Bessie G. Mine

The Bessie G. Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,749 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

Name: Bessie G. Mine

State: Colorado

County: La Plata

Elevation: 11,749 Feet (3,581 Meters)

Commodity: Gold, Silver

Lat, Long: 37.43417, -108.00889

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Satelite View

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Satelite image of the Bessie G. Mine

Bessie G. Mine MRDS details

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Tellurium

Location

State: Colorado
County: La Plata
District: California (La Plata) 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

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Sierra Resources, Inc.
Home Office: Denver, Co.
Years: 1984 -

Owner Name: Exxon Corp.
Years: 1984 -

Production

Year: 1964
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.25 Oz/Ton Au, 0.25 Oz/Ton Ag

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1880
Year Last Production: 1987
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: Navajo Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Form: Tabular

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform

Type: L
Description: La Plata Dome

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification; Sericitization

Rocks

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

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Silver
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Dickite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): TWO VEINS TREND N.75E., DIP STEEPLY NORTH AND CONTAIN PYRITE, TETRAHEDRITE, CHALCOPYRITE, ARSENOPYRITE, GOLD, AND TELLURIDES. MINE HAS BEEN WORKED SPORADICALLY FOR MANY YEARS, USUALLY ON A LOW-TONNAGE HIGH GRADE METHOD. TUNNEL HAS BEEN DRIVEN THRU, AND ACCESS IS FROM COLUMBUS BASIN.

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1887. PRODUCTION FIGURES FOR 1887. 1894-1907. AND 1917 FROM PRIVATE RECORDS. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1893, 1895, 1897-1898, 1903-1904, 1908-1909, 1913-1915, 1922-1925, 1927-1929, 1931, 1937-1938, 1944-1952, 1954-1963, 1965-1972, AND AFTER 1976. ALL FIGURES AFTER 1943 ARE FROM COLO. DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR RFEPTS. ORE FIGURE FOR 1953 CITED AS ECPLORATION. ORE GRADES CITED FOR FOLLOWING YEARS PRIOR TO 1943 IN WHICH ECKEL'S FIGURES FOR ORE TONNAGE WERE SAME AS OR VERY CLOSE TO THOSE REPORTED BY CDM: 1936, 1940, 1941.

Comment (Workings): UPPER TUNNEL DRIVEN S 73 W FOR 500 FT TO FACE, WITH STOPES AT PORTAL AND AT 240 AND 300 FT FROM PORTAL. LOWER TUNNEL LOCATED 90 FT NE OF AND 75 FT BELOW UPPER TUNNEL, DRIVEN S 73 W FOR 390 FT TO FACE, WITH RAISE TO UPPER TUNNEL AT 100 FT FROM PORTAL, 50-FT RAISE AT 350 FT FROM PORTAL, AND MAIN STOPE TO UPPER LEVEL AT 175 TO 300 FT FROM PORTAL. SEVERAL OPEN CUTS ON VEIN.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON EAST SIDE OF SNOWSTROM PEAK IN UPPER HEFFERNAN GULCH, 3.8 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF SILICIFIED DOLORES FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY SILLS AND DIKES OF DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY. VEIN TRENDS N 75 E, DIPS STEEPLY SE, AND CONSISTS OF 2- TO 3-FT SHEAR ZONE ALONG WHICH PORPHYRY AND RED BEDS ALTERED AND PYRITIZED BUT HAS VERY LITTLE VEIN QUARTZ. IN MAIN WORKINGS, VEIN IS ONLY 4 TO 6 INCHES WIDE IN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS BUT WIDENS TO 2 TO 3 FT IN PORPHYRY, CONTAINING QUARTZ VEINLETS AND DISSEMINATED PYRITE. SULFIDES AND TELLURIDES FOUND IN INTERLACING VEINS AND VEINLETS WITHIN VEIN ZONE. AU-AG RATIO (2:3) IS HIGHER THAN MOST OTHER TELLURIDE DEPOSITS IN DISTRICT.

Comment (Development): MINE FIRST OPENED ABOUT 1880 UNDER NAME OF EGYPTIAN QUEEN, RENAMED TO BESSIE G. WHEN CLAIM PATENTED IN 1891. WORKED INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1887-1976 BY VARIOUS OPERATORS. PATENTED CLAIMS OTHER THAN BESSIE G. ADDED TO PROPERTY IN 1974. IN 1983 SIERRA RESOURCES MADE AGREEMENT WITH EXXON FOR EXPLORATION OF PROPERTY AND AU-AG PRODUCTION. UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY AND MILL WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION LATE IN 1983. PROBABLE RESERVES DELINEATED ALONG PARTS OF VEIN.

References

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PL PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 73-76, 91-93.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1721, 2055, 2378, 2379, 2380, 2381, 2382

Reference (Deposit): MINING RECORD, 9/7/83, 2/8/84

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 91 (AS COMPILED FROM MINT, USBM, AND PRIVATE RECORDS); COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUA. OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): BUREAU OF MINES OPENFILE REPORT MLA 2-92

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