Gold Anchor Mine

The Gold Anchor Mine is a silver and copper mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,362 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

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Site Name

Primary: Gold Anchor Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Johnny Bull, MS 596
Secondary: Legal Tender, MS 1838
Secondary: Spanking Jack, MS 7047
Secondary: Last Chance, MS 7047
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Gold Anchor
Secondary: Gold Anchor Extension
Secondary: Last Effort
Secondary: Caledonia
Secondary: Rainbow
Secondary: Albion
Secondary: Primrose
Secondary: Cambia
Secondary: Inspiration
Secondary: Owl
Secondary: Owl Nos.1-4

Commodity

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

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pionner (Rico) 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.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Gold Anchor Mining Co.
Home Office: Rico, Co.
Years: 1937 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1890
Year Last Production: 1937
Discovery Year: 1879
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

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Calico Peak Stock, Calico Peak Anticline

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Shallow But Intense Near-Surface Oxidation Of Ores

Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AURIFEROUS PYRITE REPORTEDLY CONTAINED OVER 90 OZ/TON AU. ORE SHIPPED IN 1919 CONTAINED 3.18 OZ/TON AU, 30.27 OZ/TON AG, 16.91% CU, 0.01% ZN. SETTLEMENT ASSAY ON ORE SHIPPED IN 1937 CONTAINED 2.51 OZ/TON AU, 48.9 OZ/TON AG, 3% PB, 12.6% CU, 5.7% ZN. MARR'S (1925) LOW-GRADE ORE SAMPLES FROM SEVERAL DUMPS AND OUTCROPS AVERAGED 0.13 OZ/TON AU, 1.4 OZ/TON AG, 0.2% PB, 0.3% CU. MEDIUM-GRADE ORE AVERAGED 0.4 OZ/TON AU, 16.2 OZ/TON AG, 8.2% CU. HIGH-GRADE ORE (WITH VISIBLE AU) AVERAGED $4000/TON AU (194 OZ/TON AU AT $20.65/OZ), $500/TON AG, AND $20/TON PB, CU, FE, AND S.

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Workings): UPPER TUNNEL IS 550-FT LONG DRIVEN GENERALLY NW. LOWER TUNNEL IS 750-FT CROSSCUT WITH 475-FT DRIFT AND 125-FT RAISE TO JOHNNY BULL WORKINGS.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): MARRS (1925)

Comment (Commodity): OCCURRENCES OF PB, ZN, AND MO APPARENTLY NOT OBSERVED BUT REPORTED IN CDM INF. REPTS.

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1916. NO REPORTS FOR 1917-1918, 1920, 1922-1936, NO PRODUCTION IN 1921 AND AFTER 1937. SOME OF ABOVE PRODUCTION MAY HAVE COME FROM JOHNNY BULL MINE.

Comment (Development): MARRS (1925) NOTES DISCOVERY OF MINES IN 1879 OR 1880 BY AN ITALIAN WHO PRESUMABLY FOUND OXIDIZED ORE AT SURFACE. CLAIM BOUNDARY DISPUTES HELD PROPERTY IDLE AND IN LITIGATION UNTIL 1890 AFTER WHICH VARIOUS LEASEES HIGH-GRADED ORES AND CONDUCTED NO COORDINATED ATTEMPTS AT ORDERLY AND COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPOSITS.

Comment (Deposit): ON NORTH SIDE OF RICO DOME, HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY AND BASALT DIKES INTRUDE CUTLER FM AND OVERLYING DOLORES FM (TRIASSIC). CALICO PEAK STOCK (PLIOCENE) AND RELATED DIKES CUT CUTLER FM. CALICO PEAK ANTICLINE PLUNGES WNW FROM WEST SIDE OF STOCK. AT 450 FT FROM PORTAL, GOLD ANCHOR VEIN STRIKES NORTH-SOUTH, DIPS ABOUT 70 EAST AND CONSISTS OF PORPHYRY DIKE ON HANGING WALL AND EVIDENCE OF METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT OF SANDSTONE BY PYRITE AND TETRAHEDRITE. AT 600 FT FROM PORTAL, SUPPOSED JOHNNY BULL VEIN STRIKES N 50 E, DIPS 50 SE, AND CONSISTS OF THIN SEAM OF SOFT, PYRITE-BEARING SANDSTONE OPENING INTO SMALL CHAMBER OR STOCK ABOUT 10 FT IN DIAMETER. ORE FORMED BY REPLACEMENT OF SANDSTONE AND SHALE ADJACENT TO FISSURE.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT HEAD OF UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF HORSE CREEK 0.35 MILE NE OF CALICO PEAK AND ABOUT 1000 FT SE OF JOHNNY BULL MINE. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM PRATT AND OTHERS (1969). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

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

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

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

Reference (Deposit): MARRS, G.O., 1925, REPORT ON THE GOLD ANCHOR GROUP OF MINES, PIONEER MINING DISTRICT, DOLORES COUNTY, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 8 P.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 596, 1838, 7047

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 358.

Colorado Mining Photos

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