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Oro Blanco Mining District (Ruby Mining District), Oro Blanco Mountains, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USAi
Regional Level Types
Oro Blanco Mining District (Ruby Mining District)Mining District
Oro Blanco MountainsMountain Range
Santa Cruz CountyCounty
ArizonaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° North , 110° West (est.)
Estimate based on other nearby localities or region boundaries.
Margin of Error:
~51km
GRN:
N22W67
Type:
Mining District
KΓΆppen climate type:
BSk : Cold semi-arid (steppe) climate
Mindat Locality ID:
32066
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:32066:0
GUID (UUID V4):
d1095cf0-6dc9-4b31-bf5d-2823ca2f5d02


‑Ref.: The Resources of Arizona - A Manual of Reliable Information Concerning the Territory, compiled by Patrick Hamilton (1881), Prescott, AZ: 45-46.

Blake, W.P. (1899) Huebnerite in Arizona: American Institute of Mining Engineers, Transactions: 28: 543-546.

Milton, M.C. (1913) The Oro Blanco district of Arizona: Engineering and Mining Journal: 96(21): 1005-1007.

Tenney, J.B. (1928), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 125, The Mineral Industries of Arizona: 88-89.

Wilson, E.D., et al (1934)(revised 1967), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 137, Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining: 187-189.

Fowler, G.M. (1951) Oro Blanco or Ruby district, Chapter V, in Arizona zinc and lead deposits, Part II: Arizona Bureau of Mines Bulletin 158: 41-49.

Wilson, E.D., et al (1951), Arizona zinc and lead deposits, part II, AZ Bur. Mines Bull. 158: 41-49.

Wilson, E.D. (1961) Gold Placers and Placering in Arizona. Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 168 (revised 1978): 82-83.

Knight, L.H., Jr. (1970) Structure and mineralization of the Oro Blanco mining district, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: Tucson, University of Arizona, Ph.D. dissertation, 172 p., 7 sheets, scales 1:1,200, 1:6,000, 1:16,000, 1:24,000, 1:60,000, 1:62,500, and 1:358,000.

Keith, Stanton B. (1975), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 191, Index of Mining Properties in Santa Cruz County Arizona: 61-62 (Table 4).

Weiskopf, T.A. (1994) A comparison of mineralization styles in the Oro Blanco Mining District, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: Tucson, University of Arizona, M.S. thesis, 211 p.

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.

This is a Pb-Zn-Au-Ag-Cu-Mn-U mining area located in T.22-23S., R.10-11E., about 7 miles SE of Arivaca, in the SE Oro Blanco Mts, in southwestern Santa Cruz Co., about 20 miles NW of Nogales. The district was started in 1873. The principal settlement is Ruby in the eastern part of the district.

Some of the gold deposits in the Oro Blanco District were probably worked in a small way by the early Spanish explorers. The name translates to "White Gold" from the Spanish and is believed to be in allusion to the lighter color of native gold in the district due to a greater amount of admixed silver.

The mineralized portion of the Oro Blanco Mts consists of an uplifted table land, dissected into a series of ridges and southward-trending canyons that carry water during part of the year. The altitude ranges from 3,600 to 4,900 feet.

The geology is rather complex and inadequately understood. The principal formation is a series of more or less metamorphosed arkosic sandstones, quartzites, conglomerates, and shales, with some intercalated volcanic rocks. These beds, which are probably of Cretaceous age, rest upon an irregular surface of altered, coarse-grained, grayish diorite. They have been intruded by dikes of basic to acid composition and subjected to complex faulting. East of Oro Blanco Viejo Canyon, they are overlain by a thick succession of volcanic rocks.

Mineralization is varied: (1) Irregular and lensing quartz veins with spotty, often oxidized, auriferous and argentiferous base metal sulfides and pyrite in fracture fillings or as partial replacements along faults and at fault intersections. Strong supergene enrichment of gold and silver. Host rocks are altered Cretaceous conglomerate and sandy sediments or Jurassic volcanic tuffs with local disseminated pyrite. Most deposits are limited in entent and in depth; (2) Flat-dipping and shallow zones of quartz veinlets and stringers, locally containing gold and silver values and very minor base metal sulfides, usually associated with strong pyritization. Host rock is strongly fractured, sericitized Jurassic volcanic tuff; (3) Steeply-dipping, tabular and lensing, brecciated shear zones containing fine grained native gold and silver associated with finely crystalline quartz and weak iron and manganese oxides in Jurassic volcanic tuff; (4) Small gold-silver placers in several stream beds, derived from the weathering of the many small lode deposits; (5) Weak occurrence of manganese oxides; and, (6) Weak uranium mineralization in fracture zones in volcanic tuffs.

The gold deposits of the Oro Blanco district include three principal types: (1) Sulfide-bearing quartz veins, (2) Mineralized shear zones, and (3) mineralized bodies of country rock.

Workings include one major mining operation (Montana Mine), and many small, shallow operations and prospects throughout the District, some dating back to early Spaniards and Mexican work on the enriched surface outcrops. Estimated and recorded lode production of base and precious metals through 1972 would be some 909,000 tons of ore containing about 126,000 oz. of gold, 4,600,000 oz. of silver, 30,500 tons of lead, 26,300 tons of zinc, and 2,600 tons of copper. Probably at least 1,000 oz. of gold and 200 oz. f silver have been recovered from placers. A small amount of sorted manganese ore was shipped from one deposit.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.


Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

28 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

β“˜ Acanthite
Formula: Ag2S
β“˜ Azurite
Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Description: Some is beautifully crystallized.
β“˜ Baryte
Formula: BaSO4
β“˜ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Localities: Reported from at least 6 localities in this region.
β“˜ Calcite var. Limestone Onyx
Formula: CaCO3
Description: Slightly radioactive.
β“˜ Calcite var. Manganese-bearing Calcite
Formula: (Ca,Mn)CO3
β“˜ Chalcanthite
Formula: CuSO4 · 5H2O
β“˜ Chalcocite
Formula: Cu2S
β“˜ Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Localities: Reported from at least 16 localities in this region.
β“˜ Chlorargyrite
Formula: AgCl
β“˜ Chlorargyrite var. Bromian Chlorargyrite
Formula: Ag(Cl,Br)
β“˜ Chrysocolla
Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
β“˜ Covellite
Formula: CuS
β“˜ Cuprite
Formula: Cu2O
Habit: Fine, bright
Description: Fine, bright crystals in vugs.
β“˜ Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Colour: Purple
β“˜ Galena
Formula: PbS
Localities: Reported from at least 16 localities in this region.
β“˜ Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena
Formula: PbS with Ag
β“˜ Gold
Formula: Au
Localities: Reported from at least 14 localities in this region.
Description: As placer gold alloyed with silver from flour textured to small nuggets.
β“˜ Gold var. Electrum
Formula: (Au,Ag)
Colour: Whitish gold
Description: Exceptionally large % Ag - approx. 1:5 Ag:Au alloy.
β“˜ Hematite
Formula: Fe2O3
β“˜ Kasolite
Formula: Pb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
β“˜ 'Limonite'
β“˜ Linarite ?
Formula: PbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Description: Linarite versus Azurite - visual ID issue.
β“˜ Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
β“˜ Metatorbernite
Formula: Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
β“˜ Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Localities: Reported from at least 7 localities in this region.
β“˜ Muscovite var. Sericite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Localities: Reported from at least 7 localities in this region.
β“˜ Opal
Formula: SiO2 · nH2O
Colour: Blue.
β“˜ Opal var. Precious Opal
Formula: SiO2 · nH2O
β“˜ 'Psilomelane'
β“˜ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Localities: Reported from at least 26 localities in this region.
β“˜ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
β“˜ Pyrolusite
Formula: Mn4+O2
β“˜ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
β“˜ Silver
Formula: Ag
Description: As wire silver.
β“˜ Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
Localities: Reported from at least 15 localities in this region.
β“˜ 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'
Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S
Localities: Reported from at least 8 localities in this region.
β“˜ Uraninite
Formula: UO2
Description: Sparse - pitchblende variety (?); disseminated & in hairlike fractures in walls of veins.
β“˜ Uraninite var. Pitchblende
Formula: UO2
β“˜ Uranophane
Formula: Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O

Gallery:

SiO2β“˜ Quartz

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
β“˜Silver1.AA.05Ag
β“˜Gold1.AA.05Au
β“˜var. Electrum1.AA.05(Au,Ag)
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
β“˜Chalcocite2.BA.05Cu2S
β“˜Acanthite2.BA.35Ag2S
β“˜Covellite2.CA.05aCuS
β“˜Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
β“˜Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
β“˜Galena2.CD.10PbS
β“˜var. Silver-bearing Galena2.CD.10PbS with Ag
β“˜Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
β“˜var. Gold-bearing Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
β“˜'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'2.GB.05Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S
Group 3 - Halides
β“˜Chlorargyrite3.AA.15AgCl
β“˜var. Bromian Chlorargyrite3.AA.15Ag(Cl,Br)
β“˜Fluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
β“˜Cuprite4.AA.10Cu2O
β“˜Hematite4.CB.05Fe2O3
β“˜Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
β“˜Opal
var. Precious Opal		4.DA.10SiO2 Β· nH2O
β“˜4.DA.10SiO2 Β· nH2O
β“˜Pyrolusite4.DB.05Mn4+O2
β“˜Uraninite4.DL.05UO2
β“˜var. Pitchblende4.DL.05UO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
β“˜Calcite
var. Manganese-bearing Calcite		5.AB.05(Ca,Mn)CO3
β“˜5.AB.05CaCO3
β“˜var. Limestone Onyx5.AB.05CaCO3
β“˜Azurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
β“˜Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
β“˜Baryte7.AD.35BaSO4
β“˜Linarite ?7.BC.65PbCu(SO4)(OH)2
β“˜Chalcanthite7.CB.20CuSO4 Β· 5H2O
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
β“˜Metatorbernite8.EB.10Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 Β· 8H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
β“˜Kasolite9.AK.15Pb(UO2)(SiO4) Β· H2O
β“˜Uranophane9.AK.15Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 Β· 5H2O
β“˜Muscovite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜var. Sericite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜Chrysocolla9.ED.20Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 Β· nH2O, x < 1
Unclassified
β“˜'Psilomelane'-
β“˜'Limonite'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hβ“˜ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Hβ“˜ ChalcanthiteCuSO4 · 5H2O
Hβ“˜ ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Hβ“˜ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Hβ“˜ LinaritePbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Hβ“˜ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Hβ“˜ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Hβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Hβ“˜ OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Hβ“˜ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Hβ“˜ Opal var. Precious OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Hβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CCarbon
Cβ“˜ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
Cβ“˜ Calcite var. Manganese-bearing Calcite(Ca,Mn)CO3
Cβ“˜ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Cβ“˜ Calcite var. Limestone OnyxCaCO3
OOxygen
Oβ“˜ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Oβ“˜ BaryteBaSO4
Oβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
Oβ“˜ ChalcanthiteCuSO4 · 5H2O
Oβ“˜ ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Oβ“˜ CupriteCu2O
Oβ“˜ HematiteFe2O3
Oβ“˜ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Oβ“˜ LinaritePbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ Calcite var. Manganese-bearing Calcite(Ca,Mn)CO3
Oβ“˜ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Oβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ Calcite var. Limestone OnyxCaCO3
Oβ“˜ OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Oβ“˜ Uraninite var. PitchblendeUO2
Oβ“˜ PyrolusiteMn4+O2
Oβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Oβ“˜ UraniniteUO2
Oβ“˜ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Oβ“˜ Opal var. Precious OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Oβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
FFluorine
Fβ“˜ FluoriteCaF2
AlAluminium
Alβ“˜ ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Alβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Alβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
SiSilicon
Siβ“˜ ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Siβ“˜ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Siβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siβ“˜ OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Siβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Siβ“˜ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Siβ“˜ Opal var. Precious OpalSiO2 · nH2O
Siβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
PPhosphorus
Pβ“˜ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
SSulfur
Sβ“˜ AcanthiteAg2S
Sβ“˜ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing PyriteFeS2
Sβ“˜ BaryteBaSO4
Sβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sβ“˜ ChalcanthiteCuSO4 · 5H2O
Sβ“˜ ChalcociteCu2S
Sβ“˜ CovelliteCuS
Sβ“˜ GalenaPbS
Sβ“˜ LinaritePbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Sβ“˜ PyriteFeS2
Sβ“˜ SphaleriteZnS
Sβ“˜ Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
Sβ“˜ Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag
ClChlorine
Clβ“˜ ChlorargyriteAgCl
Clβ“˜ Chlorargyrite var. Bromian ChlorargyriteAg(Cl,Br)
KPotassium
Kβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Kβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CaCalcium
Caβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
Caβ“˜ FluoriteCaF2
Caβ“˜ Calcite var. Manganese-bearing Calcite(Ca,Mn)CO3
Caβ“˜ Calcite var. Limestone OnyxCaCO3
Caβ“˜ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
MnManganese
Mnβ“˜ Calcite var. Manganese-bearing Calcite(Ca,Mn)CO3
Mnβ“˜ PyrolusiteMn4+O2
FeIron
Feβ“˜ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing PyriteFeS2
Feβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Feβ“˜ HematiteFe2O3
Feβ“˜ PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cuβ“˜ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cuβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cuβ“˜ ChalcanthiteCuSO4 · 5H2O
Cuβ“˜ ChalcociteCu2S
Cuβ“˜ ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Cuβ“˜ CovelliteCuS
Cuβ“˜ CupriteCu2O
Cuβ“˜ LinaritePbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Cuβ“˜ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Cuβ“˜ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Cuβ“˜ Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
ZnZinc
Znβ“˜ SphaleriteZnS
BrBromine
Brβ“˜ Chlorargyrite var. Bromian ChlorargyriteAg(Cl,Br)
AgSilver
Agβ“˜ AcanthiteAg2S
Agβ“˜ ChlorargyriteAgCl
Agβ“˜ Gold var. Electrum(Au,Ag)
Agβ“˜ Chlorargyrite var. Bromian ChlorargyriteAg(Cl,Br)
Agβ“˜ SilverAg
Agβ“˜ Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag
SbAntimony
Sbβ“˜ Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
BaBarium
Baβ“˜ BaryteBaSO4
AuGold
Auβ“˜ Gold var. Electrum(Au,Ag)
Auβ“˜ GoldAu
PbLead
Pbβ“˜ GalenaPbS
Pbβ“˜ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Pbβ“˜ LinaritePbCu(SO4)(OH)2
Pbβ“˜ Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag
UUranium
Uβ“˜ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Uβ“˜ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Uβ“˜ Uraninite var. PitchblendeUO2
Uβ“˜ UraniniteUO2
Uβ“˜ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O

Localities in this Region

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