Columbia District

The Columbia District is a silver, lead, zinc, and iron mine located in Pitkin county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,000 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: Columbia District

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Iron
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Titanium, Metal
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Colorado
County: Pitkin
District: Columbia 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: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1881
Discovery Year: 1880
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
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 Uplift, Central Colorado Trough, Piceance Basin, Elk Uplift

Type: L
Description: White Rock Pluton, Elk Range Thrust Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization, Albitization, Fe Oxidation

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: BRYANT'S (1971) SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF PYRITIZED GRANODIORITE SHOW FOLLOWING RANGES: 1 TO 7% FE, 0.5 TO 1.5% MG, 1 TO 3% CA, 2 TO 3% NA, 3 TO 5% K, UP TO 1.5 PPM AG, 2000 PPM BA, 20 TO 150 PPM CU, UP TO 150 PPM MO, UP TO 50 PPM PB, UP TO 1000 PPM SR, UP TO 0.3 PPM AU. PYRITIZED PARTLY ALTERED GRANODIORITE SHOWS HIGHER CU (ANOMALY UP TO 5000 PPM), HIGHER MO (ANOMALY UP TO 2000 PPM), LOWER PB, HIGHEST VALUES FOR VEINS IN GRANODIORITE SHOW 1500 TO 3000 PPM AG, 5000 TO 7000 PPM CU, UP TO 300 PPM MO, 1000 TO 2000 PPM PB, 5000 TO 7000 PPM SB, 5000 TO 7000 PPM ZN WITH HIGH AS (UP TO 1500 PPM).

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Limonite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Molybdenite
Gangue: Goethite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Hematite

Comments

Comment (Location): CLAIMS LIE ALONG CONUNDRUM, CATARACT, SANDY, PINE, AND CASTLE PEAKS AND ON DIVIDE CONNECTING HAYDEN PEAK, CATHEDRAL PEAK, AND CASTLE CREEK. LAT-LONG GIVEN IS TOP OF HAYDEN PEAK. CLAIMS ALSO EXTEND ONTO MAROON BELLS AND PEARL PASS QUADS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)

Comment (Commodity): SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES SHOW TRACE AMOUNTS OF BI, CO, CR, NI, SR, V, Y

Comment (Development): EARLIEST REPORTED DISCOVERY AND CLAIMS IN 1880. MAJOR DISCOVERY AT MONTEZUMA SITE IN 1881 WITH PRODUCTION DISCONTINUOUSLY THRU 1916. HIGHER ZN AND POOR TRANSPORTATION FORCED TEMPORARY CLOSURE. OTHER BASE AND PRECIOUS METAL PROPERTIES PROSPECTED BUT NO CONFIRMED PRODUCTION DUE TO OVERALL LOW GRADE OF DISSEMINATED CU-MO. TRIAL SHIPMENTS OF IRON ORE FROM PITKIN IRON MINE BEFORE 1885 BUT BULK OF PRODUCTION CAME AFTER 1960; PITKIN IRON IS ONLY ACTIVE PROPERTY.

Comment (Deposit): MOST WIDESPREAD DEPOSITS ARE PYRITIZED ROCK CONTAINING DISSEMINATED CU AND MO IN AND AROUND PORTIONS OF WHITE ROCK GRANODIORITE PLUTON. PYRITIZATION EXTENDS INTO LOCALLY METAMORPHOSED CLASTICS (HORNFELS) AND LIMESTONES OF MAROON, GOTHIC, AND BELDEN FORMATIONS. CHALCOPYRITE AND MOLYBDENITE MEGASCOPICALLY RARE WITH MO MOST CONSPICUOUS IN MOLY-QUARTZ-PYRITE VEINS AND VEINLETS. LARGER VEINS AND SHEAR ZONES (SUCH AS AT MONTEZUMA MINE) SHOW AG-PB-ZN WITH SOME CU AND RARE AU. EMPLACEMENT OF PARTLY DISCORDANT WHITE ROCK PLUTON AND ASSOCIATED DIKES AND SILLS SHOWS CONTACT METAMORPHIC HALOES UP TO SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET THICK. LATER INTRUSION OF PORPHYRITIC GRANODIORITE DIKES FOLLOWED BY HYDROTHERMAL ACTIVITY AND PYRITIZATION. ALTERATION TYPES: 1) ALBITIZATION WITH QUARTZ AND MINOR SERICITE IN CATARACT CREEK AREA, AND 2) SILICIFICATION AND SERICITIZATION IN EAST MAROON CREEK AREA. PYRITIZATION OF GRANODIORITE AND HORNFELS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCAL CU AND MO ENRICHMENT. CU MORE ABUNDANT IN PARTLY

Comment (Deposit): ALTERED ROCKS. MO MORE ABUNDANT IN HIGHLY ALTERED ROCKS BUT DOES NOT APPEAR ECONOMIC DUE TO LACK OF DIFFERENTIATION OF GRANODIORITE STOCK AND LACK OF PERVASIVE ALTERATION CHARACTERISTIC OF CLIMAX-TYPE M

Comment (Workings): SURFACE PROSPECTS, ADITS, AND TUNNELS, SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND WORKINGS AT MONTEZUMA MINE. SURFACE WORKINGS AT PITKIN IRON MINE

Comment (Deposit): ALTHOUGH EXTENSIVE CLAIMS WERE STAKED AND DEVELOPED IN DISTRICT, ONLY TWO PROPERTIES APPARENTLY PRODUCED, MONTEZUMA MINE AND PITKIN IRON MINE, AND CONSEQUENTLY THESE ARE ONLY TWO DETAILED RECORDS INCLUDED FOR DISTRICT THIRD RECORD ADDED FOR ECLIPSE MINE, BUT PRODUCTION UNKNOWN. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

References

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1971, DISSEMINATED SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN THE EASTERN ELK MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 750-D, P. D13-D25.

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1970, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE HAYDEN PEAK QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-863

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1979, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 1073, P. 114-115.

Reference (Deposit): WESTON, W., 1910, THE TAM O'SHANTER-MONTEZUMA MINES: COLORADO STATE PLAN. COMM. UNPUB. REPT.

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MAROON BELLS QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-788

Reference (Deposit): DEVEREUX, W.B., 1884, NOTES ON IRON-ORE DEPOSITS IN PITKIN COUNTY: AIME TRANS., V. 12, P. 638-640

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