Royal Arch District

The Royal Arch District is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Mineral county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,419 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: Royal Arch District
Secondary: Spar City District
Secondary: Claims: Morning, MS 7993
Secondary: Big Spar, MS 7795
Secondary: Humboldt, MS 7989
Secondary: Walla Walla, MS 7952
Secondary: Polar, MS 7952
Secondary: Spar, MS 7952
Secondary: D J S, MS 8095
Secondary: World, MS 8294
Secondary: Per Cent No. 1, MS 16670
Secondary: Big Per Cent, MS 16670
Secondary: Little Per Cent, MS 16670
Secondary: Smuggler, MS 16670
Secondary: Smuggler No. 1, MS 16670
Secondary: Emma, MS 17959
Secondary: Per Cent No. 12, MS 19538
Secondary: Per Cent No. 15, MS 19538

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc

Location

State: Colorado
County: Mineral
District: Royal Arch (Spar City) 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: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1893
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

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field, Creede Caldera

Type: L
Description: Deep Creek Graben

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Development): AREA PROSPECTED SPORADICALLY SINCE EARLY 1900S. ALTHOUGH AG AND PB FOUND, SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION DISCOURAGED BY THICK SOIL AND FOREST COVER, LANDSLIDES, AND GLACIAL DRIFT. AMOUNT OF PRODUCTION, IF ANY, UNKNOWN BUT CERTAINLY SMALL.

Comment (Deposit): MINERALIZATION LOCALIZED IN MINOR FAULTS NEAR INTERSECTION OF INFERRED SOUTHWARD EXTENSION OF NORTH-SOUTH TRENDING DEEP CREEK GRABEN (TENSIONAL FEATURE FORMED DURING RESURGENT DOMING IN CREEDE CALDERA) AND INFERRED EAST-WEST TREND OF REACTIVATED CALDERA MARGIN FAULT PROBABLY ACTIVE DURING EARLIER CALDERA FORMATION BUT LATER BURIED BY VISCOUS FISHER QUARTZ LATITE FLOWS DEPOSITED DURING POST-DOMING MARGINAL VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

Comment (Workings): MINES DEVELOPED BY TUNNELS AND SHAFT; SEVERAL SURFACE PROSPECTS

Comment (Location): ON DIVIDE BETWEEN PALO ALTO AND BIRD CREEK AND ALONG BIRD CREEK 1.2 TO 1.8 MILES SE OF SPAR CITY. S-T-R PROJECTED INTO UNSURVEYED AREA. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SPAR CITY SITE (NW SEC. 22). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Commodity): ORE MINERALS BASED ON PROBABLE SIMILARITY WITH CREEDE DISTRICT

Comment (Deposit): INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR THREE PRINCIPAL PROPERTIES: BIRD CREEK MINE, DENVER TUNNEL, EMMA MINE ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

References

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND LIPMAN, P.W., 1973, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPAR CITY QUADRANGLE, MINERAL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1052.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., 1964, GEOLOGIC SETTING OF THE SPAR CITY DISTRICT, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 475-D, P. D123-D127.

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS

Colorado Mining Photos

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