Wager Gulch Limonite Deposit

The Wager Gulch Limonite Deposit is a iron mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,699 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: Wager Gulch Limonite Deposit

Commodity

Primary: Iron

Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Carson 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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1875
Year Last Production: 1875
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, Carson Volcano

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Fe Sulfide To Limonite

Rocks

Name: Alluvium
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): LIMONITE OCCURS AS VARIETY OF YELLOW, RED, AND BROWN HYDROUS FE OXIDES IN BOG DEPOSIT STILL BEING FORMED. DEPOSIT VARIES IN COMPOSITION, TEXTURE, AND FE CONTENT. FE APPARENTLY TAKEN INTO SOLUTION BY METEORIC WATERS THAT PASS THROUGH OXIDIZING FE-SULFIDE-BEARING ROCKS AND VEINS. WATER ISSUES FROM BASE OF CLIFFS AS FERRUGINOUS SPRINGS FROM WHICH FE IS PRECIPITATED AS LIMONITE BOG IRON IN SWAMPY GULCH BOTTOM.

Comment (Workings): SURFACE CUT

Comment (Location): DEPOSIT REPORTEDLY LIES ABOVE FORKS OF WAGER GULCH ABOUT ONE MILE BELOW CARSON. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR CONFLUENCE OF WAGER GULCH AND WEST FORK IN NE NE SEC. 24. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Development): SMALL AMOUNT OF BOG IRON ORE WAS MINED IN LATE 1800S FOR USE AS NONFERROUS SMELTER FLUX IN LAKE CITY.

References

Reference (Deposit): HARRER, C.M., AND TESCH, W.J., JR., 1959, RECONNAISSANCE OF IRON OCCURRENCES IN COLORADO: USBM IC-7918, P. 44.

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): LARSEN, E.S., 1911, THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF CARSON CAMP, HINSDALE COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 470, P. 30-38.

Colorado Mining Photos

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