South Park Mine

The South Park Mine is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,019 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: South Park Mine
Secondary: Patented Claim: South Park
Secondary: Ms 1563

Commodity

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

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (Rico) District

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

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1900
Discovery Year: 1883
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: Polymetallic replacement

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, South Park Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Deposit): SW-DIPPING LOWER HERMOSA FM LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, AND SHALE INTRUDED BY LARGE SHEET OF HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY ALONG BASE OF NEWMAN HILL AND CUT BY WNW-ESE-TRENDING SOUTH PARK FAULT. TUNNEL FOLLOWS FAULT IN PORPHYRY FOR AT LEAST 500 FT, BUT APPARENTLY NO ORE FOUND. ABOUT 350 FT TO SOUTH IS PARALLEL VEIN CONTAINING ORE AT ITS INTERSECTION WITH 7-FT-THICK DARK SHALE BED AND EXTENDING ABOUT 6 FT ON EACH SIDE OF VEIN. VEIN ALSO CARRIED ORE FOR 20 FT ABOVE AND BELOW SHALE LAYER. OCCURRENCE IS CONSIDERED TO BE BLANKET REPLACEMENT BUT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS ON NEWMAN HILL IN THAT IT OCCURS BELOW PROMINENT PORPHYRY SHEET. COLLINS (1931) NOTED HIGH-GRADE AU- AND CU-BEARING PYRITIC ORE FOUND IN SUPPOSED PRE-DEVONIAN QUARTZITE ABOVE MINE; THIS COULD BE EITHER PENNSYLVANIAN LARSEN QUARTZITE OR PRECAMBRIAN UNCOMPAHGRE QUARTZITS BOTH IN FAULTED POSITIONS EAST OF MINE, BUT MORE LIKELY IS UNCONPAHGRE QUARTZITE INFERRED TO LIE IN FAULT CONTACT WITH HERMOSA FM ON NE (UPTHROWN) SIDE OF SOUTH PARK

Comment (Deposit): FAULT BENEATH SURFICIAL DEBRIS.

Comment (Workings): ONE TUNNEL (FLOODED, INACCESSIBLE) DRIVEN GENERALLY ESE FOR AT LEAST 500 FT

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON SOUTH SIDE OF SILVER CREEK AT NW BASE OF NEWMAN HILL (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 73-75.

Reference (Deposit): PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 350-351.

Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 1563

Reference (Deposit): COLLINS, G.E., 1931, LOCALIZATION OF ORE BODIES AT RICO AND RAD MOUNTAIN, COLORADO, AS CONDITIONED BY GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE AND HISTORY: COLORADO SCI. SOC. PROC., V. 12, NO. 12, P. 407-424.

Colorado Mining Photos

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