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Cliff DIlbert writes:

HI----THE BURGEN MINE WAS THE MAIN PRODUCER FOR KENNECOTT AND WAS ABOUT 8 MILES FROM EUREKA. THERE WERE VERY FEW MINERALS IN THE BURGEN. IT WAS A LEAD-ZINC-SILVER PRODUCER, 10,000 TONS/DAY. THE ORE WAS A REPLACED DOLOMITE AND WE ACTUALLY HAD HOT MUD FLOWS ON THE 1300 LEVEL AS THE MINE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A HOT SPRING. THE WATER TEMP WAS AROUND 160 DEGREES AND HAD A LOT OF CO2 IN IT. MOST OF THE ORE WAS EITHER HIGH GRADE GALENA/SPHLAERITE OR A PSILOMELENE. THE LEAD/ZINC MINERALS WERE REAL FINE GRAINED SO NO CRYSTALS THERE. I WAS LUCKY. RIGHT AFTER SHIFT ONE EVENING I WENT DOWNTO THIS ONE STOPE, THE 1348, RIGHT AFTER THEY BLASTED INTO THIS HIGH GRADE CORE AND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ANTICLINE, ABOUT 20' ACROSS THERE WAS THE END OF A 3'X'5' POCKET OF LIGHT PINK RHODOCHROSITE WITH SOME MARCASITE GROUPS. I SPENT ABOUT 4 HOURS GETTING THE WHOLE POCKET WHICH WAS ABOUT 200 POUNDS OF STLACTITES AND HAVE SOLD THEM OVER THE YEARS. THAT POCKET WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH CRYSTALLINE RHODOCHROSITE WE EVER HIT. THAT WAS IN 1975. THE MINE FLOODED, THERE WERE PUMPING 10,000 GPM OF HOT SALT WATER 24 HOURS A DAY, WHEN THE POWER WENT OUT AND KENNECOTT DECIDED IN THE EARLY 80'S NOT TO REOPEN IT. THERE WERE TWO OTHER MINES ON THE PROPERTY THAT KENNECOTT WORKED. ONE WAS THE TRIXIE WHICH WAS A GOLD/SILVER MINE IN A QUARTZITE ABOUT 2 MILES UP FROM THE BURGEN. BY CONTRAST THIS WAS A CLEAN DRY MINE AND WAS GREAT TO WORK IN. WE DID HIT A HIGH GRADE GOLD VEIN ONCE AND YOU COULD SEE THE GOLD IN THE TENNORITE MATRIX. WE COLLECTED ABOUT 100 POUNDS OF THIS BEFORE THEY DECIDED THERE WAS TOO MUCH OF THE MATERIAL BEING TAKEN. OTHER THAN THE GOLD, THE TRIXIE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF CRYSTALS. THE OTHER MINE, THE MAMMOTH, WAS BEING LOOKED AT AS A SILICA SOURCE FOR THE MAGNA SMELTER, WHERE THE TRIXIE ORE WENT. I NEVER DID FIND ANY GOOD CRYSTALS IN THE MAMMOTH.

THE BURGEN WAS A MISERABLE MINE TO WORK IN. 100 DEGREE TEMPS., 100% HUMIDITY, BAD AIR, HIGH SO2 CONTENT. DURING THE WINTER YOU WOULD COME OUT OFF THE TUNNELS SOAKED AND THE STATION WOULD BE 45 DEGREES. YOU WOULD RIDE UP THE 1300 FOOT SHAFT AND HAVE ICE ON YOUR CLOTHES BY THE TIME YOU GOT TO THE CHANGE ROOM LEVEL. I TOOK DOWN A DRY SET OF CLOTHES AND WOULD CHANGE JUST AS THE WARM AIR MET THE COLD RIGHT BY THE BATTERY ROOM. I WORKED THERE FOR 2 YEARS AND THEN WENT TO WORK FOR ASARCO'S SILVER BELL MINE OUTSIDE OF TUCSON. I COLLECTED SOME GOOD AZUITE FROM THERE, SOME WULFENITE AND ABOUT 50 POUNDS OF GOOD TURQUOISE. IT WAS A REAL CHANGE FROM THE UNDERGROUND MINES.

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Mineral Occurances

Rhodochrosite

14.01.01.04

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created: 2005-01-01 08:23:24;    modified: 2020-02-09 21:12:00