Alpha Mine (Pima group; Fries group), Pima Mining District (Olive Mining District; Mineral Hill Mining District; Twin Buttes Mining District), Sierrita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona, USAi
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 56' 52'' North , 111° 6' 1'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sahuarita | 25,707 (2017) | 13.7km |
| Green Valley | 21,391 (2011) | 14.5km |
| East Sahuarita | 1,622 (2006) | 16.2km |
| Summit | 5,372 (2011) | 19.3km |
| Valencia West | 9,355 (2011) | 20.6km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Old Pueblo Lapidary Club | Tucson, Arizona | 35km |
| Tucson Gem and Mineral Society | Tucson, Arizona | 35km |
Mindat Locality ID:
36215
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:36215:2
GUID (UUID V4):
56b1d679-ff4b-4d57-bdcf-46303d65bf56
Ref.: Weed, W.H. (1922) The Mines Handbook, Vol. XV.
Mayuga, M.N. (1942) The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Helmet Peak Area, Pima County, Arizona, PhD thesis, University of Arizona.
Keith, Stanton B. (1974), Arizona Bureau of Geology & Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 189, Index of Mining Properties in Pima County, Arizona: 133 (Table 4).
USGS Twin Buttes Quadrangle topo map.
Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.
MRDS database Dep. ID file #10109609, MRDS ID #M050374; and, Dep. ID #10258865, MAS ID #0040190096.
A former small underground Cu-Ag-Au-Pb-Zn mine located in the SE ¼ sec. 15, T.17S., R.12E., 4 miles NW of Twin Buttes. Discovered 1876. Operated 1876-1954. Owned/operated at times, or in part, by the Alpha Copper Co.; Alpha Copper Mining Co. (1917 and 1918); and the Pima Mining Co. (1954).
Mineralization is mineralized, partly oxidized fissure zones with spotty copper-silver, lead-silver, and local pyrite-gold minerals in brecciated Cretaceous sediments of the San Xavier thrust sheet. The host rock unit is volcanic breccia (agglomerate). An associated rock unit is quartz monzonite. The ore zone is 27.43 meters wide.
Local structures include sedimentary breccia that is cut by the Ruby Fault on the top of the San Xavier Thrust. Quartz monzonite is capped by quartzite and breccia.
Workings include shaft and tunnel operations for a length of 2,046.73 meters and a depth of 190.5 meters. Major drifts and the highest grades of ore was on the 150 and the 200 foot levels. Some 70,000 tons of ore, averaging about 6% Cu, 1 oz. Ag/T and minor Pb & Au, were produced sporadically from 1876 to 1954.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsGallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10109609 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Mexico
- Sierra Madre OccidentalMountain Range
North America
- Sonoran DesertDesert
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
