Monte Queen Mine

The Monte Queen Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,019 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: Monte Queen Mine
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Monte Queen
Secondary: Monte King
Secondary: Monte Prince
Secondary: Monte Princess
Secondary: Monte Duke
Secondary: Monte Earl

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Bismuth
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Lake (Lake City) District

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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

Owner Name: Vickers Enterprises
Home Office: Lake City, Co.
Years: 1974 -

Owner Name: Reeves Minerals, Inc.
Home Office: Lake City, Co.
Years: 1974 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1974
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

Form: LENTICULAR, PINCH AND SWELL

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression

Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silification

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: PB-ZN ORE CONTAINED AVERAGE 75 OZ/TON AG, RUNNING AS HIGH AS 2000 OZ/TON AG AND 20% BI

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Polybasite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): MINE LIES JUST NE OF LAKE CITY CALDERA WALL IN UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA MOAT-FILL SEQUENCE, WHICH IS CUT BY GENERALLY N 53 TO 58 E-TRENDING RADIAL FAULT, DOWNDROPPING EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE, HENSON MEMBER SANDSTONE, AND FISH CANYON TUFF ON NW AGAINST EUREKA MEMBER ON SE. IRVING AND BANCROFT (1911) DESCRIBE VEIN AS PRIMARILY FILLING OF OPEN CREVICE WITH ONLY MINOR DEGREE OF COUNTRY-ROCK REPLACEMENT. VEIN OCCASIONALLY HAS WELL-DEFINED WALLS, LOCALLY SEPARATED FROM COUNTRY ROCK BY STRONG SELVAGE SEAMS. VERTICAL ORE SHOOTS CONTAIN MAINLY TETRAHEDRITE-PYRITE AND GALENA-SPHALERITE. PYRITIC SHOOTS GENERALLY LOW GRADE. ONE SHOOT CONTAINED SMALLER SHOOTS OF ORE SEPARATED BY VERTICAL INTERVALS OF BARREN QUARTZ, ALL PITCHING SLIGHTLY SE ALONG STRIKE OF VEIN. VEIN LIES IN SLACK'S (1980) BARITE/PRECIOUS METALS ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-SPHALERITE ZONE.

Comment (Production): PROBABLE PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1966. PRODUCTION FOR 1917 NOT REPORTED SEPARATELY BUT COMBINED WITH OTHER LAKE DISTRICT MINES. NO PRODUCTION IN 1965 AND PRESUMABLY FROM 1969 TO 1973, AND AFTER 1974.

Comment (Workings): TUNNEL DRIVEN S 73 W ALONG VEIN FOR 1450 FT, WITH 135-FT WEST CROSSCUT DRIVEN AT 500 FT FROM PORTAL, AND 12-FT WINZE AND 51-FT RAISE DRIVEN AT 700 FT FROM PORTAL.

Comment (Commodity): NATURE OF BI OCCURRENCE UNCERTAIN BUT COULD BE ONE OF SEVERAL COMPLEX SULFIDES WITH PB, CU, AND AG (SEE SLACK, 1980)

Comment (Location): MINE LIES ON HILLSIDE SW OF LAKE FORK, SSE OF NELLIE M. MINE AND ACROSS RIVER FROM SULPHURET-CORA MINE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

References

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.; USGS MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.X. (1917)

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-962.

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., AND OTHERS, 1976, MULTIPLE AGES OF MID-TERTIARY MINERALIZATION AND ALTERATION IN THE WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 71, NO. 3, P. 571-588.

Reference (Deposit): SLACK, J.F., 1980, MULTISTAGE VEIN ORES OF THE LAKE CITY DISTRICT, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 75, NO. 7, P. 963-991.

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

Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 99-100.

Colorado Mining Photos

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