El Topo

Past Producer in Baja California, Mexico with commodity Tungsten
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10049023
MRDS ID MX00231
Record type Site
Current site name El Topo
Related records 10303236

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.00026, 32.21119 (WGS84)
Elevation 1500
Relative position 2.75 KM DUE S OF LOS GAVILANES.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Diego(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Geographic areas

Country State
Mexico Baja California

Comments on the location information

  • ESTIMATE TO WITHIN 1 KM

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tungsten Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE BODY AS A WHOLE PROBABLY AVERAGED LESS THAN 0.5% TUNGSTATE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Scheelite Ore
Diopside Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hedenbergite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result ASSAY OF ORE: 34.66% WO3, 0.76% S, 0.16% AS, 0.14% P, 0.02% CU, TRACE SN
Result MAJOR METALLIC ELEMENTS: W, CA, SI, AL
Result INTERMEDIATE METALLIC ELEMENTS: MG, FE
Result MINOR METALLIC ELEMENTS: TI, MN, BI, AS, MO, CU, AG, NI, CR.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 42
USGS model code 14a
Deposit model name W skarn

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Hornfels
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.00026, 32.21119

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form FAN-LIKE
    Strike NW
    Dip 45 - 55 SW
    Thickness 2M
    Length 70M
    Width 27M

Comments on the geologic information

  • SCHEELITE OCCURS ALONG THE E SIDE OF MODERATELY LARGE PENDANT (1.0 KM LONG WITH MAX. WIDTH OF 270 M) IN QUARTZ DIORITE. GENERAL AREAL GEOLOGY: COUNTRY ROCK IS DOMINATELY SCHIST WITH THIN BEDS OF HORNFELS, MARBLE, AND MINOR IMPURE QUARTZITE, INTRUDED BY EARLY MESOZOIC DIORITIC ROCKS. PROTOLITHS FOR MM TERRANE: LATE PALEOZOIC SHALE AND INTERBEDDED LIMESTONE AND MINOR SANDSTONE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Los Gavilanes

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cia. Minera El Fenomeno
    First year 1943

Production statistics

  • Year 1943
    Material ORE W
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Ave. 1.75% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Wo3 Ore Tungsten Tungsten 2wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tungsten Wo3 0.2 wt-pct Tungsten Major 1945

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • AVE. MINING WIDTH: 1.2 M

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 58M
    Overall depth 25M

Comments on the workings information

  • TRENCHES, 27-M INCLINED SHAFT WITH TWO DRIFTS EXTENDING 3.0 M TO THE NW AND SW, 25-M VERTICAL SHAFT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    FRIES, CARL AND SCHMITTER, EDUARDO, 1945, SCHEELITE DEPOSITS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF SIERRA DE JUAREZ NORTHERN TERRITORY LOWER CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: USGS BULL 946-C, P. 73-101

  • Production

    FRIES AND SCHMITTER, 1945, P. 83.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SCHEELITE IN TACTITE NEAR QUARTZ DIORITE CONTACT. SCHEELITE-BEARING ZONE, 70 M LONG, 0.5 - 2.0 M WIDE (AVE. 1.0 M), EXPLORED FOR 27 M DOWN DIP, EXTENDS A SHORT DISTANCE INTO ADJACENT MARBLE, HORNFELS, SCHIST, OR QUARTZ DIORITE. COMMERCIAL ORE IS RESTRICTED TO TACTITE. MINERALIZATION POCKETY AND LENTICULAR WITHIN A GENERALLY FAN-SHAPED ORE BODY. SIDES CONVERGE TOWARD A POINT 30 M BELOW OUTCROP.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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