THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF COLORADO 
191 
 
 Molybdenum.—Colorado was responsible for 64 percent of the Nation's
molybdenum production in 1967 and the Climax Mol~bdenum Co. produced the
entire State output. Although production exceeded that of the previous year,
shipments were 5.2 million pounds less due to a strike from July 1 to November
24 at Climax's molybdenum refinery at Langeloth, Pa. At yearend a relatively
large quantity of molybdenum concentrates was stockpiled at the Climax mine
in Lake County. 
 The newly developed Urad mine near Empire in Clear Creek County was dcclicated
by Climax in September. About 1.5 million pounds of molybdenum were produced
by the end of the year. The operation, scheduled for full production in 1968,
was designed and developed for mining 5,000 tons of ore per day and producing
7 million pounds of molybdenum annually. 
 Climax awarded a $5 million contract to Boyles Bros. Drilling Co. to sink
' the first shaft and to do initial drifting on the Henderson molybdenum
deposit located near the Urad mine. Discovery of the Henderson deposit was
first announced by Climax in June 1965. The deposit was considered to be
the second largest molybdenum deposit found ' in the world; Climax is the
largest. According to the company's 1967 annual report the molybdenum contained
in the deposit matches the remaining reserves in the deposit at the Climax
mine. Work commenced on the 23-footdiameter shaft early in the year; at yearend
the shaft was down 650 feet of the total depth of 2,410 feet. Tentative company
plans were to develop ' by the mid1970's a mining operation of 30,000 tons
per day with an annual capacity of approximately 50 million pounds of molybdenum.

 Surpassing the previous production high of 15.2 million tons set in 1966,
a new yearly record of 15.4 million tons of ore was obtained at Climax, the
largest underground mine in the world based on ore production. Approximately
42,900 tons were mined daily. Over half of the ore came from the Storke level;
the balance came from the Phillipson level and Ceresco Ridge area. Development
work was continued on the 600-foot level; production from this level is expected
about 1971 when that part of ore body mined from the Phillipson level will
be depleted. The molybdenum oxide plant, placed in opera- 
tion in 1966, was operated at nearly its designed annual capacity of 3 million
pounds. Approximately 5,600 tons of the 42,900 tons mined daily were treated
at the plant for the recovery of molybdenum in oxide minerals. 
 
 Rare-Earth Metals.—Monazite (a combination of rare-earth phosphates)
was recovered as a byproduct from mill tailings by Climax Molybdenum Co.
at the Climax mine. The output was 41 percent greater than that of 1966.

 Molybdenum Corporation of America (Molycorp) purchased the remaining interest
in Yttrium Corporation of America and then merged the company into Molycorp.
In 1966 Yttrium Corp. began operating a million-dollar plant at Louviers
for producing yttrium oxide. To produce other high-purity rare-earth oxides
Molyc'orp placed into operation during 1967 a plant adjacent to the yttrium
oxide facility. The plant had the capacity for an annual production of 700,000
pounds of lanthanum oxide, 200,000 pounds of neodymium oxide, and 60,000
pounds of praseodymium oxide. 
 
 Silver.—Although the quantity of silver produced was down 268,000
troy ounces, the value was up $120,000 due to a substantial increase in silver
prices. The average price was $1.55 per troy ounce, compared with $ 1.293
in 1966. As with gold, most of the silver was obtained as a byproduct from
processing base-metal ores. The only sizeable operations at which silver
ore was obtained were the Smuggler mine dump of The Aspen Consolidated Mining
Co., a subsidiary of McCulIoch Oil Corporation of California, in Pitkin County,
and the Brownville Slide dump of Cotter Corp., in Clear Creek County. Placer
operations accounted for only 329 troy ounces. The largest single source,
the Idarado mine in Ouray and San Miguel Counties, yielded half of the State's
output of silver. Production at this mine increased 117,000 troy ounces above
that of 1966; ore grade was up about one-third of an ounce per ton. The only
other mines with production exceeding 100,000 troy ounces were, in order
of output, the Eagle mine in Eagle County, Keystone in Gunnison County, Sunnyside
in San Juan County, and Emperius in Mineral County. However, each of these
mines had production