Bonanza Mine

The Bonanza Mine is a lead, silver, copper, and zinc mine located in Santa Cruz county, Arizona at an elevation of 5,351 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: Bonanza Mine
Secondary: Part of Duquesne-Washington Camp Group
Secondary: Nash Mine Group

Commodity

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

Location

State: Arizona
County: Santa Cruz
District: Washington Camp 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: J. R. Simplot Co.
Years: 1966 -

Production

Year: 1957
Time Period: 1880-1957
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^7% Zn, 3% Cu, 1% Pb, 4 Oz/T Ag Minor Au
Year: 1957
Time Period: 1945-1957
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^6.6% Cu, 6.1% Zn, 0.8% Pb, 4.4 Oz/T Ag

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1889
Year Last Production: 1961
Discovery Year: 1882
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: Sonoran Desert

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Skarn Zn-Pb

Orebody

Form: CLUSTERS OF LENSING BODIES AND BUNCHES, IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Mineral Deposits Of Washington-Duquesne Area Occupy A Limestone-Sediment Belt (2.5 Mi By 1.25 Mi) Surrounded By Igneous Rocks Which Also Form Detached Masses And Dikes Within Belt

Type: L
Description: Fault Contact Of Naco Limestone And Tri-Jur Volcanics; Upper Portion Of Shaft In Volcanic Rocks; Lower Portion In Coarsely-Crystalline Limestone That Has Been Contact Metamorphased To Marble

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidized To 100 Ft, Manganese Stained Gossan

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ZN: CU=2.3, ZN:PB=7.0, AG:CU=1.3, PB:CU=0.3, AG:PB=4.0, ZN:AG=1.8. THE AVERAGE ORE ASSAYS 18% ZN, 6% CU, 1% PB, 5 OZ/T AG

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Diopside
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Tremolite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Production): WORKED MAINLY IN EARLY 1900'S TO 1921, 1941-1944, AND 1951-1957

Comment (Geology): LIMESTONE NEAR CONTACT SHOWS EVIDENCE OF SHEETING OR INCONSPICUOUS HIGH ANGLE FAULTING

Comment (Location): INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Comment (Development): PREVIOUS OWNERS/OPERATORS INCLUDE DUQUESNE MINING & REDUCTION CO (1899-1902, 1889-91), CALLAHAN ZINC LEAD CO (1942-46), BYRD (1946-53?) , ELAYER & CO, SAM KNIGHT MINING LEASE, NASH MINES (1953-64), HENSLEY, GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE (1889-WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRICAL CO BOUGHT THE W.C. DAVIS PROPERTY WHICH INCLUDED MINES OF BONANZA, POCAHONTIS, PLUTO, & I LLINOIS), CARL SANDBERG & FRED WILLIAMS (1964-66), C.S. ELAYER & CO, M AR PAK CORP (1959), SAM KNIGHT MINING LEASE INC (1957), J.V. MARINO (1 961); 1 PATENTED CLAIM. FROM 1942-46 PROPERTY INCLUDED IN PATENTED CLA IMS OF NASH GROUP TOTALLED 975 ACRES AND 4 ADDITIONAL UNPATENTED CLAIM S; NASH MINE PROPERTIES: MARY JANE, VENADOS, BONANZA, HOLLAND, INDIANA , MAIN, ESTELLA LOUISE, FLUX, TRENCH, ILLINOIS, LAURETTA, BELMONT LEAS , KANSAS, EMPIRE, DUQUESNE, PRIDE OF THE WEST

Comment (Deposit): COPPER MINERALS ARE GENERALLY SEGREGATED INTO BUNCHES; ORE LENSES 20-25 FT WIDE ARE FOUND IN BOTTOM DRIFT; LARGE HORIZONTAL OR BED LIKE BODY OF ZINC ORE ENCOUNTERED 30 FT BELOW SURFACE; 75-80 FT THICK ORE SHOOTS CONTAINING CONSIDERABLE ZINC BEGIN 60-70 FT BELOW SURFACE; MAIN ORE ZONE BETWEEN 435 & 535 FT LEVELS.

Comment (Workings): EXTENSIVE SHAFT OPERATIONS; WORK COMPRISES ABOUT 1,000 FT OF SHAFTS, 3,700 FT OF TUNNELS, 1,000 FT OF CROSSCUTS, OVER 100 FT OF WINZES, AND 600 FT OF RAISES; 635 FT BONANZA SHAFT HAS 6 MAIN LEVELS SPACED 100 FT APART VERTICALLY (FIRST LEVEL IS 135 FT BELOW SURFACE).

Comment (Deposit): THIS REPORT WAS TAKEN FROM RECORD M030399 OF JAN WILT IN MOLYBDENUM FILE, CONTACT PERSON T.G. THEODORE, USGS. THIS REPORT ALSO INCLUDES DATA FROM RECORD D002404 OF J. WILLIAM HASLER WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MRDS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): RECORD INFORMATION ALSO SUPPLIED BY ABGMT

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1880'S

References

Reference (Deposit): LEHMAN, 1978, PH D THESIS, UNIV OF AZ

Reference (Deposit): KEITH, 1975 ABM BULL 191

Reference (Deposit): SCHRADER, 1915, USGS BULL 582

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT-USBM FILE DATA

Reference (Deposit): USBM FILES, BONANZA MINE

Reference (Deposit): ADMR FILE DATA, BONANZA MINE, NASH MINES

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILE, BONANZA MINE, DUQUESNE MINING AND REDUCTION C O.

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT FILES, STANTON B. KEITH

Reference (Deposit): BLM DISTRICT MINING SHEET 727

Reference (Deposit): TENNEY, 1927-29, HISTORY OF MINING IN AZ, ABM, P. 293-300

Reference (Other Database): CIMRI

Reference (Production): KEITH, 1975; LEHMAN, 1978

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.