Buckhorn Mica Mine

The Buckhorn Mica Mine is a mica and beryllium mine located in Larimer county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,209 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

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Site Name

Primary: Buckhorn Mica Mine
Secondary: Claim: Emerald Gem

Commodity

Primary: Mica
Primary: Beryllium
Tertiary: Lithium
Tertiary: Niobium (Columbium)
Tertiary: Tantalum

Location

State: Colorado
County: Larimer
District: Crystal Mountain (Storm Mountain) Pegmatite 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

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Hyatt, Roy
Years: 1950 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1884
Discovery Year: 1884
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: LENTICULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Front Range Uplift

Type: L
Description: Thompson Canyon Fault, Mt Olympus Batholith, Ne-Trending Folds

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Tourmalinization Of Schistose Wallrock; Albite, Cleavelandite, And Sericite Replacement Of Spodumene

Rocks

Name: Tonalite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Tonalite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: THURSTON'S DATA FROM DRILLING INDICATE BERYL CONTENT OF 0.01 TO 1.97 % WITH AVERAGE 0.86 %. COMBINED WITH OTHER SAMPLE DATA, RANGE IS 0.29 TO 1.97 % BERYL, WITH AVERAGE 1.06 %.

Materials

Ore: Muscovite
Ore: Beryl
Ore: Spodumene
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Cleavelandite
Gangue: Purpurite
Gangue: Albite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): IRREGULARLY ZONED AND MULTIPLY INTRUDED PEGMATITE TRENDS N 65 E, 80 TO 90 NW, AND CONSISTS OF 1) WALL ZONE OF PLAGIOCLASE-PERTHITE-QUARTZ PEGMATITE, UP TO 15 FT THICK, AVERAGING 7 FT THICK, EXTENDING TO DEPTH OF 110 FT, MOSTLY FINE GRAINED WITH COARSE-GRAINED STREAKS, CONTAINS UP TO 1 % MUSCOVITE AND 0.4 % FINELY DISSEMINATED BERYL, 2) OUTER INTERMEDIATE ZONE OF PLAGIOCLASE-QUARTZ PEGMATITE UP TO 10 FT THICK, CONTAINING LOCAL MUSCOVITE CONCENTRATIONS WITH TOURMALINE AND PURPURITE, AND 0.5 % EUHEDRAL AND ANHEDRAL BERYL, GRADING INTO 3) INNER INTERNEDIATE ZONE OF CLEAVELANDITE-QUARTZ PEGMATITE UP TO 16 FT THICK, CONTAINING 2 % ACCESSORY MINERALS (MUSCOVITE, BERYL, PERTHITE, COLUMBITE-TANTALITE); 4) CORE OF CLEAVELANDITE-QUARTZ-SPODUMENE PEGMATITE UP TO 10 FT THICK, AVERAGING 4 FT THICK, EXTENDING TO 75-FT DEPTH, CONTAINING 3 % RELICT SPODUMENE REPLACED BY CLEAVELANDITE, ALBITE, AND SERICITE, 2 % ACCESSORY MINERALS, 1 % BERYL.

Comment (Development): FIRST OPERATED IN 1884 BY BUCKHORN MICA MINING AND MILLING CO. RELOCATED BY ROY HYATT IN 1942 AS EMERALD GEM CLAIM.

Comment (Workings): THREE SHAFTS, DEEPEST OF WHICH IS ABOUT 50 FT WITH SOME DRIFTS; CENTRAL SHAFT ABOUT 20 FT DEEP; WESTERN SHAFT 10 FT DEEP; LARGE OPEN CUT UP TO 15 FT DEEP; SEVERAL SMALL OPEN CUTS AND TRENCHES

Comment (Reserve-Resource): HANLEY AND OTHERS, 1950

Comment (Location): ON DIVIDE BETWEEN FISH CREEK AND SHEEP CREEK 2.95 MILES ESE OF CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)

References

Reference (Deposit): THURSTON, W.R., 1955, PEGMATITES OF THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN DISTRICT, LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1011, 185 P., 13 PLS.

Reference (Deposit): HANLEY, J.B., AND OTHERS, 1950, PEGMATITE INVESTIGATIONS IN COLORADO, WYOMING, AND UTAH, 1942-1944: USGS PROF. PAPER 227, P. 88-90, PL. 11.

Reference (Deposit): STERRETT, D.B., 1923, MICA DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES: USGS BULL. 740, P. 59-61.

Colorado Mining Photos

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