Money Metals lode (Money Metal shaft; Money Metal property; Slumbering Beauty group; Patented claims MS 2735 / 2736a & b), Myberg Basin, Inspiration, Miami-Inspiration District, Globe-Miami District, Gila Co., Arizona, USA

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A former underground Pb-Zn-Au-Ag-Cu-Mo mine comprised of a group of 21 claims (9 patented & 12 unpatented), situated at the east end of Myberg Basin, 2¾ miles NW of Inspiration. Claims extend into sec. 9. Luis Winn of Globe operated the property under lease in 1928 and 1929 and again in 1938. Later Louis Winn and Kenneth Hoopes acquired the property at a tax sale. Closed in 1940. Previous owners and operators also included Money Metals Consolidated Mining Co. (A.R. Edwards and Ralph Clark, owners). Owned by Louis Ellsworth (1962).

Mineralization is the Money Metals vein. The vein is actually a system of linked veins deposited along a broad fault zone in a thick diabase sill intruded between beds of the Pioneer formation. East and west of the fault zone, the higher hills are capped by remnants of Pioneer formation that are portions of the hanging wall of the sill. To the north, the diabase is in contact with Ruin granite of the Granite Basin mass. The diabase-granite contact probably represents an old fault along which rocks of the Apache group have been moved down into contact with granite before intrusion of the diabase. South and west of the property the diabase is overlain by dacite, which conceals all the older formations in an area several square miles in extent.

The mineralized fault zone strikes N.30ºE. and dips about 75ºNW. At the north it appears to end near the contact of the diabase and granite, whence the outcrop can be traced for about 1,000 feet southwestward to the north edge of talus deposits from the dacite cliffs that form the south rim of Myberg Basin. What probably is the continuation of the fault zone crops out for about 200 feet in a small inlier of diabase at the north edge of the dacite.

The fault zone exposed in the underground workings is said to be about 20 feet wide and is bounded by clay gouge and slickensides. The ore minerals occur in lenses, in which the gouge and breccia are largely replaced by quartz, pyrite, and a little chalcopyrite. Small bunches of galena and sphalerite are present locally in the replaced breccia, but their relationship to the more extensive quartz-pyrite vein matter could not be observed.

Drill hole exploration near the shafts indicated that a broad zone of altered diabase contained small amounts of very light colored sphalerite

Old workings reportedly included an inclined shaft to 190 feet deep with levels at 65, 100, and 190 feet. Drifts on each level extend from 40 to 100 feet northeastward and southwestward from the shaft. Two vertical shafts and an inclined shaft are reported to be 40, 50, and 100 feet deep respectively. There are also short adits, all now caved.

Production during 1928-29 and 1931 by Mr. Hoopes was some 75 tons of ore. About 176 tons of ore shipped until October 1943.

Old workings, all inaccessible, include an inclined shaft with levels at 65, 100, and 190 feet; two vertical shafts and an incline of 40, 50 and 100 feet, respectively; also several short adits.

Mineral List

Chalcopyrite Galena

Pyrite Sphalerite

Wulfenite

5 entries listed. 5 valid minerals.

References