Aspen Mountain

The Aspen Mountain is a aluminum mine located in Sweetwater county, Wyoming at an elevation of 8,271 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: Aspen Mountain
Secondary: Aspen Quaking Asp Mountain

Commodity

Primary: Aluminum
Secondary: Kaolin
Secondary: Potassium

Location

State: Wyoming
County: Sweetwater
District: Rock Springs

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

Owner Name: Mountain Fuel Supply Co.
Info Year: 1957

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Surface
Discovery Year: 1957
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Wyoming Basin
Physiographic Detail: Quaking Asp Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: TABULAR BLANKET

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Siltstone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: X-RAY PLUS CHEM ANALYSIS OF TWO SAMPLES SUGGESTS VARIABLE ALUNITE TENOR, AVERAGE LESS THAN 30 PERCENT
Analytical Data: Flame photometer anaysis of two samples indicates 32.9% and 39.5% Al2O3 and 6.8% and 5.8% K2O, respectively.

Materials

Ore: Alunite
Ore: Kaolinite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Halloysite

Comments

Comment (Location): S FLANK OF ASPEN MT

Comment (Reserve-Resource): HIGHLY SPECULATIVE RESOURCE ESTIMATE BY R. B. HALL. LATERAL EXTENT OF BED UNKNOWN.

Comment (Commodity): PROJECT 9350 - 01393 ALUNITE RESOURCES

Comment (Deposit): LOVE AND BLACKMON ( 1962 ) MENTION 8 FT OF WHITE CLAYSTONE CONTAINING 60 % TO 90 % ALUNITE

Comment (Development): ALUNITE DISCOVERED IN CUTTINGS FROM SHALLOW HOLES DRILLED DURING EXPLORATION FOR OIL AND GAS. BULLDOZER TRENCH 25 FT DEEP MADE BY MOUNTAIN FUEL SUPPLY CO. IN 1958 (?) FOLLOWING DRILLHOLE DISCOVERY IN 1957 . TRENCH MEASURES 40 FT LONG, 10 FT WIDE, AND 30 FT DEEP.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): STUDY NEEDED. THE PURITY OF THE ALUNITE AND THE UNUSUAL FEATURES OF ITS OCCURRENCE MAKES ADDITIONAL SURFACE, SUBSURFACE, AND LABORATORY STUDIES DESIRABLE.

Comment (Deposit): ORIGIN OF ALUNITE HERE IS ENIGMATIC ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Comment (Geology): WHITE ALUNITIC TUFFACEOUS SANDSTONE 4 FT THICK IN TERTIARY SILTSTONE - CLAYSTONE SEQUENCE

Comment (Reserve-Resource): DATA INSUFFICIENT TO ESTIMATE RESERVE

Comment (General): "Alunite-bearing claystone is exposed near the base of a bulldozer trench that is 40 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. Exposures here indicate that the alunite claystone is approximately 12 feet thick and dips about two degrees south. Flame photometer analysis of two samples indicates 32.0% and 29.5% Al2O3 and 6.8% and 5.8% K2O respeictively. A similar white claystone, 6 feet thick was penetrated at a depth of 145 feet by a core hole drilled a mile southwest of the alunite trench, but it is not known if this bed is alunite-bearing or not." (Bull 50, p. 5)

References

Reference (Deposit): Osterwald and others, 1966, Mineral Resources of Wyoming: WGS Bull. 50, p. 5.
Pages: p. 5.

Reference (Deposit): 1974 RECON R. B. HALL: PROF. PAPER 1076 -A

Reference (Deposit): 1958 RECON by J. D. LOVE AND P. D. BLACKMON for PROF. PAPER 450 -D

Reference (Deposit): LOVE, J. D., AND BLACKMON, P. D., 1962 , ALUNITE ON ASPEN MOUNTAIN, SOUTHWESTERN WYOMING: USGS PROF. PAPER 450 -D, P. 11 - 15

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