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Alto Vein Swarm

Past Producer in Santa Cruz county in Arizona, United States with commodities Lead, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Gold, Molybdenum, Antimony, Barium-Barite, Uranium
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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. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10037106
MRDS ID M030411
Record type Site
Current site name Alto Vein Swarm
Alternate or previous names Gold Tree Mine, El Plomo Mine, B & R, Long Contact, Mineral, Albert, Alto, Excelsior, Hillside
Related records 10234992

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -110.86179, 31.61152 (WGS84)
Elevation 1646
Relative position 2.5 MI N OF SALERO. ABOUT 1/2 MI NW OF LINEBOY MINE, 3/4 MI NW OF BOUNDARY POST 113 ON MEXICAN BORDER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Santa Cruz(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Patagonia(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Fort Huachuca(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nogales(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Santa Cruz(hydrologic unit)

Santa Cruz(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Santa Cruz

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 021S 014E 12,13 S2 (12); N2 (13) Arizona

Comments on the location information

  • INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Barium-Barite Critical Tertiary
Uranium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Hematite Ore
Malachite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Barite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Uraninite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Kaolinization In Fault Gouge

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Salero Formation;Josephine Canyon Diorite;Squaw Peak Granite
    Rock description Salero Formation;Josephine Canyon Diorite;Squaw Peak Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Arkose
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Quartz Latite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) Jurassic granitic rocks
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description E-W & Ne Trending Quartz Fissure Veins Along Contacts & Fault Zones In Diorite And Granite Porphyry
Type of structure Local
Structure description Veins Generally Well Defined, Carrying Ore Shoots In Which Ore Occ Urs In Lenses & Stringers

Ore body information

  • Strike E-W
    Dip 70
    Length 609.6M
    Width 2.13M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Tension Fractures; 6 E-W Trending Quartz Fissure Veins Mainly In La Tite & Granite Porphyry

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1687
Discoverer Jesuit Priests Of Tumacacori Mission
Year of first production 1687
Year of last production 1959

Mining district

District name Salero District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Fortuna Mining Co.
    First year 1956
    Last year 1959
  • Type Owner
    Owner R. R Hansen And Associates
    First year 1965

Production statistics

  • Year 1972
    Period 1680-1972
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^12% Pb, 14 Oz/T Ag, 3% Cu, Minor Zn & Au
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct
    Major Ore Silver Silver 395g/mt
    Major Ore Lead Lead 12wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • WORKED ORIGINALLY BY JESUITS AND LATER BY OTHERS INTERMITTENLY SINCE 1680'S.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 3048M
    Overall depth 67.06M
    Overall length 548.64M

Comments on the workings information

  • EXTENSIVE TUNNEL & SHAFT OPERATIONS, ALTO TUNNEL IS 1632 FT LONG; MOST SHAFTS ARE FLOODED. OPERATIONS INCLUDED 300 FT VERTICAL SHAFT, 2 000 & 1400 FT ADITS, 175 FT VERTICAL SHAFT WITH 200 FT RAISE, 90 FT IN CLINED SHAFT

Comments on development

  • PREVIOUS OWNERS INCLUDED LULLY; A. STEINFELD & CO; ALTO CONSOLIDATED MINES, SMELTING, AND TRANSPORTATION CO; (1902-07) ALTO COPPER CO. (1907-1913) SOUTHWEST DEVELOPMENT CO; (1911) HENDERSON; (1924) BRADFORD, (1924) BOND; (1929) LAGUNA; (1931-32) MORENO; (1928) LONG CONTACT MINING CO; (1940-42) FORTUNA MINING CO, ALTO MINES CO (1930), STONE (1 935), MILLER (1938), GRIFFITH (1947)- MRS EVA HENDERSON (1952-54), S. CEANNE & N. MAZER (1956); 13 UNPATENTED CLAIMS; RELOCATED BY AMERICANS IN 1873 AS THE GOLD TREE MINE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    KEITH, 1975, ABM BULL 191.

  • Deposit

    DREWS, 1973, USGS BULL 1365.

  • Deposit

    DREWES, 1971, USGS MAP I-614.

  • Deposit

    DREWES, 1972, USGS PROF PAPER 746.

  • Deposit

    ABGMT-USBM FILE DATA.

  • Deposit

    USBM FILES, ALTO MINE GROUP.

  • Deposit

    ADMR FILE DATA, ALTO MINE, BACA FLOAT.

  • Deposit

    ABGMT, FILES, STANTON B. KEITH.

  • Deposit

    TENNEY, 1927-29, HISTORY OF MINING IN AZ, ABM P. 315-316.

  • Deposit

    USAEC PRELIM RECON REPT, 1955, A-P-360 & 11) BLM DISTRICT MINING SHEET 668.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    KEITH, 1975, P.83

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 6 MAJOR VEINS TRANSECT PROPERTY: MINERAL, MINERAL NO. 2, ALBERT, ALTO, EXCELSIOR, HILLSIDE; MAJORITY OF WORKINGS ARE ON ALTO VEIN WHICH AVERAGES 3-7 FT WIDE. NW TO SE ZONATION OF SULFIDES (GALENA) TO BARITE WITH DEEPER EROSION TO NW.
Deposit THIS REPORT WAS TAKEN FROM RECORD M030411 OF JAN WILT IN MOLYBDENUM FILE, CONTACT PERSON T.G. THEODORE, USGS. INCLUDED IN BACA FLOAT MINERAL SEGREGATION WHICH CONSISTS OF JEFFERSON, BLAND, ALTO, SALERO, VI CEROY, TRENTON, MONTEZUMA, ROYAL BLUE, EUREKA, AND 8 LESS PROMINENT MINES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1983 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Arizona resources

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