Cunningham Pass District, Harcuvar Mts, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA

‡Ref.: Bancroft, H. (1911), Reconnaissance of the ore deposits in northern Yuma County, Arizona, USGS Bull. 451: 115-119.

Tovote, W.L. (1918) Cunningham Pass district, Arizona: Mining and Scientific Press: 117 (July 6, 1918): 19-20.

Tenney, J.B. (1928), The Mineral Industries of Arizona, Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 125: 77.

Galbraith, F.W. & D.J. Brennan (1959), Minerals of Arizona: 48.

Keith, Stanton B. (1978) State of Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 192, Index of Mining Properties in Yuma County, Arizona: 143 (Table 4).

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 370.

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.

A former Cu-Au-Ag-Fe-Ba-Pb-U mining area in T6-7N, R12-13W, in the central Harcuvar Mountains in the vicinity of Cunningham Pass.

Mineralization is spotty, but often high grade, pockets and streaks of copper-gold-silver ores with quartz, iron oxides, siderite, calcite and barite in strong lensing, intersecting fissure veins and along contacts or in cross-cutting aplite, pegmatite, diabase, and granite porphyry dikes. Strong oxidation and secondary enrichment occur near the surface. Wall rocks are Precambrian metamorphics intruded by dikes and probably underlain by Laramide intrusive. Probable strong, wide fault zone strikes NW through Cunningham Pass.

Workings include numerous scattered shafts, tunnels and open cuts. This district was opened in the early 1900's by companies and lessees. Total estimated and recorded production would be some 9,000 or more tons of ore containing about 773 tons of Cu, 4,436 oz. Au, 2,344 oz. Ag and a few pounds of lead.