Unnamed Thorium Prospects

The Unnamed Thorium Prospects is a thorium mine located in Gunnison county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,839 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: Unnamed Thorium Prospects

Commodity

Primary: Thorium
Secondary: REE
Tertiary: Niobium (Columbium)
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Colorado
County: Gunnison
District: White Earth (Powderhorn) District

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
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: Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Iron Hill Alkalic Complex, Cimarron Fault, Powderhorn Stock

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Fenitization In Granite

Rocks

Name: Intrusive Carbonatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cambrian

Name: Intrusive Carbonatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Thorite
Ore: Monazite
Gangue: Parisite
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Sphalerite
Gangue: Pyrochlore
Gangue: Apatite
Gangue: Phlogopite
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Bastnaesite
Gangue: Galena
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Chalcopyrite

Comments

Comment (Geology): OTHER MINERALS LISTED ABOVE ARE GENERAL OCCURRENCES REPORTED FOR CARBONATITES IN AREA; ALL MAY NOT NECESSARILY OCCUR AT THIS SITE.

Comment (Location): ACROSS RIDGE TOP EAST OF ROAD BEAVER CREEK 4.9 MILES SE OF POWDERHORN AND 2.1 MILES SE OF IRON HILL. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PROSPECT 200 FT SOUTH OF NORTH QUARTER-CORNER SEC. 24. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Commodity): BASE METALS LISTED ABOVE ARE GENERAL OCCURRENCES REPORTED FOR CARBONATITES IN AREA; ALL MAY NOT NECESSARILY OCCUR AT THIS SITE.

Comment (Deposit): CARBONATITE DIKES IN THIS AREA ARE ONE OF FOUR ENVIRONMENTS OF KNOWN TH OCCURRENCE IN THE POWDERHORN-IRON HILL AREA AND ARE RELATED TO EMPLACEMENT OF LATE PRECAMBRIAN OR CAMBRIAN CARBONATITE STOCK AT IRON HILL. MOST DIKES ARE DISTRIBUTED RADIALLY ABOUT STOCK ALTHOUGH SOME SHOW NW-SE TRENDS PARALLEL TO LONG DIMENSION OF ALKALIC COMPLEX. TRENDS ALSO SUGGEST CONTROL BY PREEXISTING FRACTURES IN COMPLEX. ALONG SE MARGIN OF COMPLEX, POWDERHORN GRANITE HAS BEEN FENITIZED AND CARBONATITE DIKE SWARM TRENDS GENERALLY N 45 TO 60 E, SUBPARALLEL TO FOLIATION IN GRANITE AND SUGGESTING PREEXISTING, POSSIBLY CONCENTRIC FRACTURE PATTERN WITH RESPECT TO STOCK.

Comment (Workings): FOUR SURFACE PROSPECT PITS

References

Reference (Deposit): OLSON, J.C., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RUDOLPH HILL QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON, HINSDALE, AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1177.

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1961, FOUR ENVIRONMENTS OF THORIUM-, NIOBIUM-, AND RARE-EARTH-BEARING MINERALS IN THE POWDERHORN DISTRICT OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 424-B, P. B283-B286.

Reference (Deposit): OLSON, J.C., AND HEDLUND, D.C., 1981, ALKALIC ROCKS AND RESOURCES OF THORIUM AND ASSOCIATED ELEMENTS IN THE POWDERHORN DISTRICT, GUNNISON COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 1049-C.

Colorado Mining Photos

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