Mindat Logo

Verde Queen Mine, Copper Camp, Hilton (Lead Mountain), Empire District, Empire Mts, Pima Co., Arizona, USA

Latitude: 31°51'54"N
Longitude: 110°37'54"W
‡Ref.: Schrader, F.C. & J.M. Hill (1915), Mineral deposits of the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains, Arizona, USGS Bull. 582: 148-149.

Finnell, T.L. (1971), Preliminary Geologic Map of the Empire Mts quadrangle, Pima County, Arizona, USGS Open-file Report.

Creasey, S.C. (1973) Field Examination, Verde Queen Mine.

Keith, Stanton B. (1974), Arizona Bureau of Geology & Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 189, Index of Mining Properties in Pima County, Arizona: 119 (Table 4).

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 299.

USGS Empire Mountains Quadrangle topo map.

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.

MRDS database Dep. ID file #10039598, MRDS ID #M050401; and, Dep. ID #10113238, MAS ID #0040190438.

A former small underground Pb-Ag-Zn-Cu-Au-Mo mine located on 7 or 8 claims, in sec. 8 and West-central sec. 17, T.18S., R.17E., located longitudinally and contiguously in the SE part of the camp, 9 miles SSW of Pantano. Discovered 1881. Produced 1897 - 1928. Owned/operated at times, or in part, by the Verde Queen Mining Co. of Winona, Wisconsin; and, E.P. Hilton; and the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co.

Mineralization is a vein deposit within a fault contact. The ore body is tabular and irregular with the usual base metal (copper) carbonates with silver chlorides, wulfenite, and iron oxides in irregular replacement orebodies in the Permian gray limestone. A bed of quartzite forms the footwall. Host rock units include the Concha Limestone and the Scherrer Formation. Ore control was the fault zone. Alteration was minor silicification. An associated rock unit is the Sycamore Canyon Quartz Monzonite. No sign of sulfides in 1973.


This mine is on the East vein, which has a width of about 25 feet (7.62 meters) and dips 80ºSE at the mine's principal opening.

Local structures include NNW-trending faults.

Workings include a 280 foot (85.34 meters) deep shaft and tunnel operations on 3 levels (50, 150 & 280), with 75, 125, and 50 foot lengths, respectively. Produced sporadically, from the late 1800's to 1928 (1897-1898, 1905-1908). Produced 1,000 tons of ore (1907-1908). Ore was averaging about 23% Pb, 5 oz. Ag/T and minor Cu & Au. Chief claim ore averaged $40/t, 12% Cu & Pb, 2 oz/t Ag, $3/t Au. In 1915 there was considerable good ore in place.

Mineral List

Chlorargyrite
Mimetite
Wulfenite


3 entries listed. 3 valid minerals.

The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
This page is currently not sponsored. To sponsor this page click here.


Mineral and/or Locality
Search Google
 
Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2011. Jobs in Arizona, USA Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them.Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register. Current server date and time: 29th Jun 2011 01:29:21
Mineral and Locality Search
Mineral:
and/or Locality:
Options
Fade toolbar when not in focusFix toolbar to bottom of page
Hide Social Media Links
Slideshow frame delay seconds