New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

For many years the Alice glory hole has produced fine miniatures and cabinet specimens of pyrite and chalcopyrite, but, until recently, the spectacular occurrence of fine gold crystals had gone unnoticed.

The Alice glory hole is located in the front range of the Rocky Mountains, in the north-central part of Clear Creek County, approximately 30 miles west of Denver. It is situated in the Alice-Yankee Hill mining district at an elevation of 10,300 ft in sec. 3, T. 3 S., R. 74 W., as shown on the Empire, Colorado quadrangle. The mine can be reached easily by auto from Idaho Springs by traveling west on 1-70 for 2 1/2 mi to the Fall River exit, then north 8 1/2 mi to Alice, and then west 1/2 mi to the glory hole.

Minerals that occur as specimens of interest to collectors are barite, chalcopyrite, ferberite, gold, pyrite, quartz, siderite, and scheelite. These minerals have four intimate phases, three of which contain Cu, Pb, Bi, S and the fourth contains Ag, Cu, Pb, Bi, S. Minerals of lesser importance are bornite, biotite, chalcanthite, chalcocite, covellite, malachite, sphene, and iron oxides.

The Alice orebody has been developed by both open-pit and irregular underground workings. Most of the underground workings, especially those below the pit floor, are inaccessible because they are flooded and collapsed. The glory hole is accessible by climbing down from the eastern edge of the pit. The glory hole is suffering decay; extreme caution should be used when entering it and while collecting there.