Tyrone Mine

Site Name

Primary: Tyrone Mine
Secondary: Tyrone
Secondary: Includes A Number of Older Underground Mines: Gettysburg
Secondary: Copper Gulf
Secondary: Rocket
Secondary: Niagra
Secondary: Mowhawk
Secondary: Sampson
Secondary: McKinley
Secondary: St. Louis
Secondary: Boston
Secondary: Virginia
Secondary: Klondike
Secondary: Valencia
Secondary: Emerald

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gemstone
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: Vanadium

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Location

State: New Mexico
County: Grant
District: Burro Mountains District: Tyrone Subdistrict

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Land Status

Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Owner Name: Phelps Dodge Corp.
Home Office: P.O. Drawer B, Tyrone, N.M. 88065
Years: 1981 -

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Production

Year: 1993
Time Period: 1972-1993
Year: 1992
Time Period: 1969-1992
Year: 1930
Time Period: 1906-1930

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1879
Year Last Production: 1981
Discovery Year: 1869
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu-Mo

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Type: L
Description: Five Northeast Trending Zones Of Closely Spaced Fractures Are Also Zones Of Higher Grade Ore. Deposit Bounded To Nw By Nne Burro Chief Fault And To S By Ew Racket Virginia Fault.

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alteration Products: Sericite, Quartz, Chlorite, Epidote, Kaolinite. Erratic Argillic Alteration. Pervasive Quartz-Sericite Alteration. Peripheral Propylitic Alteration With Chloritized Biotite, Feldspar Altered To Montmorillonite, And Addition Of Pyrite. Silicification Along Contact Between Eeo Porphyry And Prec Granite.

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Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age in Years: 54.900000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Early Eocene

Name: Tonalite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age in Years: 56.600000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Early Eocene

Name: Dacite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age in Years: 56.600000+-
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Early Eocene

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Tenorite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Libethenite
Ore: Chalcanthite
Ore: Brochantite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Turquoise
Ore: Torbernite
Ore: Cuprite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Copper
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Fluorite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Jarosite

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Comments

Comment (Development): WORK, LATER MERGING TO FORM THE SAVANNAH COPPER CO. (2577 AC) WHICH WAS ACQUIRED BY PHELPS DODGE IN 1916. IN 1906 BRIGGS OLIVER DEVELOPMENT CO OPTIONED THE BURRO CHIEF GROUP FROM THOMAS PARKER, WAS SUCEEDED BY THE TYRONE COPPER CO. AND THEN THE CHEMUNG COPPER CO. (953 AC) WHICH WAS ACQUIRED BY PHELPS DODGE IN 1912. HAVING CONSOLIDATED CONTROL OF THE MAJOR CHALCOCITE VEIN PROPERTIES, PHELPS DODGE DEVELOPED A 1400 TPD MINE AND MILL FROM 1913 TO 1916 AND OPERATED THE MINE FROM 1916 TO 1921. LEACH OPERATIONS, PRODUCING CEMENT COPPER CONTINUED TO 1928 WHEN LEACH PLANT WAS DISMANTLED. INTERMITTENT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION BY COMPANY AND LEASERS CEASED IN 1949. FROM 1949 TO 1958. PHELPS DODGE DELINEATED THE SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT BLANKET OREBODY BY DRILLING 720 CHURN DRILL HOLES ON 200 FT CENTERS OVER AN AREA 8400 FT EAST-WEST BY 9400 FT NORTH-SOUTH FOR A TOTAL FOOTAGE OF 434,000 FT TO A MAXIMUM OF 1000 FT DEPTH. DURING THAT TIME PHELPS DODGE ACQUIRED PROPERTY OF THE AZURE MINING CO.

Comment (Workings): MINE NOW CONSISTS OF ONE LARGE OPEN PIT WHICH IS A CONSOLIDATION OF THE WEST RACKET, GETTYSBURG, MAIN, AND COPPER MOUNTAIN PITS. BY 1978 MOST OF THE OLD UNDERGROUND WORKINGS HAD BEEN DESTROYED BY DEVELOPMENT OF THE OPEN PIT.

Comment (Development): TURQUOISE MINED BY NATIVE AMERICANS. JOHN E. COLEMAN LOCATED FIRST COPPER AND TURQUOISE CLAIMS IN 1869. ST. LOUIS CLAIM LOCATED 1879 BY JAMES BULLARD, JOHN SWISSHELM, AND J.W. FLEMING THEN SOLD TO VAL VERDE COPPER CO. OXIDE SURFACE ORES, SMELTED IN A 5O TPD REVERBATORY FURNACE LOCATED IN DEAD MAN GULCH, WERE QUICKLY EXHAUSTED. A 500 FT SHAFT CUT THE TABULAR ST. LOUIS CHALCOCITE OREBODY. ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE ALESSANDRO COPPER CO. ATTEMPTED TO LEACH OXIDE ORES FROM CLAIMS 3 MILES EAST OF THE ST. LOUIS AND ANOTHER SMELTER AT OAK GROVE RAN FOR A SHORT TIME. THE VAL VERDE COPPER CO. WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ABSORBED INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN COPPER CO. WHICH LATER ACQUIRED THE SAMPSON AND OTHER PROPERTIES. IN 1901 THE BURRO MOUNTAIN COPPER CO. TOOK OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN COPPER CO. AND BUILT THE LEOPOLD MILL. THE BURRO MOUNTAIN PROPERTY (1000 AC) WAS OPTIONED BY PHELPS DODGE IN 1904 AND ACQUIRED IN 1906. AROUND 1905 THE COMANCHE MINING AND SMELTING CO. AND COPPER GULF DEVELOPMENT CO. BEGAN

Comment (Reserve-Resource): (1) INITIAL OPEN PIT RESERVE, MILL ORE; (2) ANOTHER ESTIMATE OF INITIAL OPEN PIT RESERVE, MILL ORE; (3) FINAL ESTIMATE OPEN PIT RESERVE, MILL ORE, SINCE EXHAUSTED; (4) LEACH ORE. RESERVES OF LEACH ORE NOT YET (1994) FULLY DELINEATED.

Comment (Development): AND THE AMERICAN GEM AND TURQUOISE CO. STRIPPING BEGAN MAY 1, 1967, MILL OPERATIONS BEGAN IN 1969, AND LEACH OPERATIONS BEGAN IN 1972. MILL OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL FEBRUARY, 1992 WHEN RESERVES OF MILL ORE WERE EXHAUSTED. MILL SUBSEQUENTLY DISMANTLED EXCEPT FOR ONE 15,000 TPD SECTION RETAINED FOR TREATMENT OF MILL ORE WHICH MAY BECOME AVAILABLE DURING MINING OF RECENTLY DELINEATED LEACH ORES. A SX/EW PLANT OF 14,000 TPD CAPACITY WAS INSTALLED IN 1984. A FOURTH EXPANSION IN 1992 BROUGHT CAPACITY TO 70,000 TPD. ADDITIONAL DRILLING FROM 1991 CONTINUES TO DELINEATE MORE LEACH ORE RESERVES.

Comment (Location): GEODETIC LOCATION IS FOR THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE OPEN PIT AREA.

Comment (Commodity): PRESENCE OF TORBERNITE SUSPECTED DUE TO RADIOACTIVITY RECORDED IN SOME DRILL HOLES.

Comment (Production): (1) ORE MILLED DURING UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS. EXCLUDES ABOUT 54,000 ST DIRECT SHIPPING ORES MINED FROM 1904 TO 1949. (2) ORE MILLED DURING OPEN PIT OPERATIONS. (3) ORE DELIVERED TO LEACH STOCKPILES. STOCKPILED ORE IS PART OF 1.3 BILLION ST "WASTE" MINED FROM 1967 - 1991.

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSITS OCCUR IN A HIGHLY FRACTURED DISSEMINATED COPPER PORPHYRY STOCK. NUMEROUS FRACTURE FILLINGS AND VEINLETS WERE MINED UNDERGROUND PRIOR TO OPEN PIT OPERATIONS. PROTORE CONSISTS OF QUARTZ-SERICITE-PYRITE-CHALCOPYRITE STOCKWORK VEINLETS WITH VERY LITTLE BORNITE AND GRADES OF 0.05 TO 0.15% CU. MULTIPLE STAGES OF PRIMARY COPPER VEINLETS ARE HOSTED BY PREC GRANITE, CRET ANDESITE, AND FOUR STAGES OF EEO QUARTZ MONZONITE PORPHYRY. THE CHALCOCITE ENRICHMENT BLANKET, UP TO 500 FT THICK, HAD GRADES OF 0.8 TO 1.0% CU. CHALCOCITE REPLACES PYRITE AND CHALCOPYRITE. ENRICHMENT BLANKET IS OVERLAIN BY A HEMETITIC LEACHED CAPPING UP TO 500 FT THICK. OXIDE ORE IN LEACHED BLANKET IN COPPER MOUNTAIN PIT CONSISTS OF CHRYSOCOLLA-MALACHITE-AZURITE VEINLETS, COATINGS, AND RARE DISSEMINATIONS GRADING 0.06 TO 0.60% CU. SECONDARY ENRICHMENT OCCURED AT 45 MA (EEO). ABOUT 350 MILLION ST OF 0.2 TO 0.4% CU PROTORE WAS ENRICHED TO ABOUT 0.8% CU. ENRICHED BLANKET WAS SUBSEQUENTLY OFFSET BY NNE TRENDING

Comment (Deposit): FAULTS. ADDITIONAL CONCENTRATION OF CHALCOCITE OCCURED ALONG THESE NNE TRENDINGS FAULTS AND FRACTURES AT 19.5 MA (EMIO). THESE FORMED TABULAR BODIES OF CHALCOCITE ORE AVERAGING 2 TO 3% CU OF WHICH AT LEAST 20 WERE PARTLY MINED OUT BY OLD UNDERGROUND WORKINGS. ALL MINERALIZATION CUT BY UNRELATED MIO? FLUORITE VEINS.

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References

Reference (Deposit): PAIGE, S., 1922 USGS PP 122, 53 PAGES

Reference (Deposit): GILLERMAN, E., 1952 USGS BULL 973-F, P. 261-289

Reference (Deposit): KOLESSAR, J., 1982, THE TYRONE COPPER DEPOSITS, GRANT COUNTY, NEW MEXICO, IN TITLEY, S.R., ED., ADVANCES IN GEOLOGY OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS: TUCSON, UNIV. ARIZONA PRESS, P. 327-333.

Reference (Deposit): JONES, F.A., 1904 NEW MEXICO MINES AND MINERALS, THE NEW MEXICAN PRINTING CO., P. 55-57

Reference (Deposit): LINDGREN, W., GRATON, L.C., AND GORDON, C.H., 1910 USGS PP 68, P. 321-324

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., 1978 USGS MAPS MF-1031, MF-1037, MF-1040, MF-1041

Reference (Deposit): SIEMERS, W.T., AND AUSTIN, G.S., 1979 NMBMMR RESOURCE MAP 9

Reference (Deposit): NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

Reference (Deposit): STEGEN, R.J., 1994, GEOLOGIC TOUR OF THE TYRONE MINE: PHELPS DIDGE MINING CO., UNPUBLISHED REPORT, 6 P.

Reference (Deposit): FIELD VISIT BY KEITH R. LONG, USGS, 10/1994

Reference (Production): (1,2) LONG, 1994; (3) STEGEN, 1994.

Reference (Deposit): LONG, K.R., 1994, PRODUCTION AND RESERVES OF CORDILLERAN PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS, IN BOLM, J.G., AND PIERCE, F.W., EDS., BOOTPRINTS ALONG THE CORDILLERA: ARIZ. GEOL. SOC. DIGEST 21.

Reference (Deposit): WILLIAMS, F.E., 1966 USBM IC-8307, P. 64

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