Red Mountain Mine

The Red Mountain Mine is a aluminum and copper mine located in Santa Cruz county, Arizona at an elevation of 5,846 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

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Site Name

Primary: Red Mountain Mine
Secondary: Red Mountain Project
Secondary: Ten Grand Mine
Secondary: Gem
Secondary: Carlton Property

Commodity

Primary: Aluminum
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Kaolin
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Potassium

Location

State: Arizona
County: Santa Cruz
District: Harshaw 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.

Holdings

Type: Located Claim
Type: Fee Ownership
Type: Patented

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: COMINCO AMERICAN RESOURCES INC
Percent: 51.00
Home Office: W 601 Riverside Ave Spokane WA 99220 United States
Info Year: 1989

Owner Name: Kerr-Mc Gee Oil Industries, Inc., Earth Sciences, Inc.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: PO Box 25861 Kerr-McGee Center Oklahoma City OK 73125 United States
Info Year: 1978
Years: 1966 - 1975

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1970
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

Form: IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: E-W And N-S Trending Faults In Tertiary Volcanics

Type: L
Description: In Patagonia Mountains - Dominant Structural Features Are Major Nw-Trending High-Angle Faults. Includes Harshaw Creek Fault. Patagonia Fault Is A Major Ne-Trending Fault.

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: High Pyritic Phyllic Alteration Surrounded By Pyritic-Argillic And Propyllitic Alteration; With Depth, Sulfur Decreases And Changes From Near-Surface Sulfur-Rich Phyllitic Alteration, Through Weak Potassic Alteration, To Low Sulfur Potassic Alteration At Depth. Alunitization, Silicification.

Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age in Years: 60.400000+-6.000000
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Tertiary
Age Old: Late Cretaceous

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: CHALCOPYRITE INCREASES WITH DEPTH, AVERAGING 0.1-0.7% CU
Analytical Data: ZINC AVERAGES 20-100 PPM IN NEAR-SURFACE LEACHED ZONE
Analytical Data: MOLYBDENUM EXCEEDING 20 PPM THROUGHOUT PHYLLIC ALTERNATION ZONES
Analytical Data: LEAD EXCEEDING 100 PPM IN HIGH PYRITE ALTERATION ZONES, DIMISHING WITH DEPTH
Analytical Data: X-RAY, CHEMICAL, AND THIN SECTION DATA INDICATE VARIABLE TENOR OF ALUNITE WITH CONSIDERABLE KAOLINITE, PYROPHYLLITE, AND SERICITE LOCALLY

Materials

Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Enargite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Alunite
Ore: Kaolinite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Anhydrite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Pyrophyllite
Gangue: Sericite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): This Record Contains Data From Duplicate Record D002155 Of Robert B. Hall Which Has Been Deleted From Mrds. ; Info.Src : 1 Pub Lit; 2 Unpub Rept

Comment (Deposit): See Pat Alunite Record, Mrds No. D002154.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reconnaissance Data Obtained By R.B. Hall, 1975

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Unpublished Data Obtained By R.B. Hall, 1975

Comment (General): COMINCO IS CONDUCTING MAPPING IN 1989. KERR-MCGEE ESTABLISHED RESERVES IN PREVIOUS DRILLING PROGRAMS OF A LARGE PORPHRY DEPOSIT 4,000 FT BELOW SURFACE. COMINCO IS INVESTIGATING A NEAR-SURFACE OCCURRENCE, BUT HAS NO PLAN TO DRILL THE AREA.

Comment (Economic Factors): Because Earth Sciences Has Potash Leases For The Alunite Deposit Overlying The Copper Deposit, Legal Problems Would Have To Be Solved Before Any Mining Could Take Place.

Comment (Production): The Actual Estimated Recovery Is 89.386 Percent.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): M1c1=R1. This Evaluation Is Based On Q1 Matrix Allowing For 15% Dilution And 85% Recovery.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserve Is Reported As Exceeding 100,000,000 Short Tons.

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1970 (CU)

Comment (Location): Claims Extend Into Sections 20 And 17, On The Northern And Eastern Slopes Of Red Mountain. USBM Gives Section As 20 And Longitude Of 110-44-14w. ; Info From Land.St :(1979)

Comment (Workings): Copper Exploration Workings Included Over 10 Drill Holes, A Few Over 1000 Ft. Deep, And A 688 Ft Exploration Tunnel Into The Mountain; Ten Grand Claim Working Included A 1500 Ft. Tunnel; Alunite Exploration Consisted Of Surface Drilling Only (No Mining)

Comment (Geology): Red Mountain Volcanics Have Been Correlated With Gringo Gulch Volcanics To Northand West Which Give Above K/Ar Dates; Red Mountain Volcanics Overlie Trachyandesite Of Meadow Valley Dated At 72.1 +/- 2.2 M.Y. (Simons,F.S., 1974); Basal Contact Between Tuffaceous Volcanics And Underlying Trachyandesite Is Roughly Horizontal; Thickness Of Red Mountain Volcanics Estimated At 1500 Ft.

Comment (Development): Kerr-Mcgee Conducted Deep Drilling Exploration For Copper Ore; Earth Science Conducted Shallow Percussion Drilling Exploration For Alunite; Red Mountain Interests Comprise 289 Unpatented Claims (151 Under Option From W.D. Roper, 45 From A. Desaulles, 11 From J. Yanez. 4 From Carlton Spalding 93 Claimed By Kerr-Mcgee); Diamond Drilling Conducted By Sexton Bros. Drilling Contractors, Metler Bros. Drilling Co., Joy Drilling Co

Comment (Deposit): Significant Copper Mineralization Encountered From 3410 Ft To 5194 Ft Below Surface. Alunite Deposits Found Near Surface In An Area Of 4000-5000 Acres. Average Copper And Associated Molybdenite Ore Zone Thickness Is 455 Ft; Alunite Deposit Dimensions: Max. Length 10,000 Ft., Max. Width 6000 Ft, Max. Thickness 800 Ft. Collapse Caldera With Intrusive Source Of Cu Mineralization. Supergene Enriched Chalcocite Blanket Overlies Primary Chalcopyrite.

References

Reference (General): 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, Arizona Geological Society, Digest 20, p. 21-34.

Reference (Deposit): USGS Bulletin 582 (General Info)

Reference (Deposit): E/Mj Vol.178 No.3 P.253 General Info

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Pay Dirt, Sept.28,70 (Grade, Depth, Thickness)

Reference (Deposit): Skillings Mng. Review, 3-26-77 (Information)

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Pay Dirt, March 24,75 (General Info)

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Mines Magazine, 11-70 (Ore Grade And Thickness)

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Tucson Daily Citizen, 2-22-75 (Tonnage)

Reference (Deposit): Drewes, Harald, 1971, Mesozoic Stratigraphy Of The Santa Rita Mountains, Southeast Of Tucson, Arizona: USGS Professional Paper 658-C, 81 P.

Reference (Deposit): Schrader, Frank C., 1915, Mineral Deposits Of The Santa Rita And Patagonia Mountains, Arizona: USGS Bulletin 582.

Reference (Deposit): Admr File Data, Red Mountain.

Reference (Deposit): Simons, Frank S., 1972, Mesozoic Stratigraphy Of The Patagonia Mountains And Adjoining Areas, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: USGS Professional Paper 658-E, P. 22.

Reference (Deposit): Unpublished Data, Earth Sciences, Inc. (Obtained By R.B. Hall, U.S. Geological Survey, 1975).

Reference (Other Database): Cimri

Reference (Deposit): USBM Files; Red Mountain Mine, Red Mountain Project.

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 (Deposit): Simons, F.S., 1974, Geologic Map And Sections Of The Nogales And Lochiel Quadrangles, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: USGS Map I-762.

Reference (Deposit): Raup, R.B., (1975), Geologic Map Elgin Quad [In Progress].

Reference (Deposit): World Mng., Oct.,76 (Discovery Method)

Reference (Deposit): Hall, R.B., 1978, World Nonbarite Aluminum Resources - Alunite: USGS Pp 1076-A, P. A14.

Reference (Deposit): Blm Mining District Sheet 721.

Reference (Deposit): Abgmt Clippings File, Red Mountain Mining Co.

Reference (Deposit): Corn, R.M., 1975, Alteration-Mineratization Zoning, Red Mountain, Arizona: Economic Geology, Vol. 70, P. 1437-1447.

Reference (Deposit): Unpublished Data, 1979, Jan C. Wilt, U.S. Geological Survey.

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.