Czar Mine

The Czar Mine is a lead, silver, and gold mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,761 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: Czar Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Capitol City, MS 1148
Secondary: Capitol City No. 2, MS 1149
Secondary: Silver Chord, MS 1251
Secondary: Czarina, MS 1270
Secondary: Czar, MS 2008
Secondary: Broker, MS 11149

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Zinc

Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Galena (Henson Creek) 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: Katherine Pederson
Home Office: Mt. Prospect, Il.
Years: 1968 -

Owner Name: Czar Mining Co.
Home Office: Lake City, Co.
Years: 1968 -

Production

Year: 1904
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42% Pb

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1956
Discovery Year: 1884
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, Eureka Graben

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: GRAB SAMPLE FROM 500-ST DUMP AT ADIT CONTAINED GT 7% AL, 0.03% CA, 2% FE, 0.4% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.1% TI, LT 100 PPM B, 100 PPM CR, 5000 PPM CU, 30 PPM MO, 60000 PPM PB, 20000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, 0.01 OZ/TON AU AND 1.6 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 0.35% CU AND 3.02% PB AND 1.60% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION)
Analytical Data: GRAB SAMPLE FROM 800-ST DUMP AT ADIT CONTAINED GT 7% AL, 0.06% CA, 3% FE, 0.4% MG, 0.1% MN, 0.1% TI, 100 PPM B, LT 1000 PPM BA, 100 PPM CR, 5000 PPM CU, 40 PPM MO, 60000 PPM PB, 20000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, TRACE AU AND 1.4 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 0.32% CU AND 2.16% PB AND 2.00% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION).
Analytical Data: FOLLOWING ARE STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1977) SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES.
Analytical Data: THIRD CARLOAD CONTAINED 14% PB, 39% ZN, 3 TO 4% CU, 0.14 OZ/TON AU (CALCULATED AS ABOVE).
Analytical Data: TWO CARLOAD ORE SHIPMENTS CONTAINED 9 TO 14 OZ/TON AG, 22% PB, 26% ZN, 3% CU, 0.14 OZ/TON AU (REPORTED AS $3/TON, CALCULATED USING AVG. PRICE OF $20.65/OZ).
Analytical Data: CHIP SAMPLE FROM VEIN IN STOPE CONTAINED 1% AL, 3% FE, 0.1% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.01% TI, 100 PPM CR, 30000 PPM CU, 200 PPM MO, LT 0.01% SB, GT 7% PB, 80000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, 0.05 OZ/TON AU AND 11.6 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 1.74% CU AND 19.0% PB AND 4.56% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION).
Analytical Data: GRAB SAMPLE FROM 400-ST DUMP AT ADIT CONTAINED GT 7% AL, 0.2% CA, 3% FE, 0.4% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.05% TI, 100 PPM B, LT 1000 PPM BA, 100 PPM CR, 10000 PPM CU, 70 PPM MO, 60000 PPM PB, 30000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, 0.01 OZ/TON AU AND 2.5 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 0.49% CU AND 5.32% PB AND 3.22% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION).
Analytical Data: CHIP SAMPLE FROM VEIN AT BACK OF ADIT CONTAINED 5% AL, 0.03% CA, 4% FE, 0.1% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.05% TI, 100 PPM B, 100 PPM CR, 5000 PPM CU, 30 PPM MO, 100000 PPM PB, 40000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, 100 PPM BI, 0.01 OZ/TON AU AND 2.5 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 1.01% CU AND 3.20% PB AND 3.74% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION).

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): MINE LIES ON SW SLOPE OF EMPIRE MOUNTAIN EAST OF YELLOWSTONE GULCH AND 0.5 MILE NNE OF CAPITOL CITY SITE. ALTHOUGH PROPERTY HOLDINGS AS OF 1968 INCLUDED THE CAPITOL CITY AND SILVER CHORD CLAIMS, THIS DESCRIPTION IS LIMITED TO CZAR WORKINGS. SEE RECORDS FOR CAPITOL CITY MINE AND FOR SILVER CHORD MINE FOR RESPECTIVE DESCRIPTIONS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES AND EXACT YEARS OF PRODUCTION PRIOR TO 1904 UNKNOWN. PRODUCTION FOR 1953-1956 IS FROM MINERAL YEARBOOKS, WHICH CITED CZAR AS ONLY ACTIVE MINE IN GALENA DISTRICT; THUS, ABOVE FIGURES FOR CZAR MINE ARE SAME FOR DISTRICT OUTPUT IN THOSE YEARS. NO REPORTED PRODUCTION AFTER 1956.

Comment (Deposit): MINE LIES NW OF LAKE CITY CALDERA RIM IN UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA INFILL ROCKS, CONSISTING OF EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE AND BURNS MEMBER QUARTZ LATITE. WEST OF MINE, THIS SEQUENCE IS INTRUDED AND ALTERED BY MONZONITE PORPHYRY AND RHYOLITE PLUGS. VEIN IN UPPER LEVEL TRENDS N 6 E, 60 TO 80 SE, AND IS COMPOSED OF TWO SMALL VEINS, NEITHER OVER 2 FT WIDE (CDM REPORTS VEIN WIDTH OF 5 FT); AVERAGE ORE COURSE IS 3 INCHES, VARYING FROM 0.5 TO 8 INCHES. GALENA THICKLY INTERSPERSED WITH SPHALERITE, BOTH FREQUENTLY CUTTING THROUGH THIN LAYER OF CHALCOPYRITE. VEIN LIES IN SLACK'S (1980) QUARTZ/BASE-METAL ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-CHALCOPYRITE ZONE.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY TWO TUNNELS DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH. 100-FT RAISE FROM LOWER LEVEL CONNECTS WITH SHAFT FROM SURFACE TO 120 FT BELOW FIRST LEVEL. 125-FT NEWER CROSSCUT LOCATED 1200 FT BELOW OLDER WORKINGS.

References

Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 76-77.

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

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): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1148, 1149, 1251, 1270, 2008, 11149

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1977, MINERAL RESOURCES OF STUDY AREAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE UNCOMPAHGRE PRIMITIVE AREA, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1391-E, P. 83, 110-111.

Reference (Production): IRVING AND BANCROFT, 1911, P. 76; USBM MINERAL YEARBOOKS

Colorado Mining Photos

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