Vulcan Mine

The Vulcan Mine is a tellurium, sulfur, gold, and silver mine located in Gunnison county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,039 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: Vulcan Mine
Secondary: Vulcan

Commodity

Primary: Tellurium
Primary: Sulfur
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Vanadium
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Bismuth

Location

State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
District: Domingo (Vulcan) 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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Diamond C Mining And Milling Co.
Home Office: Gunnison Co.
Years: 1937 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1898
Year Last Production: 1930
Discovery Year: 1897
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: Gunnison Uplift; San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Gunnison Gold Belt

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 1929 ORE SHIPMENT FROM GOOD HOPE/VULCAN ASSAYED 2.34 OZ/TON AU, 6.04 OZ/TON AG, 1 % ZN, 4 % FE, 0.7 % S. CDM INSPECTORS REPT. (9/7/28) CITED ORE CONTAINING 0.5 OZ/TON AU, 6 OZ/TON AG, 7 % ZN, 3 % CU. SULFUR ORE CONTAINED 80 %

Materials

Ore: Rickardite
Ore: Tetradymite
Ore: Sulfur
Ore: Sylvanite
Ore: Petzite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Roscoelite
Gangue: Jasper
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Commodity): TETRADYMITE (BI2TE2S) WAS NOT DEFINITELY RECOGNIZED BUT INFERRED ON THE BASIS OF ANALYSES OF NATIVE TE, RICKARDITE, AND ARSENOPYRITE. VULCAN AND MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINES ARE TYPE LOCALITIES FOR RICKARDITE AND WEISSITE. PETZITE PROBABLY IS THE PRINCIPAL GOLD-BEARING MINERAL. THE NEW TELLURIDE, VULCANITE (CUTE), WAS IDENTIFIED CIRCA 1960. GOOD HOPE MINE IS ONLY COLORADO OCCURRENCE OF BERTHIERITE (FESB2S4). ROSCOELITE NOT DEFINITELY IDENTIFIED BUT INFERRED ON BASIS OF ASSOCIATION WITH TELLURIDES. ALL ORE MINERALS AND OTHER PERTINENT MINERALS LISTED FOR VULCAN MINE NOT VERIFIED BUT INCLUDED ON BASIS OF COMMON ASSOCIATION AND PROXIMITY TO MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE.

Comment (Production): SEE MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE RECORD FOR COMBINED GOOD HOPE/VULCAN PRODUCTION FIGURES. IN ADDITION TO MATTE SMELTER RECOVERY PROCESSING OF ORE AND DUMP MATERIAL, NELSON REPORTS TREATMENT OF MINE WATER LEACHED FROM OLD STOPES TO RECOVER CU BY PRECIPITATION ON SCRAP IRON.

Comment (Development): MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE AND VULCAN MINES ARE PRINCIPAL MINES IN DISTRICT, HAVING PRODUCED FROM 1898 TO 1904 AND INTERMITTENTLY THRU 1930. SULFUR WAS PRODUCED IN 1907. A 40-TON MATTE SMELTER WAS OPERATED ON SITE FOR A WHILE TO TREAT ORE. FROM 1916 TO 1926 GOOD HOPE MINE WAS OWNED BY GOOD HOPE MINING AND REDUCTION CO., WHOSE PRINCIPAL WAS ONE DR. WEISS (PRESUMABLY FOR WHOM THE TELLURIDE WEISSITE WAS NAMED). VULCAN PROPERTY WAS OWNED BY J.H. HIMEBAUGH. IN 1928 VULCAN, GOOD HOPE AND OTHER CLAIMS (HUMBOLDT, MS 16392; MILL SITE, MS 19920; WAR EAGLE, HUMMING BIRD, ROSE BUD, IRON CLAD, MS 10910) WERE CONSOLIDATED AND OPERATED BY VULCAN CONSOLIDATED MINES CORP. LAST REPORTED PRODUCTION WAS IN 1930, BUT ASSESSMENT WORK WAS CONDUCTED IN 1937 BY DIAMOND C MINING AND MILLING CO.

Comment (Workings): VULCAN SHAFT IS VERTICAL AND 410 FT DEEP WITH 500-FT DRIFT EXTENDING WESTERLY AT THE BOTTOM. SULPHUR SHAFT (IN WHICH SULFUR DEPOSIT DISCOVERED) IS 125 FT DEEP.

Comment (Deposit): VULCAN CONSOLIDATED MINES CORP. PROPERTIES INCLUDED HUMBOLDT CLAIM (N2 NE SW SEC. 07; 38-20-34N, 107-00-41W); MILL SITE CLAIM (S2 SW NE SEC. 07; 38-20-39N, 107-00-20W); WAR EAGLE, HUMMING BIRD, ROSE BUD, AND IRON CLAD CLAIMS (S2 NE SEC. 07 AND W2 W2 SW NW SEC. 08; 38-20-52N, 107-00-02W) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): ALSO DESCRIBED AS A CHIMNEY, MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE/VULCAN DEPOSIT IS QUARTZ VEIN TRENDING N 87 W, 85 NE AND APPROX. PARALLEL TO FOLIATION OF ENCLOSING QUARTZ-CHLORITE AND QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST (IN FELSITE UNIT OF DUBOIS GREENSTONE). VEIN REPLACES SCHIST AND ORE GRADES INTO SCHIST WITHOUT SHARP CONTACT. AT DEPTH OF ABOUT 100 FT IN SULPHUR SHAFT IS A 12- TO 20-FT-THICK NATIVE SULFUR ZONE THAT GRADES DOWNWARD INTO LOOSE "QUICKSAND" IRON PYRITE, THENCE INTO SOLID MASSIVE PYRITE. FORMATION OF NATIVE SULFUR MAY HAVE RESULTED FROM DOWNWARD DESULFURIZATION OR OXIDATION OF PYRITE OR BY PRECIPITATION FROM ASCENDING SULFURATED HYDROGEN GASES.

Comment (Location): ALONG DOUGLAS CREEK ON S SIDE OF DOUGLAS MT SOUTH TO GIRD CREEK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1971)

Comment (Production): USGS-USBM MINERAL YEARBOOKS

Comment (Development): MINES: OMER EDGAR, NW IMPROVEMENT, GIRD CREEK, BARNS, BLUEBELL, DOUGLAS CREEK

Comment (Geology): FROM CRETACEOUS-KOOTENAI FM TO DEVONIAN-JEFFERSON LIST ROCKS ARE FOUND IN THE DISTRICT.

Comment (Location): SE OF CAMP CREEK 0.2 MILE SE OF VULCAN, ABOUT 700 FT EAST OF MAMMOTH GOOD HOPE MINE ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

References

Reference (Deposit): OLSON, J. C., STEVEN, T. A., AND HEDLUND, D. C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPRING HILL CREEK QUADRANGLE, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-713

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 10909

Reference (Deposit): SHARPS, T.I., 1965, SULFUR DEPOSITS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULL., V. 8, NO. 6 &&

Reference (Deposit): COLO. DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPORTS AND INSPECTORS REPORTS. &&

Reference (Deposit): NELSON, A.P., NO DATE , MINING DISTRICTS, PRODUCING MINES AND PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES (OF GUNNISON CO.): COLO. STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT. &&

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POWDERHORN QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1178

Colorado Mining Photos

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