The Snowflake Mine is a feldspar mine located in Teller county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,609 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: 8,609 Feet (2,624 Meters)
Commodity: Feldspar
Lat, Long: 39.06306, -105.13833
Map: View on Google Maps
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Snowflake Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Snowflake Mine
Commodity
Primary: Feldspar
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: REE
Tertiary: Niobium (Columbium)
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Tantalum
Location
State: Colorado
County: Teller
District: Woodland Park Area
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: Western Feldspar Co.
Home Office: Denver, Co.
Years: 1952 -
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1952
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: CIRCULAR
Structure
Type: R
Description: Front Range Uplift, Pikes Peak Batholith
Type: L
Description: Oil Creek Fault, Ute Pass Fault Zone, Manitou Park Half Graben
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: QUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THALENITE YIELDED 32.6% Y, 4.4% YB, 4.3% DY, 3.8% ER, 2.8% GD, 2.0% ND, 1.6% SM, 1.2% CE, 1.1% HO, 0.83% LU, 0.59% TM, 0.72% TB, 0.42% PR, 0.31% LA, LT 0.01% EU. SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THALENITE YIELDED GT 10% SI, 2.0% CA, 0.15% FE, 0.07% AL, 0.015% BA, 0.01% MG AND MN, 0.002% B, 0.0007% BE.
Materials
Ore: Microcline
Gangue: Xenotime
Gangue: Molybdenite
Gangue: Bastnaesite
Gangue: Fergusonite
Gangue: Monazite
Gangue: Doverite
Gangue: Allanite
Gangue: Zircon
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Thalenite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): ROUGHLY CIRCULAR PEGMATITE CONSISTS OF WIDE WALLZONE OF QUARTZ-MICROCLINE-BIOTITE, INTERMEDIATE ZONE OF MICROCLINE-QUARTZ AND QUARTZ CORE. FLUORITE GENERALLY REPLACED BY RAE-RICH COMPONENTS IN LATE-STAGE SILICIC FLUIDS. RAE- (MAINLY Y) RICH FLUORITE FURTHER ALTERED TO OTHER RAE MINERALS, INCLUDING PHOSPHATES, FLUOROCARBONATES, AND RARE SILICATES SUCH AS THALENITE. THALENITE HERE CHARACTERIZED BY DY AND ND MAXIMA. DEFICIENCY IN BE MAY HAVE PERMITTED Y TO BE CONSUMED IN FLUORITE AND XENOTIME RATHER THAN FORMATION OF GADOLINITE. THALENITE HERE IS SECOND NORTH AMERICAN OCCURRENCE.
Comment (Workings): OPEN CUT INTO QUARTZ CORE AND PART OF INTERMEDIATE ZONE
Comment (Location): ALONG UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF RYAN GULCH. DEPOSIT IS DESCRIBED WITH SOUTH PLATTE DISTRICT BUT IS REMOTELY LOCATED FROM IT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)
References
Reference (Deposit): SIMMONS, W.B., AND HEINRICH, E.W., 1980, RARE-EARTH PEGMATITES OF THE SOUTH PLATTE DISTRICT, COLORADO: CGS RESOURCE SER. 11, 131 P.
Reference (Deposit): ADAMS, J.W., AND OTHERS, 1962, THALENITE FROM TELLER COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 450-D, P. D6-D8.
Colorado Mining Photos
Check out this collection of Colorado's best historic mining photos: Incredible Photos of Colorado Mining Scenes.
