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Pilares

Producer in Sonora, Mexico with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Tungsten, Zinc, Lead
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10048857
MRDS ID MX00027
Record type Site
Current site name Pilares
Alternate or previous names Mina Pilares
Related records 10133001

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -109.63397, 30.33629 (WGS84)
Relative position 6 KM SE OF NACOZARI.

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
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Tungsten Critical Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Specularite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Sericitization, Chloritization, Pyritization

Analytical data

Result SEE PRODUCTION.

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 Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -109.63397, 30.33629
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Nw-Se Structural Trend

Ore body information

  • General form COLLAPSE BRECCIA
    Length 600M
    Width 300M
    Depth to bottom 725M

Comments on the geologic information

  • COUNTRY ROCK: ANDESITIC EXTRUSIVES AND VOLCANICLASTIC ROCKS OVERLAIN BY LATITE FLOW BRECCIA.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Mining district

District name Nacozari

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cobre De Sonora

Production statistics

  • Year 1949
    Period -1949
    Material ORE CU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2.5% Cu, 25.7 G/Mt Ag
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 26g/mt
    Major Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct
  • Year 1985
    Period -1985
    Material ORE CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2.6% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • 19 MILLION TONS OF 2.6% CU ORE HAS ALREADY BEEN EXTRACTED FROM PILARES MINE. SIMILAR PRODUCTION AT SANTA ROSA WHICH IS OWNED BY THE SAME COMPANY.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Total resources 44000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.8 wt-pct Copper Major 1985
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 8000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.7 wt-pct Copper Major 1978

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SEPARATE ESTIMATES.

Comments on the workings information

  • EXTENSIVE UNDERGROUND WORKINGS. MILL CAPACITY REACHED 3000 TPD BEFORE CLOSURE IN 1949.

Comments on development

  • PROPERTY OF PHELPS DODGE, 1895-1949. UNDERGROUND MINING CEASED, 1949. LEACHING PROGRAM, 1946-1960. FEASIBILITY STUDY UNDERWAY, 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

    MARAVILLA S., S., 1978, MINAS EN PRODUCCION, MINAS EN PREPARACION Y DEPOSITOS CON RESERVAS MAS O MENOS CONOCIDAS EN EL ESTADO DE SONORA IN NAJERA-GARZA, J., AND ORTLIEB, L., (EDS.), 1978, PRIMERO SYMPOSIO SOBRE LA GEOLOGIA Y POTENCIAL MINERO DEL ESTADO DE SONORA; RESUMENES: HERMOSILLO, MEXICO, U.N.A.M., P. 85-87.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, V. 156, NO. 5, P. 370.

  • Deposit

    THOMS, J.A., 1978, TEXTURAL VARIATIONS AND MINERAL ZONING OF THE PILARES BRECCIA PIPE, NACOZARI MINING DISTRICT, SONORA, MEXICO: ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIGEST, V. 11, P. 143.

  • Deposit

    TENNEY, J.B., 1935, THE PILARES MINE, LOS PILARES DE NACOZARI, SONORA, MEXICO IN COPPER RESOURCES OF THE WORLD: INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS, 16TH, WASHINGTON, D.C., P. 419-424.

  • Deposit

    LIVINGSTON, D.C., 1912, MINING METHODS AT NACOZARI, SONORA, MEXICO: AIME TRANS. V. 43, P. 662-669.

  • Deposit

    COX, D.P., AND SINGER, D.A., 1986, MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS: USGS BULLETIN 1693, 379 P.

  • Production

    PEREZ SEQURA, 1985; MINING MAGAZINE, 1987; TENNEY, 1935.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BRECCIA PIPE OREBODY, 600 M BY 300 M. MAJOR AXIS TRENDS N 35 W. KNOWN VERTICAL EXTENT: 725 M. ORE CONSISTS OF A NETWORK OF PYRITE-CHALCOPYRITE VEINLETS CEMENTING ANGULAR FRAGMENTS OF SERICITIZED, SILICIFIED LATITE AND ANDESITE. SULFIDES PARTIALLY REPLACED BY CHALCOCITE TO DEPTHS OF 100-200 FT.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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

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