Upper Star of the West Mine

The Upper Star of the West Mine is a iron mine located in Costilla county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,469 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: Upper Star of the West Mine
Secondary: Iron Mine

Commodity

Primary: Iron
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Silver

Location

State: Colorado
County: Costilla
District: Grayback (Russell) 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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Trinchera (Estate) ; Winfield Ripley
Years: 1910 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Replacement
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1881
Year Last Production: 1883
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

Model Name: Skarn Fe

Orebody

Form: TABULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Sierra Blanca Massif, Ft. Garland Embayment

Type: L
Description: Vega Cr. Anticline, Wagon Mesa Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

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

Name: Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AVERAGE OF FOUR ANALYSES ON ENTIRE IRON DEPOSIT YIELDED 53.78 % FE AND 0.931 % P. SAMPLE ACROSS IRON BED ASSAYED $3.20/TON AU AND $0.25/TON AG USBM ANALYSIS DATED 8/14/57 YIELDED 57.60 % FE, 0.03 % P, 0.38 % S, 8.0 % SIO2, 0.20 % MN

Materials

Ore: Hematite
Ore: Magnetite

Comments

Comment (Location): ALTHOUGH DISTRICT ACTUALLY IS IN UNSURVEYED PRIVATE LAND GRANT, SECTIONS REPORTED ARE BASED ON PATTON AND OTHERS' (1910) MAP RATHER THAN PROJECTIONS FROM ADJACENT QUADS. LAT-LONG AND ELEVATIONS DETERMINED FROM TOPO QUAD. MINE OR CLAIM LIES 600 FT SW OF SUMMIT OF GRAYBACK MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Comment (Development): CF&I CO. FIRST MINED THE DEPOSIT IN 1881 AND THRU 1882 PRODUCED 14,725 ST OF ORE. TOTAL PRODUCTION THRU 1883 PROBABLY DID NOT EXCEED 20,000 ST. OPERATION WAS DISCONTINUED AS CHARACTER OF ORE CHANGED TO SULFIDES

Comment (Deposit): IRON ORE REPLACES CALCITE IN CONTACT-METAMORPHOSED LIMESTONE ALONG SOUTHWEST EDGE OF INTRUSION. IRON ORE AND LIMESTONE OBSERVED IN SHARP NEAR-VERTICAL CONTACT WITH PORPHYRY. ORE BED UNDERLAIN BY BROWN CRYSTALLINE LIMESTONE AND OVERLAIN BY 10-FT-THICK ZONE OF SILICIFIED LIMESTONE AND SHALE PARTIALLY REPLACED BY EPIDOTE, ANDRADITE GARNET, CHLORITE, ACTINOLITE.

Comment (Workings): INCLINED ADIT DRIVEN N60E FOR 200 FT, THENCE S30E FOR 50 FT TO ORE BODY. UPRAISE DRIVEN TO CONNECT WITH OPEN WORKINGS ABOVE. STOPES MINED TO HEIGHT OF 7 FT

References

Reference (Deposit): WARNER, L.A., AND OTHERS, 1959, OCCURRENCES OF NONPEGMATITIC BERYLLIUM IN THE UNITED STATES: USGS PROF. PAPER 318, P. 165.

Reference (Deposit): HARRER, C.M., AND TESCH, W.J., JR., 1959, RECONNAISSANCE OF IRON OCCURRENCES IN COLORADO: USBM IC-7918, P. 22.

Reference (Deposit): PATTON, H.B., AND OTHERS, 1910, GEOLOGY OF THE GRAYBACK MINING DISTRICT, COSTILLA COUNTY, COLORADO: CGS BULL. 2.

Colorado Mining Photos

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