Black Copper pit (Black Copper section; Black Copper group; Warrior group), Webster Gulch, Inspiration Mine, Miami-Inspiration deposit, Inspiration, Miami-Inspiration District, Globe-Miami District, Gila Co., Arizona, USA

A group of Cu claims located in Webster Gulch near the present site of Inspiration. Most recently a pit in the greater Inspiration Mine operation of the Inspiration Copper Co. Originally this was a separate mining operation owned by Havaly, Higdon, and Beard (1896). It was bonded to James A. Fleming and J.M. Ford, who incorporated the Black Warrior Copper Co. In May, 1898, 5 claims adjoining the Black Copper group were purchased from Beard and Howie. The venture was unsuccessful and closed in 1 month. In 1900, the Black WArrior Copper Co. was consolidated with the Donellan Co. and reorganized as Black Warrior Co. Amalgamated. All operations ceased in August, 1903. The company was reorganized as the Warrior Copper Co. in 1905. In October 1909, the Warrior Copper Co. was bonded to Hoval A. Smith, Henry B. Hovland and associates who organized te Warrior Development Co. The operation was surrendered in October, 1911. In January, 1912, the property was leased to Fiske and Snell, of Globe, who operated it steadily until January, 1920, when it was sold to the Inspiration Copper Co.

The Black Copper deposit, along with the Black Warrior and Geneva deposits, are along a complex system of faults that extends from a point about 1,700 feet WNW of the main shafts of the Inspiration Co. eastward to the Miami fault. The system is generally referred to as the Warrior fault zone, althiough a segment at the western end does not appear to be related to the faults of the main portion of the zone.

The main structure, which trends about due east, is made by two roughly parallel faults bounding a narrow depressed block. Its continuity is interrupted by several branching and cross faults, and its outcrop is obscure wherever both walls of the faults are of dacite or of the tuffaceous conglomerate that underlies the dacite in this area.

Mineralization involves the Keystone fault system and a Paleochannel.

Workings originally included a 100 foot deep shaft in copper silicate ore. Two additional shafts were sunk under the Black Warrior Copper Co. Production from 1904 to 1909 was about 6,500,000 pounds of Cu.

References:
Kemp, J.F. (1905), Secondary enrichment in ore deposits of copper, Economic Geology: 1: 11-25.

University of Arizona Bull. 41 (1916-17), Mineralogy of Useful Minerals in Arizona: 29.

Throop, A.H. & P.R. Buseck (1971), Nature and origin of black chrysocolla at the Inspiration mine, Arizona, Economic Geology: 66: 1168-1175.

Peterson, N.P. (1962), Geology and ore deposits of the Globe-Miami District, Arizona, USGS PP 342: 80, 135-137.

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 173, 250, 319.