Gunnison District

The Gunnison District is a gold and silver mine located in Gunnison county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,520 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: Gunnison District  

State:  Colorado

County:  Gunnison

Elevation: 8,520 Feet (2,597 Meters)

Commodity: Gold, Silver

Lat, Long: 38.47472, -106.91222

Map: View on Google Maps

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.


Satelite image of the Gunnison District

Gunnison District MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Gunnison District
Secondary: Patented Claims: Pure Gold, MS 8430
Secondary: Boulginour, MS 10712
Secondary: Golden Era, MS 10712
Secondary: Gage, MS 10713
Secondary: Hunter, MS 10713
Secondary: W.C. Dillon, MS 10715
Secondary: Syndicate, MS 10716
Secondary: Golden Stair, MS 11268


Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper


Location

State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
District: Gunnison 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: District
Operation Category: Occurrence
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S


Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains


Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Massive sulfide, kuroko


Orebody

Not available


Structure

Type: R
Description: Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field, West Elk Centers

Type: L
Description: Gunnison Gold Belt, Iris Syncline, Unnamed Anticline


Alterations

Not available


Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Fluorite


Comments

Comment (Deposit): DISTRICT LIES NW OF GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTRICT. COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF METASEDIMENTARY ROCKS (SCHIST, GNEISS, AND MIGMATITE) CONTAINING LAYERS, LENSES, AND OCCASIONALLY THICK SILLS AND DIKES OF AMPHIBOLITE (METAMORPHOSED GABBRO, BASALT, OR ANDESITE). SEQUENCE IS INTRUDED BY GOLD BASIN QUARTZ DIORITE STOCK JUST SOUTH OF DISTRICT, AND QUARTZ VEINS PROBABLY RELATED TO STOCK CUT AMPHIBOLITE AND METASEDIMENTS. MOST OF DISTRICT LIES ON CREST AND SW LIMB OF PROMINENT NNW-PLUNGING ANTICLINE, WITH FOLIATION TRENDING GENERALLY N 45 E, 45 TO 80 NW. SEVERAL GRANITE DIKES CUT ACROSS FOLIATION AND TREND GENERALLY NW. NO DESCRIPTION OF TYPE OF MINERALIZATION HERE IS AVAILABLE, BUT IT IS BELIEVED TO BE POSTMETAMORPHIC, EPIGENETIC VEIN SIMILAR TO THOSE IN GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTRICT TO SE. THERE, VEINS CONSIST OF QUARTZ-PYRITE+/-BIOTITE+/-SERICITE+/-TOURMALINE+/-CALCITE+/-FLUORITE. DEPOSITS ARE SPATIALLY AND PROBABLY GENETICALLY RELATED TO GOLD BASIN STOCK TO SOUTH.

Comment (Workings): SEVERAL SHAFTS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH; AT LEAST ONE TUNNEL OF UNKNOWN EXTENT; SURFACE PROSPECTS

Comment (Location): DISTRICT LIES ON BOTH SIDES OF STUBBS GULCH AND SW ONTO DIVIDE BETWEEN STUBBS GULCH AND GOLD BASIN CREEK. DISTRICT IS ACCESSIBLE VIA ROAD UP GOLD BASIN CREEK AND STUBBS GULCH (INCLUDING TWO OF ITS UNNAMED TRIBUTARIES) SOUTH FROM GUNNISON; VIA ROAD WEST FROM COLORADO RTE 114. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR COMMON CORNER OF SECS. 30 AND 31, T49N, R1E AND SEC. 36, T49W, R1W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Deposit): BECAUSE DISTRICT COMPRISES ONLY SEVERAL PATENTED CLAIMS, FOR WHICH NO DESCRIPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE AND FROM WHICH NO PRODUCTION IS KNOWN, NO INDIVIDUAL RECORDS WERE PREPARED. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Development): EARLY HISTORY OF DISTRICT LARGELY UNKNOWN. DISCOVERIES AND EARLY MINING IN GUNNISON GOLD BELT AREA LED TO ESTABLISHMENT OF SMALL MINING TOWNS OF DUBOIS, SPENCER, VULCAN, MIDWAY, AND CHANCE IN LATE 1880S. POST-1900 RECORDS INDICATE ONLY INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION FROM SEVERAL LARGER MINES, SUCH AS HEADLIGHT, OLD LOT, ANACONDA (GOOSE CREEK DISTRICT), CONTINENTAL (BEAVER CREEK DISTRICT), LUCKY STRIKE AND LULA (GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTRICT). CLAIMS IN GUNNISON DISTRICT WERE SURVEYED AND PATENTED IN 1894-98 PRINCIPALLY BY W.C. DILLON AND PURE GOLD MINING AND MILLING CO. COLORADO DIV. OF MINES RECORDS CITE NO PRODUCTION FROM DISTRICT.

Comment (Commodity): METALS AND MINERALS LISTED ABOVE NOT DEFINITELY KNOWN IN THIS DISTRICT BUT ARE BASED ON PROBABLE SIMILARITY WITH THOSE IN GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTRICT.


References

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE IRIS NW QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1134.

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1981, PRECAMBRIAN GEOLOGY ALONG PARTS OF THE GUNNISON UPLIFT OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 267-272.

Reference (Deposit): DROBECK, P.A., 1979, GEOLOGY AND TRACE ELEMENT GEOCHEMISTRY OF A PART OF THE GUNNISON GOLD BELT, COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES M.SC. THESIS T-2251.

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): AFIFI, A.M., 1981, STRATIGRAPHY, PETROLOGY, AND STRUCTURE OF PRECAMBRIAN METAVOLCANIC ROCKS IN THE IRIS DISTRICT, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 287-292.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 8430, 10712, 10713, 10715, 10716, 11268


Colorado Mining Photos

Placer mines at Cripple Creek, Colorado ca. 1892

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