Ash Peak Mines (Hardy Mine; Goldfield Extension Mine; Commerce and Shamrock Mine; Shamrock shaft; Ash Peak Extension Mine; Patented claim MS 3076a), Duncan, Ash Peak District (Twin Peaks District), Greenlee Co., Arizona, USA

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A former surface and underground Ag-Au-Cu-Pb-Mn-silica mine located in the SE¼ sec. 3, the NW¼ sec. 11, and in secs. 2 & 10, T8S, R30E (location noted on the Guthrie and York Valley quadrangles), 0.75 mile NE of Ash Peak; 0.5 mile S of highway 70; 8 miles WNW of Duncan, on BLM-administered land. The property consists of 5 patented lode claims totalling 70.5 acres, and 27 additional unpatented claims. Discovered 1900. Produced 1905-1970. The Shamrock shaft was the main shaft on the Ask Peak claims. Owned by the Ash Peak Mines, Inc. Operated by the Arizona Flux Mines, Inc., Duncan, AZ (1986). Additional historical owners included E.E. Lewis; Arizona Title and Trust Co; Phoenix Title and Trust Co; Arthur Murphy and Associates; Veta Mines Inc; Goldfield Consolidated Mines Co; and the Arizona Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Past operators included E.E. Lewis Inc (subsidiary of Beaver Mesa Uranium Inc); John R. Peeso; Glen A. Smith; Howard Mottier and Dan Mayne; the International Smelting and Refining Co of Miami AZ; International Smelter of Inspiration AZ; Ash Peak lease; H.V. Snell; I.S. James; J.L. Anderson; R.Z. McKown; E.J. Marston; and Rush and Lines (1970).

The patented calims are the Commerce, Summit, Homestead, Great Eastern, Fraction (lode claims), and the Shamrock (placer claim). Additional names possibly related to this group of claims are: Fran; Hell Fire; Lewis, Inc.; Lone Camp; Pospohola and Dankworth; Ribble and Daniels; Six Plus Mining Co.; Arthur Murphy; Arizona Anaconda Copper Co.; Beaver Mesa Uranium, Inc.; Black Beauty; Crow; Cougar; and Grand Duc.

Mineralization is a tabular and narrow ore body at 3218 meters long and 6.1 meters wide, striking N60W, and dipping 80NE, hosted in diabase, rhyolite and basalt and comprised of 3 parallel veins which stand almost vertically. The ore shoots are fairly continuous and consistent in grade. Associated rock unit is Tertiary volcanic flows. Ore control was NW-trending veins tat follow a fault fissure of about 100 feet vertical displacement. Ore concentration is mineralization along fissure veins. Ore decreases in grade from the dike toward the footwall and is essentially a primary sulphide. Alteration is quartz mineralization altered and cemented fault brecciqa; further faulting was followed by further mineralization and alteration of fault breccia.

Area structures include a diabase dike that follows the hanging wall of the fissure vein and separates vein material from the hanging wall of the fault. The diabase fractures easily and has made it difficult to mine the subjacent ores cleanly. fault fissure shears the Tertiary tuffs/flows and forms hogbacks in places.

The first andesite flows, which overlie the uppermost limestone formations, vary in texture from porphyritic to aphanitic and from the original breccia in the fault fissure. The porphryitic phase has been more readily converted into ore than the aphanitic phase. Continued faulting along the original zig-zagged fissure resulted in formation of enormous ore lenses along the fault plane.

Tectonic components are Ask Peak and the transition zone between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau Provinces.

1938 analysis: 10.97 oz/t Ag; 0.025 oz/t Au; 85.8% SiO2; 0.045% S; 3.21% Fe2O3; 3.28% Al2O3; 5.07% CaO; 0.45% Mn.

Workings total 1879.7 meters long and 304.8 meters deep. Developments included the Commonwealth shaft; the Hardy shaft of 700 feet depth; the Shamrock shaft of 1000 feet of depth; the Commerce shaft of 500 feet of depth and connected with the Shamrock shaft. A vein open pit extends SE from the Commerce shaft. Lateral cross-cuts were driven every 100 feet on the Shamrock shaft; 11000 feet of drifting along the vein; and diamond drilling to 1400 feet depth. The Shamrock is an 80 degree inclined shaft in the vein footwall and is 2000 feet away from the Commerce shaft on ground level. There was also 1500 feet LF long-hole exploration drilling. 2 millsites totalling 9 acres were also installed.

A source of siliceous fluxing ore for use in Southwest copper smelters. Production from open pit equals 90% of total. Silica flux ore includes both underground and open pit reserves. Tailings number is also included in the reserves.

References

Niemuth, N.J. (1987), Arizona Mineral Development 1984-1986, Arizona Department of Mines & Mineral Resources Directory 29.

Phillips, K.A. (1987), Arizona Industrial Minerals, 2nd. Edition, Arizona Department of Mines & Minerals Mineral Report 4, 185 pp.

Peirce, H. Wesley (1990), Arizona Geological Survey Industrial Minerals card file.

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

USGS Professional Paper 1200-AZ.

US Bureau of Mines Information Circular 7119.

U.S. Bureau of Mines - Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mining Technology production file data.

Arizona Department of Mineral Resources file data, Ask Peak Mine, Ash Peak Silica Mine, Hardy Mine files.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management Mining District Sheet #851.

U.S. Bureau of Mines files - Shamrock shaft, Ask Peak Mines.

USGS Guthrie Quadrangle map.

Yale Peabody GNIS database (NOTE: this database is derived from USGS 1:24,000 topographic map data).

MRDS database Dep. ID #10048297, MRDS ID #M800429; and Dep. ID #10209827, MAS ID #0040110163; and Dep. ID #10234979, AS ID #0040110063.

Mineral List

Acanthite Aurorite

Calcite Galena

Pyrite Rhodochrosite

6 entries listed. 6 valid minerals.