What is mined in colorado

In , the Smuggler was among the first strikes made by Charles Bennett when he and other Leadville miners first came to the Roaring Fork Valley, and the Smuggler Mining Company was incorporated in November Begun in , the Argo Tunnel extends approximately five miles toward Central City at an average depth of 1, feet.

The mill was important to western Boulder County, contributing to a highly productive tungsten ore operation until The complex includes a ton flotation mill, the mine tunnel, several associated buildings, and the ruins of several buildings that were destroyed by the county's deadliest avalanche in The Independence Mine and Mill is located on the south slope of Battle Mountain at an altitude of approximately 9, feet. The most intensive period of development of the mine coincided with the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and the restoration of the gold standard of currency.

Located on Republican Mountain, midway between Georgetown and Silver Plume, the facility was a key component in the early development and prosperity of Georgetown.

This concentration mill of wood and metal reaches four stories in height. The uppermost story of hewn logs received the ore. Here gravity bins held the ore until it was fed into a crusher and the stamping apparatus below. The Paris Mill is significant in the area of industry, engineering and architecture, from when it first opened, to , when mill operations ceased.

The facility was instrumental in the success of the greater Paris Mine, a major gold producer important to western Park County. The Rocky Mountain Mammoth Mine is significant for its association with the mining industry in the mountains of Boulder County. As a telluride gold ore producing mine, the Rocky Mountain Mammoth contributed to a major mining revival experienced in the Magnolia Mining district and elsewhere in Boulder County in the late s and early s.

The Valley View Leasing and Mining Company Mill, commonly known as the Matterhorn Mill, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the area of industry at the local level of significance for its contribution to the 20th-century silver mining in Colorado's San Juan Mountains where it related directly to mining within San Bernardo Mountain.

When constructed the Matterhorn Mill was a state-of-the-art flotation mill that utilized new technology to produce a higher grade concentrate than could be accomplished by the old-style stamp mill with concentration s. Completed in , the brick and tile smokestack reaches a height of feet. Its concrete foundation extends 30 feet into the ground. Ditches, ponds, and tailings piles continue to dot the landscape.

In , the large two-story Lafayette House opened its doors for business, accepting both overnight guests and boarders. The complex displays the development of industrialized hard rock mining and the transportation infrastructure needed to make such mining profitable in a rugged region. The Martin Mining Complex is representative of the boom and bust cycle that was always present with industrialized mining.

The Martin Boardinghouse is one of the best-preserved and largest boardinghouses still standing in the San Juan Mountains. More precisely, the Martin Boardinghouse can be cal. Constructed circa , the house is associated with Mary Miller, the founder of the town of Lafayette. In , coal was discovered on the acre Miller farm. The circa Minnie Gulch Cabins site, including the cabins, dugout, and associated artifact scatters, represent a typical small residential and industrial complex associated with nearby mining during the turn of the 20th Century.

Intact groupings of this sort from the hard-rock mining period in Colorado are unusual. The building originally had private living quarters, a kitchen, dining room and large storage room on the first floor with benches and individual beds on the second. Other mineral deposits were discovered by the late 19th and early 20th century that contained other metals including silver, lead, zinc, copper, and tungsten.

World-class deposits containing those metals along with molybdenum and other commodities were mined in the state. Currently, deposits of gold and molybdenum make up most of our current metal production.

Other minerals and commodities currently mined in the state include oil, natural gas, coal, carbon dioxide, helium, sand, gravel, quarry aggregate, clay, limestone, gypsum, nahcolite sodium bicarbonate , and dimension and decorative stone e. CGS geoscientists conduct mineral resource studies to identify and describe the rocks and minerals associated with these resources. We study mineral deposits to support land use planning and the development of these resources.

Some of our projects are currently focused on critical mineral deposits, aggregate, and other industrial mineral resources. Our older publications that are still in use today are being converted to digital formats. GIS data downloads and interactive maps associated with some of our more recent and older studies are included in the GIS Data tab. Results of these studies are available for download on our publications page.

The Publications tab on this page includes some of our minerals publications dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Mineral resource information is also provided to the general public, teachers, state and federal agencies, and private companies through public requests. The CGS answers email and phone requests for information about a minerals from a large variety of public and private entities. This report also provides historic commodity production and price trends.

ON — Aggregate Resources of Colorado — Includes information from CGS sand, gravel, and quarry aggregate publications for most of the Front Range counties, Garfield County, as well as a statewide map of older quarry locations. Also includes locations and ratings of these potential resources to assist with land use planning and resource development. Locations include point location data and the estimated extent of the undermined areas from historic maps if available.

These maps show the general location and mineral potential rating of select aggregate and industrial mineral deposits by geological unit as mapped during the STATEMAP program. Derivative maps are generalizations of detailed geological information that are used to assist non-geologists with evaluating complex geological information. For more about geologic mapping and what the information is used for, see our RockTalk on the subject. ON — StoryMap: Colorado Aggregate Resources — Geology and Industry Overview — Integrates maps, text, and photos about the location and geology of sand, gravel, and quarry aggregates in the state.

Includes a description of aggregates, what they are used for, where they are found, how and why the location of these deposits are important to land-use planning, and the general geology of sand, gravel, and rock quarry aggregates. Data from over sample locations across the state include photos of each sample location, photomicrographs of samples, geologic descriptions, estimates of rounding and sphericity, estimates of quartz content and friability, mineralogy, sieve results, and resource ratings.

OND — Historic Metal Mining Districts of Colorado Data — v — This data download includes a compilation of individual mining district reviews, organized by county, as well as GIS shapefiles of all districts. ON-BD — Radioactive Mineral Occurrences of Colorado and Bibliography — This data download includes locations and descriptions of over 2, radioactive mineral occurrences in Colorado. Originally published as CGS B Radioactive Mineral Occurrences of Colorado and Bibliography , locations on the original plates were combined with the information provided in the text document to create a comprehensive spreadsheet, electronic bibliography, county summary document, and GIS data download.

Information includes the original mine name, location notes, mine development information, production, background radiation measurements, host rock types, alteration, mineralogy, structure, and references. Originally published as CGS Bulletin 40 B Radioactive Mineral Occurrences of Colorado and Bibliography , locations on the original plates were combined with the information provided in the text document to create this informative map.

Location information includes the original mine name, location notes, mine development information, production, background radiation measurements, host rock types, alteration, mineralogy, structure, and references. ON-OFM — Select Geological Logs Associated with Coal Resources, Denver and Cheyenne Basins, Colorado — Scanned images of geophysical and lithology logs with rock descriptions for more than locations drilled in the s during coal exploration of these two basins.

Useful for geologic mapping, mineral and groundwater resource evaluations, and for land-use reviews. Annual Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activity report — This annual report covers all aspects of mining and extraction in Colorado. This report includes current and historical data for oil, natural gas, molybdenum, gold, uranium, and other commodities produced in the state. Data includes production, prices, tax revenue and distribution, and other mining related subjects relative to Colorado.

The following are links to these reports by year: — — — — — ; — County-wide geology and mineral resource publications — Comprehensive county reports describing the geology, mineral resources, and historic mining for the following counties were completed by the CGS: Gunnison , Lake , Mesa , Moffat , Park , and Saguache. These publications also include compilation geologic maps of each county. This project proceeded on a county-by-county basis beginning with Phillips County in and culminating with Baca County in Metal deposit publications — Several publications listed in the bibliography below include information about the geology and economics of metal deposits of Colorado.

For a summary of metal occurrences, descriptions, and notes about their economic potential see the map and document provided in CGS publication MS The following is a bibliography of CGS publications related to energy and mineral resources as of :.

Additional resources associated with mining and mineral resources in Colorado are provided below. Prospecting — Determining the land status is one of the most important parts of prospecting. Counties can provide more specific information on land ownership. Prospecting in Colorado should not be done on private lands without consent of the property owner.

Prospecting on federal land is regulated by the U. Bureau of Land Management and U. Forest Service. The Colorado State Land Board manages the state-owned surface and mineral properties. Colorado Department of Local Affairs — Provides data on federal mineral lease revenue distributed to Colorado counties. Historic annual mining reports — R eports about mining in the state from the lateth century to are maintained by the Colorado State Publications Library.

Colorado State Land Board — Information about leasing state lands. Bureau of Land Management — Information about mining on federal lands. The U. Bureau of Land Management BLM also provides specific information about prospecting and how to establish a mining claim. Energy Information Administration — Energy coal, natural gas, nuclear, oil statistics for Colorado and the U. Specific information about individual commodities are updated in the USGS annual commodity reports.

The USMIN project also provides a digital download of prospect and mine-related symbols that were digitized from topographic maps. Russell L.

Wood and his wife Lyn, the archive supports research on the history of mining, with emphasis on Colorado and the US West. Several organizations have more information on minerals mined in Colorado. The Friends of Mineralogy Colorado Chapter has several publications associated with their field trips and meetings that include metals and mining districts throughout Colorado.

Mineral Resources. Industrial Minerals. Strategic and Critical Minerals. Historic Mining Districts. Follow Us. Intro GIS Data Publications Resources CGS geoscientists conduct mineral resource studies to identify and describe the rocks and minerals associated with these resources.

The following are links to these reports by year: — — — — — ; — County-wide geology and mineral resource publications — Comprehensive county reports describing the geology, mineral resources, and historic mining for the following counties were completed by the CGS: Gunnison , Lake , Mesa , Moffat , Park , and Saguache.

The following is a bibliography of CGS publications related to energy and mineral resources as of : Ambrose, Carol M. Resource Series. Amuedo and Ivey. Environmental Geology. Aurand, Harry A. Ayers, Jr. Barkmann, Peter E. Curtiss, Christopher J. Carroll, D. Hosler, Nathan T. Rogers, Z. Logan, and Michael J. Open File Report. Berkman, Frederick E. Map Series. Berry, Karen A. Noe, M. Pavlik, and J. Open File Reports.

Birkeland, Peter W. Miller, Penny E. Patterson, Alan B. Price, and Ralph R. Boreck, Donna L. Jones, D. Keith Murray, Janet E. Schultz, and Denise C. In the past, Boulder County produced tungsten from areas near Nederland and Ward. The Boulder County mining district produced small quantities up until the late s with most of the ore from the district being produced from the early s to followed by declining production thru the s. Tungsten was last produced in as a byproduct of molybdenum mining at the Climax Mine in Lake County.

Our historic RockTalk publications provide comprehensive overviews of the mining history and geology of gold , molybdenum , and uranium deposits in Colorado. MS Location Map and Descriptions of Metal Occurrences in Colorado with Notes on Economic Potential — Provides descriptions of metal occurrences and a map showing the general location of these deposits. RS Gold Occurrences of Colorado — Provides a listing of gold occurrences in the state, a location map, and a geologic summary of the types of gold deposits.

Also, more information on mineral deposit models is included here. The CGS reviews and comments on some of these publications prior to their release. The main publications can be found here. Russell L. Wood and his wife Lyn, the archive supports research on the history of mining, with emphasis on Colorado and the US West.

The Friends of Mineralogy Colorado Chapter has several publications associated with their field trips and meetings that include metals and mining districts throughout Colorado. Intro Details Publications Links Many of the historical metal mining districts in Colorado were created during the initial gold rush of which lead to the discovery of other metals.

Photo credit: Andreas Feininger. Gold Gold deposit locations and types in Colorado are widespread and diverse. Molybdenum Molybdenum is found in many areas of the state, occurring as the sulfide mineral, molybdenite. Silver, Lead, Zinc, and Copper Several mining districts in Colorado produced gold and silver as well as the base metals common metals not considered precious lead, zinc, and copper.

Other Metals Other minerals that have been mined in the past or show some promise in Colorado include barite, beryllium, bismuth, lithium, manganese, niobium-tantalum, REEs, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, and vanadium. Information Series. Aurand, Harry A. Burnell, James R. Carroll, and Genevieve Young. Cappa, James A. Resource Series. Carroll, and H. Thomas Hemborg. Thomas Hemborg, and Rachel Coursey. Open File Report. Thomas Hemborg, John W.

Keller, and Rachel Coursey. Koenig, and Rachel Coursey. Koenig, and Rachel E. Guilinger, and Karen A. Tremain, and H. Carroll, John W. Keller, and Genevieve Young. Burnell, Christopher J. Carroll, and Beth Widmann. Keller, Christopher J. Carroll, Christopher J. Cappa, John W. Keller, Beth Widmann, L. Wray, and Thomas J. Cobb, Harrison S. Miscellaneous Investigations. Coffin, R. Collier, James D. Hornbaker, and William L. Map Series. Colorado Geological Survey. Open File Reports.

Crabtree, E. Interactive visualization of United States coal data. Energy Information Administration. Interactive atlas of coal mine maps in Kentucky. Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.