The Safford Mine is a copper mine located in Graham county, Arizona.
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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Safford Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Safford Mine
Secondary: San Juan Mine
Secondary: Dos Pobres Mine
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Location
State: Arizona
County: Graham
District: Lone Star (Safford)
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
Not available
Ownership
Owner Name: Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Inc
Home Office: Phoenix AZ 85004
Years: 2006 -
Owner Name: Kennecott
Owner Name: Phelps Dodge Corp
Production
Year: 2009
Material type: Freeport-McMoRan 2009 10-K http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=63811&p=irol-sec
Year: 2008
Material type: Freeport-McMoRan 2009 10-K http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=63811&p=irol-sec
Year: 2007
Material type: Freeport-McMoRan 2009 10-K http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=63811&p=irol-sec
Deposit
Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu-Au
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Year First Production: 2006
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Porphyry Cu-Au
Orebody
Form: Irregular and Massive
Structure
Type: L
Structure: San Juan Shear Zone
Type: L
Structure: NW Striking Butte Fault
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Hydrothermal, Oxidation
Rocks
Name: Quartz Diorite
Role: Host
Description: Dike Swarms
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Eocene
Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Eocene
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Curite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Bornite
Comments
Comment (General): The Safford Mine is an open-pit copper mine located in Graham County, Arizona, eight miles (13 km) north of the city of Safford. The mine is owned and operated by Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold. Construction on the Safford mine began in mid-2006. Production began December 26, 2007, with full production started in 2008. It is the first new large-scale copper mining project in Arizona in more than 30 years. In September of 2005, as part of the deal, Phelps Dodge (which was subsequently purchased by Freeport-McMoran) transferred 3,867 acres (15.65 km2) of "environmentally sensitive" land to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and purchased 16,297 acres (65.95 km2), located next to where the mine is located, from the BLM. The mine composes two porphyry copper deposits (the San Juan and Dos Pobres copper ore bodies) that have leachable oxide and secondary sulfide mineralization. Freeport-McMoran estimates that it will remove 205 to 240 million pounds of copper from the deposits annually between 2008 and 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safford_Mine
Comment (Identification): *******The Safford Mine contains: Dos Pobres Mine- Deposit ID 10096999 San Juan Mine- Deposit ID 10027008 Lone Star- Deposit ID 10209543 *******SEE Associated Deposits: Sanchez Copper Deposit- Deposit ID 10026888 Orginal-Safford Deposit-Deposit ID 10027031
References
Reference (Geology): Lowell, J.D., 1989, Gold mineralization in porphyry copper deposits discussed: Mining Engineering, v. 41, no. 4, p. 227?231.
Reference (Geology): Robinson, R.F., and Cook, A., 1966, The Safford copper deposit, Lone Star mining district, Graham County, Arizona, in Titley, S.R., and Hicks, C.L., eds., Geology of the porphyry copper deposits, southwestern North America: Tucson, University of Arizona Press
Reference (Deposit): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safford_Mine
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safford_Mine
Reference (Geology): Langton J M, Williams S A 1982 - Structural, petrological and mineralogical controls for the Dos Pobres orebody, Lone Star Mining District, Graham County, Arizona: in Titley S R 1983 Advances in Geology of the Porphyry Copper Deposits, Southwestern North America University of Arizona Press, Tucson pp 335-352
Reference (Geology): Williams, S.A., and Forrester, J.D., 1995, Characteristics of porphyry copper deposits, in Pierce, F.W., and Bolm, J.G., eds., Porphyry copper deposits of the American Cordillera: Tucson, Arizona Geological Society Digest 20, p. 21?34.
Reference (Exploration): Annual Review, 1996, Exploration overview, copper: Mining Engineering, May, p. 50.
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.
