The South Rock Creek area is a iron mine located in Saguache county, Colorado.
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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South Rock Creek area MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: South Rock Creek area
Secondary: Alder limonite deposit
Commodity
Primary: Iron
Location
State: Colorado
County: Saguache
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Year: 1943
Mined: 50.000 mt
Material type: iron ore
Deposit
Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: L
Description: Sangre de Cristo Fault
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: bog iron
Rocks
Name: Chemical Sediment
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Quaternary
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Not available
Comments
Comment (Commodity): A small iron deposit. Thought to be a surficial "bog iron" deposit.
Comment (Geology): Yellow, red, and brown to black limonite is exposed in several outcrops trending northeast for about 250 m along the north and south branches of Decker Creek. Parts of the deposit are almost pure limonite, other areas are mixed sand, gravel, and limonite. Some areas characterized by angular to sub-angular fragments of Proterozoic rocks cemented with limonite.
Comment (Location): Located near the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, near Poncha Pass. The Alder limonite deposit (Harber and Tesch, 1959) is between branches of Decker Creek. "South Rock Creek area" is shown on a map of mining districts but is not described (Ellis and others, 1983).
Comment (Production): The ore is not a clean source of iron.
References
Reference (Geology): Harber, C.M., and Tesch, W.J., Jr., 1959, Reconnaissance of iron occurrences in Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines Information circular 7918, 82 p.
Reference (Names): Ellis, C.E., Hannigan, B.J., and Thompson, J.R., 1983, Mineral investigation of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Study Area, Alamosa, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, and Saguache Counties, Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines MLA 65-83, 190 p.
Reference (Deposit): Harber, C.M., and Tesch, W.J., Jr., 1959, Reconnaissance of iron occurrences in Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines Information circular 7918, 82 p.
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