Copper Cities & Diamond H

The Copper Cities & Diamond H is a copper mine located in Gila county, Arizona at an elevation of 3,904 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

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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: Copper Cities & Diamond H
Secondary: Sleeping Beauty
Secondary: Porphyry Reserves
Secondary: Lost Gulch
Secondary: Yellow Metal

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: Gemstone

Location

State: Arizona
County: Gila
District: Miami-Inspiration District, Globe-Miami 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.
Administrative Organization: Tonto National Forest

Holdings

Type: Patented
Type: Fee Ownership

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Louis d'Or Mining and Milling Co
Percent: 100.0
Info Year: 1954
Years: 1917 -

Owner Name: Miami Copper Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Arizona
Info Year: 1954
Years: 1940 -

Owner Name: Cities Services
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Oklahoma
Info Year: 1981

Owner Name: Magma Copper Co.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: San Manuel, Az 85631
Info Year: 1987

Production

Year: 1982
Description: Leach 896,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1981
Description: Leach 1,587,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1980
Description: Leach 1,816,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1979
Description: Leach 0 Kg Cu
Year: 1978
Description: Leach 1,679,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1977
Description: Leach 2,274,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1976
Description: Leach 2,257,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1973
Description: 4,738,000 26,540,000 Leach 2,073,000 4738000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1975
Description: Leach 1,616,000 Kg Cu
Year: 1974
Description: 3,355,000 21,199,000 Leach 1,495,000 3355000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1974
Time Period: 1954-1974
Material type: Ore
Year: 1972
Description: 4,584,000 19,279,000 Leach 2,076,000 4584000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1971
Description: 4,200,000 20,348,000 Leach 1,985,000 4200000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1970
Description: 4,509,000 21,526,000 Leach 2,037,000 4509000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1967
Description: 2,204,000 10,122,000 Leach 1,266,000 2204000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1968
Description: 3,047,000 13,253,000 Leach 1,976,000 3047000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1969
Description: 4,214,000 18,046,000 Leach 1,723,000 4214000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1966
Description: 3,950,000 19,635,000 Leach 2,345,000 3950000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1965
Description: 2,903,000 15,853,000 Leach 1,932,000 2903000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1964
Description: 2,870,000 16,316,000 Leach 2,594,000 2870000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1963
Description: 2,857,000 16,059,000 Leach 471,000 2857000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1962
Description: 2,859,000 15,344,000 Leach 80,000 2859000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1961
Description: 2,846,000 15,727,000 2846000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1960
Description: 2,774,000 15,014,000 2774000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1959
Description: 2,776,000 16,755,000 2776000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1958
Description: 2,511,000 16,362,000 2511000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1954
Description: 904,000 5,676,000 904000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1955
Description: 3,632,000 24,992,000 3632000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1956
Description: 3,780,000 25,067,000 3780000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu
Year: 1957
Description: 3,159,000 18,821,000 3159000 Mt Ore, Kg Cu, Kg Cu

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu-Mo
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Unknown
Year First Production: 1896
Discovery Year: 1896
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu-Mo

Orebody

Form: Blanket

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Structure: Ben Hur, Sleeping Beauty, and Miami Faults, bounding a horst block

Type: L
Structure: Where mineralization occurs Coronado and Drummond faults bound ore body

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Quartz-Sericite, Argillic, Propylitic (Weak)

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age in Years: 64.000000+-
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age in Years: 64.000000+-
Age Young: Tertiary

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age in Years: 64.000000+-
Age Young: Tertiary

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: Unenriched protore: 0.25-0.6% Cu-Average 0.4%. Protore in Granite: 0.15-0.35% Cu

Materials

Ore: Turquoise
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Covellite
Ore: Ferrimolybdite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz
Unknown: Orthoclase
Unknown: Oligoclase
Unknown: Biotite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Original Evaluation Done By R.L. Baer, Revision Done Nov 1978, Update Done December 1983. The Following Data Sets Have Been Eliminated From The Data Base Because They Were Unnecessary On Account Of Ore Depletion And The Subsequent Closure Of The Operation: R, Q1, Q2, Q9, D1, I, U, K1, F1, K2, F2, Pa, Ya, T1, Pb, Yb, T2, D9. Property Updated Jul '87.

Comment (Production): History: Mining Discontinued In 1975. Mill Sold, Dismantled & Shipped To The Philippines. Leach Discontinued In June 1982 Due To Ore Depletion. Newmont Mining Spun Off All Its Copper Mining Operations Into One Company - Magma Copper Company In 1986. The Precipitation Plant At Copper Cities Was Permanently Shutdown In June 1982 And Is No Longer Considered A Production Unit.

Comment (Commodity): Pyrite: Chalcopyrite Ratio Increases With Depth From 1.2 To 9 In He Ore Body To 4 To 16 Below The Ore Body. The Best Turquoise Is A Hard Medium Blue Stone, Without Inclusions, And Fracture Free. Some Of The Turquoise Is Soft And Pale And Locally Enhanced And Stabilized For Sale.

Comment (Deposit): Dimensions Of Length And Width Are Dimensions Of The Stock; Deposit Is 3000 M Long, 300 M Thick, 900 M Wide And 30 M Deep On Average. Turquoise Has Been Produced From The Oxidized Portions Of The Deposit.

Comment (Development): Previous Owners Included Gerard Mining Co, Lost Gulch Mining Co, Miami Copper Co, Louis D'Or Gold Mining Co (1912), Louis D'Or Mining & Milling Co, Porphyry Reserve Copper Co (1928), Copper Cities Mining C O (A Subsidiary Of Miami Copper Co, 1943), Cities Service Co. ; Econ.Com: Turquoise From This Mine Has Been Marketed Worldwide.

Comment (Geology): Richest Part Of Ore Body Is In Quartz Monzonite Along S Side Of Granite Porphyry. Granite Porphyry Is Associated With Chultze Granite.

Comment (Production): Early Production Was Mostly From The Bonanza, Badger, And Cedar Tree Claims SW Of Pit; Later Production Was Mostly From The Louis D'Or Shaft Just N Of Pit. Most Recent Production Is From Pit. The Sleeping Beauty Property Has Been A Steady Producer Of Turquoise For Many Years.

Comment (Workings): Underground Workings Now Included In Open Pit. See Deposit Descri Ption For Approx. Size Of Pit.

Comment (Deposit): Host rock is quartz monzonite intruded by granite porphyry. (Peterson, 1954)

References

Reference (Geology): Simmons,W W and Fowells,J E,1966, Geology Of The Copper Cities Mine, In Geology Of Porphyry Copper Deposits, Titley and Hicks Editors (Geology)

Reference (Geology): Peterson,N P, 1962, Geology and Ore Deposits, Globe-Miami District, Arizona: Us Geol Survey Prof. Paper 342.

Reference (Geology): Hardwick,W R and Stover,M M,1960, Open Pit Copper Mining Methods and Practices, Copper Cities Division, Miami Copper Company, Gila County, Arizona, Us Bureau Mines Ic 7985, 51 P. (Geologic and Mining Data)

Reference (Production): Peterson,N P, 1954, Copper Cities Copper Deposit, Globe-Miami District, Arizona: Econ. Geol., V. 49, No. 4, P. 362-377.(Geology, Grades and Distribution, Leaching Capability)

Reference (Deposit): E/Mj Directory, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Reference (Deposit): Burgin,L B,1976, Time Required In Developing Selected Arizona Copper Mines, Us Bureau Of Mines Ic 8702, Appendix C, P 105. (Historical Development and Production Figures)

Reference (Geology): Chemical Geology, v. 177, p. 351-370.

Reference (Orebody): Mining Engineering, June issue, p. 25. Kendrick, M.A., Burgess, R., Pattrick, R.A.D. and Turner, G., 2001, Halogen and Ar-Ar age determinations of inclusions within quartz veins from porphyry copper deposits using complementary noble gas extraction techniques

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Cities Service 1973-82 SEC Form 10K; PCIA 1975-82; USBM Minerals Yearbook 1955-82

Reference (Reserve-Resource): Ta, M.L. and Carter, R., 1975, Pinto Valley copper mine - blueprint for insured productivity;

Reference (Production): Az Bur Geol File Data; Sawyer And Others, 1992.

Reference (Other Database): Cimri

Reference (Deposit): Blair, Gerry, 1992, The Rockhound'S Guide To Arizona: Helena, Montana, Falcon Press, 165 P.

Reference (Deposit): Peirce, H.W., 1969, Gem Materials, In USGS, Abm, And Usbr, Mineral And Water Resources Of Arizona: Abm Bulletin 180, USGS Bulletin 871, P. 359-364.

Reference (Deposit): Phillips, K.A., Beard, R.R., Niemuth, N.J., And Bain, D.R., 1991, Active Mines In Arizona--1992: Arizona Department Of Mines And Mineral Resources Directory 39, 20 P.

Reference (Deposit): Abm File Data.

Reference (Deposit): Abgmt-USBM File Data.

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 Stats Bureau Of Mines Special Publication, 334 P.

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.