Old Reliable Mine

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

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.

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.