Midnight Owl Mine

The Midnight Owl Mine is a feldspar mine located in Yavapai county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,701 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

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Midnight Owl Mine
Secondary: Lithia King

Commodity

Primary: Feldspar
Secondary: Lithium
Secondary: Beryllium
Secondary: Niobium (Columbium)
Secondary: Tantalum
Tertiary: Phosphorus-Phosphates

Location

State: Arizona
County: Yavapai
District: White Picacho District

Land Status

Land ownership: Federal
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

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Earl And Sidney Anderson
Years: 1958 -

Owner Name: Fansteel Corp. Chicago, Illinois
Years: 1986 -

Production

Year: 1952
Time Period: 1947 - 1952
Material type: ORE-LI
Description: Cp_Grade: ^7.4% Li2o, Amblygonite
Year: 1952
Time Period: 1947 - 1952
Material type: ORE-BE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^11.5% Beo

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
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: IRREGULAR, TABULAR

Structure

Type: L
Description: Foliation Trends N 20 E, Dips Steep Yet Variable, Mostly Nw.

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Lithiophilite
Ore: Tourmaline
Ore: Amblygonite
Ore: Lepidolite
Ore: Spodumene
Ore: Beryl
Gangue: Purpurite
Gangue: Bismutite
Gangue: Spessartite
Gangue: Cleavelandite
Gangue: Muscovite
Gangue: Albite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Apatite
Gangue: Stewartite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): BE, LI, NB, TA OCCURS IN THE INTERMEDIATE ZONES AT THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE DEPOSIT. FELDSPARS OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DEPOSIT AND OVER ALL GRADES.THE MAIN PEGMATITE COMPRISES FIVE WELL DEFINED ZONES. (1) A DISCONTINUOUS OUTER SELVAGE OF QUARTZ, ALBITE, MUSCOVITE, AND SCHORL, ALSO MICA. (2) THE WALL ZONE ( 2 TO 55 FEET THICK ) OF PERTHITE, QUARTZ, ALBITE, AND MUSCOVITE IS MOSTLY COARSE GRAINED. (3) THE OUTER INTERMEDIATE ZONE IS COARSE GRAINED BLOCKY PERTHITE. TOURMALINE IS LOCALLY ABUNDANT. (4) THE INNER INTERMEDIATE ZONE HAS VERY COARSE PERTHITE AND MASSES OF QUARTZ. (5) THE CORE IS ARBITRARILY DESIGNATED AS HIGHER GRADE FELDSPAR THAN THE PREVIOUS ZONE. STRIKE OF MAIN BODY IS E, WITH BRANCHES TO THE NE, E, AND SE.

Comment (Location): INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1964)

Comment (Reserve-Resource): RESERVES ESTIMATE DOWN TO 30 FOOT DEPTH, RESERVES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MUCH LARGER.

Comment (Development): DURING 1984-1986, FANSTEEL SAMPLED PEGMATITES AND CARRIED OUT SURFACE DRILLING PROGRAM AND PILOT GRAVITY TEST OF BULK SAMPLE FOR TANTALUM RECOVERY.

Comment (Workings): WORKING LIMITED MOSTLY TO TWO LARGE BULGES IN PEGMATITE DIKE; WORKING IS BY OPEN CUT, THE WESTERN OR "UPPER" CUT IS 40 FT BY 50 FT BY 25 FT DEEP

Comment (Geology): THE GNEISS IS A QUARTZ-HORNBLENDE-MICA GNEISS.

References

Reference (Deposit): JAHNS, R.H., 1952, PEGMATITE DEPOSITS OF THE WHITE PICACHO DISTRICT, MARICOPA AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES, ARIZONA: ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 162.

Reference (Deposit): ARIZ BUREAU OF MINES BULL 180, P. 98

Reference (Deposit): PEIRCE, H.W., 1990, ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INDUSTRIAL MINERALS CARD FILE.

Reference (Deposit): NIEMUTH, N.J., 1987, ARIZONA MINERAL DEVELOPMENT 1984-1986: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES DIRECTORY 29, 46 P.

Reference (Deposit): SAWYER, M.B., GURMENDI, A.C., DALEY, M.R., AND HOWELL, S.B., 1992, PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS IN ARIZONA: UNITED STATES BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

Reference (Production): ABM BULLETIN 162 .

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.