Amethyst Mine

The Amethyst Mine is a silver, lead, gold, and zinc mine located in Mineral county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,200 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: Amethyst Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Gold
Primary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Cadmium
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Colorado
County: Mineral
District: Creede 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: Minerals Engineering Co. (Meco)
Home Office: Grand Junction, Co.
Years: 1981 -

Owner Name: Harrison-Western Corp.
Years: 1980 -

Production

Year: 1937
Material type: PB
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.026 Oz/Ton Au, 15.7 Oz/Ton Ag, 1.5% Pb, 0.5% Zn
Year: 1937
Material type: ORE AG PB
Description: Ap_Grade: ^18 Oz/Ton Ag, 1.7% Pb
Year: 1938
Material type: AG
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.092 Oz/Ton Au, 15.4 Oz/Ton Ag, 5.9% Pb, 0.008% Zn, 0.001% Cu

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1891
Year Last Production: 1976
Discovery Year: 1891
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

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; La Garita, Creede, And Bachelor Calderas

Type: L
Description: Creede Graben; Amethyst Fault Zone

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Chloritization, Silicification, Argillization; Fe-Mn Oxides

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: OXIDIZED ORE FROM LEVEL 4 CARRIED 50 TO 100 OZ/TON AG AND SMALL % OF PB, LITTLE AU. ON LOWER LEVELS (BELOW 6) ORE CARRIED 5 TO 10% PB, 8 TO 10 OZ/TON AG, $1 TO $2/TON AU. BASED ON ORE PRODUCTION RECORDS FOR 1919-1944, ORES RAN 0.026 TO 0.08 OZ/TON AU, 15 TO 148 OZ/TON AG, 0.9 TO 3.3% PB, LESS THAN 0.01% ZN AND CU.

Materials

Ore: Greenockite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Tennantite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Silver
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Jarosite
Gangue: Wad
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Goslarite
Gangue: Amethyst
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Workings): AMETHYST SHAFT 1283 FT LONG ON INCLINE, FOLLOWS AMETHYST VEIN BUT IS INCLINED 3 OR 4 DEG SOUTH OF VEIN DIP. 12 LEVELS TURNED AT 100- TO 200-FT INTERVALS ON INCLINE. LEVEL 13 IS NELSON-WOOSTER-HUMPHREYS TUNNEL. AN 870-FT TUNNEL WAS DRIVEN N83W TO CONNECT WITH LEVEL 5 ABOUT 350 FT (VERT.) BELOW SHAFT COLLAR. TOTAL EXTENT OF ALL LEVELS, DRIFTS, AND CROSSCUTS UNKNOWN BUT LIKELY EXCEEDS 2.5 MILES. PARTIAL MEASUREMENT OF MAPPED WORKINGS ON AMETHYST 5 LEVEL INCLUDES 870-FT PORTAL TUNNEL, 3300 FT DRIFT ON AMETHYST VEIN, 6300 FT DRIFT ON OH VEIN, 1350 FT DRIFT ON WINCHESTER VEIN, 4900 FT OTHER DRIFTS, 8200 FT CROSSCUTS.

Comment (Location): S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV DETERMINED FROM EMMONS AND LARSEN'S (1923) TOPO MAP (1:24,000). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ABOVE W. WILLOW CR. NORTH OF BACHELOR MTN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Comment (Development): AMETHYST WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MINES TO PRODUCE IN CREEDE DISTRICT AND EVENTUALLY BECAME ONE OF THE LARGEST, LONGEST OPERATING, AND RICHEST MINES IN DISTRICT. AS SHAFTS WERE SUNKER DEEPER ON AMETHYST VEIN, MUCH WATER ENCOUNTERED. IN EARLY 1890S, NELSON TUNNEL CO. ORGANIZED AND BEGAN DRIVING TUNNEL NORTHWARD ALONG VEIN TO PROVIDE DRAINAGE, TO INTERSECT OTHER VEINS AT DEPTH, AND ULTIMATELY TO PROVIDE ORE HAULAGE ROUTE. IN 1942 AMETHYST CONSOLIDATED WITH COMMODORE AND OTHER WORKINGS INTO EMPERIUS MINE.

Comment (Deposit): PRINCIPAL LODE IS AMETHYST VEIN (ATTITUDE ABOVE). STRONGLY ZONED MINERALIZATION AND ALTERATION CONSIST OF 1) DEEP BASE-METAL SULFIDES AND TETRAHEDRITE-TENNANTITE IN CHLORITE GANGUE WITH LITTLE WALLROCK ALTERATION, 2) MORE ECONOMICAL CENTRAL ZONE WITH VEIN SULFIDES AND ACANTHITE IN QUARTZ-CLAY GANGUE AND DISSEMINATED ORE IN CLOSELY SPACED MICROVEINLETS AND INTERGRANULAR PORE FILLING, VARIABLY ALTERED BY FE-MN OXIDES, 3) UPPER BROAD, IRREGULAR ZONE OF DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION LOCALIZED IN ERRATIC PODS OF LOW-GRADE ORE (BASE-METAL SULFIDES, ARGENTIFEROUS CU AND PB SULFIDES, ANGLESITE, ACANTHITE, GREENOCKITE) IN QUARTZ GANGUE, WITH STRONG ILLITIC-SMECTITIC ALTERATION. PRODUCTIVE HANGING-WALL ANTITHETIC FRACTURES (MAINLY OH, WINCHESTER) BRANCH UPWARD FROM AMETHYST FAULT BUT STRIKE MORE WESTERLY, DIP MORE STEEPLY (SW TO VERTICAL TO NE) AND DIE OUT UPWARD INTO MORE ALTERED ROCK. DENSEST AND MOST INTENSE FRACTURING DEVELOPED INSIDE MAJOR WESTWARD BENDS IN AMETHYST FAULT.

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION HISTORY OF AMETHYST MINE. AMTS. OF METALS FOR 1919, 1920, 1928, 1937, 1938, AND 1944 CALCULATED FROM REPORTED ORE GRADES. IN 1942, AMETHYST PRODUCTION CONSOLIDATED WITH OTHER WORKINGS AND REPORTED AS EMPERIUS MINE.

References

Reference (Deposit): EMMONS, W.H., AND LARSEN, E.S. 1923, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE CREEDE DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 718, 198 P.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND RATTE, J.C., 1965, GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURAL CONTROL OF ORE DEPOSITION IN THE CREEDE DISTRICT, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 487, 90 P.

Reference (Deposit): LINDEMANN, J.W., AND OTHERS, EDS., 1981, FIELD TRIP NOTES, CREEDE MINING DISTRICT, SAN JUAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE, COLORADO: DENVER REGIONAL EXPLORATION GEOLOGISTS SOC. GUIDEBOOK

Reference (Production): CO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.

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