Moro Mine

The Moro Mine is a lead and silver mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,919 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: Moro Mine
Secondary: Moro-Ajax Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Moro Limited, MS 13811
Secondary: Ajax Limited, MS 13811
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Ajax No.2
Secondary: Moro Extension
Secondary: Moro Mill Site
Secondary: Moro Tunnel Site

Commodity

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

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: Independence Mining Co.
Home Office: Lake City, Co.
Years: 1964 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
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: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression

Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Of Pyrite To Hematite; Oxidation Of Galena To Anglesite

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: ORE FROM THIRD LEVEL ASSAYED 10 TO 16 OZ/TON AU, 0.5 TO 3 OZ/TON AU, 2 TO 4 % CU, 7 TO 30 % PB, 7 TO 10 % ZN

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Location): MINE LIES ON SOUTH SIDE OF UNNAMED TRIBUTARY OF HENSON CREEK ABOUT 1.5 MILES SW OF CAPITOL CITY SITE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Deposit): MINE LOCATED INSIDE NW RIM OF UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA JUST OUTSIDE LAKE CITY CALDERA RING FAULT IN INFILL SEQUENCE OF EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE OVERLAIN BY BURNS MEMBBER QUARTZ LATITE AND PORPHYRITIC ANDESITE OF SILVERTON VOLCANICS. INTRUDING AND HYDRO-THERMALLY ALTERING EUREKA MEMBER ARE SEVERAL PLUGS OF MONZONITE PORPHYRY JUST NE OF MINE. VEIN LIES IN CONCENTRIC FAULT OR FRACTURE IN SLACK'S (1980) QUARTZ/BASE-METAL ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-CHALCOPYRITE ZONE. VEIN HAS SMOOTH WELL-DEFINED WALLSAND DIPS 66 SE IN UPPER LEVELS BUT SPLITS INTO STRINGERS AND FOOTWALL BRANCHES AT DEPTH WHERE DIP STEEPENS TO 78 SE. ON LOWER LEVEL, VEIN CONSISTS OF SERIES OF EN ECHELON VEINLETS AT 10 TO 15 DEG TO GENERAL TREND F LODE. PRIMARY ORE IAS ARGENIFEROUS GALENA, USUALLY CUBICAL, COARSE-GRAINED, CRUSHED, AND TWINNED, ORE SEPARATED FROM VEIN WALLS BY 0.5-TO 3-INCH CLAY SELVAGE LAYER. ORE ON THIRD LEVEL CONTAINS MORE CHALCOPYRITE,PYRITE, AND SPHALERITE, WITH HIGHER AU VALUES, USUALLY MORE BANDED THANIN UPPER

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY THREE DRIFT TUNNELS AND ONE SHAFT. FIRST (UPPER) TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY SW ALONG VEIN FOR 500 FT, CONNECTING WITH 150-FT SHAFT AT 200 FT FROM PORTAL. SECOND LEVEL, LOCATED 71 FT BELOW AND 110 FT NE OF UPPER PORTAL, DRIVEN GENERALLY SW ALONG VEIN FOR 570 FT; AT 310 FT FROM PORTAL, RAISE CONNECTS TO 180-FT POINT IN UPPER TUNNEL AND 500-FT POINT IN LOWER TUNNEL. THIRD (LOWER) TUNNEL, LOCATED 126 FT BELOW AND 230 FT NE OF MIDDLE PORTAL, DRIVEN S 60 W FOR 75 FT, THENCE SW FOR 300 FT TO FACE; AT 180 FT FROM PORTAL, 90-FT DRIFT DRIVEN S 7 E TO FACE; AT 210 FT FROM PORTAL, MAIN DRIFT DRIVEN S 7 E FOR 80 FT, THENCE GENERALLY SOUTH FOR 200 FT, THENCE GENERALLY SE FOR 280 FT TO FACE. MINE CONNECTED BY WIRE-ROPE TRAMWAY TO OLD 110-TPD MILL.

Comment (Deposit): LEVELS. ANGLESITE ZONE EXTENDS 180 TO 200 FT DOWN FROM SURFACE, BELOW WHICH IS ZONE OF CU ENRICHMENT CHARACTERIZED BY COVELLITE COATING SPHALERITE AND BLACK SOOTY CHALCOCITE IN FRACTURES AND CAVITIES IN CHALCOPYRITE.

Comment (Development): IN LATE 1890S OR EARLY 1900S, WIRE-ROPE TRAMWAY WAS INSTALLED TO CONNECT MINE WITH OLD HANNA MINING AND MILLING COMPANY'S 110-TPD- CAPACITY MILL ALONG HENSON CREEK AT MOUTH OF MINE'S GULCH. IN 1906 MILL WAS ENLARGED TO CONTAIN ROLLS. HUNTINGTON MILLS, CONCENTRATING TABNLES, SLIMERS, SETTLING TANKS, AND BLAKE-MORSCHER STATIC ELECTRIC MACHINE FOR HANDLING ZN CONCENTRATES. POWER WAS SUPPLIED BY CAPITOL CITY POWER & ELECTRIC CO, DEVELOPMENT WORK DONE IN 1951 BY MORO MINES, LTD., OF LAKE CITY

References

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

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 13811

Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 116-122.

Colorado Mining Photos

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