El Plomo Mine

The El Plomo Mine is a gold mine located in Costilla county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,701 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

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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: El Plomo Mine
Secondary: Rito Seco Mine
Secondary: Plomo

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Colorado
County: Costilla
District: El Plomo 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: Earth Sciences, Inc.
Home Office: Golden, Co.

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: vein
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year Last Production: 1946
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

Model Name: Epithermal veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Culebra Massif, Rio Grande Rift Zone

Type: L
Description: Unnamed Normal Faults Associated With East Edge Of Rift

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericite, Chlorite

Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: TO 8 OZ AU AND 357 OZ AG (HOLMES) , ASSAY FROM TRACT ONE MILE EAST OF MINE
Analytical Data: $2.50 TO $7/TON AU (GUNTHER)
Analytical Data: $5 TO $15/TON AU (VAN DEIST)

Materials

Ore: Galena
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Anglesite

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): EARTH SCIENCES AND E&B EXPLORATION (REPORTED IN WILKINSON, 1981)

Comment (Location): ON NORTH SIDE OF RITO SECO ON PRIVATE LAND WITHIN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO GRANT, WHICH IS UNSURVEYED ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Comment (Development): PRODUCTION LIMITED TO SMALL TRIAL SHIPMENTS. USBM MIN. YEARBOOK 1940 REPORTED SHIPMENT OF 44 TONS AU ORE.IN 1975, EARTH SCIENCES, INC., OF GOLDEN OPERATED THE O.J. PROPERTY (POSSIBLY AT SITE OF OR NEAR RITO SECO MINE) BY OPEN-PIT METHOD AND PRODUCED 58,000+ ST ORE FOR EXPERIMENTAL HEAP LEACHING OPERATION. TEST YIELDED 980.5 OZ AU AND 214 OZ AG. WILKINSON (1981) REPORTED THAT EARTH SCIENCE ENTERED AGREEMENT WITH E&B EXPLORATION, INC. (VANCOUVER), TO OPERATE PROPERTY. DRILLING HAD ESTABLISHED RESOURCE/RESERVE OF 1.5 MILLION TONS ORE IN 2 DEPOSITS AT GRADE OF 0.03 TO 0.15 OZ/TON AU, AVERAGING 0.05 OZ/TON. ORE IS TO BE SHIPPED 5.5 MILES TO HEAP-LEACH SITE.

Comment (Deposit): AU CONTAINED IN QUARTZ-PYRITE REPLACEMENT ALONG MAIN FAULT ZONE. ORE IS GRADATIONAL WITH BARREN COUNTRY ROCK. HOST APPEARS TO BE ALTERED LAVA FLOW WITHIN SEQUENCE OF CONGLOMERATES, SANDSTONES, AGGLOMERATES, AND OTHER FLOWS IN SANTA FE AND/OR VALLEJO FMS.

References

Reference (Deposit): WEILKINSON, BRUCE, 1981, GOLD LODE STUDIED IN COSTILLA COUNTY: DENVER POST, 6/14/81, P. 46.

Reference (Deposit): VAN DEIST, E.C., AND VAN DEIST, P.H., 1898, NOTES ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE WESTERN SLOPE OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE IN COSTILLA COUNTY, COLO.: COLO, SCI. SOC. PROC., V. 5, P. 76-80.

Reference (Deposit): GUNTHER, C.G., 1905, THE GOLD DEPOSITS OF PLOMO, SAN LUIS PARK, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 1, P. 143-154.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, COLO. MINERAL RESOURCES BD., P. 65.

Reference (Deposit): HOLMES, W.I., 1935, BRIEF REPORT ON THE EAST BLACKMORE TRACT: COLO. STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT., 1 P.

Reference (Deposit): RITTER, E.A., 1934, REPORT ON THE RITO SECO MINING PROPERTY LOCATED IN COSTILLA COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPI.

Reference (Deposit): JOHNSON, R.B., 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE TRINIDAD QUADRANGLE, SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO: USGS MAP 1-558.

Colorado Mining Photos

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