Sheep Tanks District, Little Horn Mts, Yuma Co., Arizona, USA

A Au-Ag-Mn-Fe-Cu-Pb-Ba (Be) mining district located in T1N-T1S, R14-15W, within a mile of the southern margin of the Little Horn Mountains. Started in 1909 and owned by J.G. Wetterhall.

Mineralization is varied: (1) Gold and silver with local, minor, lead and copper mineralization in irregular vein deposits along fault zones cutting Tertiary volcanics; (2) Irregular manganese oxides in stringers, pods, and overlapping lenses along shear zones in Tertiary volcanics; and, (3) Minor gold placers.

Workings are numerous prospects, but few producing mines, worked from about 1909 through 1950, producing some 17,411 tons of precious and base metal ores containing about 20,900 oz. of gold, 39,730 oz. of silver and one ton of copper. Some 250 long tons of low-grade manganese ore and a few ounces of placer gold were also produced.

References:
Cousins, N.B. (1972), Relationship of black calcite to gold and silver mineralization in the Sheep Tanks mining district, Yuma County, Arizona, Arizona State University M.S. thesis.

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: 174 (Table 4).

Wilson, E.D. (1933) Geology and Mineral Deposits of Southern Yuma County, Arizona. Arizona Bureau of Mines Bulletin 134: 132-133.

Wilson, E.D., Cunningham, J.B., and Butler, G.M. (1934), Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining (revised 1967), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 137: 143-147.

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 118, 124, 240.

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.