Bachelor Mine
Creede, Colorado
37.8729°N 106.9361°W
Mine Overview
The Bachelor Mine is near Creede, Colorado. Historically the site has been associated with the Creed Mining District which is now part of the Rio Grande National Forest. The site was first discovered in 1884 by J. C. Mackenzie, H. M. Bennett, J. A. Wilson. The Bachelor Mine was closed at the time of data entry with no known plans to re-open. Production size when active was considered to be small. Mine operations consist of underground workings. There is one known shaft. Subsurface depth reaches a maximum of 457 meters (1,500 feet). The ore mined is composed of chalcopyrite, pyrite and sphalerite with waste material consisting primarily of wad, barite and rhodochrosite. The ore body extends 9 meters (29 feet) in width. Associated rock in this area is rhyolite from the Oligocene epoch 33.90 to 23.03 million years ago. The Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province of the Rocky Mountain System characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding area.
Site identification and general characteristics. Learn about USGS mines.
- Gold, Lead, and Silver Primary Commodity
- Copper and Zinc Secondary Commodity
- Antimony and Manganese Secondary Commodity
- Site Record Type?
- Mine Development Status?
- Underground Operation Type?
- 1884 Year Discovered?
- Ore Mineral In Place Discovery Method?
- J C Mackenzie H M Bennett J A Wilson Discovered By?
- 1884 First Year Of Production?
- Small Production Size?
- Small Mine Size?
Bachelor Mine Near Creede, Colorado
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© The Diggings™
Owner Name and Address
F. Spurgeon
Harrison-Western Corporation
- Type
- Operator
Minerals Engineering Company (Meco)
Grand Junction, Colorado- Type
- Owner
Commodities
Additional textual information about a site or mine.
- Commodity Type Importance
- Gold Metallic Primary
- Lead Metallic Primary
- Silver Metallic Primary
- Copper Metallic Secondary
- Zinc Metallic Secondary
- Antimony Metallic Tertiary
- Manganese Metallic Tertiary
Location Info
- Continent Country State County
- North America The United States Colorado Mineral
Notes
S-T-R, LAT-LONG, AND ELEV DETERMINED FROM EMMONS AND LARSEN'S (1923) TOPO MAP (1:24, 000 ). MINE OR CLAIM LIES ON SE SIDE OF BACHELOR MOUNTAIN; INFO FROM LAND. ST : (1976).
Meridian / Township / Range Description
- Meridian? Township? Section? Aliquot?
- New Mexico Meridian T.42N R.1W Sec. 24 NE
- New Mexico Meridian T.42N R.1W Sec. 24 SW
Development
LOW-GRADE ORE MINED SOON AFTER DISCOVERY, TREATED WITHOUT SUCCESS AT SUNNYSIDE. WORK RENEWED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER LARGE LODE DISCOVERIES IN 1891.
Workings
Workings at the site.
Underground Workings #1
- Type: Underground
- Sub Surface Depth: 457.2 Meters
Workings
MINE DEVELOPED BY 4 TUNNELS AND NELSON-WOOSTER-HUMPHREYS TUNNEL (LOWEST) OVER 1175-FEET VERTICAL INTERVAL. TUNNEL 4 IS 445 FEET ABOVE NELSON TUNNEL; TUNNEL 3 IS 401 FEET ABOVE TUNNEL 4; TUNNEL 1 IS 330 FEET ABOVE TUNNEL 3. TUNNEL 2 (INACCESSIBLE) POSITION UNKNOWN. BACHELOR SHAFT (WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET OF DRIFTS) SUNK TO 125 FEET BELOW NELSON TUNNEL. TOTAL EXTENT OF WORKINGS UNKNOWN BUT EXCEEDS 10, 000 FEET ON 4 MAIN LEVELS.
Concentration Process
Processes that concentrated or enriched the mineralization of the mine.
- Concentration Process
- Pressure From Stock Beneath Bachelor Caldera Reactivated Keystone Graben And Started A North-To-South-Flowing, Freely Convecting Hydrothermal System Of Sulfate-Rich Solutions That Deposited Ore And Gangue Near Top Of Convecting Cell By Hypogene Enrichment Process. Boiling, With Loss Of Acid Constituents, And Resulting Rise In Ph Caused Precipitation Of Ores And Formation Of Intensely Altered Sericitic Cap Above Ore. Cap Is Actually Coalescence Of Alteration Fans Spreading Upward And Outward Thru Fractured And Porous Rock In Main Fault Zones And Along Parallel And Antithetic Fractures In Hanging Wall.
Materials
Minerals or other materials present in the mine.
- Role? Material?
- Gangue/Waste Amethyst
- Gangue/Waste Barite
- Gangue/Waste Hematite
- Gangue/Waste Limonite
- Gangue/Waste Quartz
- Gangue/Waste Rhodochrosite
- Gangue/Waste Smithsonite
- Gangue/Waste Wad
- Ore Argentite
- Ore Chalcocite
- Ore Chalcopyrite
- Ore Covellite
- Ore Pyrite
- Ore Silver
- Ore Sphalerite
- Ore Tetrahedrite
Orebody
Characteristics of the ore body.
- Width: 9.14 meters (29.99 feet)
- Strike: north 15 to 25 west
- Dip: 60 southwest
Rocks
Geological materials at the site.
- Class? 1st Order Name? 2nd Order Name? 3rd Order Name? 4th Order Name? Most Specific Name? Begin Time End Time Description?
- Associated Rock Campbell Mountain Member Of Bachelor Mountain Rhyolite; Willow Creek Member Of Bachelor Mountain Rhyolite Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) Felsic Volcanic Rock Rhyolite Rhyolite Oligocene Oligocene -
- Host Rock Campbell Mountain Member Of Bachelor Mountain Rhyolite; Willow Creek Member Of Bachelor Mountain Rhyolite Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) Felsic Volcanic Rock Rhyolite Rhyolite - - -
- Mineralization - - - - - Miocene Miocene -
Structure
Geologic structural features affecting or characterizing the site or mine.
- Scale Description
- Local Amethyst Fault Zone; Creede Graben
- Regional La Garita, Creede, And Bachelor Calderas; San Juan Volcanic Field
Tectonic
Tectonic setting in which the site or deposit is situated.
- Setting?
- Central Cordillera (Southern Rocky Mountains)
Physiography
Physiographic area where the resource is found.
- Division Province? Section
- Rocky Mountain System Southern Rocky Mountains -
Alteration
Mineralogical and chemical alteration at or near the site, which may help to indicate the geographic extent of the geological processes producing the mine.
- Type? Alterations
- Local Chloritization, Silicification, Argillization; Iron-Manganese Oxides
Ore Control
Controls on emplacement of ore such as faults or other structural features.
- Text?
- Amethyst Fault, Ancestral Amethyst Fault; Steep, Subparallel Hanging Wall Fractures
Nearby Deposits
Other deposits in the same region.
-
Freeport Tunnel
- Silver commodity Site type Prospect status
- Mineral, Colorado
- 0.13 miles
-
Wedge Silver Mine
- Silver commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.22 miles
-
Rio Grande Lode
- Silver commodity Site type Occurrence status
- Mineral, Colorado
- 0.24 miles
-
Copper Lode
- Silver commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.28 miles
-
Emperius Mine
- Lead commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.36 miles
-
Commodore Mine
- Gold commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.41 miles
-
Colewood Tunnel
- Lead commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.44 miles
-
Nelson Tunnel
- Gold commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.44 miles
-
Creede Formation Mine
- Silver commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.45 miles
-
United Mines Shaft
- Gold commodity Site type Mine status
- Mineral, Colorado
- Underground
- 0.46 miles
Nearby Places
- Creede (1.69 miles away)
- Cathedral (16.24 miles away)
- South Fork (21.29 miles away)
Nearby Mining Districts
- Creed Mining District (0 miles away)
- Bondholder Mining District (6.04 miles away)
Nearby Lands
- Rio Grande National Forest (0 miles away)
- La Garita Wilderness (3.55 miles away)
- Gunnison National Forest (5.50 miles away)
Footnotes
* Mine bounds on map indicate the general area that a mine occupies. For an detailed map, refer to the overseeing BLM field office.
** The mine central point is based on an average of the mine's bounding box(es) and does not necessarily fall on the claim itself.
1 World-class significance is determined by total endowment of the contained commodity. This includes all past production and remaining reserves. Each commodity is considered separately and commodities cannot be combined to arrive at a significant size. The tonnage thresholds are from the mine model grade-tonnage studies. As of June 2008, many entries were classified as significant under less strict rules.
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Understanding Townships
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Deposit
PRINCIPAL LODE IS AMETHYST FAULT (ATTITUDE ABOVE ). MINE ALSO DEVELOPS ANCESTRAL AMETHYST FAULT (DEAN FAULT) WHICH LIES IN AMETHYST HANGING WALL BUT STRIKES MORE NORTHERLY (N 5 TO 10 W) AND DIPS MORE STEEPLY (70 TO 80 SW ). LATER MINERALIZED FRACTURES OCCUPY HORSE BETWEEN THE TWO FAULTS. ANOTHER MAJOR FRACTURE SUBPARALLELS AND LIES JUST WEST OF DEAN FAULT BUT DIPS STEEPLY NE. SOUTHERN AMETHYST FAULT MINERALIZATION IS VEIN-TYPE AND DISSEMINATED, BOTH CONFINED TO DENSELY FRACTURED AND BRECCIATED CAMPBELL MOUNTAIN RHYOLITE IN HANGING WALL BUT IN SOME PLACES ALSO IN FOOTWALL. TWO-STAGE PARAGENESIS INCLUDES 1) STAGE 1, QUARTZ, BARITE, RHODOCHROSITE, NO SILVER; 2) STAGE 2, SUBSTAGE A, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, NO SILVER; SUBSTAGE B, AMETHYST, BARITE, BASE-METAL SULFIDES, SILVER-BEARING COPPER SULFIDES (ECONOMIC ); SUBSTAGE C, QUARTZ, AMETHYST, COPPER AND BASE-METALS SULFIDES, IRON-MN OXIDES, TETRAHEDRITE, ACANTHITE AND NATIVE SILVER ECONOMIC, ALSO PROBABLE DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION IN CLOSELY.
SPACED MICROVEINLETS AND INTERGRANULAR PORE FILLING.