Sunshine Mine

The Sunshine Mine is a uranium mine located in Fremont county, Colorado at an elevation of 7,976 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: Sunshine Mine
Secondary: Sunshine No. 2
Secondary: Sunshine Claims

Commodity

Primary: Uranium

Location

State: Colorado
County: Fremont
District: Tallahassee 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

Type: Unknown

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1955
Time Period: 1953-1955
Material type: ORE U3O8
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.27% U308

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1954
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

Form: TABULAR, PODS, LENS-SHAPED

Structure

Type: R
Description: Thirty Nine Mile Volcanic Field, Currant Creek Basin

Type: L
Description: Echo Park Graben, Paleovalleys, Faults; Reverse Fault Strikes N18w, Dips 35ne

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation; Alteration Of Feldspar To Clay

Rocks

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

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

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: DISEQUILIBRIUM RATIOS ON ORE SAMPLES FAVOR CHEMICAL U308

Materials

Ore: Uraninite
Ore: Coffinite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Location): SOUTH OF GARDNER PEAK, NORTH OF TABLE MOUNTAIN ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Commodity): URANIUM DEPOSITED IN WOODY FRAGMENTS AND IN FRACTURES IN VOLCANIC BOULDERS

Comment (Production): SUNSHINE NO. 2 CLAIM HAD PRODUCTION; CLAIM WAS OPERATED AT THAT TIME BY THE J.M. HUBER CORPORATION, BORGER, TX;

Comment (Development): THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL DISCOVERY IN THE AREA, FOUND BY GROUND RADIOMETRIC RECONNAISSANCE-NO RADIOACTIVE OUTCROP PRESENT

Comment (Deposit): THE ORE BODY WAS PROBABLY KIDNEY-SHAPED BEFORE FAULTING

Comment (Workings): OPEN PIT, ADIT (20 FT LONG)

Comment (Geology): DEPOSITS LOCALIZED AND PRESERVED BY SLUGGISH GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT IN AREA. THOSE CONDITIONS STILL PRESENT AS EVIDENCED BY ARTESIAN PRESSURE IN WELLS AND SPRINGS ISSUING FROM ECHO PARK FORMATION AND BY A PRESENT URANIUM CONTENT OF GROUNDWATER IN AREA AS HIGH AS 900 PPB.

References

Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., COLLINS, D.B. AND HORNBAKER, A.L., 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULLETIN 40, P. 152.

Reference (Deposit): WOBUS, R.A., EPIS, R.C. AND SCOTT, G.R., 1979, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE COVER MOUNTAIN QUADRANGLE, FREMONT, PARK, AND TELLER COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-1179, 1:62,500.

Reference (Deposit): DICKINSON, K.A., 1981, GEOLOGIC CONTROLS OF URANIUM MINERALIZATION IN THE TALLAHASSEE CREEK URANIUM DISTRICT, FREMONT COUNTY, COLORADO: THE MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIST, V. 18, NO. 4, P. 88-94.

Reference (Deposit): SIMON, M.R., 1956, URANIUM DEPOSITS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO, IN GUIDEBOOK TO THE GEOLOGY OF THE RATON BASIN, COLORADO: ROCKY MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION OF GEOLOGISTS GUIDEBOOK, P. 84

Reference (Deposit): BABCOCK, J.A., 1980, TALLAHASSEE CREEK URANIUM DEPOSITS: DENVER REGIONAL EXPLORATION GEOLOGISTS SOCIETY GUIDEBOOK, P. 15-31.

Reference (Deposit): MACPHERSON, B.A., 1959, GEOLOGY AND URANIUM DEPOSITS OF THE TALLAHASSEE CREEK DISTRICT, FREMONT COUNTY, COLORADO: US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION RME-1083, OPEN-FILE REPORT, 39 P.

Reference (Production): NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS, 1978; MACPHERSON, 1959

Colorado Mining Photos

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