Iron Hill Columbium Deposit

The Iron Hill Columbium Deposit is a titanium, ree, and niobium (columbium) mine located in Gunnison county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,999 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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Site Name

Primary: Iron Hill Columbium Deposit
Secondary: Powderhorn
Secondary: Big Iron Hill
Secondary: Cebolla Creek
Secondary: Iron Hill Carbonatite Deposit
Secondary: Ti-area Iron Hill

Commodity

Primary: Titanium
Primary: REE
Primary: Niobium (Columbium)
Tertiary: Phosphorus-Phosphates
Tertiary: Mica
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Vermiculite
Tertiary: Iron
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Platinum

Location

State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
District: White Earth

Land Status

Land ownership: Federal
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

Type: Private Lease
Type: Located Claim
Type: Patented

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Reunion Energy Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: 2801 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, Tx 77066
Info Year: 1994

Owner Name: Du Pont
Years: 1957 - 1958

Owner Name: Teck Resources
Info Year: 2010
Years: 1990 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Flotation
Discovery Year: 1885
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Carbonatite

Orebody

Form: FUNNEL SHAPED, PEAR SHAPED IN PLAN VIEW, ORE DISSEMINATED IN PIPE

Structure

Type: R
Structure: complex

Type: L
Structure: Concentric Structures

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Fenitization

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: PT=39 PPB (FIELD NO. WP-741)
Analytical Data: ANALYSES AVG: 0.026% CU, 0.025% ZN, 0.010% NI, 1.65% BA, 0.27% SR, 2.9% TI, 0.049% ZR, 0.071% NB, 0.41% MN, 0.23% LA, 0.59% CE, 0.008% Y (SEE TEMPLE AND GROGAN, 1965). ALSO REPORTED V, U, AS, TA

Materials

Ore: Apatite
Ore: Columbite
Ore: Pyrochlore
Ore: Perovskite
Ore: Sphene
Ore: Thorite
Ore: Vermiculite
Ore: Ilmenite
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Monazite
Ore: Rutile
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Mica
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Pyrite
Unknown: Zircon
Unknown: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Development): ATTEMPTS AT MINING VERMICULTE IN 1930'S AND WWII WERE APPARENTLY UNSUCCESSFUL

Comment (Deposit): THE THORIUM IS IN VEINS IN THE COUNTRY ROCK

Comment (Geology): Concentric Structures Formed By Arcuate Shapes Of Different Rock Types, Cone Sheets Of Carbonatite; Radial Carbonate Dikes; Later Faults And Dikes.

Comment (Geology): Complex Near Southern Margin Of A North-Northwest Elongated Area 6 By 20 Mi Containing The Deposits

Comment (Geology): TANTALUM GRADE NOT KNOWN AND THOMPSON STATES (SEE REF COMMENT LINES I041-044) TA2O5 GRADE OCCURS IN GEOCHEMICAL AMOUNTS (LESS THAN 10 PPM). NO URANIUM IS REPORTED ALTHOUGH RADIOACTIVE THORIUM IS PRESENT (GRADE NOT REPORTED).

Comment (Deposit): LEAD KING MINE WAS ACCESSIBLE, MAPPED, AND SAMPLED IN 1975 AS PART OF THE MAROON BELLS-SNOWMASS WILDERNESS STUDY, BUR. MINES OPEN-FILE REPORT MLA 23-84. PROPERTY UPDATED NOV 1987.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): FORMERLY LISTED SEQ. NO. 0080510186 IRON HILL (POWDER HORN) RESERVES ARE THE RECOVERABLE AS USED ON THE 8-84 ETD.

Comment (Ownership): REUNION ENERGY FORMERLY BUTTES RESOURCES INC.

Comment (Geology): THE IRON HILL PYROCHLORE DEPOSIT IS A MAGMATIC DIFFERENTIATE OF THE CARBONATITE STOCK. THE OREBODY IS IRREGULARLY SHAPED WITHIN THE CARBONATITE STOCK. THERE IS ONE MAIN OREBODY LOCATED ON AND AROUND IRON HILL. THREE SMALLER OREBODIES OCCUR AROUND THE MAIN OREBODY.

Comment (Geology): THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CARBONATITES IN THE U.S.; COMPOSITE INTRUSION IS 12 SQ MI. AREA IS ON EAST MARGIN OF SAN JUAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE. PODS OF APATITE FOLLOW FLOW BANDS IN CARBONATITE. CARBONATE ROCKS ARE RICH IN SR (TO 2%)

Comment (Reserve-Resource): BIOTITE-BEARING ZONES IN PYROXENITE CONTAIN 0.2% CU

References

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Staatz, M.H., Armbrustmacher, T.J., Olson, J.C., Brownfield, I.K., Brock, M.R., Lemons, J.F., Jr., Coppa, L.V., and Clingan, B.V., 1979, Principal thorium resources in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 805, 42 p.

Reference (Deposit): NASH, W.P., 1972, MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE IRON HILL CARBONATITE COMPLEX, COLORADO: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN, V. 83, P. 1361-1382.

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, 1972, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, UNPUB. DATA

Reference (Deposit): THOMPSON, JAMES V. MINING HISTORY OF POWDERHORN, (UNPUBLISHED REPORT), 1980, 7 PP.

Reference (Geology): TEMPLE, A. K., AND R. M. GROGAN. CARBONATITE AND RELATED ALKALIC ROCKS AT POWDERHORN, COLORADO, ECON. GEOL., V. 60, 1965, PP. 672-692.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): THOMPSON, J. V. TITANIUM RESOURCE IN COLORADO EQUALS ALL OTHER US DEPOSITS. ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, JUL 1987, P. 28.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): GROGAN, R. M. COLUMBIUM AT POWDERHORN, COLORADO, MINES MAG, SEPT. 1960, P. 15, 16, 27.

Reference (Deposit): LARSEN, E.S., 1942, ALKALIC ROCKS OF IRON HILL, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 197-A, P. 1-64.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Shaver, K.C., and Lunceford, R.A., 1998, White Earth Project, Colorado?The largest titanium resource in the United States: Canadian Industrial Minerals Bulletin, v. 91, p. 63?65.

Reference (Deposit): Long, K.R., Van Gosen, B.S., Foley, N.K., and Cordier, Daniel, 2010, The principal rare earth elements deposits of the United States?A summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010?5220, 96 p. Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5220/.
URL: http://imcg.wr.usgs.gov/data.html

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