Critic Mine

Past Producer in La Paz county in Arizona, United States with commodities Copper, Gold, Silver, Barium-Barite, Iron
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10027634
MRDS ID M003640
Record type Site
Current site name Critic Mine
Alternate or previous names Cunningham Pass
Related records 10282576

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -113.57633, 33.95727 (WGS84)
Elevation 762
Relative position ABOUT 8 MILES NORTH OF WENDEN.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

La Paz(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cunningham Pass(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Salome(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Phoenix(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Bouse Wash(hydrologic unit)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona La Paz

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 007N 013W 11,12,13,14 Arizona

Comments on the location information

  • INFO FROM LAND.ST :01; 49?

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Cuprite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Malachite Ore
Barite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Specularite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description The Width Of The Vein Varies From A Few Inches Up To 3 Or 4 Feet And The Ore-Bearing Streak Is Likewise As Inconstant In Its Dimensions, Changing Abruptly In Places From A Barren Vein Into Several Inches Of Ore And Again Pinching Out As Suddenly. This Is Probably Due To Post-Mineral Longitudinal Faulting, Both Horizontal And Vertical, Which Is Very Much In Evidence In The Property, With The Result That The Deposits Are Pinched In Several Places

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N55W
    Dip 75SW
    Width 1.22M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • The Ore Deposit Occupies A True Fissure Cutting Directly Across The Schistosity Of The Countryside

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1865
Production years 1907-1953

Mining district

District name Cunningham Pass District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Rocacco Resources Inc.
    Home office Vancouver, B.C.
    First year 1986

Production statistics

  • Year 1929
    Period 1909-1929
    Material AU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^10% Cu, 0.6 Oz Au/Ton, 0.2 Oz Ag/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 6g/mt
    Major Gold Gold 17g/mt
    Major Copper Copper 10wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • THE MAJOR PRODUCER OF THE DISTRICT

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 0.018HA
    Length 320.04M
    Overall depth 121.92M

Comments on the workings information

  • PROPERTY IS DEVELOPED BY TWO MAIN SHAFTS AND NUMEROUS SHALLOW SHAFTS.

Comments on development

  • LOCATED IN 1860'S AND PATENTED IN 1907; MINED ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY FROM 1907 THROUGH 1953. ROCACCO RESOURCES PERFORMED DUMP SAMPLING AND ADDITIONAL EXPLORATION DURING PERIOD 1984-1986.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, ORE DEPOSITS IN NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: U.S.G.S. BULLETIN 451, P. 115.

  • Deposit

    ELSING, M.J., HEINEMANN, R.E.S., 1936, ARIZONA METAL PRODUCTION: ARIZ. BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 140, P. 104.

  • Deposit

    KEITH, S.B., 1978, INDEX OF MINING PROPERTIES IN YUMA COUNTY, ARIZONA; ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 192, P. 144

  • Deposit

    PHILLIPS, K.A., 1987, ARIZONA INDUSTRIAL MINERALS: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES MINERAL REPORT 4, 185 P.

  • Deposit

    NIEMUTH, N.J., 1987, ARIZONA MINERAL DEVELOPMENT 1984-1986: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES DIRECTORY 29, 46 P.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    A.B.M. BULLETIN 140, P. 104. (10) KEITH, S.B., 1978.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1860'S
Deposit BARITE AS A GANGUE MINERAL WITH COPPER, GOLD AND SILVER MINERALIZATION IN SPOTTY POCKETS AND IRREGULAR LENSES IN A FISSURE VEIN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1972 Gere, W. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1979 Hall, R. K. (Creasey, S. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1992 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-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.