The Old Reliable Mine is a copper mine located in Pinal county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,901 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
Elevation: 3,901 Feet (1,189 Meters)
Commodity: Copper
Lat, Long: 32.75194, -110.48917
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Old Reliable Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Old Reliable Mine
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Barium-Barite
Tertiary: Molybdenum
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: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Magma Copper Co.
Years: 1988 -
Owner Name: Copper States Mining Co.
Years: 1919 -
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1890
Year Last Production: 1981
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: PIPE
Structure
Type: R
Description: Block Faulting Trending Nnw
Type: L
Description: Most Faults Strike E-W With N60e System Less Developed
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Central Part Of Pipe Is Highly Silicified
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: CU AVERAGE 2.71% (RANGE 2.13-4.06%). CONC ASSAYED 17.81% CU, 17.26% FE, 20.52% S AND 42.10% INSOLUBLES. MIXED OXIDE-SULFIDE ORE FROM 100 LEVEL ASSAYED 3.65% CU. SULFIDE ORE FROM 100 LEVEL ASSAYED 1.20% CU. ORE IN RAISE FROM 100 LEVEL TO SURFACE AVERAGED 0.86% CU (RANGE 0.22-2 .17%)
Materials
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Olivenite
Ore: Atacamite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Chalcanthite
Ore: Malachite
Gangue: Rutile
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Jarosite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1861-1865
Comment (Development): MINE OPERATED INTERMITTENTLY BETWEEN 1908-1919. PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY RANCHERS EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT CO. (1976). MINING FROM 1973-1981 WAS IN-SITU LEACHING.
Comment (Deposit): FRAGMENTS ORIENTED. OUTCROPS FAINTLY STAINED BY SUPERGENE COPPER AND IRON MINERALS. A SUBSIDIARY PIPE IS LOCATED SE OF MAIN PIPE.
Comment (Location): INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979
Comment (Workings): 2 ADIT LEVELS. 3 WINZES, 1 RAISE TO SURFACE
Comment (Geology): BRECCIA PIPE CONTAINS ANGULAR TO SUBANGULAR BLOCKS OF VOLCANIC ROCKS RANGING FROM SEVERAL INCHES TO 4 FEET. BIOTITE LATITE PORPHYRY INTRUDES BRECCIA. CONTACT OF BRECCIA AND WALLROCK IS IRREGULAR, STEEPLY DI PPING AND FRACTURED. PIPE DIVIDES INTO 4 SMALLER PIPES ON UPPER LEVEL
Comment (Deposit): THIS REPORT REPRESENTS A MERGER OF ORIGINAL RECORD M050126 WITH RE CORD M030466 OF JAN WILT IN MOLYBDENUM FILE, CONTACT PERSON T.G. THEOD ORE, USGS ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
References
Reference (Deposit): PEIRCE, H.W., 1990, ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INDUSTRIAL MINERALS CARD FILE.
Reference (Deposit): SIMONS, 1964, USGS PP 46.1
Reference (Deposit): WEED, 1913, MINING & ENG. WORLD, V. 38, P. 375-378.
Reference (Deposit): KUHN, 1941, ECON GEOL, V. 36, NO. 5, P. 52.1
Reference (Deposit): GREELEY, 1978, ADMR SPEC. REPT. NO. 2.
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: UNITED STATES BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.
Reference (Other Database): CIMRI
Reference (Production): GREELEY, 1976, P. 27; SIMONS, 1964; ABM FILE DATA; SAWYER AND OTHERS, 1992.
Reference (Reserve-Resource): SAWYER AND OTHERS, 1992.
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.
