Reef Mine

Producer in Cochise county in Arizona, United States with commodities Tungsten, Gold, Silver, Quartz, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Tellurium
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. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Production statistics
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10109798
MRDS ID M241502
Record type Site
Current site name Reef Mine
Alternate or previous names Tungsten Reef, Exposed Reef, Sitric
Related records 10233922

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -110.28844, 31.42708 (WGS84)
Elevation 2217
Relative position APPROX. CENTER AT HEAD OF CARR CANYON, ABOUT 12 MI. W OF HEREFORD, ARIZ.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cochise(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Miller Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Nogales(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nogales(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper San Pedro(hydrologic unit)

San Pedro-Willcox(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Coronado National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Cochise

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 023S 020E 14,15 Arizona

Comments on the location information

  • INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1979)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tungsten Critical Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Primary
Quartz Secondary
Lead Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • IRREGULARLY DISTRIBUTED VALUES; SIZING QUARTZ SOLD TO PETROLEUM REFINERS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Scheelite Ore
Silver Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Barren Qtz Veins

Analytical data

Result MINUS 5/16-IN QUARTZ/SCHEELITE AVERAGES 71% WO3.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Abrigo Limestone
    Rock description Abrigo Limestone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -110.28844, 31.42708

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, SPORADIC BUNCHES
    Strike N5-10W
    Dip 10-15 SW
    Thickness 2.44M
    Length 15.24M
    Width 6.1M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Year of first production 1875
Year of last production 1956
Production years 1916-18; 1934-42; 1953-54; 1956

Mining district

District name Reef District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Production statistics

  • Year 1918
    Period 1916-1918
    Material W CONC
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^71.6% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    WO3 Conc. Tungsten Tungsten 72wt-pct
  • Year 1942
    Period 1934-1942
    Material W CONC
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^71% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    WO3 Conc. Tungsten Tungsten 71wt-pct
  • Year 1956
    Period 1955-1956
    Material W CONC
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^74.96% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    WO3 Conc. Tungsten Tungsten 75wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • WORKED IN 1870'S FOR GOLD -PRODUCED SOME GOLD & SILVER. 1870'S - 1900'S. THE QUARTZ WAS SOLD TO THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY WHO HAD NO INTEREST IN THE TUNGSTEN.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN CUT AND ADIT WORKINGS.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: MILLING METHOD- JIG AND TABLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    DALE, ET AL, 1961, USBM RI 5650.

  • Deposit

    CREASEY, S.C.,1923.

  • Deposit

    USBM FILES.

  • Deposit

    KEITH, S.B., ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 187, 1973, P. 67.

  • Deposit

    WILSON, ABM BULL 148, P. 48-49.

  • Deposit

    SAWYER, M.B., GURMENDI, A.C., DALEY, M.R., AND HOWELL, S.B., 1992, PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS IN ARIZONA: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    DALE - RI 5650; SAWYER AND OTHERS, 1992.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TWO PARALLEL QUARTZ VEINS. OVERALL DIMENSIONS OF THE MINERALIZED ZONES ARE: LENGTH- 3200 FT; WIDTH- 1400 FT; THICKNESS- 20 FT. IRREGULAR SPORADIC BUNCHES AND DISSEMINATIONS OF SCHEELITE WITH SOM GOLD AND SILVER VALUES AND WEAK, OXIDIZED BASE METAL SULFIDES ALONG FRACTURES AND AT JOINT INTERSECTIONS IN A QUARTZ BLANKET AT THE BASE OF THE ABRIGO LST.
Deposit First Production Year: AU/AG 1870'S, W 1916
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1972 Johnson, Maureen G. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1994 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Arizona resources

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