Ironcap Mine

The Ironcap Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Gunnison county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,999 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: Ironcap Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Iron Cap, MS 8973
Secondary: Iron Band, MS 8973

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
District: Goose Creek District

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
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: Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Gunnison Gold Belt, Iron Hill Alkalic Complex, Tolvar Peak Stock, Unnamed Synform, Unnamed Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alteration Of Mafic Volcanics To Calcite And Epidote

Rocks

Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: OVERALL ANALYSIS OF SAMPLES FROM EACH OF THE FIVE MINES IN AREA (IRONCAP, HEADLIGHT, ANACONDA, GOOD HOPE, VULCAN) CONTAINED 0.07 TO 7.0% CU, AVERAGE 2.3%
Analytical Data: 0.004 TO 0.067 OZ/TON AU (0.13 TO 2.11 G/MT), AVERAGE 0.023 OZ/TON (0.71 G/MT). ONE-METER CHIP SAMPLE FROM IRONCAP INDICATED 2.6% CU, 2.0 OZ/TON AG, 0.15 OZ/TON AU.
Analytical Data: 0.096 TO 2.24 OZ/TON AG (3 TO 70 G/MT), AVERAGE 0.96 OZ/TON (30 G/MT)
Analytical Data: 0 TO 0.3% PB, AVERAGE 0.13%
Analytical Data: 0.1 TO GT 10% ZN, AVERAGE GT 6%

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Malachite
Gangue: Actinolite
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Workings): TWO SMALL SHAFTS, EXTENT UNKNOWN, INACCESSIBLE; MAIN SHAFT OF UNKNOWN DEPTH CONNECTS WITH ADIT, WITH INACCESSIBLE WINZE SUNK FROM ADIT. SURFACE CUTS.

Comment (Location): ON RIDGE BETWEEN TWO UNNAMED TRIBUTARIES OF WOLF CREEK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Deposit): BLM CLAIM RECORDS ASSIGN DISTRICT NAME OF "WHITE EARTH" TO IRONCAP CLAIMS, BUT ON BASIS OF SIMILARITY OF DEPOSIT TO OTHERS IN AREA, MINE IS INCLUDED IN "GOOSE CREEK" DISTRICT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): NELSON AND RIESMEYER (1983) DESCRIBE DEPOSIT AS CARBONATE-SULFIDE-MAGNETITE-BEARING AURIFEROUS CHERT FOLDED INTO WEST-PLUNGING SYNFORM WITH ANOMALOUS AU VALUES APPARENTLY RESTRICTED TO SOUTHERN LIMB. INTERNAL DEFORMATION IN CHERT LAYER RESULTS IN VARIABLE THICKNESS. DROBECK (1981) INTERPRETS DEPOSIT AS EXHALITE DOME BUILT AROUND FUMAROLE, WHICH CONTAINS JUMBLED PODS OF CHERT AND TUFFACEOUS VOLCANICS. MAFIC VOLCANICS ARE INTENSELY ALTRED TO CALCITE AND EPIDOTE, WITH PLAGIOCLASE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. WHERE RECOGNIZABLE, VOLCANICS HAVE NUMEROUS SMALL CALCITE VEINLETS. MINERALIZATION, COMMONLY BANDED, CONSISTS OF LAMINATIONS, VEINS, AND VEINLETS OF SPHALERITE-PYRITE-CHALCOPYRITE-GALENA IN MATRIX OF QUARTZ, CALCITE, EPIDOTE, AND ACTINOLITE. TRIPLE JUNCTIONS OBSERVED IN SULFIDES SHOW THAT THEY WERE METAMORPHOSED WITH GANGUE. CHALCOPYRITE CONTAINS INCLUSIONS OF SPHALERITE AND ALSO OCCURS AS INCLUSIONS WITHIN SPHALERITE. CU MORE ABUNDANT THAN ZN.

References

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POWDERHORN QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1178.

Reference (Deposit): SHERIDAN, D.M., AND OTHERS, 1981, PRECAMBRIAN SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN THE GUNNISON REGION, COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 273-277.

Reference (Deposit): NELSON, C.J., AND RIESMEYER, W.D., 1983, GEOLOGY OF THE ANACONDA-GUNNISON MINE AREA, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO, IN HANDFIELD, R.C., ED., GUNNISON GOLD BELT AND POWDERHORN CARBONATITE FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: DREGS, P. 8-18.

Reference (Deposit): DROBECK, P.A., 1981, PROTEROZOIC SYNGENETIC MASSIVE SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN THE GUNNISON GOLD BELT, COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 279-286.

Reference (Deposit): NELSON, A.P., (NO DATE), MINING DISTRICTS, PRODUCING MINES AND PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES (OF GUNNISON COUNTY): COLORADO STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT., P. 5-6.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 8973

Colorado Mining Photos

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