The Excelsior Mine is a silver, copper, and lead mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,249 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
Elevation: 10,249 Feet (3,124 Meters)
Commodity: Silver, Copper, Lead
Lat, Long: 38.01222, -107.46611
Map: View on Google Maps
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Excelsior Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Excelsior Mine
Secondary: Patented Claim: Excelsior
Secondary: Ms 5184
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Location
State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Galena (Henson 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
Owner Name: Frank Adams And W.B. Owen
Home Office: Capitol City
Years: 1908 -
Production
Year: 1896
Description: Ap_Grade: ^50 To 59 Oz/Ton Ag, 11 To 15.5% Cu, 5% Pb
Year: 1893
Description: Ap_Grade: ^59 Oz/Ton Ag. 10 To 12% Cu (Average)
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1893
Year Last Production: 1920
Discovery Year: 1878
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: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression
Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Eureka Graben
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene
Name: Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Copper
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Silver
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Limonite
Comments
Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY 100-FT CROSSCUT DRIVEN (PRESUMABLY) NE TO VEIN, WITH 500-FT DRIFT NW-SE. DISCOVERY SHAFT FROM SURFACE INTERSECTS DRIFT AT 200 FT FROM CROSSCUT; 90- TO 100-FT-LONG STOPE EXTENDS 160 FT ABOVE LEVEL. BELOW MAIN DRIFT IS 106-FT WINZE OFF WHICH SEVERAL SHORT LEVELS RUN AND 75X30X3-FT STOPE WORKED.
Comment (Location): MINE LIES ON SW SLOPE OF EMPIRE MOUNTAIN EAST OF YELLOWSTONE GULCH AND 0.3 MILE NORTH OF CAPITOL CITY SITE. CLAIM ADJOINS SILVER CHORD CLAIM ON SOUTH. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977
Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. IRVING AND BANCROFT (1911) CITE PRODUCTION FOR 1893; FIGURES FOR 1896 GIVEN BY THEM AS SHIPMENTS MADE IN 1895 AND 1896. MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S. VOLUMES CITE PRODUCTION IN 1907, 1912, 1916, 1919, AND 1920, BUT NO FIGURES WERE GIVEN; PRODUCTION CONSIDERED TO BE SMALL.
Comment (Deposit): MINE LIES NW OF LAKE CITY CALDERA RIM IN UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA INFILL ROCKS CONSISTING OF EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE. NW OF MINE, SEQUENCE INTRUDED AND ALTERED BY MONZONITE PORPHYRY AND RHYOLITE PLUGS. VEIN LIES IN SLACK'S (1980) QUARTZ/BASE-METAL ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-CHALCOPYRITE ZONE. VEIN TRENDS GENERALLY N 10 TO 12 W, 60 TO 70 NE, STEEPENING IN UPPER WORKINGS. ORE CHARACTERIZED BY NATIVE CU AND NATIVE AG. NATIVE CU FOUND ABOUT 400 FT IN ON MAIN LEVEL. NATIVE AG WAS PROMINENT IN LOWER WORKINGS WITH ABUNDANT SPHALERITE.
References
Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 74-76.
Reference (Deposit): SLACK, J.F., 1980, MULTISTAGE VEIN ORES OF THE LAKE CITY DISTRICT, WESTERN SAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 75, NO. 7, P. 963-991.
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): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 5184
Reference (Production): IRVING AND BANCROFT, 1911, P. 74-75; MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S.
Colorado Mining Photos
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