Cactus Mine

The Cactus Mine is a molybdenum and copper mine located in Gila county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,701 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: Cactus Mine
Secondary: Hamilton Shaft
Secondary: Pinto Shaft
Secondary: Cactus Deposit
Secondary: Carlota
Secondary: Brewery
Secondary: Arizona National Copper Deposit
Secondary: Alexander
Secondary: Carlotta
Secondary: Eder

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Arizona
County: Gila
District: Globe-Miami District

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
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.
Administrative Organization: Tonto National Forest

Holdings

Type: Located Claim

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Quadra Mining Ltd
Percent: 100.0
Info Year: 2009

Owner Name: Cambior Inc.
Home Office: Canada
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: Carlota Copper Co
Home Office: Arizona
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: Cambior (Usa) Inc.
Home Office: Colorado
Info Year: 1995
Years: 1991 - 2006

Owner Name: Cities Service Co
Info Year: 1981

Owner Name: Homestake Production Co.
Years: 1971 -

Owner Name: Castle Dome Copper Co.
Years: 1940 -

Production

Year: 2009
Time Period: 2008-2009
Mined: 15800000.000 mt
Material type: Carlota ore mined from mine opening in 2008 to end of 2009. Ore on leach pad contains 40 kt Cu but only 13 kt cathode Cu produced. Quadra 2009 AIF, p. 25.

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Exotic Cu
Operation Type: Unknown
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Leach-Solvent-Extract-Electrowin
Year First Production: 1929
Year Last Production: 1964
Discovery Year: 1905
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
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: IRREGULAR

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Structure: Kelly Fault
Description: Cactus Fauldipping 20-30sw Overlying Schist. Kelly Fault

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Hydrothermal
Alteration Text: Hydrothermal Alteration Of Pinal Schist, Silicification

Rocks

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

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

Name: Diabase
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): This Report Represents A Merger Of Original Record M002008 With Record M030448 Of Jan Wilt In Molybdenum File, Contact Person T.G. Theodore, USGS. ; Info.Src : 1 Pub Lit; 2 Unpub Rept

Comment (Production): Said To Have Produced In Early Years But No Figures Available. Deposit Is Too Small And Too Low Grade For Further Exploration

Comment (Deposit): Faulted Top Of An Orebody. Copper Carbonates And Silicates Coat Breccia Fragments And Fill Interstices Between Them.

Comment (Workings): Underground Workings Now Inaccessible. Workings Are Pinto And Hamilton Shafts With Lateral Workings And Churn Drill Holes

Comment (Geology): Deposit Occurs In Shattered Rock Along The Kelley Fault Zone Strike N60w, Dip 60-70 Ne. Diabase Sill Forms Footwall Fo Fault Zone, Dacite Forms Hanging Wall On South Side.

Comment (Deposit): The Copper Minerals Have Clearly Formed By Direct Deposition Either From True Or From Colloidal Solutions That Contained Copper Not Derived From Minerals Originally Present In The Immediate Host Rock.

Comment (Development): Operators Included Carlota Copper Co J Alexander C.Hirwin,John Duber Nielson And Company. Mine Closed After 1929 And Reopened In 1941. Leaching Began 1959. Drilling 1971-1974

Comment (Ownership): The Primary Claims In The Area Were Sold By Sherwood B. Owens To Westmont Mining Co. In 1988. In August 1991, Westmont Mining Was Purchased By Cambior For $10 Million. (Southwestern Pay Dirt; May 1992; Pg.20a)

Comment (Production): Production Levels Are Planned For 6.4 Million Mt/Yr Ore Which Translates To Approx.27,000 Mt/Yr Copper.(Mining Mag.;May 93)

Comment (Workings): Three Levels Of Workings In 1929, 280 Ft Depth.

Comment (Geology): Host Rock For Ore Deposition Is Brecciated Diabase.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Matrix 1 Column 1 Reserves From Carlota Copper Co. Fact Sheet Provided May 1993.

References

Reference (Deposit): Quadra Mining Ltd. website: http://www.quadrafnx.com/s/Carlota.asp 2009 Annual Information Form: http://www.quadrafnx.com/i/pdf/AIF_Final.pdf
URL: http://www.quadrafnx.com/s/Carlota.asp

Reference (Deposit): Metals Economics Group (MEG) webpage for Carlota. http://services.metalseconomics.com/minesearch/Default.aspx#profile&projAid=93523
URL: http://www.metalseconomics.com/

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Cambior Inc. 1995 Annual Report, P.9.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Cambior Inc. 1993 Ann.Rep, P. 56.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Mining Record, 10/5/94, P.

Reference (Deposit): Southwestern Pay Dirt, 8/92, P.7a.

Reference (Deposit): The Northern Miner, 6-23-97, V83 #17, P. B7, B10.

Reference (Deposit): Southwestern Pay Dirt, 5/92, P.20a.

Reference (Deposit): Northern Miner, 8/26/91, P.1,2.

Reference (Deposit): The Primary Copper Industry Of Arizona In 1987, Dmmr.

Reference (Deposit): Arizona Mining Journal Feb 1, 1922 P 19

Reference (Deposit): Claims Extend Into Sec 25 T1n R13e And Sec 31 T1n R14e

Reference (Deposit): Admr Castle Dome Copper Company Cities Service Active File

Reference (Production): Abm Bulletin 140, P. 92.

Reference (Deposit): Abgmt-USBM File Data.

Reference (Deposit): Abmr Carlota File.

Reference (Deposit): Elsing, M.J. And Heineman, R.E., 1936, Arizona Metal Production: Arizona Bureau Of Mines Bulletin 140.

Reference (Deposit): Abgmt Clippings File.

Reference (Deposit): Peterson, N.P., 1962, Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Globe-Miami District, Arizona: Us Geological Survey Professional Paper 342, P. 139.

Reference (Development): Wellman, Edward et al, 2006, National Instrument 43-101 technical report for the Carlota Copper Project Miami, Arizona: prepared for Quadra Mining Ltd., by M3 Engineering, 326 p.

Reference (Deposit): Abm File Data.

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.