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Metcalf Mines

Past Producer in Greenlee county in Arizona, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Zinc
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10048292
MRDS ID M800422
Record type Site
Current site name Metcalf Mines
Alternate or previous names Metcalf Open Pit, Arizona Copper Co Group
Related records 10186644

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -109.36121, 33.11371 (WGS84)
Elevation 1533
Relative position AT METCALF; 2.5 MILES NW OF MORENCI.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Greenlee(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Clifton(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Clifton(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Clifton(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

San Francisco(hydrologic unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Greenlee

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 004S 029E 04,03 CENTER OF SE (04); SW (03) Arizona

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CONFLUENCE OF CHASE CREEK AND KING GULCH; ABOVE LOCATION COORDINATES DESCRIBE THE ORIGINAL METCALF MINES SITE IN KING GULCH (SEE: USGS PROFESSIONAL PAPER 43 (1905), PAGE 306) INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1973)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • CHALCOTRICHITE OCCURS AS A PRODUCT OF SURFACE OXIDATION; CHALCANTHITE OCCURS AS EFFLORESCENCE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Brochantite Ore
Chalcanthite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Covellite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Malachite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Chalcedony Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Kaolin Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Surface Oxidation To Depths Of 30 Ft; Sericitization Of Granite Porphyry

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Morenci Granite Porphyry;Precambrian Granite-Granodiorite Complex
    Rock description Morenci Granite Porphyry;Precambrian Granite-Granodiorite Complex
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Tertiary
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Cretaceous
    Chronological age 55.2

Nearby scientific data

(1) -109.36121, 33.11371
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description General Nw-Striking Step Faults With Normal Displacements To The South
Type of structure Local
Structure description Irregular Bodies Of Chalcocite Ore Contained In Soft And Sericitic Granite Porphyry Near Contact With Sedimentary Rocks; Porphyry Contains Inclusions Of Shale And Metamorphosed Limestone

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Depth to top 9.14M
  • General form IRREGULAR
  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Copper Ores Occur As Irregular Bodies In Porphyry, As Replacement Deposits Of Narrower Porphyry Dikes, As Distinct Ne-Trending Fissure Veins, And As Contact Breccias Between Granite Porphyry And Quartz Monzonite Porphyry

Comments on the geologic information

  • ABOVE DESCRIBES ORIGINAL METCALF MINES IN KING GULCH; NW STRIKING SHANNON FAULT MARKS THE NE EDGE OF THE ORE BODY WHICH WAS DOWNTHROWN ABOUT 500 FT TO THE SW; LEACHED CAPPING DIPS TO SW AND VAGUELY PARALLELS TOPOGRAPHY; NATIVE COPPER IS FOUND IN OPEN CUTS AS LARGE IRREGULAR MASSES INTERGROWN WITH CUPRITE; CUPRITE ALSO OCCURS AS IRREGULAR VEINLETS IN SERICITIZED PORPHYRY; THE KING BRECCIA PIPE HAS A N-S ELLIPTICAL SHAPE AND IS CUT NY STEEPLY DIPPING, N-S TRENDING FISSURE VEINS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1870
Discoverer Robert And James Metcalf
Year of first production 1882
Year of last production 1979

Mining district

District name Copper Mountain District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci Branch Present)
    First year 1975
  • Type Owner
    Owner Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci Branch Present)
    First year 1922

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION DATA FOR YEARS 1975 THROUGH 1979 LISTED UNDER METCALF OPEN PIT; PRODUCTION DATA PRIOR TO 1921 IS INCLUDED IN LONGFELLOW METCALF MINE DATA; LONGFELLOW METCALF ALSO INCLUDES THE OTHER ARIZONA COPPER CO MINES OF DETROIT, LONGFELLOW, HUMBOLDT, CORONADO, JOY, MAMMOTH AND YAVAPAI MINES

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Area 4.047HA
    Overall depth 79.25M
    Overall length 914.4M
    Overall width 609.6M

Comments on the workings information

  • DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDED SMALL OPEN PIT ON METCALF RIDGE. LARGE OPEN PIT ON KING RIDGE; UNDERGROUND MINE ON THE SE FLANK OF KING RIDGE (REFERRED TO AS KING BRECCIA PIPE); SURFACE WORKINGS AND SEVERAL SHAFTS ON METCALF RIDGE AND KING RIDGE, OVERLOOKING CONFLUENCE OF KING GULCH AND CHASE CREEK; PRIMARILY OPEN CAST MINING AND TUNNELLING ON 4 LEVELS; INCLINE CONNECTING SURFACE CUTS WITH THE CORONADO TRAIL; THE SECOND LEVEL AT ABOUT 70 FT BELOW THE SURFACE OPENS THE MAIN BODY OF PORPHYRY

Comments on development

  • OWNERS AND OPERATORS INCLUDED METCALF BROTHERS, LESZYNSKY BROTHERS, ARIZONA COPPER CO LTD (1882-1922); METCALF PROPERTY WAS MINED BY UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE CUT OPERATIONS UNTIL 1920; PROPERTY REMAINED IDLE UNTIL THE PHELPS DODGE CORPORATION DEVELOPED OPEN PIT AND UNDERGROUND OPRATIONS ON THE OLD WORKINGS IN 1969; OPEN PIT MINE HAS PRODUCED FROM 1975 TO THE PRESENT; PRINCIPAL CLAIM IS THE LITTLE ANNIE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ABGMT-USBM FILE DATA.

  • Deposit

    BLM DISTRICT SHEET 840.

  • Deposit

    USBM FILES, METCALF MINES.

  • Deposit

    ABGMT CLIPPINGS FILES, ARIZONA COPPER CO. LTD.

  • Deposit

    USGS PP 43, P. 320-323.

  • Deposit

    LANGTON, J.M., 1973, ORE GENESIS IN THE MORENCI-METCALF DISTRICT: AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING, METALLURGICAL AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERS TRANSACTIONS, V. 254, P. 256.

  • Deposit

    PAY DIRT, 1969, PHELPS DODGE TO DEVELOP BIG MINE AD METCALF: NO. 360, P. 3-5.

  • Deposit

    TENNEY, JAMES B., 1927, HISTORY OF MINING IN ARIZONA, V. 1, P. 97-98.

  • Deposit

    WEED, W. H., 1918, THE MINES HANDBOOK, VOL. XIII, PAGES 470-472, ARIZONA COPPER CO LTD

  • Deposit

    STEVENS, J. H., 1904, THE COPPER HANDBOOK, VOL IV, PAGES 193-195, ARIZONA COPPER CO LTD

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit METCALF MINES COMPRISE 3 SEPARATE ORE BODIES: (ORE BODY ON METCALF RIDGE CONSISTS OF SUPERGENE ORE IN GRANITE PORPHYRY; ON KING RIDGE, PORPHYRY AND PRECAMBRIAN GRANITE ARE CUT BY NE-STRIKING VEINS AND BRECCIAS; UNDERGROUND MINE ON KING RIDGE OPENS A BRECCIA PIPE LOCATED ALONG THE CONTACT OF GRANITE PORPHYRY AND QUARTZ MONZONITE PORPHYRY); MINING OPERATIONS HAVE CAUSED BLENDING OF ORES FROM THESE SEPARATE ORE BODIES; HIGH GRADE ORE ZONES ARE ALIGNED ALONG A N-S STRIKE BUT MOST VEINS AND DIKES GENERALLY STRIKE N40E

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1981 Calder, Susan R. Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Arizona resources

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