Bachelor Mine

The Bachelor Mine is a silver and lead mine located in Mineral county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,151 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: Bachelor Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Colorado
County: Mineral
District: Creede 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: Minerals Engineering Co. (Meco)
Home Office: Grand Junction, Co.
Years: 1981 -

Owner Name: Harrison-Western Corp.
Years: 1980 -

Production

Year: 1920
Year: 1920

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1884
Discovery Year: 1884
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: San Juan Volcanic Field; La Garita, Creede, And Bachelor Calderas

Type: L
Description: Creede Graben; Amethyst Fault Zone

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Chloritization, Silicification, Argillization; Fe-Mn Oxides

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SEE ORE GRADES REPORTED IN PRODUCTION TABLE

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Silver
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Smithsonite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Wad
Gangue: Amethyst
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Rhodochrosite
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): PRINCIPAL LODE IS AMETHYST FAULT (ATTITUDE ABOVE). MINE ALSO DEVELOPS ANCESTRAL AMETHYST FAULT (DEAN FAULT) WHICH LIES IN AMETHYST HANGING WALL BUT STRIKES MORE NORTHERLY (N 5 TO 10 W) AND DIPS MORE STEEPLY (70 TO 80 SW). LATER MINERALIZED FRACTURES OCCUPY HORSE BETWEEN THE TWO FAULTS. ANOTHER MAJOR FRACTURE SUBPARALLELS AND LIES JUST WEST OF DEAN FAULT BUT DIPS STEEPLY NE. SOUTHERN AMETHYST FAULT MINERALIZATION IS VEIN-TYPE AND DISSEMINATED, BOTH CONFINED TO DENSELY FRACTURED AND BRECCIATED CAMPBELL MTN. RHYOLITE IN HANGING WALL BUT IN SOME PLACES ALSO IN FOOTWALL. TWO-STAGE PARAGENESIS INCLUDES 1) STAGE 1, QUARTZ, BARITE, RHODOCHROSITE, NO AG; 2) STAGE 2, SUBSTAGE A, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, NO AG; SUBSTAGE B, AMETHYST, BARITE, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, AG-BEARING CU SULFIDES (ECONOMIC); SUBSTAGE C, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, CU AND BASE-METALS SULFIDES, FE-MN OXIDES, TETRAHEDRITE, ACANTHITE AND NATIVE AG ECONOMIC, ALSO PROBABLE DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION IN CLOSELY

Comment (Deposit): SPACED MICROVEINLETS AND INTERGRANULAR PORE FILLING.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY 4 TUNNELS AND NELSON-WOOSTER-HUMPHREYS TUNNEL (LOWEST) OVER 1175-FT VERTICAL INTERVAL. TUNNEL 4 IS 445 FT ABOVE NELSON TUNNEL; TUNNEL 3 IS 401 FT ABOVE TUNNEL 4; TUNNEL 1 IS 330 FT ABOVE TUNNEL 3. TUNNEL 2 (INACCESSIBLE) POSITION UNKNOWN. BACHELOR SHAFT (WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET OF DRIFTS) SUNK TO 125 FT BELOW NELSON TUNNEL. TOTAL EXTENT OF WORKINGS UNKNOWN BUT EXCEEDS 10,000 FT ON 4 MAIN LEVELS.

Comment (Production): AMTS. OF METALS CALCULATED FROM REPORTED ORE GRADES

Comment (Location): S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV DETERMINED FROM EMMONS AND LARSEN'S (1923) TOPO MAP (1:24,000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ON SE SIDE OF BACHELOR MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Comment (Development): LOW-GRADE ORE MINED SOON AFTER DISCOVERY, TREATED WITHOUT SUCCESS AT SUNNYSIDE. WORK RENEWED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER LARGE LODE DISCOVERIES IN 1891.

References

Reference (Deposit): EMMONS, W.H., AND LARSEN, E.S. 1923, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE CREEDE DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 718, 198 P.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND RATTE, J.C., 1965, GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURAL CONTROL OF ORE DEPOSITION IN THE CREEDE DISTRICT, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 487, 90 P.

Reference (Deposit): LINDEMANN, J.W., AND OTHERS, EDS., 1981, FIELD TRIP NOTES, CREEDE MINING DISTRICT, SAN JUAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE, COLORADO: DENVER REGIONAL EXPLORATION GEOLOGISTS SOC. GUIDEBOOK

Reference (Production): 1902-06 (EMMONS & LARSEN, 1923); 1916-25 (CO. DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATORS REPTS.)

Colorado Mining Photos

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