1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Dos Pobres Mine

Unknown in Graham county in Arizona, United States with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Silver, Gold
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
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. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10096999
MRDS ID M001628
Record type Deposit
Current site name Dos Pobres Mine
Alternate or previous names Los Pobres, Safford Phelps Dodge, Safford

Comments on the site identification

  • *******SEE Associated Deposits:
    San Juan Mine- Deposit ID 10027008
    Lone Star- Deposit ID 10209543
    Sanchez Copper Deposit- Deposit ID 10026888
    Safford Deposit- Deposit ID 10027031
    Safford Mine- Deposit ID 10400314

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -109.67455, 32.96149 (WGS84)
Elevation 1244
Relative position 9 MILES N OF SAFFORD.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Graham(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Weber Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Safford(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Silver City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gila-San Carlos Reservoir(hydrologic unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Graham

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 005N 026E 27,28 Arizona

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Secondary
Silver Tertiary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal, Oxidation

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 78
USGS model code 20c
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu-Au
Mark3 model number 34

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Chronological age 58
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Chronological age 58
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Chronological age 58

Nearby scientific data

(1) -109.67455, 32.96149
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Nw Striking Butte Fault

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR AND MASSIVE
    Thickness 114M
    Length 1200M
    Depth to top 740M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ne Fractures And Dikes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1957
Mining method Combined Methods

Mining district

District name Lone Star District (Safford, Dos Pobres)

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Inc.
    Home office Phoenix, AZ 85004
    Year 2007
    First year 2007
  • Type Owner
    Owner Phelps Dodge Corp. )
    First year 1960

Reserves and resources

  • Type Leaching
    Estimate year 1994
    Total resources 317000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.33 wt-pct Copper Primary 1994
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Demonstrated 300000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.65 wt-pct Copper Primary 1996
  • Type In-situ
    Name sulfide ore
    Estimate year 1993
    Reserves 230000000mt ore
    Remarks Phelps Dodge 1993 10-K\nhttp://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78066/0000950147-94-000024.txt
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.89 wt-pct Copper Primary 1993
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Reserves 230000000mt ore
    Remarks Sulfide ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.89 wt-pct Copper Primary 1991
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1977
    Total resources 181405000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 0.282 g/mt Silver Trace 1977
    Copper Cu 0.72 wt-pct Copper Major 1977
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Reserves 230000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.89 wt-pct Copper Primary 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 400000000mt ore
    Remarks (Gilmour,1982, Tooker, 1991)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver 1 g/mt Silver Tertiary 1978
    Gold 0.38 g/mt Gold Secondary 1978
    Copper 0.72 wt-pct Copper Primary 1978
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Demonstrated 259000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.39 wt-pct Copper Primary 1996
  • Type Leaching
    Name leachable mineralization amenable to open-pit mining
    Estimate year 1993
    Reserves 350000000mt ore
    Remarks Phelps Dodge 1993 10-K\nhttp://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78066/0000950147-94-000024.txt
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.33 wt-pct Copper Primary 1993
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Total resources 230000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.89 wt-pct Copper Primary 1994
  • Type Leaching
    Estimate year 1991
    Reserves 150000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.48 wt-pct Copper Primary 1991
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Total resources 1355000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.2 wt-pct Copper Major 1976
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Total resources 559000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.53 wt-pct Copper Primary 1996
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Total resources 105034000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.89 wt-pct Copper Major 1976
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1992
    Reserves 230000000mt ore
    Remarks Sulfide Ore\n(Am Mines Handbook,1994)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.89 wt-pct Copper Major 1992
  • Type Leaching
    Estimate year 1992
    Reserves 270000000mt ore
    Remarks Leach Ore\n(Am Mines Handbook, 1994)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.46 wt-pct Copper Major 1992
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Total resources 725000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 0.6 wt-pct Copper Major 1980

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • (4) SULFIDE; (5) LEACHABLE; (6) TOTAL RESOURCE ORE CONTAINS 0.003 TO 0.009% MO.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 762M

Comments on the workings information

  • PROPOSED THAT THIS DEPOSIT BE MINED BY BLOCK CAVING.

Comments on development

  • DISCOVERED EARLY 1950'S BY PROSPECTORS. OPTIONED OCT. 1957 FROM RUSKIN LINES BY PHELPS DODGE. BEGAN DRILLING NOV. 21, 1957 AND EXERCISED OPTION TO PURCHASE IN 1960. BEGAN SHAFT SINKING AND UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT NOV. 1968. BY JULY 1979 HAD DRILLED 189,000 FT ROTARY AND DIAMOND DRILL HOLES AND DEVELOPED 79,000 FT SHAFTS, DRIFTS, AND CROSS-CUTS. UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT SUSPENDED 1982 AND WORKINGS ALLOWED TO FLOOD IN AUG. 1984. BY 1991 DRILLING AND DEVELOPMENT WORK HAD RESUMED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    Langton J M, Williams S A 1982 - Structural, petrological and mineralogical controls for the Dos Pobres orebody, Lone Star Mining District, Graham County, Arizona: in Titley S R 1983 Advances in Geology of the Porphyry Copper Deposits, Southwestern North America University of Arizona Press, Tucson pp 335-352

  • Deposit

    GREELEY, 1978, AZ. DEPT. MIN. RES., SPEC. REPT. NO. 2.

  • Development

    Metals Economics Group (MEG) Safford webpage contains historical information on Don Pobres as of 8/3/2010.
    http://www.metalseconomics.com/

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING, V. 29, NO. 4.

  • Geology

    The Dos Pobres geology and reserves are described at portergeo.com as of 8/3/2010.
    http://www.portergeo.com.au/

  • Deposit

    DUNN, 1978, AZ. GEOL. SOC. DIGEST V. 11, P. 9-15.

  • Deposit

    SAWYER, M.B., GURMENDI, A.C., DALEY, M.R., AND HOWELL, S.B., 1992, PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS IN ARIZONA: UNITED STATES BUREAU OF MINES SPECIAL PUBLICATION, 334 P.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Deposit

    ROBINSON, R.F. AND COOK, A.,1966, THE SAFFORD COPPER DEPOSIT, LONE STAR MINING DISTRICT, GRAHAM COUNTY, ARIZONA, IN: GEOLOGY OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS Southwestern North America, EDITED BY TITLEY, S.R AND HICKS, C.L. THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS, TUCSON, ARIZ., P. 251-266

  • Reserve-Resource

    GREELEY, 1978, P. 86; KEITH, UNPUB. DATA ABM; SAWYER AND OTHERS, 1992; (4,5) PHELPS DODGE 1992 FORM 10K; (6) PHELPS DODGE 1980 FORM 10K

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-83 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-94 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Phelps Dodge Corp. ) — acquired by Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Acquired by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold in 2007 in what was then the largest mining-industry deal ever (~US$26 B).

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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.