Empress Josephine Mine

The Empress Josephine Mine is a gold, silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Saguache county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,770 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: Empress Josephine Mine
Secondary: Empress Josephine and Boss Mammoth Claims

Commodity

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

Location

State: Colorado
County: Saguache
District: Bonanza (Kerber Creek)

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

Owner Name: Marivisa Mining Co.
Home Office: Denver, Co.
Years: 1948 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1881
Year Last Production: 1948
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Sawatch Range, San Juan Volcanic Fields, Rio Grande Rift

Type: L
Description: Bonanza Caldera

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Early Barren Stage Of Alteration By Fumarolic Or Acid-Hot Spring Activity Resulted In Intense Silicification, Wallrock Replacement By Jasper And Alteration Products Hematite, Diaspore, Alunite, Barite, Zunyite, Rutile, And Kaolin Minerals. Later Mineralizing Stage By Alkaline Or Neutral Solutions Deposited Ore And Gangue And Caused Micaceous Alteration (Sericite And Chlorite) And Calcite, Quartz, And Pyrite.

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Oligocene

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

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

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Oligocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 43.68, 53.81, 2.16.
Analytical Data: PATTON REPORTED ASSAYS OF FIVE ORE SHIPMENTS IN 1908 AND 1912. EACH SET OF VALUES IS GROSS ORE WT.(LB), OZ/TON AU, OZ/TON AG, % PB, % CU, % ZN (NR=NOT REPORTED): 6300, 0.17, 26.7, 11.15, NR, 9.2
Analytical Data: 43.71, 53.86, 2.17
Analytical Data: 45.17, 54.89, 0.15
Analytical Data: 6.88, 1622.5, NR. FOUR ANALYSES OF EMPRESSITE GAVE FOLLOWING SETS OF VALUES (% AG, % TE, % FE): 45.16, 54.62, 0.30
Analytical Data: 14.32, 6465, 48.5
Analytical Data: 5.3, 1282.7, NR
Analytical Data: 0.06, 40.50, NR
Analytical Data: 3257, 1.225, 46.9, 25.4, NR, 7.9. OTHER ORE SAMPLES ANALYZED IN 1907 GAVE THE FOLLOWING SETS OF VALUES, AN OZ/TON AU, OZ/TON AG, % TE: 0.64, 159.80, NR
Analytical Data: 305, 2.0, 21.6, 3.8, NR, 9.0
Analytical Data: 4720, 0.055, 54.6, 23.9, 0.7, 4.0
Analytical Data: 18, 040, 1.67,12.6, NR, NR, 4.5

Materials

Ore: Rickardite
Ore: Sylvanite
Ore: Petzite
Ore: Altaite
Ore: Hessite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Tennantite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Rhodochrosite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): VEIN RANGES CONSIDERABLY IN ATTITUDE BUT GENERALLY TRENDS N75 TO 80E, 85NW AND IS CUT OBLIQUELY BY CROSS-FAULTS DISPLACING THE VEIN A FEW TO 20 FT. ORES WERE RICHER NEAR CROSS-FAULTS. UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED ORE SHOOTS ARE 25 TO 30 FT WIDE, PITCHING EAST, AND OFTEN BOUNDED BY SERIES OF EAST-TRENDING FAULTS. TO DEPTH OF 60 TO 80 FT, PB ORES OXIDIZED TO CERUSSITE AND ANGLESITE. PROBABLE SHALLOW AG ENRICHMENT LIES BELOW OXIDIZED ZONE. TELLURIDES DEPOSITED LATE IN SEQUENCE IN LENTICULAR BODIES BETWEEN FACES OF NORMAL PB-ZN ORE.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY 500-FT-DEEP INCLINED SHAFT WITH SEVEN LEVELS, ON WHICH TOTAL EXTENT OF DRIFTING IS UNKNOWN. NAMES OF LEVELS AND DEPTH BELOW SURFACE AND APPROX. MAPPED EXTENT OF DRIFTS AS FOLLOWS: FIRST (70 FT), 270 FT; SECOND (140 FT), 500; THIRD (210 FT), 2400; FOURTH (265 FT), 550; FIFTH (340 FT), 300; SIXTH (430 FT), 500; SEVENTH (DEPTH AND EXTENT UNKNOWN). PATTON DESCRIBED FIRST LEVEL AS WORKED OUT AND ABANDONED; SECOND LEVEL WORKED EAST OF SHAFT ONLY, WINZE TO THIRD LEVEL SUNK 270 FT FROM SHAFT.

Comment (Production): BASED ON REPORTED VALUES OF METALS BY U.S. MINT, ESTIMATES OF PRODUCTION CALCULATED USING $20/OZ AU, $1.29/OZ AG, $87/TON PB: FOR 1887, 14.35 OZ AU, 1691 OZ AG; FOR 1888, 75 OZ AU, 9020 OZ AG; FOR 1891, 6.2 OZ AU, 716 OZ AG, 1632 LB PB. PATTON ESTIMATES 5000 TONS ORE PRODUCED FROM 1881 TO 1900. PRODUCTION IN 1908 AT LEAST 15 TONS. FROM 1909 TO 1930 (APPROX.), 77 TONS ORE SHIPPED. COLO. DIV. OF MINES REPORTS NO PRODUCTION IN 1946-47, BUT 67 TON ORE IN 1948 AT GRADE OF 0.1 OZ/TON AU, 10 OZ/TON AG, 3% PB, 3% ZN, 0.001% CU.

Comment (Location): S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV. TAKEN FROM BURBANK'S (1932) PLATE 1 (SCALE 1:12000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES NE OF BONANZA ON DIVIDE BETWEEN KERBER CR. AND COPPER GULCH. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Comment (Commodity): SECONDARY ORES INCLUDE CERUSSITE, ANGLESITE, NATIVE CU, CERARGYRITE

Comment (Development): LARGEST PRODUCING MINE IN EARLY HISTORY OF DISTRICT

References

Reference (Deposit): PATTON, H.B., 1916, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA DISTRICT, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 9, 136 P.

Reference (Deposit): BURBANK, W.S., 1932, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BONANZA MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 169, 166 P.

Colorado Mining Photos

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