Baboquivari District, Baboquivari Mts, Pima Co., Arizona, USA

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

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: 1798-1801.

Wilson, E.D. (1941): 39-40.

Donald, P.G. (1958) Geology of the Fresnal Peak area, Baboquivari Mountains, Arizona: Tucson, University of Arizona, M.S. thesis, 45 p.

Dale, V.B., Stewart, L.A., and McKinney, W.A. (1960), Tungsten deposits of Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz Counties., Arizona, U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigation 5650:

Fair, C.L. (1965) Geology of the Fresnal Canyon area, Baboquivari Mountains, Pima County, Arizona: Tucson, University of Arizona, Ph.D. dissertation, 89 p.

Wilson, E.D. (1961) Gold Placers and Placering in Arizona. Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 168 (revised 1978): 81.

Heindl, L.A., and Fair, C.L. (1965) Mesozoic(?) rocks in the Baboquivari Mountains, Papago Indian Reservation, Arizona, Chapter I, in Contributions to stratigraphy: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1194-I, p. I1-I12.

Keith, Stanton B. (1974), Arizona Bureau of Geology & Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 189, Index of Mining Properties in Pima County, Arizona: 107 (Table 4).

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.

MRDS database Dep. ID file #10113622, MAS ID #0040190951.

Worked by missionaries (with Indian labor) in the early days.

A Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn-Mn-W-Mo (F-Be) mining area located in T.17-21S., R.7-8E. (protracted in part), located in the Baboquivari and Quinlan Mountains, West of the Arivaca District.

Mineralization is varied: (1) Gold-bearing quartz-fissure veins and stringers, locally with calcite, pyrite, manganese and iron oxides, and spotty molybdenum, cutting metamorphosed or unmetamorphosed Mesozoic and early Tertiary sedimentary formations and usually associated with rhyolite, andesite or pegmatite dikes as well as Laramide granitic to dioritic intrusive bodies; (2) Spotty tungsten mineralization, often with local base metal sulfides, calcium silicates, and quartz along fracture zones in Mesozoic to early Tertiary quartzitic or limy beds adjacent to igneous dikes or intrusives of probable Laramide age; (3) Spotty and irregular manganese oxides in seams and veinlets along narrow fissure zones in shattered and brecciated Laramide intrusive or sedimentary beds; and, (4) Local, spotty gold placers in benches and bars along dry washes.

Workings include numerous small, shallow mines and prospects, but few major producers. Total estimated and recorded production through 1972 is some 56,600 tons of ore containing about 173,500 oz. Ag, 13,900 oz. Au, 122 tons of Cu, and 12 tons of Pb. About 2,500 units of tungsten were also produced from some 1,000 tons of ore. A small amount of low-grade manganese was also produced. Only a small amount of placer gold was recovered.