Gibson Mine (Bellevue-Old Site; claims MS 2219; Reynolds group), Bellvue town site, Five Point Mountain area, Top of the World area, Pinal Mountains District, Pinal Mts, Gila Co., Arizona, USA

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A Cu-Ag-Au mine located on 16 patented and 53 unpatented claims in 1972, in the W½ (SE¼NW¼) sec. 21, T1S, R14E (Pinal Ranch 7.5 minute topo map), at the Bellvue town site, ¼ mile W of Pinto Creek, 1 mile ENE of Lost Horse Spring, 2 miles ESE of Five Point Mountain, about 3 miles SE of Top of the World, and about 1½ miles E of the Pinal County line, on private land. Main production period was 1906-1918 but it produced 1903-1975. Owned successively by S.L. Gibson, Gibson Copper Co., Summit Copper Co., and the Gibson Consolidated Copper Co. Operated by Geoprocessco Inc., and the Arizona Gold and Silver Co. (1972). Other operators included: Gibson Consolidated Copper Co.(main producer); the Bellvue Copper Co.; the Pasquale Copper Co.; A.P. Peake and H.E. Bierce (1917); Kuno Mines Co.; Summit Copper Mines; Miller and Keyes (1929); Ben Henderson; Ray Patterson; Rose Finley; Tadich and Hayman; Sultan and Wayne; Elton Clark; and, Louise Keuhne.

Mineralization is several (3) veins hosted in Pinal Schist, that crop out on the Gibson property, the most prominent of which are the Summit vein and the Pasquale vein. The three lenticular shoots are separated by intervals in which vein fracture is obscure and practically barren of ore minerals. Ore control was also rolls and folds in veins favorable for deposition. The outcrops of these 2 veins are roughly parallel and have general strikes about N25E and dip 35 to 55NW. The Summit vein dip detail is very irregular. Rolls in the vein were favorable for ore deposition. The Pasquale vein dips N35W, is more linear; with a fault zone 3-10 feet wide. The ore zone is 3.05 meters wide. They are about 300 feet apart just south of the mine dumps. A third vein, known as the Intermediate vein, is between the 2 main veins. The mineralization was associated with a Schultze Granite intrusion, 1 to ½ miles N, NW and W. The Pasquale vein is not conformable to the bedding of the schist. The Summit vein is closely conformable. An associated rock unit is granite. Mineralization includes secondary copper minerals.

Workings total four inclined shafts, one vertical shaft, 6 levels with raises and stopes. The main shaft is on the Summit vein. Workings include an inclined shaft on the Summit vein and 6 principal levels. Level 6 is about 430 feet in vertical depth below the shaft collar. A vertical shaft also connects all of the levels. This shaft intersects the Pasquale, Intermediate and Summit veins at depths of 125, 260 & 525 feet, respectively, below the collar. The workings total 3048 meters in length and 152.4 meters in depth. Production was some 12,500,000 pounds of copper and 3,500 oz. silver, valued at about $2,177,000 (period values).

References

Ransome, F.L. (1903) Geology of the Globe Copper District, Arizona, USGS PP 12: 1903

Stevens (1911), Copper Handbook, Vol. X: 1618-1620.

University of Arizona Bull. 41 (1916-17), Mineralogy of Useful Minerals in Arizona: 29, 40.

Arizona Mining Journal (Nov, 1919): 46.

Elsing, M.J. and Heineman, E.S. (1936) Arizona Metal Production, Arizona Bureau of Mines Bulletin 140: 92, 99.

Peterson, N.P. (1963), Geology of the Pinal Ranch quadrangle, USGS Bull. 1141-H: 9-11.

Niemuth, N.J. & K.A. Phillips (1992), Copper Oxide Resources, Arizona Department of Mines & Mineral Resources Open File Report 92-10: 7 (Table 1).

Arizona Department of Mineral Resources Gibson Mine file.

Arizona Department of Mineral Resources Tucson-Globe group file.

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

MRDS database Dep. ID #10104088, MRDS ID #M241234.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Chalcopyrite

Hematite var: Specularite

2 entries listed. 1 valid mineral.

Localities in this Region

USA Arizona Gila Co. Pinal Mts Pinal Mountains District Top of the World area Five Point Mountain area Bellvue town site Gibson Mine (Bellevue-Old Site; claims MS 2219; Reynolds group) Intermediate vein (Kuno vein [?]; Kuno property) Pasquale vein (Pasquale group) Summit vein (Summit property)