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Mineral Butte Prospect

Prospect in Pinal county in Arizona, United States with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Gold
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067172
MRDS ID U504079
Record type Deposit
Current site name Mineral Butte Prospect

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -111.57988, 33.11398 (WGS84)
Elevation 457
Relative position 1/2 MI SW OF MINERAL BUTTE; 8 MI NW OF COOLIDGE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pinal(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Blackwater(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Mesa(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Mesa(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Gila(hydrologic unit)

Middle Gila(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

BIA(Federal land areas administered by BIA)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Pinal

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 004S 007E 01 NE4 Arizona

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Secondary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) oxidation

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 Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock type qualifier Mostly porphyritic biotite granite with large microcline phenocrysts, with local fine-grained border phases and aplite
    Rock unit name Oracle Granite
    Rock description Oracle Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Rock type qualifier dikes cutting the Oracle Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock type qualifier sequence of coarse grained quartz-muscovite schist, fine grained quartz-sericite-chlorite schist and some fine grained amphibole schist.
    Rock unit name Pinal Schist
    Rock description Pinal Schist
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock type qualifier stock of variable composition, mostly biotite quartz monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -111.57988, 33.11398
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name NW striking faults and fractures

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization In Granite Near Contact With Quartz Monzonite

Comments on the geologic information

  • Units in the Mineral Butte area consist of Mesoproterozoic Pinal Schist which is a sequence of coarse grained quartz-muscovite schist, fine grained quartz-sericite-chlorite schist and some fine grained amphibole schist. The Pinal Schist was intruded by Mesoproterozoic granite equivalent to the Oracle Granite which is mostly porphyritic biotite granite with large microcline phenocrysts, with local fine-grained border phases and aplite. A few dikes of diabase cut the the granite in places. The Oracle Granite was intruded during the late Cretaceous by a stock of variable composition which is predominately biotite quartz monzonite. Copper mineralization is concentrated in the Precambrian granite near the granite-quartz monznite contact. The majority of copper mineralization is secondary. (Chaffee, 1976)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes
Production years 1920-1953

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Total resources 13200000mt ore
    Remarks Long, 1995.\nSinger 2008, in PorCuEX2008.xls.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.4 wt-pct Copper Primary 1991

Comments on development

  • LAND LEASED FROM GILA RIVER INDIANS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    Long, K.R., 1995, Production and reserves of Cordilleran (Alaska to Chile) porphyry copper deposits, in Pierce, F.W., and Bolm, J.G., eds., Porphyry copper deposits of the American Cordillera: Tucson, Arizona Geological Society Digest 20, p. 35-68.

  • Deposit

    Chaffee, M.A., 1976, Geochemical exploration techniques based on distribution of selected elements in rocks, soils, and plants, Mineral Butte copper deposit, Pinal County, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1278-D, 55 p.

  • Deposit

    BALLA, 1972, PHD THESIS, UNIV OF AZ.

  • Deposit

    ABGMT FILE DATA.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Deposit

    Wilson, E., 1969, Mineral deposits of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona, Arizona Bur. Mines Bull. 179, 34p.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit The Mineral Butte deposit is hosted in Precambrian granite at the contact with a small Upper Cretaceous biotite quartz monzonite stock.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-83 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.