Carbonate District

The Carbonate District is a zinc, lead, and silver mine located in Garfield county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,079 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: Carbonate District

Commodity

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

Location

State: Colorado
County: Garfield
District: Carbonate 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

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1945
Discovery Year: 1879
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: PINCH AND SWELL

Structure

Type: R
Description: White River Uplift

Type: L
Description: Grizzly Creek Fault, Spring Creek Fault, Numerous Unnamed Normal Faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Near Complete Oxidation Of Ore Minerals

Rocks

Name: Basalt
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pleistocene

Name: Basalt
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pleistocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: HEYL (1964) REPORTS PARTIAL ANALYSIS OF 3-FT CHANNEL SAMPLE FROM VEIN AT PRINCIPAL WORKINGS WEST OF CARBONATE: 13.9% ZN, 0.3% PB, 0.20 OZ/TON AG, 37.4% SILICA, 28.1% CARBONATE, NO AU.

Materials

Ore: Smithsonite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Malachite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Jarosite

Comments

Comment (Development): FROM HEYL (1964): "ALTHOUGH THE AREA WAS PROSPECTED AS EARLY AS 1879, A REPORT IN 1881 THAT VERY RICH SILVER ORE HAD BEEN DISCOVERED LED TO A LARGE-SCALE MINERAL RUSH EARLY IN 1882, WHEN MORE THAT 2,000 MEN CAME TO THE AREA TO PROSPECT. THEY FOUNDED A TOWN CALLED CARBONATE, THE FIRST COUNTY SEAT OF GARFIELD COUNTY, BUT LOCATED ONLY SMALL DEPOSITS, WIDELY SCATTERED OVER THE PLATEAU; BY THE FOLLOWING WINTER MOST OF THEM HAD BECOME DISCOURAGED AND LEFT. SINCE THEN, PROSPECTING AND MINING HAVE BEEN ONLY SPORADIC...A FEW TONS OF OXIDIZED ZINC ORE ARE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, PROBABLY IN 1941 OR 1942, FROM THE DEFIANCE GROUP OF MINES AND PROSPECTS..."

Comment (Deposit): NO INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR DISTRICT. MOST OF ABOVE DESCRIPTIONS COME FROM MAIN UNNAMED WORKINGS AT CARBONATE. OTHER NAMES LISTED BY HEYL (1964) BUT NOT DESCRIBED SUFFICIENTLY INCLUDE CANYON CREEK AND JOHNSON CREEK PROSPECTS NEAR CARBONATE, DEFIANCE OR FORT DEFIANCE MINE (SEC. 25, T 5 S, R 89 W), AND WINDY POINT (OR STRONG) MINE AND TRANSFER SPRINGS STAGE ROAD PROSPECTS PROBABLY LOCATED NEAR WINDY POINT (SEC. 12 AND 13, T 5 S, R.89 W AND SECS. 18 AND 19, T 5 S, R 88 W), ALTHO HEYL'S MAP SHOWS LOCATION CLOSER TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS AT APPROX. SEC. 30, T 5 S, R 89 W. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Deposit): SOUTHERN FLANK OF WHITE RIVER UPLIFT CUT BY E-W AND WNW-ESE TRENDING NORTH-DIPPING DOLAN GULCH, GRIZZLY CREEK, AND SPRING CREEK REVERSE FAULTS, BETWEEN WHICH ARE NUMEROUS SUBPARALLEL AND NW-SE TRENDING NROMAL FAULTS WITH A FEW OF NE-SW TREND. FISSURE VEINS AND WEAK STOCKWORKS CUT LEADVILLE LIMESTONE AND CHAFFEE FM. AT CARBONATE, PRINCIPAL VEIN PARALLELS NORMAL FAULT STRIKING N 55 TO 65 E AND DIPPING 80 TO 90 SE. VEINS ARE LOCATED PERIPHERAL TO BASALTIC VOLCANIC NECK AND SCORIA CONE, LOCALLY METAMORPHOSING LEADVILLE LIMESTONE TO MARBLE. ORE NEARLY ALL OXIDIZED, LITTLE SULFIDES LEFT.

Comment (Workings): SHAFTS, ADITS, PITS, AND TRENCHES

Comment (Location): MAIN PART OF DISTRICT LIES NEAR CARBONATE TOWNSITE AT HEADS OF GRIZZLY, CANYON, AND JOHNSON CREEKS. ISOLATED DEPOSITS FOUND NORTH OF COLORADO RIVER NEAR SHOSHONE, AND 2 (?) TO ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF GLENWOOD SPRINGS IN WINDY POINT AREA NEAR HEADS OF MITCHELL, CASCADE, OASIS, AND EAST NO NAME CREEKS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

References

Reference (Deposit): TWETO, OGDEN, AND OTHERS, 1978, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LEADVILLE 1X2 QUADRANGLE, NORTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-999

Reference (Deposit): HEYL, A.V., 1964, OXIDIZED ZINC DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, PART 3--COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1135-C

Reference (Deposit): BASS, N.W., AND NORTHROP, S.A., 1963, GEOLOGY OF GLENWOOD SPRINGS QUADRANGLE AND VICINITY, NORTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1142-J

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