Iron Dike

The Iron Dike is a mine located in Larimer county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,440 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

Name: Iron Dike  

State:  Colorado

County:  Larimer

Elevation: 11,440 Feet (3,487 Meters)

Commodity:

Lat, Long: 40.39361, -105.69500

Map: View on Google Maps

Satelite View

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Satelite image of the Iron Dike

Iron Dike MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Iron Dike


Commodity

Tertiary: Iron
Tertiary: Titanium, Metal


Location

State: Colorado
County: Larimer
District: Trail Ridge Area


Land Status

Land ownership: National Park
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: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
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: TABULAR


Structure

Type: R
Description: Front Range Uplift, Silver Plume Batholith, Boulder Creek Batholith

Type: L
Description: Nw-Trending Faults


Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization Of Plagioclase In Wallrock; Chloritization Of Pyrox Ene; Limonite Replacement Of Augite And Chlorite


Rocks

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

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


Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ANALYSIS OF AUGITE FROM TRAIL RIDGE EXPOSURE SHOWED 49.23% SIO2, 0 .35% TIO2, 5.73% AL203, 1.02% FE203, 14.70% FEO, 0.30% MNO, 11.90% MGO , 14.89% CAO, 0.92% NA20, 0.66% K20, 0.19% P205. ANALYSIS OF FRESH DIA BASE AT CONTACT WITH GRANITE SHOWED 48.71% SIO2, 0.74% TIO2, 16.47% AL 203, 2.90% FE203, 12.01% FEO, 0.19% MNO, 4.47% MGO, 7.85% CAO, 4.60% N A20, 1.17% K20, 0.53% P205, 0.78% H20.


Materials

Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Apatite
Gangue: Labradorite
Gangue: Augite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Sillimanite


Comments

Comment (Location): DIKE IS NEARLY CONTINUOUS FROM NW TO SE THROUGH SW LARIMER COUNTY AND WEST-CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY. TOWNSHIPS LISTED ABOVE ARE ALL LARIME R COUNTY. IN BOULDER COUNTY, DIKE EXTENDS THROUGH T3N, R73W; T2N, R72W ; T1N, R72W; AND T1S, R71W. WAHLSTROM EXAMINED EXPOSURES ON FALL RIVER SOUTH OF MOUNT CHAPIN (APPROX SEC. 05, T5N, R74W) AND ON TRAIL RIDGE ROAD. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR RANGER STATION ON TRAIL RIDGE RO AD IN APPROX SW SEC. 16, T5N, R74W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Deposit): DIABASE DIKE CONTAINING FE-RICH MINERALS AND LIMONITE-STAINED WEA THERING PRODUCTS TRENDS GENERALLY N30W, 60 TO 80 SW, PARALLEL TO ARE A BRECCIA REEFS, CHARACTERISTICALLY 50 TO 100 FT WIDE BUT IN PLACES ONL Y A FEW FEET OR INCHES, INTERSECTED AND OFFSET BY NUMEROUS EAST-WEST-T RENDING FAULTS, SOME OF WHICH HAVE LOCALIZED W MINERALS AND TELLURIDES SUCH AS IN BOULDER CO. GRAIN SIZE INCREASES INWARD FROM CHILLED WALL R OCK CONTACTS. AVERAGE MODAL COMPOSITION (VOL%): 49.8% LABRADORITE, 38. 4% AUGITE, 8.5% TITANIFEROUS MAGNETITE, 2.3% QUARTZ, 1.0% ORTHO CLASE. TITANIFEROUS MAGNETITE OCCURS AS EQUANT CRYSTALS, PLATES, SKELETAL DE NDRITIC CRYSTALS AND IN VEINS FILLING FRACTURES IN PYROXENE AND PLAGIO CLASE. DIKE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT TO BE LARAMIDE IN AGE AND CORRELATED WI TH OTHER MAFIC INTRUSIVES IN AREA, BUT WAHLSTROM'S CHEMICAL ANALYSES S HOWED DIFFERENCES THAT SUGGEST IT FORMED SEPARATELY; STATE GEOLOGIC MA P SHOWS DIKE TO BE PREC Y AGE.


References

Reference (Deposit): WAHLSTROM, E.E., 1956, PETROLOGY AND WEATHERING OF THE IRON DIKE, B OULDER AND LARIMER COUNTIES, COLORADO: GSA BULL., V. 67, NO. 2, P. 147 -163.

Reference (Deposit): BOOS, M.F., AND BOOS, C.M., 1933, IRON DIKE (ABS.): GSA BULL., V. 4 4, P. 73.

Reference (Deposit): CRAWFORD, R.D., 1908, GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE SUGARLOAF DISTRI CT: UNIV. COLORADO STUDIES, V. 6, P. 97-131.

Reference (Deposit): LOVERING, T.S., AND GODDARD, E.N., 1938, LARAMIDE IGNEOUS SEQUENCE AND DIFFERENTIATION IN THE FRONT RANGE, COLORADO: GSA BULL., V. 49, P. 35-68.


Colorado Mining Photos

Placer mines at Cripple Creek, Colorado ca. 1892

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