‡Ref.: Ross, C.P. (1925a), Geology and ore deposits of the Aravaipa and Stanley mining districts, Graham County, Arizona, USGS Bull. 763.
Ross, C.P. (1925b), Geology of the Saddle Mountain and Banner mining districts, USGS Bull. 771.
Galbraith, F.W. (1947), Minerals of Arizona, Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 153: 9, 19, 21.
Tainter, S.L. (1948), Christmas copper deposit, Gila County, Arizona, U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigation 4293.
Peterson, Nels P. & Swanson (1956), USGS Bull. 1027-H, Geology of the Christmas Copper Mine, Gila County, Arizona: 351-373.
Galbraith, F.W. & D.J. Brennan (1959), Minerals of Arizona: 39, 59, 91, 94.
Knoerr, A. & M. Eigo (1963), Arizona's newest copper producer - The Christmas mine, Engr. Mining Jour.: 164: 55.
Willden, R. (1964), Geology of the Christmas Quadrangle, Gila and Pinal Counties, Arizona, USGS Bull. 1161-E.
Eastlick (1968), in: Graton Sales Volume, A.I.M>E.: 1191-1210.
Perry, D.V. (1969), Skarn genesis at the Christmas mine, Gila County, Arizona, Economic Geology: 64: 255-270.
Koski (1978) Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University.
Cesbron, F.P. & S.A. Williams (1980), Apachite and gilalite, two new copper silicates from Christmas, Arizona, Mineralogical Magazine: 43: 639-641.
Mining Annual Review (1985): 55;
Phillips, K.A. (1987), Arizona Industrial Minerals, 2nd. Edition, Arizona Department of Mines & Minerals Mineral Report 4, 185 pp.
Sawyer, M.B., Gurmendi, A.C., Daley, M.R., and Howell, S.B. (1992) Principal Deposits of Strategic and Critical Minerals in Arizona, U.S. Bureau of Mines Special Publication, 334 pp.
Rocks & Min.: 57: 16; 60:238.
Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 110, 111, 113, 116, 117, 142, 160, 163, 166, 173, 177, 179, 190, 195, 204, 205, 208, 215, 225, 228, 231, 272, 284, 286, 293, 301, 326, 341, 345, 358, 362, 368, 377, 382-383, 388, 397, 401, 409, 414, 419, 424, 428, 432.
MRDS database Dep. ID #10026861, MRDS ID #M000635; and Dep. ID #10209578, MAS ID #0040070108; and Dep. ID #10234135, MAS ID #0040070052.
A former surface and underground Cu-Au-Ag-Mo-Bi-Pb-Zn-Be-W mine with garnet abrasive, wollastonite and iron. This mine is located at Christmas (headframe hamlet) near Hayden, AZ (8 miles North of Winkleman and 22 miles South of Globe). NOTE: Alternate coordinates provided: 32.9986N, 110.7661W.
This property was located in 1880 by Messrs. Dennis O'Brien and William Tweed. Serious mining started about 1905. The workings go to the 908 foot level but the deposits were drilled deeper. There were 5 shafts including the No. 3 (main shaft)(verticle, 3-compartment to the 908 foot level), the Hackberry shaft, the Christmas shaft, the No. 4 shaft, plus one additional shaft. The initial claims proved to be on the San Carlos Indian Reservation and were declared invalid. In December, 1902, that portion of the reservation was restored to public domain by executive order and the claims were relocated on Christmas evening by Mr. G.B. Chittenden, hence the name. The mine was later owned by the Inspiration Copper Co. until its closure in January, 1982.
The mineral deposits are in a thick series of gently dipping Paleozoic limestones (Naco Limestone; Escabrosa Limestone and the Martin Limestone) that range from Devonian to Permian (?). Overlying the limestones with only slight discordance, is a thick sequence of Cretaceous (?) volcanic rocks, mainly andesitic tuffs, breccias, and flows. A small quartz diorite stock has been intruded into the limestones and volcanic rocks. The Christmas fault cuts northwestward through the limestones, lavas, and the quartz diorite intrusive. The eastern part has been depressed, bringing the lavas in contact with the limestones, which crop out West of the fault.
The mineral deposits are contact metamorphic or pyrometasomatic type. The mineralized zones extend to the surface, where there was an open pit mine as well.
Area structures include the Christmas-Joker Fault zone 7.5 miles long and 100 feet wide, striking NW and other cross-cutting fractures.
Ore control was a limestone-diorite contact, favorable limestone beds, garnetized areas, and fractures in garnet-rich zones. Ore concentration was pyrometasomatic replacement of limestone with some oxidation on fractures. Alteration was hydrothermal with epidotization, silicification, propylitic, K-silicate, quartz-sericite-chlorite, oxidation, and carbonatization.
Past production was mainly from ore bodies in the Naco limestone of Pennsylvanian and Permian (?) age. A few small ore bodies have been mined from the Escabrosa limestone of Mississippian age. The ore in the Naco occurs in flat, tabular bodies which are replacements of certain favorable limestone beds close to their contact with the quartz diorite. The ore is confined to eleven distinct beds, which are consistently mineralized wherever they occur in favorable relationship to the contact. They constitute a zone about 425 feet thick of interbedded limestones and shale. The deposits in the Excabrosa are thick, irregular bodies that lie against the contact.
Total production is unclear; however, available statistics indicate a total of about 55,340,000 pounds of copper (1905 to the end of 1943), plus $160,000 of gold and $150,000 of silver (period values).
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Map Reference: 33°3'30"N , 110°44'45"W
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