Silver Bell-Martinez Mine

The Silver Bell-Martinez Mine is a silver and lead mine located in Pinal county, Arizona at an elevation of 2,799 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

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Site Name

Primary: Silver Bell-Martinez Mine
Secondary: Columbia
Secondary: Silver-Bell
Secondary: Martinez

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Zinc
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite

Location

State: Arizona
County: Pinal
District: Martinez Canyon 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

Owner Name: Bail, Own And Wingfield (B. O. W.) Mining Co.
Years: 1966 - 1968

Owner Name: Bail, Own And Wingfield (B. O. W.) Mining Co.
Years: 1966 - 1968

Owner Name: Wall, O. H.
Years: 1940 -

Owner Name: United Arizona Mines
Years: 1951 - 1952

Owner Name: Sunbeam Gold Mining Co.
Years: 1937 - 1938

Owner Name: California Steel Products Co.
Years: 1944 - 1946

Owner Name: J. W. Wingfield, Paul Bryant, Richard Malik
Years: 1940 - 1943

Owner Name: Silver Bell Consolidated
Years: 1940 - 1943

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1880
Year Last Production: 1971
Discovery Year: 1880
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
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: TABULAR, LENS

Structure

Type: R
Description: Faulting And Shearing In Rhyolite Overlying Pinal Schist

Type: L
Description: Silver Bell Main Vein N8w 67 W. N To Nne Trending Faults, In Area Short Nw Trending Fault At Martinez Shaft, S End Of Mines

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Strong Oxidation Throughout Mine

Rocks

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

Name: Schist
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Schist
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Embolite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Pyromorphite
Ore: Hematite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Limonite
Ore: Anglesite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Commodity): ABUNDANT GALENA NODULES.

Comment (Location): LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF MARTINEZ CANYON, THE CLAIMS RUN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF SECTION 18. UTM TAKEN TO SILVER BELL SHAFT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1978)

Comment (Geology): EARLIER INTERPRETATIONS OF PRECAMBRIAN MINERALIZATION AND PRECAMBRIAN HOST ROCKS INCORRECT.

Comment (Development): 24 UNPATENTED CLAIMS, 3 PATENTED, SILVER BELL, COLUMBIA, AND MARTINEZ, ALL 3 PATENTED IN 1890-1891. PREVIOUS OWNERS INCLUDE: G.F. BONT (1957), SILVER BELL CONSOLIDATED MINING CO.(1942), CALIFORNIA STEEL PRODUCTS CO. (1944), SUNBEAM GOLD MINING CO. (1934), UNITED ARIZONA MINES (1951), MARTINEZ MINING CO. (1947), GEORGE P. MANGUS (1922).

Comment (Deposit): LEAD, SILVER, SOME COPPER AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF ZINC OCCURS IN FAULTED AND SHEARED RHYOLITE OVERLYING PINAL SCHIST. COPPER MINERALIZATION PRESENT AT THE 200 FT LEVEL. THE SILVER BELL-COLUMBIA MINES HAVE A HIGH SILVER-LOW LEAD RATIO ORE WHILE THE MARTINEZ IS HIGH LEAD-LOW SILVER RATIO.

Comment (Workings): TWO MINES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED ON THE PROPERTY. THE SILVERBELL-COLUMBIA MINE HAS VARIOUS ADIT LEVELS, INTERIOR SHAFTS, WINZES, AND DRIFTS OVER A 500 FT STRIKE LENGTH AND A VERTICAL DEPTH OF 300 FT. THE MARTINEZ MINE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED APPROX 900 FT ALONG STRIKE AND TO A DEPTH OF 200 FT BY AN INCLINED SHAFT, AND 3 INTERMEDIATE ADIT LEVELS.

References

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

Reference (Reserve-Resource): NIEMUTH, 1987.

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: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.

Reference (Deposit): USBM-ABGMT PRODUCTION FILE DATA.

Reference (Deposit): ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES FILE DATA.

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILE DATA.

Reference (Deposit): USBM FILE DATA, CLUSTER #754.

Reference (Deposit): SCHMIDT, E.A., GEOLOGY OF THE MINERAL MOUNTAIN QUAD, PINAL COUNTY, ARIZONA: UNIV OF AZ THESIS, 1967, P. 77-78.

Reference (Deposit): USGS OFR 78-468, 1978.

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.