South Rock Creek area

The South Rock Creek area is a iron mine located in Saguache 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: South Rock Creek area
Secondary: Alder limonite deposit

Commodity

Primary: Iron

Location

State: Colorado
County: Saguache

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1943
Mined: 50.000 mt
Material type: iron ore

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: Sangre de Cristo Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: bog iron

Rocks

Name: Chemical Sediment
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Quaternary

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Commodity): A small iron deposit. Thought to be a surficial "bog iron" deposit.

Comment (Geology): Yellow, red, and brown to black limonite is exposed in several outcrops trending northeast for about 250 m along the north and south branches of Decker Creek. Parts of the deposit are almost pure limonite, other areas are mixed sand, gravel, and limonite. Some areas characterized by angular to sub-angular fragments of Proterozoic rocks cemented with limonite.

Comment (Location): Located near the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, near Poncha Pass. The Alder limonite deposit (Harber and Tesch, 1959) is between branches of Decker Creek. "South Rock Creek area" is shown on a map of mining districts but is not described (Ellis and others, 1983).

Comment (Production): The ore is not a clean source of iron.

References

Reference (Geology): Harber, C.M., and Tesch, W.J., Jr., 1959, Reconnaissance of iron occurrences in Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines Information circular 7918, 82 p.

Reference (Names): Ellis, C.E., Hannigan, B.J., and Thompson, J.R., 1983, Mineral investigation of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Study Area, Alamosa, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, and Saguache Counties, Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines MLA 65-83, 190 p.

Reference (Deposit): Harber, C.M., and Tesch, W.J., Jr., 1959, Reconnaissance of iron occurrences in Colorado, U.S. Bureau of Mines Information circular 7918, 82 p.

Colorado Mining Photos

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