K-Ar age of alunite alteration at Red Mountain, Lake City area, western San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Open-File Report 79-1642
By: , and 

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Abstract

The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado are famous for rich vein deposits of base and precious metals and for patterns of conspicuous hydrothermal alteration. Areas of acid-sulfate alteration, characterized by extensive base leaching of volcanic rocks or hypabyssal plutons, are of current interest because of their local association with Au, Ag, and, in some cases, U mineralization (Lipman and others, 1976; Cunningham and others, 1978; Steven and others, 1979). Potential may also exist for recovery of aluminum from altered rocks rich in alunite (Hall, 1978). Alunite has been shown to be suitable for K-Ar dating in other mining districts (Mehnert and others, 1973b; Ashley and Silberman, 1976). We report here two concordant K-Ar ages determined on hydrothermal alunite from Red Mountain, in the Lake City area of the western San Juan Mountains.

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Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title K-Ar age of alunite alteration at Red Mountain, Lake City area, western San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 79-1642
DOI 10.3133/ofr791642
Year Published 1979
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center
Description 8 p.
Country United States
State Colorado
County Lake City
Other Geospatial Red Mountain, San Juan Mountains
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