Chipeta District

The Chipeta District is a gold and silver mine located in Montrose county, Colorado at an elevation of 4,993 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: Chipeta District
Secondary: Patented Claims: Spear Placer, MS 1989
Secondary: New Fisherman Placer, MS 5303
Secondary: New Washington City Placer, MS 5303
Secondary: New Boston Placer, MS 5303
Secondary: New River Bend Placer, MS 5303
Secondary: Armstrong Placer, MS 5586
Secondary: Hodges Placer, MS 5586
Secondary: Logan Placer, MS 5586
Secondary: Cress Placer, MS 5586
Secondary: Pratt Placer, MS 1988
Secondary: Mcintyre Placer, MS 1990
Secondary: Wiswell Placer, MS 1991
Secondary: Chipeta Placer District

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Colorado
County: Montrose
District: Chipeta District

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1884
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 Fold And Fault Belt, Uncompahgre Uplift

Type: L
Description: Nucla Syncline

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Sand and Gravel
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Silver

Comments

Comment (Location): CLAIMS LIE ALONG SAN MIGUEL RIVER FROM VICINITY OF COAL CANYON AND BOX CANYON, THROUGH URAVAN, TO POINT ABOUT 1.5 MILES ABOVE DOLORES RIVER CONFLUENCE. DISTRICT ACCESSIBLE VIA COLORADO RTE 141 ALONG SAN MIGUEL AND DOLORES RIVERS NW FROM NATURITA AND SE FROM GATEWAY. DISTRICT EXTENDS ONTO ATKINSON CREEK (1960) AND RED CANYON (1960) QUADS. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR URAVAN BENCHMARK (C W2 SEC. 34, T48N, R17W). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Development): LITTLE HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT DISTRICT. SPEAR PLACER SURVEYED IN 1884, WITH OTHERS SURVEYED IN 1888-1889. BULK OF PRODUCTION (CONSIDERED SMALL) PROBABLY TOOK PLACE IN LATE 1880S TO 1890S WHEN VIXEN DISTRICT PLACERS DOWNSTREAM WERE DEVELOPED. POSSIBLY SOME SMALL INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION THROUGH 1930S, BUT COUNTY PLACER PRODUCTION STATISTICS DO NOT DISTINGUISH DISTRICTS.

Comment (Deposit): SAN MIGUEL RIVER HAS DISSECTED NEARLY FLAT-LYING MORRISON FM (JURASSIC) SEDIMENTS, LEAVING TERRACE GRAVELS AND VERY NARROW OR NO FLOOD-PLAIN ALLUVIUM. UPPER RIM OF ADJACENT AREAS CAPPED BY BURRO CANYON FM AND DAKOTA SANDSTONE (EARLY CRETACEOUS). NEAR URAVAN, FLOOD-PLAIN WIDENS SLIGHTLY TO PERMIT SOME MEANDERING. PARKER (1974) MENTIONS TERRACES IN SW PART OF T47N, R16W (ABOVE URAVAN) AS 37 TO 53 FT ABOVE RIVER, WITH BEDROCK AT 20 TO 50 FT ABOVE RIVER. CATER AND OTHERS' (1955) GEOLOGIC MAP SHOWS LOWER MORE EXTENSIVE TERRACE LEVEL GENERALLY AT 20 TO 60 FT ABOVE RIVER. LESS EXTENSIVE TERRACE REMNANTS LIE ON BOTH SIDES OF VALLEY AT 80 TO 120 FT ABOVE RIVER AND APPEAR TO BE COMPOSED PARTIALLY OF ALLUVIAL FAN MATERIAL DERIVED FROM TRIBUTARY GULCHES. TWO REMNANTS OF STILL HIGHER AND OLDER TERRACE LIE AT 200 TO 240 FT ABOVE RIVER. MOST LIKELY ONLY FLOOD-PLAIN AND LOWER TERRACE LEVELS WERE ACTIVELY WORKED DUE TO (1) DIFFICULTY OF ELEVATING WATER TO HIGHER BENCHES AND (2) DILUTION EFFECT HIGHER

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSITS (ALLUVIAL FAN ORIGIN). PRINCIPAL BENCHES PROBABLY CONTROLLED BY POSITION OF HARD RESISTANT LAYERS IN SALT WASH AND BRUSHY BASIN MEMBERS OF MORRISON FM, PERMITTING EASY WORKING AND CLEANING OF GRAVEL BEDROCK CONTACT. GOLD DERIVED FROM MINERALIZED AREAS AROUND TELLURIDE, OPHIR, AND TO LESSER EXTENT FROM MT WILSON.

Comment (Deposit): NO INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED DUE TO LACK OF DESCRIPTIONS OF OPERATIONS AND UNCERTAINTY OF EXACT LOCATIONS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

References

Reference (Deposit): PARKER, B.H., JR., 1974, GOLD PLACERS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES QUART., V. 69, NO. 4, P. 172-184.

Reference (Deposit): CATER, F.W., JR., AND OTHERS, 1955, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE URAVAN QUADRANGLE, COLORADO; USGS MAP GQ-78.

Reference (Deposit): MCKAY, E.J., 1955, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ATKINSON CREEK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-57.

Reference (Deposit): MCKAY, E.J., 1955, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RED CANYON QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-58.

Reference (Deposit): , 1988, 1990, 1991

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1989, 5303, 5586

Colorado Mining Photos

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