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El Arco

Prospect in Baja California, Mexico with commodities Copper, Gold, 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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Ownership information
  12. Reserves and resources
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10278616
MAS/MILS ID 2010030003
Record type Site
Current site name El Arco
Alternate or previous names El Arco, Baja California, Mexico

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -113.38542, 28.05583 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Mexico Baja California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Unknown
Chalcocite Unknown
Gold Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Silver Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -113.38542, 28.05583
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Depth to top 60M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 STOCKWORK
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Shape of Orebody #2 MASSIVE
    Primary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 POTASSIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 ADV ARGILLIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #3 SERICITIC
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 1500
    Date of Last Modification 820624

Comments on the geologic information

  • DUE TO LOW SULFIDE CONCENTRATION AND HIGH ALKALAI CONCENTRATION THERE IS LITTLE SECONDARY ENRICHMENT

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1600
Mining method Open Pit
Milling method Flotation

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights State Lease
Type of mineral rights Private Lease

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Industrial Minera Mexico, S. A. (Immsa)
    Interest 100
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1978
  • Type Unknown
    Owner Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.)
    Year 1978

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE INDUSTRIA MINERIA MEXICO, S.A. (IMMSA) IS OWNED 34 PERCENT BY ASARCO MEXICANA AND THE BALANCE IS HELD BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT COMPANIES AND PRIVATE INVESTORS

Comments on the production information

  • HISTORY OF EXPLORATION: HAS METHOD EMPLOYED MEANING DIAMOND DRILLING PERFORMED BY ASARCO.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 33584000mt ore
    Demonstrated 33584000mt ore
    Total resources 33584000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.28 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 2859000mt ore
    Demonstrated 2859000mt ore
    Total resources 2859000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.27 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 279455000mt ore
    Demonstrated 279455000mt ore
    Total resources 279455000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.29 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Demonstrated 65224000mt ore
    Total resources 65224000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.68 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
    Gold Au 0.28 g/mt Gold Minor 1972
    Silver Ag 0.9 g/mt Silver Minor 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 17521000mt ore
    Demonstrated 17521000mt ore
    Total resources 17521000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.67 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
    Gold Au 0.28 g/mt Gold Minor 1972
    Silver Ag 0.9 g/mt Silver Minor 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 3449000mt ore
    Demonstrated 3449000mt ore
    Total resources 3449000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 1.42 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
    Gold Au 0.2 g/mt Gold Minor 1972
    Silver Ag 2 g/mt Silver Minor 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 543019000mt ore
    Demonstrated 543019000mt ore
    Total resources 543019000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.63 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
    Gold Au 0.2 g/mt Gold Minor 1972
    Silver Ag 2 g/mt Silver Minor 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Indicated 546568000mt ore
    Demonstrated 546568000mt ore
    Total resources 546568000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.635 wt-pct Copper Major 1972
    Gold Au 0.2 g/mt Gold Minor 1972
    Silver Ag 2 g/mt Silver Minor 1972

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SULFIDE ORE ENTRY (PRIMARY ORE)- CUTOFF GRADE OF 0.40%CU. SOURCE FOR RESERVES AND GRADE: GOLDER REPORT (FROM PRIVATE STUDY). OXIDE RESOURCE IS 82.736 MILLION MT @ 0.68 % CU (DEMO) OR 119.179 MILLION MT (IDENT.).
  • FEASIBILITY STUDY

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method BENCH (BERM)
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Primary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Capacity 90000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 1.62
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 312
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SILLITOE, R. H., A RECONNAISSANCE OF THE MEXICAN PORPHYRY

  • Deposit

    COPPER BELT: INSTITUTION OF MINING AND METALLURGY, TRANS-

  • Deposit

    ACTIONS, SECTION B, AUGUST, 1976, P. B170-B199.

  • Deposit

    HOLLISTER, V. F., GEOLOGY OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS OF

  • Deposit

    THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE: HOBOKEN, NEW JERSY, COMPUCOMP

  • Deposit

    CORP., 1978, P. 123-147.

  • Deposit

    THOMPSON, JAMES V., "OF COPPER AND SALT", SKILLINGS' MINING

  • Deposit

    REVIEW, 9/18/93, P. 4-9.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE AVERAGE THICKNESS IS UNKNOWN BUT MIN.THICKNESS IS 300 M

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 17-AUG-1994 Porter, Kenneth E. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.) — acquired by Asarco LLC, subsidiary of Grupo México (2009)
    American Smelting and Refining Co. Filed Chapter 11 in 2005; acquired out of bankruptcy by Grupo México in 2009.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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