WSP02042 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

OD2C8. '. proposed SRMA. A sizable tunnel and adit exists on the Copper King, First Chance and Second Chance patented mining claims in the SRMA, high above the island campsite at Red Canyon. However, activity was isolated to a few years around 1907 and 1908, and no shipments or production occurred. No further activity has occurred at these claims. No production or shipments occurred from any of the mining claims adjacent to or within the proposed SRMA bou~dary. At the sole mine that produced, economics were never profitable, and no copper activity has occurred in the region since the 1920s. An adit, and shallow diggings and trenching have also occurred for low grade copper on the south side of Junction Butte, 2 miles south of Kremmling and south of the proposed SRMA boundary. The adit dates from the early 1900s, and the trenching appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. No more recent work can be found in this area. No BLM records of any production, nor any locating or patenting of mining claims exists for this locale. No other areas of copper mineralization exist within the proposed SRMA boundary. There are no economically valuable copper resources or occurrences within the proposed SRMA boundary. Pvrite Pyrite (iron sulphide) nodules occur sporadically along a specific level of strata in the Cretaceous Mancos (Pierre) Shale near Yannony on a cliff above the Colorado River. An old road, currently a trail, was built to this cliff occurrence. Although there has been activity at this location recently, it was not for pyrite or iron as a valuable mineral. There is no current market for iron sulphide or pyrite as an economic mineral. No economically valuable pyrite exists within the SRMA boundary. Placer Gold: Considerable prospecting activity has occurred along the Colorado River (both within the proposed SRMA area, as well as the length of the river from its headwaters into the adjacent states downstream). This interest has dated from the first settlers in western Colorado, through the 1980s. Two mining claims have been patented for placer gold in the SRMA area- one at State Bridge, and the other south of the river near Rancho Del Rio. Neither are producing, . or have ever produced and shipped gold in commercial quantities. The area has been analyzed for gold values by numerous investigators. Dr. Dell Foutz explored the area for a number of years while conducting field camps near Radium. He lists anything from 1 to 150 grains of gold per 5 lb. sample in the SRMA area. Almost all gold he has found is very fine, "flour gold" , with the exception of a few small grains. He wrote of the Radium area: "all the gold that I recovered was only worth a few pennies". In personal communication with the Kremmling Field Office Geologist. he stated that only one small particular gravel terrace near Radium really had any potential, and even it was certainly subeconomic, even during the short lived period of $60010z. gold values. Dr. Ben Parker has reviewed the area, and the Colorado State Survey has published his findings. He states that the Colorado River terrace gravels in Grand and Eagle counties contain some gold and have been worked. The principal workings lie outside of (downstream from) the SRMA area. but some old minor workings occur in Gore Canyon. He states that the gold is concentrated in only the lowest 7 feet of the gravels, on bedrock. He found the gold was fine-grained and difficult to recover, with much black sand. The Kremmling Field Office Geologist sampled several of the terrace levels,as well as recent alluvium in the Pumphouse to Rancho del Rio area. Results were very lean, with 7 bulk samples of 260 to 950 pounds each (averaging around 700 Ibs), yielding from 0 to .0007 grams gold on recent alluvium and 23