El Alacran

Producer in Sonora, Mexico with commodities Copper, Molybdenum
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10048854
MRDS ID MX00024
Record type Site
Current site name El Alacran
Related records 10159739

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -110.17705, 30.85294 (WGS84)
Elevation 1500
Relative position 18 KM SE OF THE CANANEA MINES.

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

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Potassic, Phyllic, And Propylitic Alteration, Tourmalinization, Silicification. Silicification Generally Occurs Near Surface With Kaolinization And Primary Sulfides 5-200+ M Below (Alacon, 1970). Potassic Alteration Dated At 55.4 +/- 1.2 M.Y.

Analytical data

Result OXIDE ZONE: 0.3% CU.

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 Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
    Chronological age 55.4
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -110.17705, 30.85294

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Local Structure Trends N 45 E And N 45 W.

Ore body information

  • General form HYDROTHERMAL BRECCIA

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization And Alteration Assemblages Controlled By Host Rock Composition.

Comments on the geologic information

  • LCRET-ETERT ANDESITIC VOLCANICLASTIC ROCKS WITH LOCAL QUARTZ LATITE; INTRUDED BY SMALL QUARTZ LATITE PORPHYRY STOCK.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Mining district

District name Cananea

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Total resources 24000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.35 wt-pct Copper Major 1985

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • 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

    ALARCON L.V., Y AGUILERA, 1970, INFORME SOBRE LOS ESTUDIOS GEOLOGICOS, GEOQUIMICOS Y GEOFISICOS EN EL PROSPECTO EL ALACRAN, SONORA HASTA 1970, IN INVESTIGACIONES GEOLOGICAS-MINERAS SOBRE COBRE EN LOS PROSPECTOS LOS ALISOS, LA CARIDAD Y EL ALACRAN- RECONIMIENTO GEOLOGICO Y GEOFISICO REGIONAL EN EL DISTRICTO DE NACOZARI, EN EL ESTADO DE SONORA: CRNNR, BOL. 79, PP. 49-75.

  • Deposit

    DEAN, D.A., AND GUILBERT, J.M., 1981, EL ALACRAN; A HIGH LEVEL PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSIT, SONORA, MEXICO: GSA ABSTRACTS WITH PROGRAMS, V. 13, NO. 2, P. 51.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit HIGH-LEVEL LARAMIDE AGE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSIT OCCUPYING ELONGATE AREA OF 2.7 X 6.0 KM. SUPERGENE PROCESSES HAVE FORMED A COPPER ENRICHED "BLANKET" UNDERLYING A LEACHED CAP. THE "BLANKET" IS CHARACTERIZED BY CHALCOCITE ZONE WHICH GRADES DOWNWARD INTO BORNITE-DIGENITE-COVELLITE ZONE AND THEN INTO LOWER GRADE MATERIAL.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1987 Staude, John-Mark G. (Page, Norman J.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1988 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Page, Norman J.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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