 85 E FOR 1180 FT. MOUNTAIN SPRINGS LEVEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NW AT 1680 FT FROM PORTAL; AT 200 FT NORTH OF MAIN TUNNEL IN DRIFT NE OF MOUNTAIN SPRINGS FAULT ARE DECLINES LEADING TO ST. LOUIS TUNNEL LEVEL AND TO SUBLEVEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NE; APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF MAIN TUNNEL AND DRIFTS 10100 FT.

Comment (Development): EARLY HISTORY UNKNOWN, BUT DISCOVERIES PROBABLY MADE IN EARLY 1880S FOLLOWING CARPENTER'S DISCOVERY AT CHC IN 1879. SOME CLAIMS AND CLAIM BLOCKS OPERATED INDIVIDUALLY IN EARLY YEARS. UNDER NAME OF WELLINGTON (IRON SPRINGS) MOST OF CLAIMS LISTED ABOVE WERE CONSOLIDATED AND OPERATED BY RICO WELLINGTON MINING CO. AT LEAST AS EARLY AS 1915 TO 1922, THEN BY ST. LOUIS SMELTING AND REFINING FROM 1927-1938, LASTLY BY RICO-ARGENTINE IN 1940S TO 1960S. MASSIVE PYRITE MINED AS EARLY AS 1918-1919 AND SHIPPED TO PRIMOS CHEMICAL CO. (PRESUMABLY FOR VANADIUM ORE PROCESSING) AND TO AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL CO. PLANTS IN ALABAMA, FLORIDA, AND OHIO. PYRITE PRODUCTION IN LATE 1950S TO 1960S USED FOR MANUFACTURE OF SULFURIC ACID FOR U/V ORE PROCESSING. STREAM POLLUTION AND DECLINE IN U ACTIVITY FORCED ACID PLANT CLOSURE IN 1964.

Comment (Deposit): TO SW-DIPPING FAULT ALSO IN MINERALIZED 900 FT NE OF BLACKHAWK. PRINCETON AND OTHER NE-TRENDING TRANSVERSE BREAKS APPARENTLY CONTAIN NO MINERALIZATION.

Comment (Deposit): GENERALLY SOUTH- AND SW-DIPPING LOWER AND MIDDLE HERMOSA FM SANDSTONE, LIMESTONE, AND SHALE CUT BY NW-TRENDING BLACKHAWK FAULT AND NE-TRENDING PRINCETON FAULT. BLACKHAWK FAULT DISPLACES MIDDLE HERMOSA FM BEDS 250 FT DOWN ON NE, AND HANGING WALL CONTAINS AT LEAST 12 MINERALIZED BEDS (A THROUGH L) WITH BEDS D, E, AND I MOST PRODUCTIVE; BED "A" LIES AT BASE OF MIDDLE HERMOSA. IN BLACKHAWK HANGING WALL ARE NUMEROUS, SUBPARALLEL, IRREGULARLY SPACED, SMALL-DISPLACEMENT FAULTS DOWNTHROWN ON SW. AG-PB-ZN ORE BODIES OCCURRED AT OUTER NE EDGES OF MASSIVE PYRITE BODIES THAT COMPLETELY REPLACE RESPECTIVE LIMESTONE BEDS OUTWARD FROM BLACKHAWK FAULT. PB-ZN BODIES LAY PARALLEL OR SUBPARALLEL TO FAULT AND WITHIN 150 TO 200 FT OF IT. "A" BED ALSO MINERALIZED BELOW WELLINGTON LEVEL IN NW-TRENDING, VERTICAL TO NE-DIPPING FAULTS PARALLEL TO BUT IN BLACKHAWK FOOTWALL. PB-ZN ORE STOPED FROM ARKOSIC SANDSTONE BELOW "A" BED IN NW-STRIKING, SW-DIPPING FAULT ABOUT 500 FT NE OF BLACKHAWK; SECOND MAJOR VERTICAL

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS COVER MOST OF CENTRAL PART OF WEST SLOPE OF CHC HILL (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR WELLINGTON TUNNEL (S2 SE SEC. 24) AND ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

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References

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 78-79.

Reference (Deposit): PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 387-388.

Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 914, 915, 1090, 1248, 1464, 1587, 2476, 2477, 2478, 2479, 6129, 6105, 6136, 6286, 8135, 8140, 8141, 8223, 15233, 19665

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

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