Snowball Mine

The Snowball Mine is a fluorine-fluorite and limestone, general mine located in Maricopa county, Arizona at an elevation of 1,601 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

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Site Name

Primary: Snowball Mine
Secondary: Snowball-Monolith

Commodity

Primary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Primary: Limestone, General
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

Location

State: Arizona
County: Maricopa
District: Harquahala 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: Southern Mines And Milling Co.
Years: 1975 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1957
Year Last Production: 1958
Discovery Year: 1943
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: Sonoran Desert

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: LENS, TABULAR

Structure

Type: L
Description: Schistosity And Banding Strike Nw And Dip Steeply, Faulting

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Propylitization, Silicification

Rocks

Name: Mafic Intrusive Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: FLUORITE IS IN LEAN TO 90% PURE AREAS. FLUID INCLUSION STUDIES OF THE FLUORITE SHOW LARGE FLUID INCLUSIONS AVERAGING 40 MICRONS, VARYING FROM 20 TO 120 MICRONS. THEY ARE COMMONLY NECKED AND ARE VERY ABUNDANT. THEY HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 8% WATER VAPOR AND NEARLY ALL SHOW A SLIGHT SECOND ANNULUS OF A THIRD PHASE.

Materials

Ore: Bornite
Ore: Fluorite
Ore: Siderite
Ore: Limestone
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Feldspar
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Barite
Unknown: Hematite

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): 18,000 T. ORE ESTIMATED IN 1944?

Comment (Development): 5 CLAIMS; EVIDENCE OF RECENT EXPLORATION ACTIVITY. IN 1949 OWNED BY D.B. POWELL AND J.S. BOYER.

Comment (Location): USBM GIVES LOCATION AS 33-44-34N, 113-19-02W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1964)

Comment (Production): NO PRODUCTION TO JUNE 1944. SMALL PRODUCTION OF FLUORITE. LATER PRODUCTION FOR CEMENT AND METALLURGICAL FLUX.

Comment (Deposit): THE VEIN IS COMPOSED OF ALTERED ANDESITE BRECCIA. FLUORITE IS IN ERRATICALLY INTERLACED STRINGERS OR VEINLETS CEMENTING BRECCIATED ALTERED COUNTRY ROCK. FLUORITE OCCURS IN MAJOR FAULT ZONE. MINERALIZATION IS IN N60 TO N75W 30 TO 78N FAULT.

Comment (Workings): PROSPECTED AREA IS EXTENSIVE, CONSISTING OF MANY OPEN CUTS AND SCRAPED AREAS.

References

Reference (Deposit): U.S.B.M. CARD FILE.

Reference (Deposit): DENTON, T.C., AND KUNKE, C.A., 1949, INVESTIGATION OF SNOWBALL FLUORITE DEPOSITS, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: USBM RI 4540, 15 P.

Reference (Deposit): ALLEN, G.B., 1985, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS OF WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA: ARIZONA BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL TECHNOLOGY OPEN-FILE REPORT 85-17, 140 P.

Reference (Deposit): PHILLIPS, K.A., 1987, ARIZONA INDUSTRIAL MINERALS: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES MINERAL REPORT 4, 185 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: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

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.