Three R Mine Group

Site Name

Primary: Three R Mine Group
Secondary: Colossus
Secondary: Richardson Property
Secondary: Evening Star Prospect

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Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Aluminum

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Location

State: Arizona
County: Santa Cruz
District: Palmetto District

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

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Ownership

Owner Name: C. A. Pierce And D. Bird
Years: 1937 - 1960

Owner Name: Taylor And Barclay
Years: 1956 -

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1908
Year Last Production: 1956
Discovery Year: 1897
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: S

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Sonoran Desert

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Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

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Orebody

Form: LENSES

Form: LENSES

Form: LENSES

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Structure

Type: R
Description: 6 Major N-S Trending, Fractures Appear To Be Regional Control Of Mineralization;3 Major Fracture Systems Trending N-S, N75e, And N30e, Respectively

Type: L
Description: Each Fault Within System Branches, Causing Small Brecciated Zones That Formed Small Pockets Of Ore Away From Main Orebody

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Metasomatic Replacement Of Feldspar In Granite By Ore Minerals; Alteration Of Remaining Feldspar Has Resulted In High Alumina Concentration

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Rocks

Name: Sandstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Sandstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Sandstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Jurassic

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE VALUES AVERAGED ABOUT 4% CU WITH MINOR AU, ZN, PB, AND AG

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Materials

Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Alunite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Covellite

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Comments

Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM DUPLICATE RECORD TC10255 OF M. CARBONARO WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MAIN MRDS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Geology): GRANITE IS COARSE GRAINED. SURFACE ROCK ABOVE ENRICHED AREA IS SEMI GOSSANIZED. MINERALIZATION WAS ACCOMPANIED AND FOLLOWED FAULTING AND INTRUSION OF ANDESITE DIKES. SLICKENSIDES INDICATE THAT THE LAST MOVEMENT WAS VERTICAL DOWN PLANE OF FAULT. ALUNITE ZONES RESULTED FROM THE ALTERATION OF ORTHOCLASE FELDSPAR IN PEGMATITIC GRANITE ALONG THE WALL OF A SULFIDE VEIN.

Comment (Commodity): ALUNITE MASSES OCCUR IN FAULT ZONE

Comment (Location): AT HEAD OF THREE R CANYON; 1.5 MILES EAST OF LOOKOUT MINE. INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Comment (Development): FORMER OWNERS INCLUDE THE THREE R SYNDICATE (1909), N.L. AMSTER (1912); FORMER OPERATORS INCLUDE OLSON (1908), RICHARDSON (1911), AMSTER (1912-1913), THREE R MINING AND MILLING CO (1916-19), THREE R MINES INC (1929, 1930, 1939-1941), BORDER MINES INC. (1937), D. BIRD (1945-46), W.R. GREEN, CALUMET AND ARIZONA MINING CO., PATAGONIA-SUPERIOR COPPER CO, CONSOLIDATED COPPER MINES CO. (1951), COLOSSAL MINES (1954); PROPERTY CONSISTS OF 21 PATENTED AND 14 UNPATENTED CLAIMS THAT ARE GROUPED IN A CONTIGUOUS UNIT

Comment (Deposit): LARGEST ORE LENS IS ABOUT 200 X 600 FT AND 10 FT IN WIDTH. MAXIMUM WIDTH OF FAULT ZONE IS 100 FT. VEINS EXTEND SEVERAL FT ALONG STRIKE. ALUNITE DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF PINKISH ALUNITE AND QUARTZ. ZONE MAY BE SEVERAL FEET WIDE IN PLACES AND MAY CONTAIN AS MUCH AS 30% ALUNITE. ALUNITE ALSO WAS NOTED IN STRONGLY PYRITIZED ZONES IN SOME AREAS.

Comment (Workings): MAIN MINE WORKINGS INCLUDED A 3000-FT LOWER ADIT, 1000-FT UPPER ADIT, AND SEVERAL 1000 FT OF CROSSCUTS; 3 TUNNELS ON PROPERTY

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References

Reference (Deposit): KEITH, S.B., 1969, "ALUNITE", IN ABM BULLETIN 180, USGS BULLETIN 871, P. 302-303.

Reference (Deposit): HANDVERGER, PAUL A., 1963, GEOLOGY OF THE THREE R MINE, PALMETTO MINING DISTRICT, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA: M.S. THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA.

Reference (Deposit): PROBERT, F.H., 1914, THE THREE R MINE, PATAGONIA DISTRICT, ARIZONA: MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS, VOL.109, P. 174-176.

Reference (Deposit): USBM FILES, THREE R MINE GROUP.

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILE, THREE R MINE.

Reference (Deposit): ADMR FILE DATA, THREE R MINE.

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 582, P. 282-287.

Reference (Deposit): ARIZ BUR MINES BULL 191, P. 74.

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

Reference (Deposit): USGS MAP I-762.

Reference (Deposit): SCHRADER, F.C., 1914, ALUNITE IN GRANITE PORPHYRY NEAR PATAGONIA, ARIZONA: USGS BULLETIN 540, P. 347-350.

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

Reference (Deposit): TENNEY, JAMES B., 1927-29, HISTORY OF MINING IN ARIZONA: ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES, P. 311-312.

Reference (Deposit): BLM DISTRICT MINING SHEET 693.

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

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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.