Climax Mill (Facility)

The Climax Mill (Facility) is a molybdenum mine located in Lake county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,401 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: Climax Mill (Facility)
Secondary: Climax Concentrator

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Tungsten
Secondary: REE
Secondary: Sulfur-Pyrite
Secondary: Tin

Location

State: Colorado
County: Lake
District: Climax 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: Climax Molybdenum Co., Division Of American Metal Climax Inc. (Amax)
Company ID: 502337
Home Office: Colorado
Info Year: 1980

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Processing Plant
Mining Method: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Location): ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEADVILLE, ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE JUST EAST OF FREMONT PASS, ADJACENT TO THE CLIMAX MINE, IN SEC. 11, T 8 S, R 79 W.

Comment (Ownership): OWN: CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM CO., A PHELPS DODGE COMPANY

Comment (Production): Total production from 1918 to 1991 is about 470 million tons of ore at an average grade of 0.22% molybdenum. Mill capacity is 16,000 tons of ore/day. The mine and mill were placed on a care-and-maintenance status in 1995. In April 2006, the company announced plans to upgrade the concentrator and re-open the mine in 2009.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): At the end of 2005, reserves were 156.4 million tons at a grade of 0.19% molybdenum plus 87 milllion tons of mineralized material at a grade of 0.25% molybdenum. (Phelps Dodge 2005 Annual Report)

References

Reference (Deposit): REVISED BY MILS 3-80 - MSHA INSPECTION DATA

Reference (Deposit): COLO ACTIVE METAL/NONMETAL

Reference (Development): Climax Molybdenum Co. and Phelps Dodge Corp. information accessed on the internet on May 25, 2006

Colorado Mining Photos

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