Christmas Mine

The Christmas Mine is a copper mine located in Gila county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,051 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: Christmas Mine
Secondary: Christmas
Secondary: Christmas Mine & Mill

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Iron
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Arizona
County: Gila
District: Banner District

Land Status

Land ownership: Federal
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

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Phelps Dodge Corp
Percent: 100.0

Owner Name: Inspiration Copper Resources
Years: 1966 - 1983

Owner Name: Cyprus Minerals Co. 9100 E. Mineral, Littleton Co 80112
Company ID: 200149
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Colorado
Info Year: 1992

Owner Name: Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Phoenix AZ 85004
Info Year: 2010
Years: 2007 -

Production

Year: 1981
Description: Ore At 0.67% Cu (Estimated) 1911000 Short Tons
Year: 1980
Description: Ore At 0.72% Cu (Estimated) 1292000 Short Tons
Year: 1979
Description: Ore At 1.007% Cu (Estimated) 920000 Short Tons
Year: 1978
Description: Short Tons
Year: 1977
Description: Ore At 0.73% Cu 950000 Short Tons
Year: 1976
Description: Ore At 0.73% Cu (Estimated) 1588000 Short Tons
Year: 1975
Description: Ore At 0.73% Cu (Estimated) 1404000 Short Tons
Year: 1974
Description: Ore At 0.73% Cu (Estimated) 1677000 Short Tons
Year: 1973
Description: Ore At 0.80% Cu (Estimated) 1632000 Short Tons
Year: 1972
Description: Ore At 0.80% Cu 1850000 Short Tons
Year: 1971
Description: Ore At 0.61% Cu 1537900 Short Tons
Year: 1970
Description: Ore At 0.63% Cu 1829100 Short Tons
Year: 1968
Description: Ore At 0.67% Cu 1200000 Short Tons
Year: 1969
Description: Ore At 0.78% Cu 1918600 Short Tons
Year: 1967
Description: Ore At 0.72% Cu 857000 Short Tons
Year: 1966
Description: Ore At 1.14% Cu 934800 Short Tons
Year: 1963
Description: Ore At 1.68% Cu 638800 Short Tons
Year: 1964
Description: Ore At 1.49% Cu 953200 Short Tons
Year: 1962
Time Period: 1961 To 1962
Description: Ore At 1.12% Cu From 1961 To 1962 129600 Short Tons
Year: 1960
Description: Ore At 1.60% Cu (Estimated) 17100 Short Tons
Year: 1954
Description: Ore At 3.00% Cu 24600 Short Tons
Year: 1959
Description: Ore At 1.60% Cu (Estimated) 11100 Short Tons
Year: 1946
Time Period: 1939 To 1946
Description: Ore At 2.14% Cu From 1939 To 1946 214400 Short Tons
Year: 1938
Time Period: 1937 To 1938
Description: Ore At 2.50% Cu From 1937 To 1938 35800 Short Tons
Year: 1932
Time Period: 1926 To 1932
Description: Ore At 2.16% Cu From 1926 To 1932 549700 Short Tons
Year: 1965
Description: Ore At 1.41% Cu 715700 Short Tons
Year: 1925
Time Period: 1916 To 1925
Description: Ore At 2.80% Cu From 1916 To 1925 416800 Short Tons
Year: 1907
Time Period: 1905 To 1907
Description: Ore At 2.48% Cu From 1905 To 1907 113300 Short Tons

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu-Skarn related
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Mining Method: Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Tailings
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1905
Year Last Production: 1982
Discovery Year: 1880
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu, skarn-related

Orebody

Form: Tabular

Structure

Type: R
Structure: Christmas-Joker Fault Zone: 7.5 Mi Long & 100 Ft Wide Striking NW

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Oxidation, Carbonatization

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Epidotization, Silicification, Propylitic

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: K-Silicate, Quartz-Sericite-Chlorite

Rocks

Name: Granodiorite
Role: Host
Description: granodiorite stock includes quartz-diorite, biotite granodiorite porphyry, and granodiorite.
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 62.000000+-
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Description: fossiliferous cherty grey limestone interbedded with calcareous shale and siltstone.
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Tenorite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Hematite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chalcanthite
Ore: Brochantite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Cubanite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Copper
Ore: Dioptase
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Cuprite
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): OVERALL RECOVERY AFTER THE REFINERY IS 66.4% FOR SURFACE ORE AND 79.2% FOR UNDERGROUND ORE. WITH A 98% SMELTER RECOVERY AND A 99% REFINERY RECOVERY, A VALUE OF 68.44% SURFACE ORE AND 82.46% UNDERGROUND ORE HAS BEEN CALCULATED FOR MILL RECOVERY. A ROUNDED VALUE OF 68% AND 82%, RESPECTIVELY, HA BEEN USED IN THE YIELDS DATA SET. Q-MATRIX 1 SHOWS THE RESERVES OF THE CHRISTMAS SURFACE MINE Q-MATRIX 2 SHOWS THE RESERVES OF THE CHRISTMAS UNDERGROUND MINE R1=M1C1:M1C1=M9C4 R2=M2C1:M2C1=M9C5.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): CYPRUS MINERALS CO. BOUGHT THE INSPIRATION HOLDINGS IN ARIZONA AND RENAMED THE OPERATING CO. TO CYPRUS MIAMI MINING CORP. TEMP SHUTDOWN STATUS. OPEN PIT : 6,400,000 MT @ 0.63 % CU, 0.147 GM AU, 4.56 GM AG. UNDERGROUND: 18,100,000 MT @ 1.82 % CU, 0.171 GM AU, 5.28 GM AG.

Comment (General): DIMENSIONS OF THE GRANODIORITE STOCK ARE APPROX. 1500 BY 3000 FT ELONGATED IN A N 60 E DIRECTION. DEPOSIT IS ZONED WITH A PYRITE-CHALCOPYRITE CORE, A CHALCOPYRITE-BORNITE INTERMEDIATE ZONE, AND A PYRRHOTITE-SPHALERITE-CHALCOPYRITE MARGIN. MAIN MINERALIZATION IS IN LIMESTONE AND CONTACT AREA, BUT LESSER MINERALIZATION IS PRESENT IN THE DIORITE AND ANDESITE.

Comment (Environment): From an EPA press release 2/19/2003 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $105,000 settlement with Phoenix-based Phelps Dodge for discharging polluted water containing copper and sulfide from the Christmas Mine to a tributary of the Gila River. The inactive copper mine near Winkleman, Ariz. discharged pollutants at levels harmful to aquatic life into the Drippings Springs Wash in 2000 and 2001. The company also failed to report monitoring results required by the discharge permit, failed to notify the EPA of discharges endangering the environment and of facility changes that caused the permit violations. http://yosemite1.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6427a6b7538955c585257359003f0230/d057bf5d15ab1499852570d8005e1505!OpenDocument&Start=4.5&Count=5&Expand=4.6

References

Reference (Age): McKee, E.H., and Koski, R.A., 1981, K?Ar ages for igneous rocks and vein minerals from the Christmas mine area, Arizona: Isochron/West, no. 32, December, p. 7?11.

Reference (Geology): WILLDEN, 1964, USGS BULL 1161-E.

Reference (Geology): Eastlick, J.T., 1968, Geology of the Christmas mine and vicinity, Banner mining district, Arizona, in Ridge, J.D., ed., Ore Deposits of the United States, 1933?1967: American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., p. 1191?1210.

Reference (Geology): Einaudi, M.T., 1982, Description of skarns associated with porphyry copper plutons, in Titley, S.R., ed., Advances in geology of the porphyry copper deposits, southwestern North America: Tucson, University of Arizona Press, p. 139-183.

Reference (Geology): The Portergeo webpage for the Christmas deposit contains a detailed description of the geology. 7/26/2010 http://www.portergeo.com.au/index.asp
URL: http://www.portergeo.com.au

Reference (Geology): Koski R A, Cook D S 1982 - Geology of the Christmas Porphyry Copper deposit, Gila County, Arizona: in Titley S R 1983 Advances in Geology of the Porphyry Copper Deposits, Southwestern North America University of Arizona Press, Tucson pp 353-374

Reference (Geology): PETERSON & SWANSON, 1957,USGS BULLETIN B-1027H (GEOLOGY)

Reference (Workings): INSPIRATION ANNUAL REPORTS, 1966-1976 (LANDS, EXPLORATION,RESERVES, MINING, MILLING, LEACH TESTS)

Reference (Production): MINING WORLD, 9/62 (MILL)

Reference (Production): E/MJ, 1/63 (MILL FLOWSHEETS)

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.