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Cananea

Producer in Sonora, Mexico with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Silver
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10048836
MRDS ID MX00002
Record type Site
Current site name Cananea
Alternate or previous names Sonora Hill
Related records 10232623, 10279615

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -110.31733, 30.95432 (WGS84)
Relative position APPROX. CENTER OF CANANEA-SONORA HILL PIT.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Mexico Sonora

Comments on the location information

  • ESTIMATED TO WITHIN 0.5 KM.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Intense Quartz-Sericite-Pyrite Alteration Grades Outwardly Into Propylitic Alteration At Distances Of About 250 M From Quartz Porphyry Contacts. Evidence Of "Enveloping" Of The Pyritic-Phyllic Zone Indicates Overlaying Of Mineralizing Centers Caused By Progressive Multiple Intrusive Effects.

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 > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
    Rock unit name Mesa Tuff
    Rock description Mesa Tuff

Nearby scientific data

(1) -110.31733, 30.95432
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Local Structure Trends N And Nw. High-Angle Faulting.

Ore body information

  • General form HYDROTHERMAL BRECCIA
  • General form HYDROTHERMAL BRECCIA

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.COM: COUNTRY ROCK DOMINANTLY ANDESITIC FLOWS AND TUFFS THAT DIP GENTLY (A15 DEGREES) ENE; INTRUDED BY A NW-TRENDING SERIES OF QUARTZ PORPHYRY STOCKS, PLUGS, AND BRECCIA PIPES CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION AND MINERALIZATION. AT LEAST FOUR DISTINCT PHASES OF QUARTZ PORPHYRY, RANGING FROM GRANODIORITE TO QUARTZ MONZONITE IN COMPOSITION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Year of first production 1963

Mining district

District name Cananea

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Companhia Minera De Cananea
    First year 1985

Comments on the production information

  • 1978 PRODUCTION RATE: 25,000 TO 30,000 TONS/DAY, (MARAVILLA, 1978.) IN 1968, 650 TONS OF COPPER ORE WERE PRODUCED DAILY, FROM WHICH 22.5 TONS OF COPPER CONCENTRATES WERE PRODUCED.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Total resources 1500000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.73 wt-pct Copper Major 1983
    Molybdenum Mo 0.006 wt-pct Molybdenum Minor 1983
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Total resources 16000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.7 wt-pct Copper Major 1985
  • Type Leaching
    Estimate year 1985
    Total resources 15000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.5 wt-pct Copper Major 1985

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • MILL CAPACITY: 38,000 TPD

Comments on the workings information

  • LARGE OPEN-PIT MINE AND UNDERGROUND WORKINGS.

Comments on development

  • AT THE END OF 1985: PLANS ANNOUNCED TO INCREASE MINING CAPACITY TO 300,000 TPD (ORE + WASTE) WITH CONCENTRATOR THROUGHPUT OF 80,000 TPD. LOW-GRADE ORE BEING STOCKPILED FOR TREATMENT IN 22,000 TPY SOLVENT EXTRACTION/ELECTROWIN PLANT; MINING JOURNAL, V. 305, P. 484.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SALAS, G.P., 1975, CARTA Y PROVINCIAS METALOGENETICAS DE LA REPUBLICA MEXICANA: CONSEJO DE RECURSOS MINERALES PUBLICACION 21 E, P. 188.

  • Deposit

    PEREZ SEGURA, EFREN, 1985, CARTA METALOGENETICA DE SONORA 1:250000 UNA INTERPRETACION DE LA METALOGENIA DE SONORA: UNIV. OF SONORA, DEPT. OF GEOL., HERMOSILLO, MEXICO, 66 P.

  • Deposit

    SALAS, GUILLERMO, 1973, LOS RECURSOS NATURALES NO RENOVABLES DE MEXICO: CONSEJO DE REC. NAT. NO RENOVABLES, BOLETIN 73, P. 84-85.

  • Deposit

    MARAVILLA S., S., 1978, MINAS EN PRODUCCION, MINAS EN PREPARACION Y DEPOSITOS CON RESERVAS MAS O MENOS CONOCIDAS EN EL ESTADO DE SONORA IN NAJERA-GARZA, J., AND ORTLIEB, L., (EDS.), 1978, PRIMERO SYMPOSIO SOBRE LA GEOLOGIA Y POTENCIAL MINERO DEL ESTADO DE SONORA; RESUMENES: HERMOSILLO, MEXICO, U.N.A.M., P. 85-87.

  • Deposit

    AYALA, R.F., 1981, THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSIT AT CANANEA, SONORA, MEXICO: GSA ABSTRACTS WITH PROGRAMS, V. 13, NO. 2, P. 42.

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, S.F., 1910, CANANEA MINING DISTRICT OF SONORA, MEXICO: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 5, P. 312-356.

  • Deposit

    PERRY, V.D., 1961, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MINERALIZED BRECCIA PIPES: A.I.M.E. TRANS., V. 220, P. 216-226.

  • Deposit

    EINAUDI, M.T., 1982, DESCRIPTION OF SKARNS ASSOCIATED WITH PORPHYRY COPPER PLUTONS; SOUTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA IN TITLEY, S.R., (ED.), ADVANCES IN GEOLOGY OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS; SOUTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA: TUCSON, ARIZONA, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS, P. 171-175.

  • Deposit

    MEINERT, L.D., 1982, SKARN, MANTO AND BRECCIA PIPE FORMATION IN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF THE CANANEA MINING DISTRICT, SONORA, MEXICO: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 77, NO. 4, P. 919-949.

  • Deposit

    RUBEN VELASCO, J., 1956, GEOLOGIA DEL MINERAL DE CANANEA, SONORA, MEXICO IN GEOLOGIA MINERA DEL NOROESTE DE MEXICO; DEPOSITOS DE COBRE DE CANANEA, SONORA Y DE COBRE Y MANGANESO DE EL BOLEO Y LUCIFER, BAJA CALIFORNIA: CONGRESO GEOLOGICO INTERNACIONAL, XX, EXCURSIONES A-1 Y C-4, P. 43-51, FIGS. 2-7.

  • Deposit

    COX, D.P., AND SINGER, D.A., 1986, MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS: USGS BULLETIN 1693, 379 P.

  • Deposit

    COMMUNIQUE, AMERICAN EMBASSY, MEXICO.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    ANNUAL PROD: MARAVILLA, 1978 AND SALAS, 1973. CUMULATIVE PROD: MEINERT, 1982 AND INTERMET MOLYBDENUM YEARBOOK, 1983.

  • Reserve-Resource

    INTERMET MOLYBDENUM YEARBOOK, 1983.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DISSEMINATED PRIMARY AND SUPERGENE CU ORE ASSOCIATED WITH A NW-TRENDING SERIES OF QUARTZ PORPHYRY PLUGS IN MESA VOLCANICS. BRECCIA PIPES AND PORPHYRY-VOLCANIC CONTACT ZONES BOTH FAVORABLE SITES FOR MINERALIZATION. PRIMARY ORE CONSISTS OF PYRITE-CHALCOPYRITE AND MINOR MOLYBDENITE IN QUARTZ-ALUNITE GANGUE. SUPERGENE CHALCOCITE (+ MINOR COVELLITE) ZONE OVERLIES EXTENSIVE CHALCOPYRITE ZONE.
Deposit UNDER CHARGES OF CORRUPTION AND MISMANAGEMENT, CANANEAS COPPER MINE WAS SEIZED AUGUST 20, 1989 BY THE MEXICAN ARMY AFTER THE MINE WAS DECLARED BANKRUPT. THE MINE WORKERS CALLED A STRIKE, WHICH WAS RESOLVED OCTOBER 19, 1989 WITH THE FORCED RETIREMENT OF 719 WORKERS (25% OF THE WORKFORCE). ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1974 King, Robert U. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1990 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1992 Staude, John-Mark G. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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