Mineral Wonder Mine

The Mineral Wonder Mine is a silver, gold, and lead mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,800 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

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Mineral Wonder Mine
Secondary: Stamboul and Butterfly Mines
Secondary: Patented Claims: Stamboul, MS 2585
Secondary: Ruby Queen, MS 2586
Secondary: Mineral Wonder, MS 6911
Secondary: Butterfly, MS 19553
Secondary: September, MS 19553

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony

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

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1885
Year Last Production: 1922
Discovery Year: 1880
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

Not available

Structure

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

Type: L
Description: La Plata Dome

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

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

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Proustite
Ore: Pyrargyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1902. NO PRODUCTION FOR YEARS BETWEEN 1913 AND 1921. NO APPARENT PRODUCTION AFTER 1922. FIGURES LISTED APPLY TO CLAIMS CITED ABOVE.

Comment (Development): MINERAL WONDER, STAMBOUL, AND RUBY QUEEN CLAIMS DISCOVERED ABOUT 1880 AND SURVEYED 1890-1892, SOME EARLY PRODUCTION. BUTTERFLY AND SEPTEMBER CLAIMS LOCATED LATER ON SAME VEIN, SURVEYED 1914. REPORTED PRODUCTION CITES STAMBOUL AND BUTTERFLY CLAIMS (1912-1922).

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIKES AND TRAVERSED BY SERIES OF TWO CLOSELY SPACED, OVERLAPPING FRACTURES TRENDING ENE-WSW AND REPRESENTING EASTWARD CONTINUATION OF CUMBERLAND VEIN SYSTEM.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE ACROSS STAMBOUL AND MINERAL WONDER GULCHES IN HEADWATERS OF FLAGLER FORK OF JUNCTION CREEK, 5.85 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

References

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 21 P. 73-74, 149-150.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 2585, 2586, 6911, 19553

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 150 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS

Colorado Mining Photos

Check out this collection of Colorado's best historic mining photos: Incredible Photos of Colorado Mining Scenes.