The Golden Belt Mine is a gold mine located in Yavapai county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,150 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 3,150 Feet (960 Meters)
Commodity: Gold
Lat, Long: 34.26806, -112.20278
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Mine Description
The Golden Belt mine (64), held by the Golden Belt Mines, Inc., is a few hundred feet north of the Golden Turkey. Its original location is reported to have been made in 1873 by George Zika. Production prior to 1916, according to the local press, amounted to several hundred tons of ore of which part was shipped and part was milled. The present operators obtained this ground in 1931 prior to which time a small mill had been built and a little development work done. Subsequently, the mill has been rehabilitated and operated. In 1931, 134 tons of concentrates from 1,345 tons of ore were produced, and 107 tons of smelting ore were shipped.(65) Operations were continued through 1932 and 1933. Minton(66) states that the net smelter returns for 1931 and part of 1932 amounted to $891 on 106 tons of crude ore and $8,523 on 285 tons of concentrates. During 1933, ore from the Golden Turkey mine also was treated in the mill.
The geology of this mine is similar to that of the Golden Turkey. The prevailing rocks consist of pre-Cambrian schist, intruded by dikes of siliceous to basic porphyry. The Golden Belt vein, which strikes approximately N. 60° E. and dips from 10° to 23° S.E., occurs within the fissure zone of a probable thrust fault. Minton(67) states that the vein, as exposed, ranges from a few inches to about 3 feet in width and carries from $5 to $40 in gold and from one to 10 ounces of silver per ton. In the upper portions of the mine, above the water level, the vein contains oxides of iron and lead and some free gold. Below the water level or 50 feet below the surface, galena and pyrite predominate, and the gold occurs mainly in the galena. The silver is asserted to be decreasing with depth.
In January, 1934, the mine was developed by an irregular, inclined shaft, reported to be 800 feet in length, with several hundred feet of drifts and stopes. Minton states that the cost of sinking 150 feet of the incline amounted to $6.22 per foot. As the workings extend under Turkey Creek, considerable water has been encountered.
The Golden Belt flotation mill has a maximum capacity of 50 tons per day. Power is obtained from the Arizona Power Company.
(64) In part abstracted from Minton, D.C., Cost of equipping and developing a small gold mine in the Bradshaw Mountains quadrangle, Yavapai Arizona: U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular
(65) U. S. Bureau of Mines Mineral Resources for 1931, Part I, p. 410.
(66) Work cited, p. 10.
(67) Work cited, p. 3.
Text from Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining, Arizona Bureau of Mines. Original 1934, revised 1967
Golden Belt Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Golden Belt Mine
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Location
State: Arizona
County: Yavapai
District: Black Canyon District
Land Status
Land ownership: National Forest
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.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1919
Year Last Production: 1961
Discovery Year: 1873
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: TABULAR
Structure
Type: R
Description: Foliation And Transposed Bedding In Metavolcanic Rocks
Type: L
Description: Low-Angle (Less Than 40 Deg) Veins Follow Low Angle Faults That Cut Across Foliation
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1720.000000+-
Dating Method: U-Pb (zircon)
Material Analyzed: Zircon
Age Young: Proterozoic
Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 1720.000000+-
Dating Method: U-Pb (zircon)
Material Analyzed: Zircon
Age Young: Proterozoic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: TAILINGS ESTIMATE 0.01 OZ. AU, 0.31 OZ. AG/TON
Materials
Ore: Gold
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite
Unknown: Pyrite
Comments
Comment (Geology): DEPOSIT IS LOW ANGLE QUARTZ VEIN WHICH CUTS PROT METAVOLCANIC ROCKS. VEIN MAY OR MAY NOT BE SPATIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH DIORITE-BASALT DIKES OF PROBABLE MIOCENE AGE
Comment (Deposit): GOLD BELT AND GOLDEN TURKEY ARE ON THE SAME VEIN SYSTEM AND THUS ARE ONE DEPOSIT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Comment (Deposit): SHEAR ZONE IS POSSIBLY A THRUST FAULT. VEIN SYSTEM CONSISTS OF QUARTZ PODS, QUARTZ BRECCIA ZONES, AND OPEN SPACE VEINS. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST VEIN WIDTHS OF 3 TO 8 INCHES.
Comment (Production): ITEM (9) IS ESTIMATED FROM $65,000 OF PRODUCTION AT $20.67 PER OUNCE.
Comment (Development): CLAIMS INCLUDE THE GOLDEN BELT, WILLIE FRACTION, GOLD STANDARD, MARS, MARIS
References
Reference (Deposit): WILSON, E.D., 1934 , ARIZONA LODE GOLD MINES AND GOLD MINING: ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 137 , P. 52
Reference (Deposit): GUITERAS, J.R., 1936 , GOLD MINING AND MILLING IN THE BLACK CANYON AREA, YAVAPAI COUNTY, ARIZONA: U.S.B.M. INFORMATION CIRCULAR 6905 , P. 6
Reference (Deposit): SITE VISIT BY CIMRI STAFF
Reference (Production): A.B.M. BULL. 140 , P. 102 , BULL. 137 P. 52
Reference (Deposit): ELSING, M.J. AND HEINEMAN, R.E., 1936 , ARIZONA METAL PRODUCTION: ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 140 , P. 102
Arizona Gold
"Where to Find Gold in Arizona" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Arizona. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Arizona.
