Aurora Mine

The Aurora Mine is a silver and gold mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,951 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: Aurora Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Jim Smith, MS 1960
Secondary: Aurora, MS 1961
Secondary: Jewel, MS 1962
Secondary: Aurora Claims Group

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Tellurium
Tertiary: Copper

Location

State: Colorado
County: La Plata
District: California (La Plata) 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
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1882
Discovery Year: 1882
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: Navajo Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform

Type: L
Description: La Plata Dome, Lewis Mtn Diorite Stock

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Kaolinitization

Rocks

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

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Eocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF DUMP ORE CONTAINED 0.16 OZ/TON AU AND 0.36 OZ/TON AG. WAYT'S ASSAY OF VEIN SAMPLE FROM SURFACE CONTAINED 5 OZ/TON AU AND 8 OZ/TON AG.

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1880S

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON EAST SLOPE OF LEWIS MTN-SNOWSTORM PEAK ALONG UPPER RUBY GULCH, 3.95 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Development): CLAIM GROUP WORKED AS EARLY AS 1882, LATER IN 1900, PRODUCING ONLY SMALL LOTS OF ORE. CLAIMS SURVEYED IN 1884, PATENTED IN 1887.

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND BY DIORITE FROM LEWIS MTN STOCK. AT SURFACE, AURORA VEIN TRENDS N 58 TO 72 E, AND MARKED BY NARROW ZONE OF FE-STAINED AND DECOMPOSED ROCK: NEAR ADIT VEIN IS 1 TO 2 FT WIDE AND COMPOSED OF SHEARED DIORITE WITH QUARTZ, PYRITE, SOME BARITE. ORE IN SHAFT WAS 0.5 TO 2 FT WIDE AND COMPOSED OF TELLURIDE-BEARING QUARTZ.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY 27-FT SHAFT AND TWO TUNNELS. UPPER CROSSCUT ADIT DRIVEN N 65 W FOR 80 FT, THENCE N 50 W FOR 90 FT THROUGH AURORA VEIN, ON WHICH DRIFT DRIVEN S 70 TO 85 W FOR 70 FT TO CAVED AREA. LOWER ADIT LOCATED 340 FT SE OF AND ABOUT 220 FT BELOW UPPER ADIT, DRIVEN N 40 W FOR 450 FT, THENCE N 20 W FOR 50 FT TO VEIN; 160-FT BRANCH TUNNEL AND DRIFTS DRIVEN WEST AND SW AT 245 FT FROM PORTAL.

References

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1960, 1961, 1962

Reference (Deposit): WAYT, L.M., (NO DATE), STATEMENT CONCERNING THE AURORA GROUP LODE CLAIMS, LA PLATA COUNTY, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 1 P.

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 73-76, 88-89.

Colorado Mining Photos

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