Flux Mines

The Flux Mines is a zinc and lead mine located in Santa Cruz county, Arizona at an elevation of 4,800 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: Flux Mines
Secondary: Goshen Mine

Commodity

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

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

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1884
Year Last Production: 1963
Discovery Year: 1855
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

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: IRREGULAR ORE SHOOTS

Structure

Type: R
Description: Nw Trending Harshaw Creek Fault (N30w); General Structure Common To Regional Formations Is A Sheeting Which Dips 40nnw; Jurassic-Triassic Volcanics Contain Isolated Blocks Of Late Paleozoic Limestone With Some Associated Conglomerate And Shale

Type: L
Description: E-W Trending Aplite Dike Intruding Volcanic Country Rock

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Surface Oxidation To Depths Of 250 Ft; Pyrite Gossan At Surface; Chloritic, Silicic, And Propylitic Wall Rock Alteration; Limestone Is Highly Crystalline, Crus Hed, Brecciated And Altered

Rocks

Name: Quartzite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Quartzite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ASSAY VALUES AVERAGE 8% ZN, 5% PB, 2.5% CU, 5 OZ/TON AG, MINOR AU, 2.5% MN

Materials

Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Hornblende
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Hematite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1850'S

Comment (Geology): PALEOZOIC SEDIMENTS IN MINE AREA ARE LOCALLY INTRUDED BY QUARTZ MONZONITE (?) AND GRANITIC APLITE; PROPERTY NEAR GREAT FAULT CONTACT BETWEEN THE RHYOLITE PORPHYRY OF FLUX MINE AND GRANITE PORPHYRY OF THREE R MOUNTAIN; HARSHAW CREEK FAULT IS MARKED BY BOLDLY CROPPING SILICIFIED REEF EXTENDING FOR SEVERAL MILES IN EITHER DIRECTION FROM MINE; LIMESTONE IS PRESENT ON ALL LEVELS OF MINE AND GENERALLY DIPS TO SE; FLUX LODE TO SOUTH OF MINE IS ASSOCIATED WITH LIMESTONE WHICH ACCOMPANIES IT IN THE FORM OF A REEF; LODE TO NORTH OF MINE LIES MAINLY IN RHYOLITE

Comment (Location): LOCATED AT HEAD OF FLUX GULCH (A PARALLEL SOUTHWESTERN TRIBUTARY OF ALUM GULCH) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Comment (Development): OPERATORS INCLUDED ARIZONA GOLD AND COPPER CO., PATAGONIA MINING CO., STERLING DEVELOPMENT CO., FLUX MINING CO., A.R. BYRD, NASH AND MCFARLAND, ALLEN AND KOLBERG, ANGEL ALVAREZ, HUGO MILLER AND ASSOCIATES, MANUEL ENCINAS, RICHARDSON, MINING AND COMMERCIAL CORP., AMERICAN SMELTING AND REFINING CO., E.F. BOLINGER, JUAN JIMENEZ; MINE IS REPORTED TO BE AN OLD MEXICAN MINE LOCATED IN THE EARLY 1850'S; PROPERTY COMPRISES 11 CLAIMS

Comment (Deposit): MINING EFFORTS CONCENTRATED ON LARGE DEPOSIT IN SOUTH SHOULDER OF FLUX RIDGE WHERE SEVERAL VEINS OR LODES INTERSECT; ORE IS POROUS AND HONEYCOMBED

Comment (Workings): DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDED A 260-FT MAIN SHAFT, 800 AND 500 FT LONG TUNNELS, 200 FT OF CROSSCUTS ON 2 LEVELS, STOPING ON 70-AND 125-FT LEVELS, DRIFTS AND CROSS-CUTS ON 100-AND 260-FT LEVELS, OPEN CUT (75 FT LONG, 22 FT WIDE, 15 FT DEEP)

References

Reference (Deposit): ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES FILE DATA, FLUX MINE

Reference (Deposit): KARTCHNER, WAYNE E. 1944, THE GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF A PORTION OF THE HARSHAW DISTRICT, PATAGONIA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA; PHD THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, P.82-84

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT-USBM FILE DATA

Reference (Deposit): USBM FILES, FLUX MINE

Reference (Deposit): SCHRADER, FRANK C., 1915, MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE SANTA RITA AND PATAGONIA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA; USGS BULLETIN 582, P. 258-263

Reference (Deposit): SIMONS, FRANK S. 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP AND SECTIONS OF THE NOGALES AND LOCHIEL QUADRANGLES, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA; USGS MAP I-762 (1:48000)

Reference (Deposit): SIMONS, FRANK S., 1972, MESOZOIC STRATIGRAPHY OF THE PATAGONIA MOUNTAINS AND ADJOINING AREAS, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA; USGS PROFESSIONAL PAPER 658-E

Reference (Deposit): MOORES, RICHARD C., 1972, THE GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF A PORTION OF THE HARSHAW DISTRICT, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA; M.S. THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Reference (Deposit): KEITH, STANTON B., 1975, INDEX OF MINING PROPERTIES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA; ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 191, P. 58

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

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILE, FLUX MINE

Reference (Deposit): TENNEY, JAMES B., 1927-1929 HISTORY OF MINING IN ARIZONA; ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES, P. 309-310

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.