Aztec Mine Group

The Aztec Mine Group is a copper mine located in Santa Cruz county, Arizona at an elevation of 4,849 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: Aztec Mine Group
Secondary: Andes Group

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Gold

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
Deposit Type: Replacement
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1916
Discovery Year: 1925
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

Not available

Orebody

Form: LENSES

Form: LENSES

Structure

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

Type: L
Description: Thick-Bedded Very Fine-Grained Volcanics Associated With Red Mountain

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Highly Altered Rhyolite; Surface Oxidation To Unknown Depths

Rocks

Name: Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: EARLY 1900'S ASSAY VALUES AVERAGED 7% CU, 5 OZ/TON AG

Materials

Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Bornite
Gangue: Feldspar
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Muscovite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): ORE MINERALS ARE PARTICULARLY CONCENTRATED AS SECONDARY REPLACEMENT DEPOSITS IN A 12-FT LODE OR ORE BED; ORE ALSO DISSEMINATED THROUGH COUNTRY ROCK

Comment (Workings): DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDED A 30 FT OPEN CUT; 90 FT INCLINED SHAFT; 1500 FT TUNNEL; 600 FT OF DRIFTS, CROSSCUTS, AND RAISES; ANDES MINE OF AZTEC MINE GROUP LOCATED ON ANDES VEIN

Comment (Geology): RHYOLITE IS VAGUELY BANDED AND BEDDED IN SOME PLACES; SOME OF THE ORE IS BANDED OR CONSISTS OF SHOOTS OF RELATIVELY PURE SECONDARY CHALCOCITE AND CHALCOPYRITE ONE INCH IN MAXIMUM WIDTH

Comment (Location): LOCATED ON NW SLOPE OF RED MOUNTAIN, IN UPPER PART OF AZTEC GULCH, A NE TRIBUTARY OF ALUM CANYON ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Comment (Production): A FEW TENS OF TONS OF 7% CU ORE PRODUCED IN THE EARLY 1900'S

Comment (Development): PROPERTY COMPRISES 34 CLAIMS; OPERATERS AND OWNERS INCLUDED R.R. RICHARDSON (EARLY 1900'S), SANDERS AND HARRISON, ED BOLLINGER

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1900'S

References

Reference (Deposit): USBM FILES, AZTEC MINE GROUP

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): ABGMT FILES, STANTON B. KEITH

Reference (Deposit): KEITH, STANTON B., 1975, INDEX OF MINING PROPERTIES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, ARIZONA; ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 191, P. 56

Reference (Deposit): ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILE, ANDES MINE-RED MOUNTAIN

Reference (Deposit): TENNEY, JAMES B., 1927-1929, HISTORY OF MINING IN ARIZONA; ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES, P. 313

Reference (Deposit): SCHRADER, FRANK C., 1915, MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE SANTA RITA AND PATAGONIA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA; USGS BULLETIN 582, P. 264-265

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

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.