Meadow Valley Mine, Meadow Valley Flat, Redrock Mining District, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Meadow Valley Mine	Mine
Meadow Valley Flat	Flat
Redrock Mining District	Mining District
Santa Cruz County	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

‡Ref.: Schrader, F.C. & J.M. Hill (1915), Mineral deposits of the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains, Arizona, USGS Bull. 582: 243-244.

Galbraith, F.W. (1947), Minerals of Arizona, Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 153: 15.

Galbraith, F.W. & D.J. Brennan (1959), Minerals of Arizona: 27, 42.

Simons, F.S. (1972) Mesozoic stratigraphy of the Patagonia Mountains and adjoining areas, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, in Mesozoic stratigraphy in southeastern Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 658-E: E18.

Simons, F.S. (1974) Geologic map and sections of the Nogales and Lochiel quadrangles, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-762, 9 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:48,000.

Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd.ed.: 101, 170.

USGS Elgin Quadrangle topo map.

U.S. Bureau of Mines field notes, AG18.

U.S. Bureau of Mines files, Meadow Valley Mine.

U.S. Bureau of Mines Coronado National Forest Study Report.

MRDS database Dep. ID file #10098703, MRDS ID #M899925; and, Dep. ID #10305086, MAS ID #0040230281.

A former underground Ag-Pb-Cu mine located in the NE¼ sec. 23, T22S, R17E, about 2 miles SSE of the New York Mine, 2 miles WNW of the Canelo Pass, in the upper part of Meadow Valley Flat, at an elevation of about 4,800 feet, on National Forest land. Operators included Olsen (1915).

Mineralization is one of the larger east-west quartz veins, about 4 feet (1.22 meters) wide (depth to bottom 21.34 meters) and at the surface stands vertical. The vein continues vertical to a depth of 70 feet, where it dips 30ºN. The footwall of the lower part of the vein is quartz or granite porphyry similar to that seen on the surface about ½ mile east of the workings. The vein was continuous along the contact of the porphyry and andesite but contained no metallic minerals. Above the 70 foot level the white vein quartz was broken by small joints and seams, some of which, especially next to the hanging or north wall, were coated with green chlorargyrite. Galena is commonly associated with gold. The only other ore mineral is acanthite found in a very small pocket at 55 feet. The porphyry dike is argillized; accompanying volcanic sediments are silicified.

Country rock is a coarsely porphyritic andesite flow whose weathered surfaces are chocolate-brown. The flow is cut by two systems of joints or faults, one striking N.80ºE. and the other N.65ºW. Two major groups of veins: granodiorite-greenstone area strikes north and dips gently to the east or west. The serpentine-amphibolite area strikes N-W and dips steeply to the SW. Veins: 1-10 feet thick, inclining as much as 10,000 feet deep. Along some of these, especially the larger ones, are belts of siliceous material which in places are stained with copper carbonates and oxides and carry considerable quantities of silver chlorides and bromides.

Workings consist mainly of a 70 foot vertical shaft with a 30 foot incline at the bottom, and 2 other shallow shafts. Two other shallow shafts were sunk nearby. Placer gold was first discovered in the area, gold-bearing quartz was discovered in 1850. Early 1900's assay values were 42 oz/ton Ag found 4 feet below surface.

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10098703

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