Wright Lease

The Wright Lease is a uranium mine located in Jefferson county, Colorado at an elevation of 6,499 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: Wright Lease
Secondary: Foothills Mine

Commodity

Primary: Uranium
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc

Location

State: Colorado
County: Jefferson
District: Idledale 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

Not available

Production

Year: 1958
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.23% U308
Year: 1956
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.30% U308
Year: 1955
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.26% U308
Year: 1960
Time Period: 1955-1960
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.26% U308

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1955
Year Last Production: 1964
Discovery Year: 1955
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: Denver Basin, Front Range Uplift

Type: L
Description: Bear Creek Shear Zone, Junction Ranch Fault, Cherry Gulch Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Fe Oxidation

Rocks

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE GRADES RANGED FROM 0.23 TO 0.35% U308, WITH OVERALL AVERAGE 0.24 TO 0.26% U308

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Pitchblende
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Coffinite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Location): ALONG BEAR CREEK CANYON ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. ANNUAL FIGURES FOR 1961-64 NOT AVAILABLE. 1955-64 CUMULATIVE FROM NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS

Comment (Deposit): DUPLICATE D002238 DELETED ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Deposit): PRINCIPAL VEIN IN BEAR CREEK SHEAR ZONE TRENDS N 20 TO 60 W, DIPPING 50 TO 80 NE. FOOTHILLS VEIN IS CURVED COMPOUND FRACTURE ZONE CONSISTING OF TWO OR MORE ANASTAMOSING SUBPARALLEL FISSURES, SUGGESTING RIGHT LATERAL MOVEMENT. SHARPLY DEFINED AND SLICKENSIDED WALLS ENCLOSE QUARTZ-CEMENTED BRECCIA IN CARBONATE MATRIX IN HANGING WALL. FIRST STAGE OF MINERALIZATION INCLUDED ANKERITE (?), PYRITE, K-FELDSPAR, CHLORITE, AND PITCHBLENDE FOLLOWED BY BRECCIATION. SECOND STAGE INCLUDED COARSE CALCITE, PURPLE FLUORITE, AND SULFIDES WITH SOME PITCHBLENDE AND K-FELDSPAR REPLACED BY CALCITE (?). ALTHOUGH COFFINITE MAY HAVE BEEN DEPOSITED WITH STAGE 1 PITCHBLENDE, MOST OCCURS WITH SOOTY PITCHBLENDE AS COATING ON PYRITE AND GANGUE, APPARENTLY A PRODUCT OF SUPERGENE SOLUTIONS. MAJOR STRUCTURAL ZONE COULD BE INTERPRETED AS SIMILAR TO BRECCIA-REEF URANIUM OCCURRENCES AT NEARBY GRAPEVINE MINE AND IN RALSTON CREEK DISTRICT TO NORTH.

Comment (Workings): CROSSCUT ADIT DRIVEN S 72 W FOR 475 FT. 400 FT OF DRIFT ON ADIT LEVEL. AT 80 FT FROM CROSSCUT ON ADIT LEVEL, VERTICAL SHAFT SUNK TO 186 FT. 180 FT OF DRIFT ON 86-FT LEVEL; 390 FT OF DRIFT ON 186-FT LEVEL.

References

Reference (Deposit): GABLE, D.J., 1968, GEOLOGY OF THE CRYSTALLINE ROCKS IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE MORRISON QUADRANGLE, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1251-E

Reference (Production): SIMS AND SHERIDAN, 1964, P. 96; NELSON-MOORE AND OTHERS, 1978, P. 196

Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., COLLINS, D.B., AND HORNBAKER, A.L., 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 40, P. 196

Reference (Deposit): SCOTT, GLENN R., 1972, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MORRISON QUADRANGLE, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-790-A, 1:24,000.

Reference (Deposit): SCHLOTTMAN, J.D., 1964, FOOTHILLS MINE, IN SIMS, P.K., AND SHERIDAN, D.M., GEOLOGY OF URANIUM DEPOSITS IN THE FRONT RANGE, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1159, P. 96-98

Colorado Mining Photos

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