Copper Hill Mine

The Copper Hill Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Rio Grande county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,808 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: Copper Hill Mine

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper

Location

State: Colorado
County: Rio Grande
District: Summit (Summitville) 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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
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

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Platoro Caldera, Summitville Caldera, Summitville Fault, South Mountain Dome

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Quart-Alunite Solfataric Alteration

Rocks

Name: Quartz Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Quartz Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ZONES WITH VUGGY QUARTZ PIPELIKE ORE BODIES. LARGE SILICIFIED MASS CAPPING COPPER HILL KNOB APPARENTLY GIVES WAY AT DEPTH TO SERIES OF MORE DISTINCT SILICIFIED ZONES SEPARATED BY SEPTA OF LESS ALTERED ROCK. ON SURFACE, VUGGY QUARTZ MASSES RANGE FROM ELONGATE BRANCHING BODIES REFLECTING FORMER JOINT PATTERN TO MORE PIPELIKE MASSES WITH IRREGULAR BUT GENERALLY EQUIDIMENSIONAL HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONS. LARGEST MASSES OF VUGGY QUARTZ ROCK OCCUR NEAR NW END OF VEIN ZONE NEAR ESMOND AND DEL NORTE MINES AND PICKENS CUT.

Comment (Deposit): MINE DEVELOPED ON HIDDEN VEIN AND COPPER HILL-ESMOND VEIN ZONES AND TO LESSER EXTENT ON NORTH TEWKSBURY AND BLACK WONDER VEIN ZONES. HIDDEN VEIN ZONE IS NARROW, OBSCURED, HIGHLY SILICIFIED AND MINERALIZED ZONE TRENDING N 40 TO 60 W AND CONTAINING CONTINUOUS TABULAR MASS OF VUGGY QUARTZ ROCK IN QUARTZ-ALUNITE ZONE FLANKED BY HIGHLY ARGILLIZED ROCK. ON VEIN TREND TO SE ARE SEVERAL PIPELIKE MASSES OF HIGHLY SILICIFIED ROCK LIKEWISE SURROUNDED BY ARGILLIZED ENVELOPES AND PROBABLY MARKING LOCAL UPWARD PROJECTIONS OF MORE CONTINUOUS VEIN ZONE AT DEPTH. ON NARROW GAUGE AND 104 SUBLEVEL (BOTH BELOW COPPER HILL LEVEL), VEIN ZONE CONSISTS OF MANY IRREGULAR. DISCONTINUOUS, AND OVERLAPPING MASSES. ENTIRE ZONE DIPS ABOUT 85 SW. LYING NE OF AND SUBPARALLEL TO HIDDEN VEIN ZONE IS COPPER HILL-ESMOND VEIN ZONE, A LARGE MASS OF HIGHLY SILICIFIED ROCK INQUARTZ-ALUNITE ZONE EXTENDING ACROSS MAIN MINERALIZED AREA FROM COPPER HILL KNOB TO ESMOND VEIN. MASS CONTAINS IRREGULARLY DISTRIBUTED COMPACT QUARTZ

Comment (Location): ON NE SIDE OF SOUTH MTN. PORTAL ELEV FROM STEVEN AND RATTE (1960, PL. 4). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

Reference (Deposit): PATTON, H.B., 1917, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PLATORO-SUMMITVILLE MINING DISTRICT, COLORADO: CGS BULL. 13.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND RATTE, J.C., 1960, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE SUMMITVILLE DISTRICT, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 343

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PLATORO CALDERA AREA, SOUTHEASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-828.

Colorado Mining Photos

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