Newman Mines

The Newman Mines is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,209 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: Newman Mines
Secondary: Swansea, Klingender, and Chestnut Tunnels
Secondary: Patented Claims: Swansea, MS 434
Secondary: Chestnut, MS 435
Secondary: Newman, MS 436a

Commodity

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

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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1879
Discovery Year: 1879
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 replacement

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Rhodochrosite To Mn Oxides; Alteration Of Ag Sulfides To Native Ag

Rocks

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

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

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

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Rhodonite
Gangue: Rhodochrosite

Comments

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). MINES LIE ON WEST SLOPE OF NEWMAN HILL (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SWANSEA TUNNEL PORTAL (W2 W2 SE SW SEC. 36), WHOSE LOCATION WAS TRANSFERRED FROM RANSOME (1901, PL. 36) TO MCKNIGHT (1974, PL. 1, 1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Development): HARRY IRVING DISCOVERED NEWMAN HILL ORES AND MADE FIRST SHIPMENTS IN 1879. DISCOVERY LED TO DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENTERPRISE AND RICO-ASPEN MINES.

Comment (Workings): SWANSEA TUNNEL (LOCATED 660 FT S 83 E FROM LEXINGTON TUNNEL) DRIVEN S 75 E TO N 60 E FOR 1030 FT ALONG SWANSEA VEIN; APPROX TOTAL TUNNEL EXTENT 1230 FT. KLINGENDER TUNNEL LOCATED 210 FT SE OF SWANSEA TUNNEL AND DRIVEN GENERALLY NE FOR 770 FT WITH SEVERAL BRANCHES; APPROX TOTAL TUNNEL EXTENT 2300 FT, CONNECTING WITH SWANSEA AND CHESTNUT WORKINGS. CHESTNUT LEVEL CONSISTS OF APPROX 3400 FT OF TUNNEL AND DRIFT ON CHESTNUT AND NEWMAN VEINS. COMPLEX INTERCONNECTING DRIFTS DEVELOPED IN BLANKET ORE ABOVE TUNNELS.

Comment (Deposit): 75 NW, AND IS SOLID BANDED VEIN 8 INCHES THICK WIDENING IN PLACES TO 2-FT WIDE SHEETED ZONE, PARTLY BRECCIATED AND RECEMENTED AND CONTAINING ORE TO 140 FT BELOW BLANKET. VEIN IS CUT OFF BY NNW-TRENDING CUARTO CROSS VEIN. OFFSET TO NW IS SUPPOSED TO BE KLINGENDER VEIN. CUARTO, PRINCIPAL CROSS VEIN, IS BARREN BUT REPORTEDLY FAULTS BLANKET ORE DEVELOPED OVER IT. BLANKET REPLACEMENT ORES BEST DEVELOPED OVER NW VEINS IN SHALE AND SANDSTONE BRECCIA ABOVE BLANKET OR CONTACT LIMESTONE AND IS OVERLAIN BY SHALE. NE VEINS SHOW DISPLACEMENT WHERE CUT BY SOME NW VEINS BUT NO DISPLACEMENT ACROSS OTHERS.

Comment (Deposit): LOWER HERMOSA FM SANDSTONE, SHALE, AND LIMESTONE DIP ABOUT 15 SW AND ARE CUT BY MINERALIZED NW-TRENDING FISSURES AND ESSENTIALLY BARREN NW-TRENDING CROSS FISSURES. PRINCIPAL NE-TRENDING VEINS INCLUDE NORTH SWANSEA, SWANSEA, KLINGENDER, NEWMAN, NEWMAN NO. 2 (EQUIVALENT? TO ENTERPRISE), AND CHESTNUT. NE VERTICAL VEINS AVERAGE 6 TO 8 INCHES WIDE WITH SOME WIDER STOPED AREAS, AND CONTAIN BANDED STRUCTURES OFTEN WITH MEDIAL PLANES OF QUARTZ-LINED VUGS. IN CONTRAST TO ENTERPRISE, NEWMAN ORES ARE FOUND FROM JUST BENEATH OVERLYING BLANKET LIMESTONE TO ONLY 70 TO 80 FT BELOW BLANKET, AND ORE IS OXIDIZED WITH RHODOCHROSITE ALTERING TO MN OXIDES AND ARGENTIFEROUS SULFIDES ALTERING PARTLY TO NATIVE AG. CHESTNUT VEIN CONSISTS OF TWO OR MORE PARALLEL VEINS TRENDING NE AND DIPPING 50 TO 70 NW AND CUT BY SEVERAL NW FISSURES. LODE IS PARTLY SHEETED ZONE OF 3 OR 4 STRINGERS EACH UP TO 3 INCHES WIDE SEPARATED BY SLABS OF COUNTRY ROCK, PARTLY OXIDIZED AND CONTAINING NATIVE AG. NEWMAN VEIN TRENDS NE, DIPS

References

Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 434, 435, 436A&B

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 73-75.

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): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 328-334.

Colorado Mining Photos

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