Copper Chief Mine

Past Producer in Cochise county in Arizona, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Zinc
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10039385
MRDS ID M050011
Record type Site
Current site name Copper Chief Mine
Related records 10283000

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -110.07066, 32.10734 (WGS84)
Elevation 1539
Relative position 1/2 MILE NW OF TOWN OF JOHNSON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cochise(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dragoon(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tucson(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Tucson(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Willcox Playa(hydrologic unit)

San Pedro-Willcox(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Cochise

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 15S 22E 26 Arizona

Comments on the location information

  • N CENTRAL SEC. 26. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • MOST VALUABLE DEPOSITS FORMED NEAR THE COPPER CHIEF FAULT

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Malachite Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Garnetization, Lime Silicates, Oxidation Of Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Texas Canyon
    Rock description Texas Canyon
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
    Chronological age 53
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Abrigo Formation Cambrian Shale, Impure Limestone, Sandy Dolomite
    Rock description Abrigo Formation Cambrian Shale, Impure Limestone, Sandy Dolomite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -110.07066, 32.10734

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Tertiary Block Faulting Trending Nnw ; Reg.Trends: Late Cretaceous Or Early Tertiary N To Nw Trending Folds And Thrust Faults Overriding To Ne.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Fault System Of Northeasters

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR IN BEDS
    Dip 25 TO 40 NE
    Thickness 6.1M
    Length 99.06M
    Width 70.1M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Replacement By Ore In Favorable Beds At Intersections With Small Northeaster Faults.

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: NORTHEASTER FAULTS REGARDED AS MINERALIZING FISSURES, BUT VALUABLE DEPOSITS FORMED NEAR COPPER CHIEF FAULT WHICH MAY HAVE ACTED AS A DAM FOR RISING SOLUTIONS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1900
Year of last production 1921

Mining district

District name Cochise District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Coronado Copper And Zinc Co.

Comments on the production information

  • RECORDS INDICATE TOTAL ORE PRODUCTION OF 24,100 TONS AVERAGING 4.2 PERCENT COPPER AND 0.5 OZ. SILVER PER TON. PRODUCTION CEASED 1923

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 426.72M

Comments on development

  • OPERATORS INCLUDED MONONG AND DEVELOPMENT CORP OF DRAGOON MTN

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COOPER, J.R. AND SILVER L.T., 1964, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 416

  • Deposit

    COOPER, J.R. 1950, ARIZ. BUREAU OF MINES, GEOL. SER. 18, BULL. 156

  • Deposit

    LIVINGSTON, MAUGER, BENNETT, AND LAUGHLIN, 1967, JGR, V. 72, P. 1361-1375

  • Deposit

    1964 GEOLMAP U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, COOPER AND SILVER, PROF. PAPER 41

  • Production

    COOPER AND SILVER, 1964

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE WAS THICKEST AND EXTENDED DEEPEST NEAR SMALL NORTHEASTER FAULTS. ANOTHER MAJOR ORE BODY IN THE MINE WAS A LENS ROUGHLY 6 X 60 X 140 FEET. THE TWO MAJOR AXES WERE IN THE PLANE OF THE BEDS AND THE LONGEST AXIS WAS PARALLEL TO THE DIP

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1972 Bergquist, Joel R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Authoritative Arizona resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.