Big Dry Creek Placers

The Big Dry Creek Placers is a gold mine located in Arapahoe county, Colorado at an elevation of 5,509 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: Big Dry Creek Placers

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Colorado
County: Arapahoe
District: Denver 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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Deposit Type: Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1858
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Interior Plains
Physiographic Province: Great Plains Province
Physiographic Section: Colorado Piedmont

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Denver Basin

Type: L
Description: Denver Basin

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Gravel
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: $0.10 TO $1.00/YD

Materials

Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Geology): PROBABLE SOURCE OF GOLD IS CASTLE ROCK CONGLOMERATE (LOWER OLIGOCENE)

Comment (Location): IN LITTLETON. LAT-LONG IS BIG DRY CREEK AT ARAPAHOE RD. EXACT PLACER SITES NOT DETERMINABLE . PLACERS EXTEND ONTO FORT LOGAN QUAD. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1974)

Comment (Development): DRIFTING IN BENCH DEPOSITS, SOME WORKING OF STREAM BED. FINE AU TOO FINE-GRAINED, COARSE AU TOO SCALY TO SAVE, OVERBURDEN TOO THICK TO STRIP

References

Reference (Deposit): PARKER, B.H., JR., 1974, GOLD PLACERS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL MINES QUAT., V. 69, NO. 3, P. 45-57

Reference (Deposit): MABERRY, J.O., AND LINDVALL, R.M., 1977, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE HIGHLANDS RANCH QUADRANGLE, ARAPAHOE AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1413.

Reference (Deposit): LINDVALL, R.M., 1978, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE FORT LOGAN QUADRANGLE, JEFFERSON, DENVER, AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1427.

Colorado Mining Photos

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