Clip Mine (Silver Clip Mine; Blaine Mine; Silver Mines Consolidated Mine), Clip, Hidden Valley, Silver District, Trigo Mts, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA

‡Ref.: Hamilton (1884): 238.

Wilson, E.D. (1933) Geology and Mineral Deposits of Southern Yuma County, Arizona. Arizona Bureau of Mines Bulletin 134: 50, 53, 56, 57-59.

Parker, F.Z. (1966) The Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Silver District Trigo Mountains, Yuma County, Arizona. Masters Thesis, San Diego State College.

Keith, Stanton B. (1978) State of Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 192, Index of Mining Properties in Yuma County, Arizona: 176 (Table 4).

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

Mineralogical Record: 21: 162.

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 169, 410.

Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.

MRDS database Dep. ID file #10027231, MRDS ID #M002561; and, Dep. ID #10113443, MAS ID #0040120145.

A former underground Pb-Ag-V-Fe-Mn-Sr-Baryte-Fluorspar-Cu (Cl-Br) mine located in the center of sec. 25, T3S, R23W, at the former mining town of Clip, 5 miles North of the former mining town of Silent, and 28 miles N of Yuma, on BLM-administered land. Owned at times, or in part, by Jas. G. Blaine; Messrs. Hubbard & Bowers (1883-April 1887); Messrs. Thompson, Shiner, Fields & Bates (circa 1925); Silver Mines Consolidated Co. (circa 1925); and the United Silver Mines Co. of Yuma (circa 1933).


Mineralization is a linear ore body with argentiferous, oxidized lead minerals with silver chloride and bromide, vanadinite, and some malachite in a gangue of ferruginous and manganiferous calcite, quartz, fluorite, barite, pyrolusite, iron oxides, celestine (?), gouge and brecciated wall rock, in a lensing vein in a fault zone cutting Tertiary andesitic to dacitic flows, tuffs and breccias. The ore zone is 228.6 meters long and 2.44 meters wide, with a depth to bottom of 36.58 meters, striking N30E, and dipping 70W. The beds, which generally dip at low angles, are extensively shattered in several directions. The most extensive fissuring trends N25E, with steep westward dip, and another prominent system strikes northward, with steep eastward dip. Many faults of undetermined throw strike NNE, N, and NW, with westward dips. Unspecified lead oxide also occurs. The vein and fault zone strike from N.30ºE. to N.10ºW. and dips from 60º to 70ºW. The vein is traceable for more than 750 feet. There is deep wall rock alteration to chlorite, limonite, and calcite as well as silicification and carbonitization. At the 120 foot level the ore shoots terminate or pinchout. Transverse faults increased ore values. Mineralization is along a fault zone. Ore reportedly ran 20 to 140 oz. Ag/T with very minor gold.

Lava flows, tuffs & breccias, mainly of andesitic composition, form sharp, Northward-trending ridges.

Workings included an adit and shaft(s) with stoping to the surface. There are 5 levels of drifts at approximate 40 foot intervals. It was mined mainly in 1883 to 1887 and to a lesser degree in 1925 through 1929. The total estimated and reported production would be some 25,000 tons of ore averaging about 46 oz. Ag/T. Silver produced was more than $1,000,000 (period values) and an additional 7,000 oz. Ag (1928-1929). No lead recovery reported. By 1883 a 10-stamp mill was erected at the Colorado River; a 100 ton cyanide plant was installed in 1927.