Vulture Placers

The Vulture Placers is a gold mine located in Maricopa county, Arizona at an elevation of 2,001 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: Vulture Placers

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Arizona
County: Maricopa
District: Vulture 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

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1867
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Production): NUGGETS OF 1/2 TO 1 OZ COMMON, SOME 5 OZ SIZE REPORTED. FIRST WORKED IN 1867. BY 1880 THE RICHEST, MOST READILY ATTAINABLE AU HAD BEEN MINED. NO PRODUCTION RECORDS AVAILABLE. SMALL SCALE DRY WASHING CONTINUED UNTIL 1948. PLACER PRODUCTION IN 1931 WAS REPORTED AS $135.

Comment (Workings): PLACER GRAVELS ARE GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 FEET THICK, REST ON SCHIST BEDROCK. PLACER AREA COVERS 3 SQ MILES.

Comment (Geology): AU BEARING QUARTZ VEINS ARE IN THE SCHIST. AU IS MOST ABUNDANT IN THE GRAVELS NEAR THE BEDROCK . GRAVELS CONSIST OF MEDIUM-FINE ANGULAR PEBBLES OF*. GRAVELS CONSIST OF MEDIUM-FINE ANGULAR PEBBLES OF SCHIST & QUARTZ.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): REFERENCE OF 1932 STATES THAT THERE WAS STILL A LARGE AMOUNT OF PLACER GOLD REMAINING IN THE VULTURE REGION

Comment (Location): PLACER GROUND COVERS 3 SQ. MI. IN RED TOP BASIN, CONTINUES DOWN VULTURE WASH FOR 2 MILES SE OF VULTURE MINE. INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1964)

Comment (Commodity): GOLD IS COARSE AND ANGULAR

Comment (Deposit): AU BEARING QUARTZ VEINS ARE IN THE SCHIST. AU IS MOST ABUNDANT IN THE GRAVELS NEAR THE BEDROCK . GRAVELS CONSIST OF MEDIUM-FINE ANGULAR PEBBLES. GRAVELS CONSIST OF MEDIUM-FINE ANGULAR PEBBLES OF SCHIST & QUARTZ.

References

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT BULL 168, 1961, P. 58-59.

Reference (Deposit): ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 142, 1937, ARIZONA GOLD PLACERS AND PLACERING P. 65.

Reference (Deposit): JOHNSON, M.G., 1972, PLACER GOLD DEPOSITS OF ARIZONA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1355.

Reference (Production): ARIZONA BUR. OF MINES BULL. 142; USGS BULL 1355

Reference (Reserve-Resource): ARIZONA BUR. OF MINES, BULL. 132

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.