Vekol Hills

Site Name

Primary: Vekol Hills
Secondary: Newmont Vekol
Secondary: Vekol Mine

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Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc

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Location

State: Arizona
County: Pinal

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Type: Private Lease

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Workings

Type: Underground

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Ownership

Owner Name: Tohono O'odham Nation
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Arizona

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Production

Year: 1965
Time Period: 1882-1965
Mined: 91000.000 mt

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Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Year First Production: 1882
Year Last Production: 1965
Discovery Year: 1879
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu

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Orebody

Form: Pods, Irregular

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Structure

Type: L
Description: Major Fracture Control; Complex Faulting And Tilting

Type: R
Structure: Limestone Dips W; E to NE trending faults in general area

Type: L
Structure: Fractures; Small N-S Faults at Mine

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Strong Oxidation

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Hypogene Enrichment, Minor Oxidation And Supergene Enrichment

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Silver
Ore: Gold
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Smithsonite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Anglesite
Ore: Copper
Ore: Argentite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Dickite
Gangue: Calcite

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Comments

Comment (Workings): Status of Mining Method : PROPOSED Mining Method : BENCH (BERM) Swell Factor : .75 Percent Waste Rock : 67 Avg. Overburden Thickness : 107 Primary Material Cover : SAND, GRAVEL Percentage : 50 Secondary Material Cover : M-HARD ROCKS Percentage : 50 Hardness of Ore : M-HARD ROCKS Avg. Bench Height (meters): 15 Max. Pit Slope (degrees) : 40 Capacity : 18140 Capacity Units : MT ORE/DAY Preprod. Stripping Vol. : 28090 Unit Production Cost : 2.12 Units of Production : $/MT ORE Operating Days per Year : 355 Operating Shifts per Day : 3 Year of Information : 1977

Comment (Orebody): Type of Orebody #1 : STOCKWORK Shape of Orebody #1 : MASSIVE Type of Orebody #2 : DISSEMINATED Primary mode of Origin : HYDROTHERMAL Primary Ore Control : IGNEOUS Secondary Ore Control : FRACTURING Degree of Wallrock Alter. : UNKNOWN Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 : UNKNOWN Strike And Dip : N45E:10W Minimum Depth to Top : 107 Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. : 30 Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. : 30 Total Surface Area (HA) : 822

Comment (Reserve-Resource): RC1=M1C1 QUANTITY MATRIX 1 COLUMN 1 CONTAINS THE SAME INFORMATION AS RESERVE RECORD 1. MOLY GRADE IS FROM DRAFT EIS P. 24.

Comment (Workings): ARGOSY SHAFT (300 FT DEEP), MAIN (VEKOL) SHAFT (400 FT DEEP), SERIES OF TUNNELS ALONG S SIDE OF ARROYO E OF MAIN SHAFT; WORKINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED UNDERGROUND

Comment (Economic Factors): THE DECISION TO PROCEED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPERTY IS IS STILL PENDING AS OF 1983.

Comment (Production): THIS PROPERTY IS ADJACENT TO THE OLD REWARD MINE DISCOVERED IN 1880.

Comment (Production): ASSUME ORE AND CONCENTRATE WILL HAVE MINOR GOLD & SILVER VALUES, NOT KNOWN OR ESTIMATED AT THIS TIME.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): THE OVERLYING COPPER OXIDES WILL BE MINED IN PRE-PRODUCTION STRIPPING AND STOCKPILED FOR POSSIBLE LATER RECOVERY.

Comment (Location): LOCATED ON SW SLOPE OF A RIDGE RUNNING TO THE NW FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE VEKOL MTS; UNPATENTED CLAIMS EXTEND INTO T10S R2E SEC 4; UTM MEASURED TO VEKOL SHAFT. INFO FROM LAND.ST : 1984

Comment (Geology): MINERALIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH LCRET-TERT VOLCANISM. ANDESITE MAPPED 1/2 MI N OF MINE ON MF-931

Comment (Development): PAPAGO INDIANS SHOWED DEPOSIT TO J.D. WALKER IN 1879; CLAIMS INCLUDE PATENTED CLAIMS MS4143 (GRANDFATHER, FLAT IRON, VEKOL ARGOSY, LOOKOUT, MOUNT VERNON), 15 UNPATENTED CLAIMS; PREVIOUS OWNERS/OPERATORS INCLUDE WALKER BROS (1880-1894), P.P. DAGGS (1905), W.J. FORBACH (1907-1913), COMPTON COPPER CO (1907), RAMON CRUZ (1907), VEKOL MINING CO (1910-1913), M.M. CARPENTER & GEO. E. HARMSEN (1914-1917), P.P. DAGGS (1920'S - 1931), VEKOL MINING & MILLING (1927) CHAS & PAUL R. DAGGS (1931-1951), ELLIOT BROS. (1951-1965), AMERICAN LAND CO (1965). 1984-86: ARGOSY MAPPED, SAMPLED, CARRIED OUT GEOPHYSICS PROGRAM, IDENTIFIED DRILL TARGETS, AND ASSEMBLED A HEAP LEACH FACILITY.

Comment (Workings): PROPOSED AS OPEN PIT MINE.

Comment (Deposit): PRECAMBRIAN THROUGH DEVONIAN AGE ROCKS WERE MINERALIZED BY SOLUTIONS ASSOCITED WITH LARAMIDE PORPHYRIES. THE PORPHYRIES THEMSELVES CONTAIN ONLY MINOR MINERALIZATION. OXIDATION AND SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT ARE RELATIVELY MINOR.

Comment (Deposit): RECORD # D002859 BY J. WILLIAM HASLER HAS BEEN INCORPORATED WITH THIS ONE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): ORE CONCENTRATED ALONG N-S TRENDING FAULTS, IN A SHALY LIMESTONE DIPPING 10-30 SW.

Comment (Location): MINERALIZED AREA COVERS ABOUT A QUARTER SECTION ON EASTERLY SLOPING PEDIMENT AT NE EDGE OF VEKOL MTS. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1984)

Comment (Deposit): THIS REPORT REPRESENTS A MERGER OF ORIGINAL RECORD M241177 WITH RECORD M030491 OF JAN WILT IN MOLYBDENUM FILE, CONTACT PERSON T.G. THEODORE, USGS ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

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References

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Titley, S.R. and Anthony, E.Y., 1989, Laramide mineral deposits in Arizona; in Jenney, J.P. and Reynolds, S.J., eds., Geologic Evolution of Arizona, Arizona Geological Society, Digest 17, p. 485-514.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Long, K.R., 1995, Production and reserves of Cordilleran (Alaska to Chile) porphyry copper deposits; in Pierce, F.W. and Bolm, J.G., eds., Porphyry Copper Deposits of the American Cordillera, Arizona Geological Society, Digest 20, p. 35-68.

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

Reference (Deposit): PETERSON, J.A., AND TOSDAL, R.M., 1986, MINERAL OCCURRENCE MAP AND TABULATION OF GEOLOGIC, COMMODITY, AND PRODUCTION DATA, AJO AND LUKEVILLE QUADRANGLES, SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISCELLANEOUS FIELD STUDIES MAP MF-1834-A, SCALE 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): USAEC PRELIM RECONN REPT, 1953.

Reference (Deposit): TENNEY, 1927-29, HISTORY OF MINING IN AZ, P. 333-335. TENNEY, 1934, ABM, RECONN OF CASA GRANDE MINING DISTRICT.

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-931

Reference (Deposit): BLM DISTRICT SHEET 542

Reference (Deposit): ADMR FILE DATA

Reference (Deposit): CARPENTER, 1947, PH.D. THESIS, STANFORD UNIV.

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILES

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT-USBM FILE DATA

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

Reference (Deposit): CHAFFEE, 1977, USGS BULL 1278-E.

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 (Deposit): Steele, H.J., 1978, Vekol Hills copper deposit: Arizona Geological Society Digest 11, p. 36.

Reference (Deposit): GREELY, 1978, ADMR SPECIAL REPT 2, P. 83-87.

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