Rio Grande Claims

The Rio Grande Claims is a uranium mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,879 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: Rio Grande Claims  

State:  Colorado

County:  Hinsdale

Elevation: 9,879 Feet (3,011 Meters)

Commodity: Uranium

Lat, Long: 37.76444, -107.38833

Map: View on Google Maps

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.


Satelite image of the Rio Grande Claims

Rio Grande Claims MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Rio Grande Claims
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Rio Grande 1-10


Commodity

Primary: Uranium


Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Rio Grande Reservoir Area


Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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

Owner Name: C. C. Wetherill


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

Not available


Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Ute Creek Caldera, Lost Lake Caldera; Unnamed Fault


Alterations

Not available


Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1460.000000+-
Dating Method: U-Pb (zircon)
Material Analyzed: Zircon
Age Young: Precambrian

Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1460.000000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Precambrian

Name: Granite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1466.000000+-
Dating Method: Rb-Sr
Age Young: Precambrian

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

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mesoproterozoic


Analytical Data

Analytical Data: STEVEN AND OTHERS' SAMPLE CONTAINED 0.13% U308
Analytical Data: BACKGROUND RADIATION 0.05 MR/HR, RANGE 0.2 TO 0.3 MR/HR


Materials

Not available


Comments

Comment (Workings): BULLDOZER TRENCHING

Comment (Location): ON SOUTH SIDE OF ROAD 2.1 MILES WEST OF RIO GRANDE RESERVOIR. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Development): LOCAL RANCHERS DISCOVERED RADIOACTIVE ANOMALY, BUT CONSIDERABLE TRENCHING FAILED TO SHOW ORE-GRADE MATERIAL, AND CLAIMS WERE ABANDONED.

Comment (Deposit): ANOMALY WAS ABOVE-BACKGROUND RADIOACTIVITY IN FRACTURES(?) IN SMALL OUTCROP OF PRECAMBRIAN EOLUS GRANITE BENEATH THICK, INTRACALDERA UTE RIDGE TUFF IN UTE CREEK CALDERA. THICK INTRACALDERA SECTION OF TUFF AND THIN OUTFLOW SHEET SUGGEST SUBSIDENCE OF CALDERA CONCURRENT WITH ERUPTION. SUBSIDENCE RIM ON EAST NOTED BY STEVEN AND LIPMAN (1976), BUT LACK OF RING FRACTURE ON WEST SUGGESTS TRAP-DOOR COLLAPSE. LATER INTRUSIVES ALONG SOUTH RIM ON UTE CREEK AND ALONG WNW-TRENDING FAULT ACROSS RIVER VALLEY SW OF DEPOSIT. CALDERA IS TANGENTIAL ON EAST WITH LATER, BURIED LOST LAKE CALDERA.


References

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITOVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 113-114.

Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 180.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DURANGO QUADRANGLE, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-764.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, CALDERAS OF THE SAN JUAN VOLCANIC FIELD, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 958, P. 7-10.


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