Black Crook Mine

The Black Crook Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,000 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: Black Crook Mine
Secondary: Ilma Mine
Secondary: Ilma-Hiwassee Group
Secondary: Patented Claims: Hiwassee, MS 8651
Secondary: Black Crook, MS 11119
Secondary: Ilma, MS 11119
Secondary: Altair, MS 11119
Secondary: Precious Metals, MS 11119
Secondary: Palmer, MS 11235
Secondary: Gold King, MS 11591
Secondary: Florence, MS 12345
Secondary: New Year, MS 12680

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Manganese

Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Lake (Lake City) 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

Owner Name: Archie Steinbeck
Home Office: Gunnison, Co.
Years: 1975 -

Owner Name: D And D Construction, Inc.
Home Office: Golden, Co.
Years: 1975 -

Production

Year: 1884
Description: Ap_Grade: ^Average 21 Oz/Ton Ag, 3 Oz/Ton Au
Year: 1927
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.286 Oz/Ton Au, 10.75 Oz/Ton Ag, 20.4 % Pb, 24.85 % Zn

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1953
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression

Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Black Crook Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Ag-Bearing Cu And Pb Sulfide To Pyrargyrite And Native Ag

Rocks

Name: Rhyodacite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Rhyodacite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Rhyodacite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Silver
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Rhodochrosite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): MINE LOCATED ON EAST RIM OF LAKE CITY CALDERA ON NORTH-SOUTH-TRENDING CONCENTRIC FAULT IN SLACK'S (1980) BARITE/PRECIOUS METALS ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-SPHALERITE ZONE. CALDERA WALL TRUNCATES SEQUENCE OF UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA MOAT-FILL ROCKS, CONSISTING OF HENSON MBR QUARTZ LATITE, VOLCANICLASTICS (TUFFACEOUS SANDSTONE AND SHALE), AND UNCOMPAHGRE PEAK QUARTZ LATITE, THIS AREA OF LAKE CITY CALDERA FILLED BY RED MOUNTAIN QUARTZ LATITE INTRUDED ALONG RING FRACTURE AND PARTLY OVERLAIN BY GRASSY MOUNTAIN QUARTZ LATITE. PRINCIPAL VEIN IS ILMA VEIN, TRENDING GENERALLY NORTH-SOUTH, BUT WITH LOCAL ANGULAR DEVIATIONS, DIPPING 70 W AT SURFACE, SHALLOWING TO 45 TO 50W, THEN STEEPENING TO 58 W IN LOWEST WORKINGS (IRVING AND BANCROFT, 1911). FOOTWALL FREQUENTLY SEPARATED FROM VEIN BY STRONG SELVAGE LAYER. VEIN BRANCHES FROM HANGING WALL AND IS COMPOSED OF SERIES OF SHEETING PLANES, OFTEN BRECCIATED, AND REPLACED BY ORE AND GANGUE. VEIN OFFSET BY EAST-WEST-TRENDING BLACK CROOK FAULT. MASSIVE,

Comment (Location): CLAIMS LIE ON HILLSIDE WEST OF NORTH END OF LAKE SAN CRISTOBAL, ADJOINING GOLDEN FLEECE MINE WORKINGS. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PORTAL OF SECOND LEVEL TUNNEL, SE NE SE SEC. 16. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR OTHER YEARS. MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S. VOLUMES REPORT MINE PRODUCTION IN 1913, 1919-1921, 1949, 1950 (SMELTER DUMP), AND 1953; PRODUCTION NOT REPORTED SEPARATELY BUT COMBINED WITH THAT OF OTHER LAKE DISTRICT MINES. PRODUCTION IN 1884 CITED BY IRVING AND BANCROFT (FROM U.S. MINE REPORT).

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL CROSSCUT TUNNELS DRIVEN WEST AND SW FROM SURFACE AND BY DEEP CROSSCUT TUNNEL FROM GOLDEN FLEECE MINE. AT 1950 FT FROM PORTAL OF GOLDEN FLEECE TUNNEL, DE CAMP CROSSCUT DRIVEN N 52 W FOR ABOUT 750 FT, THENCE INTO WEST BRANCH AT N 80 W FOR 510 FT AND INTO NORTH BRANCH AT N 25 W FOR 620 FT. ABOUT 1450 FT OF MAIN DRIFT ON HIWASSEE VEIN DEVELOPED OFF WEST AND NORTH BRANCHES. AT 160 FT NORTH OF WEST BRANCH OF MAIN DRIFT, 100-FT WINZE SUNK TO LOWER WORKINGS, CONSISTING OF 240-FT NORTH-NNE DRIFT. AT 100 FT NORTH OF WEST BRANCH ON MAIN DRIFT, RAISE DRIVEN ABOUT 470 FT ON VEIN TO CONNECTING LEVEL DRIFT OF UPPER WORKINGS. UPPER CROSSCUT DRIVEN GENERALLY N 85 W FOR 480 FT TO VEIN, THENCE AS FIRST LEVEL DRIFT 300 FT TO SOUTH AND 450 FT TO NORTH. AT 40 FT NORTH OF UPPER CROSSCUT ON FIRST DRIFT, MAIN SHAFT SUNK 500 FT, WITH STOPED 360-FT INTERMEDIATE LEVEL DRIFT AT 80 FT; 660-FT SECOND LEVEL DRIFT AT 150 FT; 40-FT THIRD LEVEL DRIFT AT 250 FT; 380-FT FOURTH LEVEL DRIFT AT 340

Comment (Deposit): IRREGULAR ORE REPLACES SHEETED ROCK RATHER THAN FILLING OPEN SPACES. ORE CHARACTERIZED BY ABUNDANT SPHALERITE, PYRARGYRITE, AND BY BROWNISH-GREEN, MASSIVE, FINE-GRAINED AURIFEROUS PYRITE KNOWN AS BROWN IRON.

Comment (Workings): FT; 30-FT FIFTH LEVEL DRIFT AT 440 FT; 70-FT COMMECTING LEVEL DRIFT AT BOTTOM (500 FT). SHAFT ALSO EXTENDS 180 FT ABOVE FIRST LEVEL TO 90-FT DRIFT DEVELOPED OFF 200-FT CAPEL CROSSCUT, DRIVEN N 83 W FROM SURFACE. FIRST CROSSCUT PORTAL LOCATED 910 FT N 29 W FROM UPPER CROSSCUT PORTAL, DRIVEN GENERALLY SSW FOR 180 FT TO 290-FT FIRST HIWASSEE DRIFT, WHOSE SOUTH END CONNECTED BY SHORT WINZE TO NORTH END OF FIRST LEVEL DRIFT. SECOND CROSSCUT PORTAL, LOCATED 1050 FT N 18 W OF UPPER CROSSCUT PORTAL, DRIVEN GENERALLY SW FOR 375 FT TO 330-FT SECOND HIWASSEE DRIFT, WHOSE SOUTH END CONNECTED BY SHORT WINZE TO NORTH END OF SECOND LEVEL DRIFT. THIRD CROSSCUT PORTAL, LOCATED 1200 FT NORTH OF UPPER CROSSCUT PORTAL, DRIVEN GENERALLY SW FOR 340 FT TO FACE. 120-FT THIRD HIWASSEE DRIFT DEVELOPED OFF WINZE FROM SECOND HIWASSEE DRIFT AT 370 FT FROM CROSSCUT; AT SAME POINT, 200-FT RAISE EXTENDS THROUGH FIRST HIWASSEE DRIFT TO SURFACE.

References

Reference (Deposit): SLACK, J.F., 1980, MULTISTAGE VEIN ORES OF THE LAKE CITY DISTRICT, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 75, NO. 7, P. 963-991.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 8651, 11119, 11235, 11591, 12345, 12680

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPT.; IRVING AND BANCROFT (1911); USBM MINERALS YEARBOOK (1953)

Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 111-116.

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-962.

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., AND OTHERS, 1976, MULTIPLE AGES OF MID-TERTIARY MINERALIZATION AND ALTERATION IN THE WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 71, NO. 3, P. 571-588.

Colorado Mining Photos

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