Cliff House Group

The Cliff House Group is a uranium and vanadium mine located in Montezuma county, Colorado at an elevation of 5,879 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: Cliff House Group
Secondary: Cliff House
Secondary: Cliff House No. 2
Secondary: And Cliff House No. 4 Prospects

Commodity

Primary: Uranium
Primary: Vanadium
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Colorado
County: Montezuma
District: Mcelmo Creek (Ute Mountains) Area

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Four Corners Uranium Co.
Home Office: Denver, Co.
Years: 1957 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
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

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Paradox Basin, Blanding Basin, Four Corners Platform, San Juan Basin

Type: L
Description: Mcelmo Dome, Mcelmo Anticline, Unnamed Graben

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Fe Oxides, Cu Carbonates

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: LIMONITIC SANDSTONE FROM CLIFF HOUSE PROSPECT CONTAINED 0.038% EQUIV U308 (RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS) AND 0.040% U308 AND 0.16% V205 (CHEMICAL ANALYSIS). LIMONITIC SANDSTONE FROM CLIFF HOUSE NO. 4 CONTAINED 0.053% EQUIV U308 (RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS) AND 0.028% U308 AND L.T. 0.1% V205 (CHEMICAL ANALYSIS).

Materials

Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Marcasite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Pyrolusite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Hematite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ALL PROSPECTS LIE ON BOUNDING FAULTS OF UNNAMED GRABEN ON SW SIDE OF MCELMO DOME. MINERALIZATION AT CLIFF HOUSE PROSPECT LIMITED TO ZONE WHERE SUMMERVILLE FM MUDSTONE AND SANDSTONE DOWNDROPPED AGAINST 4-FT LIMESTONE BED IN NAVAJO SANDSTONE (TRI?-JUR). MINERALIZATION AT CLIFF HOUSE NO. 2 ASSOCIATED WITH LIMONITE-STAINED SANDSTONE IN SUMMERVILLE FM IN FAULT CONTACT WITH ENTRADA SANDSTONE (JUR). MINERALIZATION AT CLIFF HOUSE NO. 4 OCCURS IN SMALL GRABEN (SUBSIDIARY TO PRINCIPAL GRABEN) WHERE RADIOACTIVE UPPER PARTS OF SUMMERVILLE FM AND JUNCTION CREEK SANDSTONE DISPLACED AGAINST LOWER SUMMERVILLE FM. RADIOACTIVITY CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER SUMMERVILLE SANDSTONE BED CONTAINING CONCENTRATION OF LIMONITE, HEMATITE, BARITE, ASPHALTITE, AND CU CARBONATES, AND WITH FAULT BRECCIA ADJACENT TO BED.

Comment (Workings): SURFACE PROSPECT PITS AT ALL SITES, WITH TWO VERY SHORT DRIFTS AT CLIFF HOUSE NO. 4 PROSPECT

References

Reference (Deposit): EKREN, E.B., AND HOUSER, F.N., 1965, GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE UTE MOUNTAINS AREA, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 481, P. 62-64.

Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 281.

Reference (Deposit): EKREN, E.B., AND HOUSER, F.N., 1955, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MOQUI SE QUADRANGLE, MONTEZUMA COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-221.

Colorado Mining Photos

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