Oak Creek (Ilse) District

The Oak Creek (Ilse) District is a lead mine located in Custer county, Colorado.

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

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Site Name

Primary: Oak Creek (Ilse) District

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Uranium
Secondary: Gold

Location

State: Colorado
County: Custer
District: Oak Creek (Ilse) District

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1943
Time Period: 1940-1943
Mined: 36.000 mt
Material type: cerusite ore
Year: 1915
Time Period: 1879-1915
Mined: 227000.000 mt
Material type: ore

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Thorium-rare-earth veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: northwest trending faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: carbonate and iron-oxide

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleoproterozoic

Name: Orthogneiss
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleoproterozoic

Name: Migmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Cerussite
Ore: Phosgenite

Comments

Comment (Production): Reports of total district production vary from $500,000 to over $1,000,000 worth of lead. Information is based on Hunter (1915). U.S. mint reports up to 1895 showed production from the Terrible mine of $759,717 woth of lead. Other smaller mines in the district also produced lead ore.

Comment (Production): None of the mines have been worked to great depth.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): See MRDS entry for Terrible Mine. Resources, however, are not fully defined for the district.

Comment (Commodity): Cerussite and phosgenite noted at the Terrible mine near Ilse by Eckel (1961).

Comment (Commodity): The Terrible mine at the northwest end of the mineralized area is the largest historic producer.

Comment (Commodity): Lead occurs as cerusite (lead carbonate) lenses and masses in northwest-trending faults and fractures. No sulfide ore noted. Lead may be remobilized from older stratabound exhalative sulfide deposits at depth, similar to sulfide deposits known in the Grape Creek district a few miles to the northwest of Ilse.

Comment (Geology): Cerusite is hosted in fault zones. The main zone at the Terrible mine strikes N. 20-25 W. and dips 60 SW (Hunter, 1915). In the fault zones that contain mineralization, granite and granitic gneiss host rock is brecciated, altered, and iron-stained. Smaller mines and prospects in the southern part of the district near Stevens Gulch and Lead Mountain are along a fault striking about N50W.

Comment (Geology): Ore is restricted to shoots. Large areas along the major faults are altered with carbonate and iron oxide but contain no cerusite.

Comment (Location): Wet Mountains. Northwest of McKenzie Junction (State Highways 96 and 165). 12 miles northeast of Silver Cliff and 16 miles southwest of Florence.

References

Reference (Production): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO MINERAL RESOURCES BOARD, P. 69

Reference (Production): Hunter, J.F., 1915, Some cerusite deposits in Custer county, Colorado, in Contributions to economic geology: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 580, P. 25-37.

Reference (Deposit): Eckel, E.B., 1961, Minerals of Colorado, a 100-year record: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1114, 399 p.

Reference (Deposit): Hunter, J.F., 1915, Some cerusite deposits in Custer county, Colorado, in Contributions to economic geology: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 580, P. 25-37.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERWILT, J.W., 1947, MINERAL RESOURCES OF COLORADO: COLORADO MINERAL RESOURCES BOARD, P. 69

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