Atlantic Cable Mine

The Atlantic Cable Mine is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,770 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

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Site Name

Primary: Atlantic Cable Mine
Secondary: Patented Claim: Atlantic Cable
Secondary: Ms 1136

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Gold

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (Rico) District

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.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
Home Office: Salt Lake City, Ut.
Years: 1948 -

Production

Year: 1925
Description: Ap_Grade: ^5.238 Oz/Ton Ag, 8.337% Pb, 15.95% Zn, 0.72% Cu, 0.005 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1943
Description: Ap_Grade: ^10% Pb, 20% Zn, 1.5% Cu
Year: 1927
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.743 Oz/Ton Ag, 8.042% Pb, 12.39% Zn, 0.359% Cu, 0.009 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1926
Description: Ap_Grade: ^5.75 Oz/Ton Ag, 9.9% Pb, 15.85% Zn, 0.57% Cu, 0.005 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1926
Description: Ap_Grade: ^3.82 Oz/Ton Ag, 7.5% Pb, 11.5% Zn, 0.975% Cu, 0.0125 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1945
Material type: ORE PB ZN ACC
Description: Ap_Grade: ^5% Pb, 20% Zn
Year: 1944
Material type: ORE PB ZN ACC
Description: Ap_Grade: ^10% Pb, 25% Zn
Year: 1946
Material type: ORE PB ZN SML
Description: Ap_Grade: ^3 Oz/Ton Ag, 5% Pb, 12% Zn, 0.1% Cu, Trace Au

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1878
Year Last Production: 1946
Discovery Year: 1878
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Canyon Lands

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic replacement

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Smelter Fault, Knob Hill Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Marbleization Of Limestone; Chloritization Of Shale

Rocks

Name: Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE PRODUCED IN 1926 AND 1943-1946 CONTAINED 3 TO 3.82 OZ/TON AG, 7.5 TO 10% PB, 11.5 TO 25% ZN, 0.1 TO 1.5% CU, TRACE AU

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Wollastonite
Gangue: Chert
Gangue: Pyrrhotite

Comments

Comment (Development): BECAUSE ORE WAS EXPOSED ON OUTCROP NEAR RIVER, ATLANTIC CABLE WAS ONE OF FIRST PROFITABLE DISCOVERIES IN DISTRICT.

Comment (Deposit): WIDENING TO 150 FT ON SE END. AT PLACES, UP TO 1 FT OF PB-ZN ORE MARKS CONTACT BETWEEN PYRITE MASS AND MARBLE.

Comment (Workings): ONE SHAFT WITH LEVELS AT 45, 62, AND 183 FT

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON NORTH END OF RICO ON SOUTH SIDE OF SILVER CREEK 450 FT SE OF DOLORES RIVER CONFLUENCE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1925. PRODUCTION IN 1925 CREDITED TO ATLANTIC CABLE, SHAMROCK, AND ENTERPRISE. SECOND FIGURE FOR 1926 AND THAT FOR 1927 CREDITED TO SHAMROCK MINE. PRODUCTION FIGURE FOR 1946 NOT GIVEN IN CDM RECORDS BUT CONSIDERED SMALL. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR ATLANTIC CABLE/SHAMROCK IN 1929-1942 AND AFTER 1946.

Comment (Deposit): NE OF MINE AND EAST OF MONZONITE STOCK SOUTH OF RICO DOME CREST, SMELTER FAULT DISPLACES MISSISSIPPIAN LIMESTONE ON SOUTH AGAINST PRECAMBRIAN GREENSTONE ON NORTH. MISSISSIPPIAN-PENNSYLVANIAN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS INTRUDED BY HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY. MCKNIGHT (1974) DESCRIBES GENERAL CONTACT-METAMORPHIC DEPOSIT AS BASE-METAL SULFIDES IN IRREGULAR PODS SCATTERED THROUGH MASS OF SPECULARITE, MAGNETITE, AND CHLORITE REPLACING LEADVILLE AND OURAY MARBLEIZED LIMESTONES, WITH ABUNDANT PYRITE AND QUARTZ SILICIFICATION. RANSOME (1901) CONTRASTS ATLANTIC CABLE WITH SHAMROCK IN THAT FORMER APPARENTLY CONTAINED NO SPECULARITE AND MAGNETITE BUT RATHER CONTACT-METAMORPHIC SUITE OF CHLORITE, WOLLASTONITE, EPIDOTE, AND CHERT. ORE DOES OCCUR AS ERRATIC PODS AND BUNCHES. MCKNIGHT DESCRIBES SULFIDE BODY CENTRALLY LOCATED IN LARGER MASS OF SPECULARITE, MAGNETITE, AND CHLORITE AND FOLLOWING NW FRACTURES MARKED BY QUARTZ STRINGERS. SULFIDES STOPED FROM PYRITE MASS ABOUT 400 FT LONG AND 40 TO 60 FT WIDE,

References

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 1136

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 395-396.

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 75-76, 95.

Reference (Deposit): PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

Colorado Mining Photos

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