Charlene Prospect

The Charlene Prospect is a mine located in Montezuma county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,439 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: Charlene Prospect
Secondary: Unpatented Claim: Charlene
Secondary: Charlene
Secondary: Twin Canyon
Secondary: Twin Canyon claim
Secondary: Twin Canyons 1-8 claims
Secondary: Charlene Tunnel

Commodity

Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Gold

Location

State: Colorado
County: Montezuma
District: La Plata(California) 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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Charles Hepworth
Info Year: 1949

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Underground
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, Parrott Fault System

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Name: Sandstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: REPRESENTATIVE VEIN SAMPLE CONTAINED 0.30 OZ/TON AU

Materials

Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Deposit): PROSPECT LIES BELOW TOP OF JUNCTION CREEK SANDSTONE, WHICH LOCALLY TRENDS N 75 W, 18 SW. SEVERAL MINOR SLIPS CONTAINING LITTLE GOUGE TREND N 50 TO 70 W, 40 TO 45 SW. ALTHOUGH PROSPECT HAS PRODUCED NO ORE, IT ILLUSTRATES UNUSUAL MODE OF AU OCCURRENCE IN DISTRICT. ROCK IS NOT VISIBLY MINERALIZED BUT SOFT, FRIABLE SANDSTONE YIELDS FREE AU WHEN PANNED.

Comment (Workings): ONE TUNNEL HEADING GENERALLY N 15 E

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIM LIES IN TWIN CANYON BASIN SOUTH OF EAST MANCOS RIVER AND NORTH OF CAVINESS MOUNTAIN, 4.95 MILES SW OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Names): Neubert and others, 1992 (MLA 2-92) p. 87 clears up the name mystery: "The Charlene Mine (recently renamed the Twin Canyon)..." However, the name on the maps and in the literature is Charlene so that is the name used in this database as the current name.

Comment (Deposit): Changed district name from California (La Plata) to La Plata (California) to eliminate confusion with other California districts.

Comment (Deposit): Twin Canyon claim, Twin Canyons 1-8 claims, and Charlene tunnel are all part of this site. Add 10191227 and 10090680 to this record and delete those duplicates.

Comment (Deposit): Twin Canyon and Twin Canyons 1-8 list Silver as an additional commodity. If present, it is minor or trace.

Comment (Production): Record 10191337 (deleted) suggests that the mine may have been operational in 1990, 41 years after PP-219 was published in 1949. This would elevate the Development Status to Past Producer. Record 10239262 (record deleted) seems to verify this: "Fine gold disseminated in Junction Ck. Sandstone. Area was drilled in 1988. Small, unrecorded production in 1990.

Comment (Deposit): From 10239262 (record deleted): "Fine gold disseminated in Junction Ck. Sandstone. Area was drilled in 1988. Small, unrecorded production in 1990.

Comment (Deposit): From 10191337 (record deleted): "Fine gold disseminated in Junction Ck. Sandstone. BP Minerals drilled this area in 1988, and Wes Potts operated the mine intermittently in 1990." This same record includes Twin Canyon claim as a previous name. Not clear if Twin Canyon is part of Charlene or a separate site.

References

Reference (Deposit): Mineral Property File

Reference (Ownership): OWN:OP Wesley F. Potts, Rt. 2, Mancos.

Reference (Deposit): CBM Annual Report 1971

Reference (Deposit): Neubert, J.T., and others, 1992, Mineral Appraisal of the San Juan National Forest, Colorado: USBM MLA 2-92, p. 87-88, fig. 25, p. 84, fig. 28, p. 88.

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, 101

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