Sinbad District

The Sinbad District is a copper and silver mine located in Mesa county, Colorado at an elevation of 5,801 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: Sinbad District
Secondary: Patented Claims: Princess Nos. 1-2, MS 17971
Secondary: Pyramid Nos. 1-4, MS 17971
Secondary: Derby Nos. 1-4, MS 17971
Secondary: Kentucky Boy Nos. 1-3, MS 17971
Secondary: Thoroughbred Nos. 1-4, MS 17971

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Chromium

Location

State: Colorado
County: Mesa
District: Sinbad 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: Colorado Copper Co.
Years: 1945 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1908
Year Last Production: 1942
Discovery Year: 1906
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Canyon Lands

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Paradox Basin Fold And Fault Belt, La Sal Centers

Type: L
Description: Sinbad Valley Anticline, Sinbad Valley Graben, Salt Creek Graben

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Cu Sulfide To Carbonate

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: USBM SAMPLES FROM BOTH UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE WORKINGS SHOWED CU VALUES GENERALLY UP TO 4 OR 5 % CU, GENERALLY LESS THAN 0.20 % CR203. COPPER RIVET ORE IN 1942 CONTAINED 9 % CU AND 4 OZ/TON AG.

Materials

Ore: Bornite
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ONLY PATENTED CLAIMS IN DISTRICT WERE THOSE OF PYRAMID GROUP, ASSIGNED TO SINBAD DISTRICT. INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR PRINCIPAL PROPERTIES: COLORADO NO. 3 CLAIM, COPPER RIVET MINE, PYRAMID GROUP, AND SINBAD GROUP. ADDITIONAL REFERENCE: (11) WEIR, G.W., AND PUFFETT, W.P., 1981, INCOMPLETE MANUSCRIPT ON STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND URANIUM-VANADIUM AND COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE LISBON VALLEY AREA, UTAH-COLORADO: USGS OPEN-FILE REPT. OF-81-39. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 4 OTHER SRC

Comment (Workings): MINES DEVELOPED BY ADITS AND OPEN CUTS

Comment (Development): LITTLE HISTORICAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR DISTRICT. CU NOTED IN SINBAD VALLEY BEFORE 1900, BUT FIRST CLAIMS (PYRAMID GROUP) APPARENTLY NOT SURVEYED UNTIL 1906. SMALL PRODUCTION FROM LEACH PLANT AT PYRAMID GROUP FROM 1908-1916. COPPER RIVET MINE WORKED ABOUT SAME TIME AND AGAIN IN 1940 AND 1942. COLORADO COPPER COMPANY ACQUIRED PROPERTIES IN 1942. PROSPECTS EXAMINED BY USBM IN 1942 AND 1945.

Comment (Location): DISTRICT LIES WITHIN SINBAD VALLEY, MAJOR SALT ANTICLINE VALLEY ALONG NE MARGIN OF PARADOX BASIN AND NEXT TO UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU, AND DRAINED BY SALT CREEK, TRIBUTARY JOINING DOLORES RIVER ABOUT 16.5 MILES NW OF URAVAN. VALLEY BOUNDED ON NORTH BY JOHN BROWN MESA, ON EAST BY SEWEMUP MESA, AND ON SOUTH BY SINBAD RIDGE. DISTRICT ALSO EXTENDS ONTO JUANITA ARCH (1960) AND ROC CREEK (1960) QUADS. DISTRICT ACCESSIBLE VIA ROAD UP SALT CREEK SW FROM COLORADO RTE 141 AND DOLORES RIVER; VIA JEEP TRAIL OVER NW RIM SOUTH FROM JOHN BROWN CREEK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR APPROXIMATE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF SINBAD VALLEY (NW NE SEC. 17, T49N. R19W). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Deposit): SINBAD VALLEY IS NW-SE-TRENDING SALT ANTICLINE ALONG NE MARGIN OF PARADOX BASIN AND NEXT TO UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU. PENNSYLVANIAN EVAPORITES OF PARADOX MEMBER OF HERMOSA FM ARE DEFORMED IN CENTER OF VALLEY AND IN PLACES ARE FAULTED AGAINST TRIASSIC-JURASSIC RED BEDS. GRABEN FAULTS, MORE COMPLEX ON SW MARGIN, DOWNDROP SEDIMENTS INTO VALLEY. SALT CREEK GRABEN TRENDS NE AT RIGHT ANGLE TO AND FROM NE MARGIN OF VALLEY. CU SULFIDES OCCUR AS VEINS IN FISSURES AND FRACTURES ASSOCIATED WITH GRABEN STRUCTURE WHERE THEY CUT FAVORABLE CLASTICS AND LIMESTONE. ORES ARE PRIMARILY CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE, AND LUZONITE, OXIDIZED TO CARBONATES. HOST ROCKS INCLUDE LIMESTONE IN PARADOX MBR OF HERMOSA FM, CONGLOMERATE AND SHALE IN CUTLER FM (PERMIAN), CHINLE FM (TRIASSIC), AND TRIASSIC-JURASSIC? WINGATE SANDSTONE. DISSEMINATED CU SULFIDES OCCUR IN WINGATE SANDSTONE AND KAYENTA FM ALONG FAULTS AT SE END OF VALLEY. ORE CONSISTS OF CHALCOCITE, MALACHITE, AND AZURITE IMPREGNATING SANDSTONE IN LAYERS AND SMALL

Comment (Deposit): IRREGULAR BODIES. OCCURRENCE OF AG UNCERTAIN BUT IF SIMILAR TO OTHER CU-AG DEPOSITS IN REGION, IS PROBABLY CONTAINED IN ONE OF IRREGULAR BODIES. OCCURRENCE OF AG UNCERTAIN BUT IF SIMILAR TO OTHER CU-AG DEPOSITS IN REGION, IS PROBABLY CONTAINED IN ONE OF CU SULFIDES.

References

Reference (Deposit): SHOEMAKER, E.M., 1955, GEOLOGY OF THE JUANITA ARCH QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-81.

Reference (Deposit): SHOEMAKER, E.M., 1955, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ROC CREEK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-83.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO STATE MINERAL RESOURCES BD., P. 141-142.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 17971

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

Reference (Deposit): CATER, F.W., 1970, GEOLOGY OF THE SALT ANTICLINE REGION IN SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 637.

Reference (Deposit): COFFIN, R.C., 1921, RADIUM, URANIUM, AND VANADIUM DEPOSITS OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: CGS BULL. 16, P. 219-220.

Reference (Deposit): HOLMES, R.V., AND HARRER, C.M., 1952, INVESTIGATION OF THE COLORADO COPPER CO. PROPERTIES, MESA AND MONTROSE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USBM RI-4869.

Reference (Deposit): FISCHER, R.P., 1936, PECULIAR HYDROTHERMAL COPPER-BEARING VEINS OF THE NORTHEASTERN COLORADO PLATEAU: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 31, NO. 6, P. 593.

Reference (Deposit): SCHWOCHOW, S.D., 1978, MINERAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF MESA COUNTY, A MODEL STUDY; CGS RESOURCE SER. 2, P. 14-16.

Colorado Mining Photos

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