Highland Tunnel

The Highland Tunnel is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Pitkin county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,661 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: Highland Tunnel

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Tertiary: Copper

Location

State: Colorado
County: Pitkin
District: Aspen (Roaring Fork) 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

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Richmond Hill Exploration Co.
Home Office: Aspen, Co.
Years: 1966 -

Owner Name: R. G. Sullivan
Home Office: Aspen, Co.
Years: 1966 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1940
Discovery Year: 1932
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: Sawatch Uplift, Central Colorado Trough, Piceance Basin, White River Uplift, Elk Uplift

Type: L
Description: Castle Creek Fault Zone

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Name: Shale
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): IN 1934 HIGHLAND MINES CO. OWNED UNPATENTED CLAIMS (HIGHLAND FRACTION, GLENDALE, BERNARD, LOIS LOUISE, PATRICIA, CAROLYN, VIRGINIA IRENE, EVELYN, CLAIRE, HELEN MAXINE, COLUMBINE FLOWER, JERRY JAMES, CASTLE VIEW, DOROTHY, KATHERINE, GLORIA) AND PATENTED CLAIMS (CLAIRMONT (MS 2219), MONTECRISTO (MS 4693)). COMPANY LEASED FROM PRECHTEL BROS. ALL OR PARTS OF ALICE AND ALICE NO. 2 (MS 6701); LEASED FROM S. WACHTEL THE MONTE CRISTO (MS 4693), AZURITE NOS. 3 AND 4, PRINCE ALICE NOS. 1 AND 2, TOP LIFT (MS 2169), HANLAN (MS 1860), MOUNTAIN RANGER (MS 1855), LINCOLN, MOUNTAIN ELK; LEASED FROM MIDNIGHT MINING THE CRAZY DAN (MS 6781), BULLION (MS 6045), PHOENIX (MS 6330), MAMIE AND PARK (MS 5869), LUCKY DAN, TRIANGLE, AND LENA B. (MS 6432), COLORADO AND LEONIE (MS 5973), BAER (MS 6287), COMSTOCK (MS 2128), FREIGHTER AND GENEVA (MS 6658), IRON (MS 2623), J. M. E. (MS 6367), LOYAL LEAGUE (MS 6125), HOUSTON (MS 6732), HUMBOLDT (MS 4003), MIDNIGHT (MS 4468), MAGGIE AND HOME RULE (MS 6806), BLUE JAY

Comment (Location): WEST OF ANNIE BASIN JUST EAST OF CASTLE CREEK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG FROM BRYANT (1972) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)

Comment (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES CITES NO PRODUCTION FROM 1934-39. IN 1940, MILL PRODUCTION WAS REPORTED AS 335.5 DRY TONS CONTAINING 18234 OZ AG, 99951 LB PB, 27776 LB ZN, 66246 LB FE, 90054 LB S

Comment (Development): TUNNEL DRIVEN IN 1930S TO INTERSECT POSSIBLE DOWNWARD EXTENSION OF MIDNIGHT MINE ORE BODY. ALTHO NO SIGNIF. ORE WAS FOUND, TUNNEL AND ITS LATER EXTENSION IN 1966 PROVIDED MORE CONTROL ON STRUCTURE AND STRATIGRAPHY IN CASTLE CREEK FAULT ZONE. SOME FEATURES COULD BE CORRELATED WITH THOSE IN MIDNIGHT AND ANNIE MINES, AND HOPE TUNNEL.

Comment (Deposit): (MS 5750), CROWN POINT (MS 5984), PITKIN AND YOPSIE NO. 2 (MS 4948), YOPSIE 1 AND 2 (MS 1902), DELAWARE AND F & M (MS 6245), ONEIDA (MS 2587), QUEEN (MS 5967), MAMMOTH (MS 1987), SHERMAN (MS 6045), ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Workings): ONE TUNNEL IN EXCESS OF 7000 FT LENGTH, DRIVEN INITIALLY AT N75E; AT LEAST 1400 FT OF DRIFTS

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1930S

Comment (Deposit): TUNNEL ENCOUNTERED COMPLEXLY FOLDED AND FAULTED SEQUENCE OF PENNSYLVANIAN ROCKS OF BELDEN, GOTHIC, AND MAROON FORMATIONS. AT EAST EDGE OF CASTLE CREEK FAULT ZONE, ENCOUNTERED CASTLE CREEK (STRIKING N 45 TO 60 W), ANNIE, DUBUQUE, AND WINNIE FAULTS DISPLACING LEADVILLE LIMESTONE, BELDEN FM AND APLITE PORPHYRY SILL IN LOWER BELDEN AGAINST PRECAMBRIAN QUARTZ MONZONITE. PARTS OF CAMBRIAN-DEVONIAN SECTION PRESERVED IN FAULT SLICES HIGHER IN ELEVATION TOWARD SURFACE. SOME PYRITE FOUND IN BRECCIATED LIMESTONE, DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE, AND SHALE OF BELDEN FM.

References

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1979, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 1073, P. 110-111.

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1972, MAP SHOWING MINES, PROSPECTS, AND AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT SILVER, LEAD, AND ZINC PRODUCTION IN THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-785-D

Reference (Deposit): SPURR, J.E., 1898, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS MON. 31

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1971, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-933

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