Elk Park Mine

The Elk Park Mine is a uranium mine located in San Juan county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,081 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: Elk Park Mine
Secondary: Surprise Group
Secondary: Centennial Claims
Secondary: Centenial Uranium Porspect
Secondary: Long Mine

Commodity

Primary: Uranium
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Nickel
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Copper

Location

State: Colorado
County: San Juan
District: Elk Park Area

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: L. E. Smith
Home Office: Boulder, Co.
Years: 1982 -

Owner Name: Minco, Inc.
Home Office: Silverton, Co.
Years: 1980 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1956
Year Last Production: 1980
Discovery Year: 1956
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

Model Name: Volcanogenic U

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift

Type: L
Description: Needle Mtns Uplift, Centennial Fault, Garfield Peak Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Fe Oxidation

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1720.000000+-20.000000
Dating Method: U-Pb (zircon)
Material Analyzed: Zircon
Age Young: Precambrian

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: BACKGROUND RADIATION 150 CPS, RANGE 150 TO 10000 CPS. ORE GRADE THROUGH 1971 WAS 0.45% U3O8. CHIP SAMPLES OF URANIFEROUS CLAY GOUGE FROM FAULT ZONE IN QUARTZITE CONTAINED 0.5 TO 1.3 OZ/TON AG, UP TO 0.5% AS, 0.01 TO 0.07% CU, 0.01 TO 0.13% NI, 0.01% MO, 0.02% CO, 0.0002 TO 0.453% U (SCOTT, 1983).

Materials

Ore: Erythrite
Ore: Uraninite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): UNCOMPAHGRE FM CONTAINS MAJOR WNW-ESE LAYERING OF SCHIST-PHYLLITE-SLATE AND QUARTZITE. EXPLORATORY DRILLING DEFINED MINERALIZAED ZONE AT LEAST 1500 FT IN STRIKE LENGTH, 350 FT IN WIDTH, AND OVER 700 FT IN VERTICAL EXTENT. MINERALIZATION OCCURS AS VEIN FILLINGS FROM MINUTE FRACTURES IN QUARTZITE TO MAJOR FAULT BRECCIAS RELATED TO EAST-WEST-TRENDING CENTENNIAL AND GARFIELD PEAK FAULTS. URANIUM FOUND IN SIMPLE VEINS ASSOSIATED WITH PYRITE AND HEMATITE, AND IN COMPLEX VEIN SYSTEMS WITH AMORPHOUS SULFIDES AND ARSENIDES. DRILLING INDICATED DECREASING BASE METAL/PRECIOUS METAL MINERALIZATION AND INCREASING URANIUM MINERALIZATION WITH DEPTH.

Comment (Workings): MAIN ADIT DRIVEN S 40 W FOR 410 FT. THENCE DUE WEST FOR 50 FT. SHORT EXPLORATORY DRIFTS DRIVEN NW-SE AT 45 FT FROM PORTAL AND AT 85 AND 95 FT FROM PORTAL. SECOND ADIT LOCATED 30 FT NW OF MAIN ADIT AND IS DRIVEN S 55 W INITIALLY FOR 50 FT. D010887 THENCE CURVING SOUTH AND SE FOR 30 FT.

Comment (Production): POSSIBLY SOME DISCREPANCY AMONG REPORTED PRODUCTION FIGURES FOR LATE 1950S. FIGURES FOR 1958-80 CITED ABOVE ARE REPORTED BY CDM. FIGURE FOR 1956 IS STOCKPILED ORE REPORTED BY STEVEN AND OTHERS, 1969 (P. 88); THEIR REPORT OF 31 ST ORE MINED IN 1959 COULD BE SAME AS 30 ST ORE REPORTED IN 1958 BY CDM.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). WEST OF ANIMAS RIVER 0.4 MILE BELOW ELK CREEK CONFLUENCE, 1.85 MILES ENE OF SNOWDON PEAK. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Development): IN 1956 AMERICAN SOVEREIGN MINES, LTD, STAKED GROUND OVER RADIOACTIVE ANOMALIES DISCOVERED IN EAST-TRENDING SHEAR ZONES. SUBSEQUENT EXPLORATION DELINEATED ORE BODIES AND 22 ST ORE AT 0.9% U308 STOCKPILED. IN 1957, FOLLOWING EXAMINATION BY USGS AND USBM, AMERICAN SOVEREIGN MINES WAS GRANTED DMEA CONTRACT TO EXPLORE SURFACE EXPOSURES. GADDIS MINING COMPANY (LESSEE) DROVE MAIN TUNNEL AND CROSSCUT IN 1958 AND DEVELOPED 200 ST ORE-GRADE MATERIAL. IN 1959 GADDIS SHIPPED 31 ST ORE AT 0.47% U3O8 TO MILL AT GUNNISON AND STOCKPILED ADDITIONAL 200 ST ORE AT ESTIMATED 0.2% U3O8. LONG-HOLE EXPLORATION IN 1968. IN 1980-82, EXXON MINERALS COMPANY HAD STAKED ADDITIONAL 551 CLAIMS IN MINE AREA AND DRILLED 16 HOLES, ENCOUNTERING GRADES IN EXCESS OF 0.05% U3O8. LAST REPORTED PRODUCTION WAS 1978-79 BY L.E. SMITH AND IN 1980 BY MINCO, INC.

References

Reference (Deposit): SCOTT, D.C., 1983, MINERAL INVESTIGATION OF THE WEST NEEDLE WILDERNESS STUDY AREA AND THE BLM WEST NEEDLE CONTIGOUS WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, LA PLATA AND SAN JUAN COUNTIES, COLORADO: USBM MLA 35-83, P. 9-11, 15, 45-47.

Reference (Deposit): BARKER, FRED, 1969, PRECAMBRIAN GEOLOGY OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 644-A.

Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE NEEDLE MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS FOLIO 131.

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 52-53, 88-89.

Reference (Deposit): NELSON-MOORE, J.L., AND OTHERS, 1978, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES OF COLORADO AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: CGS BULL. 40, P. 398.

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS. (1958-1980); STEVEN AND OTHERS, 1969 (1956)

Colorado Mining Photos

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