Mining and the Geology of the San Juans
The Formation of the San Juans
Nearly two Billion years ago ancient continental plates collided together to create the beautiful San Juan mountains that are in our backyard. The collision of the plates caused the earth's crust to fault and fold creating some of the most rigid mountains in the country. Then over the course of millions of years volcanic activity made the mountains rich with resources. The mountains contained veins of gold, silver and other precious minerals. After the massive tectonic activity the mountains laid dormant through the ice age. During this time the iconic box canyon formation of the San Juans was done. Glaciers formed many of the places historical towns exist today. Now we have rugged high terrain with beautiful geology and fascinating history.
Valuable Minerals
The study of metamorphic geology is very complicated to say the least. Through my research I learned that this field of geology is easily the most difficult to understand because it is so related to chemistry. Thankfully I have already taken chemistry so I can understand some terms that are useful for learning this content.
During the formation of the San Juan mountains heavy volcanic activity made the mountains extremely hot and ever changing. This is the ideal environment for minerals like gold to form. Gold typically forms over many years by hot fluid that causes mineral deposition to take place where minerals are extracted from rocks by fluid then displaced into a deposit. The gold in the San juans my be slightly different though. Scientists have recently discovered that the process of gold formation can be accelerated by earthquakes. When earthquakes or extreme tectonic activity occur the pressure deep underground drops significantly because fault lines are expanding and contracting. When water is exposed to extreme drops in pressure it vaporizes almost instantly. If an earthquake occurred and there was a large deposit of mineral bearing water, the water would vaporize and what would be left is the crystalized minerals from the water. Silver was also very common in the San Juan Mountains. The formation of silver is a bit more simple. Silver is also formed by mineral deposition but is just a little more common. Silver is formed by sulfur compounds that are extracted from the rock by water. When that water dissolves it leaves silver. This is why so much of the rock you find near mines in Silverton is sulfur. It is pretty remarkable to think that the formation of these elements fueled the economy of the southwest for nearly fifty years and made our town what it is today.
Mining History in the San Juans
Prior to the occupation of the white man the San Juans belonged to the southern Ute tribe. The tribe was nomadic and would follow large game north for the summer and south towards Durango for the summer. In the early 1700’s a few spanish expeditions were led by natives into the mountains to find gold, but with no success. Hundreds of years later the white man began to venture into the San Juans. Mountain Men and trappers began to explore the San Juans in search for gold and other valuable and tradable goods. The rumors of untouched riches first began after Kit Carson ( a famous colorado mountain man), returned from the San Juans.
In 1861 the Baker party reached what we now know as Animas Forks just north of Silverton. The brutal terrain and extreme weather made for a very isolated city. This was just one of the many reasons the gold rush didn’t start then. Dealing with hostile natives also made mining nearly impossible, so the Baker party fled in the winter of 1863. Then in september of 1873 the southern ute and the federal government reached an agreement that would allow porspectors to share the land with the natives. After this many settlements were established in the Silverton area such as, Eureka, Sunnyside Mine Camp, and Animas Forks. Soon after the two leading mines in the area were installed. The old 100 mine and the gold king mine. These mines were the number one exporters of gold and silver in Colorado for a number of years and fueled us though the industrial revolution.
Extraction of Resources
Miniers in Silverton, Colorado were subject to some of the most hostile conditions known to man. Extreme winters with sub zero temperatures. Working long brutal hours deep within the dangerous halls of a mine. Chipping away at rocks with massive drills, while their lungs turned black from the sediment. All for the chance to make it rich. Mining is already one of the most dangerous career paths in history, but the rugged terrain and weather in silveron made for one of the most dangerous lifestyles. It was worth it though, from 1865 to 1930 over 65 million dollars worth of ores were exported from the san juan mountains. From the start it was never easy. Starting a mine and making a claim is a very challenging process. To keep it simple I’m going to tell you the story of a very famous mine in Silverton, the Old 100.
Gold Mines are often started after a stream proves to hold a sufficient amount of gold flakes. To find the source of gold prospectors pan all the way up the stream until the gold stops indicating they have passed the source. This is the method the Neiglod brothers used to locate two gold veins coming down the side of Galena Mountain (north of Silverton). The brothers decided to drill directly into the mountain and access the gold by a series of tunnels. Once inside the mountain more prominent veins were discovered, so the brothers expanded their operation. The constructed two more levels to extract the gold. The first level was the five level. It was placed next to the number 5 vein and was meant to mine the vein of gold to the base of the mountain. The number 7 level was another mine that went straight down 2,000 feet along a gold vein that intersected with the number 5 level. 7 also has a boarding house where miners would live. This engineering was groundbreaking at the time, but still did not provide the means to keep everyone alive. Many people froze to death while riding the tram and numerous accidents occurred within the mine. Still the old 100 was one of the most successful gold mines in Colorado history.
Nearly two Billion years ago ancient continental plates collided together to create the beautiful San Juan mountains that are in our backyard. The collision of the plates caused the earth's crust to fault and fold creating some of the most rigid mountains in the country. Then over the course of millions of years volcanic activity made the mountains rich with resources. The mountains contained veins of gold, silver and other precious minerals. After the massive tectonic activity the mountains laid dormant through the ice age. During this time the iconic box canyon formation of the San Juans was done. Glaciers formed many of the places historical towns exist today. Now we have rugged high terrain with beautiful geology and fascinating history.
Valuable Minerals
The study of metamorphic geology is very complicated to say the least. Through my research I learned that this field of geology is easily the most difficult to understand because it is so related to chemistry. Thankfully I have already taken chemistry so I can understand some terms that are useful for learning this content.
During the formation of the San Juan mountains heavy volcanic activity made the mountains extremely hot and ever changing. This is the ideal environment for minerals like gold to form. Gold typically forms over many years by hot fluid that causes mineral deposition to take place where minerals are extracted from rocks by fluid then displaced into a deposit. The gold in the San juans my be slightly different though. Scientists have recently discovered that the process of gold formation can be accelerated by earthquakes. When earthquakes or extreme tectonic activity occur the pressure deep underground drops significantly because fault lines are expanding and contracting. When water is exposed to extreme drops in pressure it vaporizes almost instantly. If an earthquake occurred and there was a large deposit of mineral bearing water, the water would vaporize and what would be left is the crystalized minerals from the water. Silver was also very common in the San Juan Mountains. The formation of silver is a bit more simple. Silver is also formed by mineral deposition but is just a little more common. Silver is formed by sulfur compounds that are extracted from the rock by water. When that water dissolves it leaves silver. This is why so much of the rock you find near mines in Silverton is sulfur. It is pretty remarkable to think that the formation of these elements fueled the economy of the southwest for nearly fifty years and made our town what it is today.
Mining History in the San Juans
Prior to the occupation of the white man the San Juans belonged to the southern Ute tribe. The tribe was nomadic and would follow large game north for the summer and south towards Durango for the summer. In the early 1700’s a few spanish expeditions were led by natives into the mountains to find gold, but with no success. Hundreds of years later the white man began to venture into the San Juans. Mountain Men and trappers began to explore the San Juans in search for gold and other valuable and tradable goods. The rumors of untouched riches first began after Kit Carson ( a famous colorado mountain man), returned from the San Juans.
In 1861 the Baker party reached what we now know as Animas Forks just north of Silverton. The brutal terrain and extreme weather made for a very isolated city. This was just one of the many reasons the gold rush didn’t start then. Dealing with hostile natives also made mining nearly impossible, so the Baker party fled in the winter of 1863. Then in september of 1873 the southern ute and the federal government reached an agreement that would allow porspectors to share the land with the natives. After this many settlements were established in the Silverton area such as, Eureka, Sunnyside Mine Camp, and Animas Forks. Soon after the two leading mines in the area were installed. The old 100 mine and the gold king mine. These mines were the number one exporters of gold and silver in Colorado for a number of years and fueled us though the industrial revolution.
Extraction of Resources
Miniers in Silverton, Colorado were subject to some of the most hostile conditions known to man. Extreme winters with sub zero temperatures. Working long brutal hours deep within the dangerous halls of a mine. Chipping away at rocks with massive drills, while their lungs turned black from the sediment. All for the chance to make it rich. Mining is already one of the most dangerous career paths in history, but the rugged terrain and weather in silveron made for one of the most dangerous lifestyles. It was worth it though, from 1865 to 1930 over 65 million dollars worth of ores were exported from the san juan mountains. From the start it was never easy. Starting a mine and making a claim is a very challenging process. To keep it simple I’m going to tell you the story of a very famous mine in Silverton, the Old 100.
Gold Mines are often started after a stream proves to hold a sufficient amount of gold flakes. To find the source of gold prospectors pan all the way up the stream until the gold stops indicating they have passed the source. This is the method the Neiglod brothers used to locate two gold veins coming down the side of Galena Mountain (north of Silverton). The brothers decided to drill directly into the mountain and access the gold by a series of tunnels. Once inside the mountain more prominent veins were discovered, so the brothers expanded their operation. The constructed two more levels to extract the gold. The first level was the five level. It was placed next to the number 5 vein and was meant to mine the vein of gold to the base of the mountain. The number 7 level was another mine that went straight down 2,000 feet along a gold vein that intersected with the number 5 level. 7 also has a boarding house where miners would live. This engineering was groundbreaking at the time, but still did not provide the means to keep everyone alive. Many people froze to death while riding the tram and numerous accidents occurred within the mine. Still the old 100 was one of the most successful gold mines in Colorado history.
Sources
Bibliography
“Earthquakes Make Gold Veins in an Instant.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, www.nature.com/news/earthquakes-make-gold-veins-in-an-instant-1.12615.
Lipman, Peter W, et al. “Volcanic History of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, as Indicated by Potassium–Argon Dating.” GSA Bulletin, GeoScienceWorld, 1 Aug. 1970, pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/81/8/2329/6946/Volcanic-History-of-the-San-Juan-Mountains?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
Silvertonwebworks.com. “History of the Old Hundred: Silverton, Colorado.” History of the Old Hundred | Silverton, Colorado, www.minetour.com/history.html.
Yongli. “San Juan Mountains.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 1 Aug. 2016, coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-mountains.
Yongli. “Silverton.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 1 Feb. 2017, coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0.
“Earthquakes Make Gold Veins in an Instant.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, www.nature.com/news/earthquakes-make-gold-veins-in-an-instant-1.12615.
Lipman, Peter W, et al. “Volcanic History of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, as Indicated by Potassium–Argon Dating.” GSA Bulletin, GeoScienceWorld, 1 Aug. 1970, pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/81/8/2329/6946/Volcanic-History-of-the-San-Juan-Mountains?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
Silvertonwebworks.com. “History of the Old Hundred: Silverton, Colorado.” History of the Old Hundred | Silverton, Colorado, www.minetour.com/history.html.
Yongli. “San Juan Mountains.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 1 Aug. 2016, coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-mountains.
Yongli. “Silverton.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 1 Feb. 2017, coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0.