Bluebird Mine

The Bluebird Mine is a lead and copper mine located in Pinal county, Arizona at an elevation of 4,551 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

Name: Bluebird Mine  

State:  Arizona

County:  Pinal

Elevation: 4,551 Feet (1,387 Meters)

Commodity: Lead, Copper

Lat, Long: 32.76306, -110.47056

Map: View on Google Maps

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.


Satelite image of the Bluebird Mine

Bluebird Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Bluebird Mine
Secondary: Blue Bird Mine


Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Vanadium
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Manganese


Location

State: Arizona
County: Pinal
District: Bunker Hill District


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.


Holdings

Not available


Workings

Type: Surface/Underground


Ownership

Not available


Production

Not available


Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1863
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, PINCH AND SWELL


Structure

Type: R
Description: Block Faulting Trending Nnw. ; Reg.Trends: Minor Pre-Cretaceous E And Ne Trending Folds And Major Post-Cretaceous Faulting Trending Nnw.

Type: L
Description: N60e Trending Faults


Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization. Slight Oxidation Of Cu And Fe Minerals. Wall Rock Partially Altered To Kaolin, Sericite, And Chlorite.


Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Name: Diorite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Stromeyerite
Ore: Wolframite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Tennantite
Ore: Wulfenite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Descloizite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Silver
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Psilomelane
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Limonite


Comments

Comment (Development): MINE WORKED INTERMITTANTLY DURING 1914, 1918-1930, 1939-1940, 1947-1948. FROM 1939-1940 MINE MILL CONCENTRATED CAPACITY OF 25 TONS PER DAY. IN 1947-1948, 50 TON CAPACITY CONCENTRATOR WAS IN OPERATION AND 598 TONS WAS TREATED.

Comment (Deposit): BLUE BIRD VEIN, WITH NUMEROUS SUBPARALLEL FISSURES EN ECHELON. ORE PINCHES AND SWELLS, THERE ARE BARREN AREAS. CU CONTENT INCREASES WITH DEPTH. PSILOMELANE CEMENTS BRECCIATED BLOCKS OF GRANODIORITE.

Comment (Geology): LATERAL ZONING OF METALS EXISTS IN THE BLUE BIRD MINE AND REGION. SEE ARIZ. BUR. MINES, BULL. 158, P. 58, FIGURE 13, FOR GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE AREA. ; GEOL.DESC: FISSURES INTRUDED BY SMALL ANDESITE DIKES. TWO DISTINCT MINERALIZED BODIES OCCUR IN THE VEIN. MAIN ORE BODY CONTAINS SULFIDES OF PB, AG, CU, FE AND GOES FROM SURFACE TO 535 LEVEL. SECOND ORE BODY CONTAINING LOW GRADE WULFENITE APEXES NEAR 335 LEVEL.

Comment (Workings): 1 VERTICAL SHAFT, SEVEN LEVELS, NOW MOSTLY INACCESSIBLE. 1 OPEN STOPE, SEE ARIZ. BUR. MINES, BULL. 158, P.64, FIGURE 15 FOR PLAN OF WORKINGS.

Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD INCLUDES DATA FROM DUPLICATE RECORD M030468 OF J.A. PETERSON WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MAIN MRDS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Production): PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE INCOMPLETE. EST. VALUE OF PRODUCTION 1863-1920 IS $150,000. EST. VALUE 1926-1939 IS $350,000. EST. VALUE 1948 IS $6000 SUM OF VALUES GIVEN EQUALS APPROX. TOTAL VALUE OF MINE PRODUCTION

Comment (Commodity): GALENA AND TETRAHEDRITE ARE MAJOR ORE MINERALS.

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


References

Reference (Deposit): SIMONS, F.S., 1964, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 461.

Reference (Deposit): KUHN, T.H., 1951, ARIZ.BUR.MINES BULL 158, GEOL. SER. 19, P. 56-65.

Reference (Deposit): GALBRAITH, F.W., AND BRENNAN, D.J., 1959, MINERALS OF ARIZONA, 3 ED. UNIV. ARIZONA PRESS.

Reference (Deposit): GUTHRIE AND MOORE, 1978, AZ GEOL SOC DIGEST, V. 11, P. 25-31.

Reference (Deposit): KUHN, 1941, ECON GEOLOGY, V. 36, NO. 5, P. 529.

Reference (Deposit): KUHN, 1938, ABM BULL 145, P. 127-130.

Reference (Deposit): 1964 GEOLMAP SIMONS, F.S. PROF. PAPER 461

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

Reference (Production): KUHN, 1951


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