Shamrock Mine

The Shamrock Mine is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,750 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: Shamrock Mine
Secondary: Patented Claim: Shamrock
Secondary: Ms 5832

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

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Contact Metamorphic
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1927
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

Not available

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Marbleization Of Limestone

Rocks

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 1925 ORE RESERVE ESTIMATED CITED 5.72 OZ/TON AG, 6% PB, 10.23% ZN. ORE PRODUCED IN 1926-1927 CONTAINED 2.743 TO 5.75 OZ/TON AG, 8.042 TO 9.9% PB, 12.39 TO 15.85% ZN, 0.359 TO 0.57% CU, 0.005 TO 0.009 OZ/TON AU

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Andalusite
Gangue: Cordierite
Gangue: Chlorite

Comments

Comment (Workings): TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY WEST FOR 600 FT, INTERSECTING 70-FT LEVEL OFF 170-FT SHAFT. SECOND LEVEL AT 170 FT IN SHAFT.

Comment (Production): COMPLETE PRODUCTION RECORD UNKNOWN. PRODUCTION REPORTED FROM SHAMROCK IN 1925 COMBINED WITH ATLANTIC CABLE. OTHER PRODUCTION REPORTED FROM SHAMROCK IN 1926 AND 1927. SEE ATLANTIC CABLE MINE RECORD FOR REPORTED PRODUCTION.

Comment (Deposit): 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 SILICIFICATTION. SHAMROCK ORE IS LOCALIZED ON EAST-WEST-TRENDING FRACTURES AND CONTAINS MANGANIFEROUS SIDERITE AND MANGANIFEROUS CALCITE GANGUE.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT BASE OF HILL ON WEST SIDE OF DOLORES RIVER (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

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

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 5832

Colorado Mining Photos

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