MLA 9-86 - State of Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral ...

ii~ Jl ~ rIIIIIIIIIIII|IIIIMINERAL INVESTIGATION OF THE BABOQUIVARI PEAK WILDERNESSSTUDY AREA (AZ-020-203B), PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONAbyJohn R. McDonnell, Jr.MLA 9-861986Intermountain Field Operations Center, Denver, ColoradoUNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORDonald P. Hodel, SecretaryBUREAU OF MINESRobert C. Horton, Director

iIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICONTENTSSummary .................................................................. 1Introduction ............................................................. 1Method of investigation ............................................. 2Geographic and 8eologic setting ..................................... 2Mining history ........................................................... 3Energy resources ................... ......................................Mineral appraisal ....................................................... 7Conclusion ...............................................................References ...............................................................Figure i..ILLUSTRATIONSIndex map of the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness Study Area,Pima County, Arizona ........................................MininE activity in the vicinity of the Baboquivari PeakWilderness Study Area, showing simplified geology ...........UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORTftmippm%ItstOZfoot/feetmile(s)part(s) per millionpercentton, long (2240 pounds)ton, short (2000 pounds)troy ounce(s)iiPa~e5I0

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIsurrounding area. Current (1985) BLM records show two patented mining claimsabout 2 i12 mi south of the WSA and one unpatented claim less than 1 mi eastof the northern tip of the WSA (fig. 2). The establishment of the PapagoIndian Reservation (fig. i) in 1955 closed the western part of the district tomineral entry under rules of the 1872 Federal Mining Act.Mining in the Baboquivari district beEan in the late 1800's at theAllison and Jupiter mines (fig. 2). Keith (1974, p. 14-17) summarized thegeology and history of the district, and estimated a total production of57,000 st of ore containing about 14,000 oz gold, 173,000 oz silver, 122 stcopper, 12 st lead, and a small amount of zinc, plus about 24 st of tungstenconcentrates and 200 it of manganese ore. A small amount of placer gold hasalso been recovered.Most of the nearby mining activity was either west to horthwest or southto southwest of the WSA. Figure 2 summarizes the activity that has takenplace within 3 mi of the WSA. Two groups of tungsten deposits, one 9-12 minortheast of the WSA near San Juan Spring and the other 6-8 ml southwest ofthe WSA near Chutum Vaya (fig. 1), are not shown but have contributed to thetotal production reported above.ENERGY RESOURCESThere have been no reported oil or gas discoveries, or Federal leases orlease applications filed in the Baboquivar£ WSA. Ryder (1983) evaluated thepetroleum potential of wilderness lands in Arizona on the basis of geologicframework and petroleum geology derived from published literature. Theevaluation rated the WSA among a group that has "zero" potential because anyoil or gas accumulations would have been subject to migration or destructiondue to later tectonic and magmatic activity.

OTgAllisonMineOTgTrBl/o!k Dragon MineLost Horse Mine (?)'Jm ~ Jpi!dbTKcJbdbJpiJPDonna 1Tr/Iclaim / ContrerosI~1 I Canyon |AreaBABOQUIVARI~ WILDERNESSSTUDY AREATJ's \ JpPEAl~ Jpi /Ipper Brown Diablo) Canyon prospectI18.SSc QYgTrTtsTKeKJc~ ~ Jb~- JP7. Ij mJplIJ a['°L~PI2~ATIONGravel and allnvlu~Sedimentary, volcanic, and intrusive rocksE-hyodaclte porphyry of TinaJa SpringConglomerateChiull Sheik Formation--volcanic,sedimentary, and intrusive rocksPerthite granite of Baboqulvarl PeakGranite of Pavo Kug WashMulberry Wash Formation~volcan!c,sedimentary, and intrusive rocksPitolkam Formatlon--sedlmentary rocksAll D[ollna Formation--metasedlmentary rocksMetamorphic rocks of Chutum Vaya--metasedimentary rocks and subordinatemetavolcanlc and metaplutonlc rocksN.I~.E / LOCATIONAllison MineT.18S., R.7E.,center see. 33(unsurveyed).Black Dragon MineT.18S., R.7E.,SE i/4 sec. 15,h~ 1/4 sec. 22(unsurveyed).Contreras Canyon area(includes Hop Sage,Shamrock, Windy,and Donna IIl)T.18S., R.SE.,sets. 19-21, 28-30.Diablo prospectT.19S., R.8E.,N center sac. 16.Edna J. PlacerT.19S., R.SE.,sets. 31-32,T.20S., R.8E.,sees. 5-6.Gold Bullion MineT.19S., R.TE.,S center sec. 35,T.20S., R.TE.,N center sac. 2.CO..~2~.9DITIESAg, A~, Cu,Pb, Hn.MnBeCuAuAu, Ag, Mo,Cu, Pb, W,V, Zn.DEVELOPMJB~T / GEOLOGY / PRODUCTIONSeveral thousand feet of undergroundworkings and mill ruins; mineralizedq~artz veins occur in NW-strlklnB,steeply SW-dlpplng shear zones in partlymetamorphosed sedimentary rocks andrhyolitic to andesltic flows andintrusions; production estimated at over47,000 tons of ore averaging 0.22 ozgold/ton, 2.7 oz silver/ton, and minorlead and copper.Opencuts and pits; discontinuous lenses,coatings, and fracture-fillings ofmanganese minerals In sheared andbrecelated rhyolite; production to 195~,165 long tons of ore averaging 27.6%manganese, and 19 tons of concentrateaveraging 36.0% manganese.Shallow trenches and exploratory drilling;mineralized quartz veins and peg~atltesup to 3 ft thick in granite, typicallyNW-strlklng sod steeply dipping, "few"thousand tons of inferred reserves at0.002% BeO; no known production.30-it-deep shaft; mineralization occurredalong a narrow fracture zone in arhyolite dike; no known production.Small intermittent placer operation;finely divided gold in a 6- to ll-ftthickgravel bar; few tens of oz goldrecovered.Several hundred ft of underground workingsand mill ruins; discontinuous mineralizedquartz fissure veins and pegmatites up to12 ft thick cutting partly metamorphosedsedimentary rocks, granite, and rhyolitedikes, typically NW-striklng with nearvertical dip; intermittent production ofat least 3,100 tons of ore averaging about1.0 oz gold/ton, 12 oz silver/too, severalhundred tons of high grade molybdenum, andminor copper, lead, tungsten, and vanadium.REYBR -~;CESKelth, 1974;US Bureau ofMines filedata.Keith, 1974;US Bureau ofMlaes filedata.US Bureau ofHlnea filedata;Ariz Bureau ofMines filedata.Donald, 1959.Keith, 1974.Keith, 1974;US Bureau ofMines filedata;Arlz Bureau ofMines filedata.,Qtg,drnGold Bullion Mine'OI! I~i~er Mine /Tts ~ ~ / / ~~o~.~2 3 4 5mi~, ~ ~ .... "1 -N-i( !ContactFault, dashed where approximateArea of minerals exploration activityUnpatented claim on file with BLM,as of September 1985Pate=ted mining claimsJupiter Mine area(includes Iowana~Ins)T.19S., R.TE.,NW 1/4 see. 35.Lost Horse Mine (7)T.18S., R.7E.,sec. 24(unsurveyed).Upper Brown CanyonT.19S., R.8E.,SW 1/4 sec. 7,NW 1/4 see. 18,T.19S., R.7E.,SE i/4 sec. 12,NE 1/4 sea. 13.Au, Ag, Pb,Cu, Zn, W.Ms, Au, Ag,Cu (?).Au (z), ~(~)Several thousand ft of underground workingsand mill ruins, exploratory drilling forlarge tonnage, low grade open pit operationin 1974 yielded negative results;discontinuous mineralized quartz-calcitefissure veins cutting partly metamorphosedsedimentary rocks, granite, and dioritedikes; intermittent production thru 1941of several hundred tons of ore averagingi oz gold/ton, 16 oz silver/ton, andminor lead and copper.About 200 ft of underground workings;fracture filling in fault zone cuttingpartly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks;no known production.Mlnor prospecting by past landowner alongdike system, may be same as Cruver andothers locality 98; Bureau fieldcheck could not locate any evidence ofprospecting or production.Kelth, 1974;Ariz Bureau ofMines filedata.US Bureau ofMines filedata.Kip Ripley,Tucson, ~,oral commun.~1985;Cruver sadothers, 1982.MAP LOCATIONFigure 2.--Mining activity in the vicinity of the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness StudyArea, showing geology simplified from Haxel, May, and others (1980; 1982).

No geothermal waters or leasing activity are known within the BaboquivariWSA.A statewide inventory and evaluation of Arizona's geothermal resourcesby the Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology (1982) showed nothermal springs or wells in or near the WSA, and the area was not defined asfavorable for the discovery and development of geothermal resources.No uranium or thorium occurrences are known within the Baboquivari WSA.A regional uranium resource evaluation by Luning and Brouilland (1981) ratedthe sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the area as being unfavorable foruranium occurrences because no reductant is present. The evaluation alsorated the intrusive rocks as unfavorable because they are not anomalouslyuraniferous, even though they showed some favorable characteristics.MINERAL APPRAISALNo mineral deposits or occurrences were found within the Baboquivari PeakWSA. Cruver and others (1982) and Stipp and others (1967) reported agold-silver occurrence near the center of the WSA.Bureau personnel traversedthe area, but no gold-silver occurrence was found. Two stream sedimentsamples were collected outside the WSA from drainages in upper Brown Canyonwhere the occurrence was suspected; one of the samples assayed 0.042 ppmgold.The samples were also assayed for silver and tungsten but both sampleshad values below the lower detection limits (silver, 0.7 ppm; tungsten,0.01%). The gold was detected in a sample from a drainage from sec. 13, T.19S., R. 7E. where a prominent northwest-striking dike is exposed near theridgeline.The drainage headwaters and dike are within the southern part ofthe WSA.Gold, silver, molybdenum, copper, lead, manganese, tungsten, and zinchave been mined or prospected at several sites near the WSA (fig. 2).The

iIIIIiIIIIIIIIIIIoccurrences generally are related to veins associated with rhyolitic toandesitic dikes. The dikes typically strike northwest and commonly wereintruded along pre-existing faults (Haxel, May, and others, 1980). Haxel,May, and others (1980) showed a complex dike network that is generally boundedby the major northwest-striking faults shown in figure 2. The dike networkincludes most of the nearby mineralized occurrences and extends through theWSA. Keith (1974) noted a general precious- and base-metal zoning pattern andconsiderable sulfide mineralization on the eastern side of the Baboquivaridistrict and suggested the possibility of a hidden porphyry-type deposit alongthe northwest-striking structural trend.Beryllium occurrences have been prospected in the Contreras Canyon areai-2 mi northeast of the WSA. The beryllium values are in quartz veins andpegmatites in granite and typically strike northwest. Although veins andpegmatites striking northwest from the Contreras Canyon area would not extendinto the WSA, Haxel, May, and others (1980) reported that the complex dikenetwork discussed above may include some aplite and pegmatite dikes.Beryllium-enriched veins and dikes may therefore occur within thenorthwest-striking structure that passes through the WSA.CONCLUSIONNo mineral or energy resources are known within the Baboquivari PeakWSA. Occurrences of gold, silver, molybdenum, beryllium, copper, lead,manganese, tungsten, and zinc, however, have been mined and prospected within3 mi of the study area. The mineralized rock generally is in anorthwest-striking zone of faults and dikes that extends through the WSA.Although no exposed mineral occurrences are known in the WSA, geologicalfeatures that are mineralized nearby are known to extend into the study area.8

If the mineralization extended along these features, then occurrences of gold,silver, molybdenum, beryllium, copper, lead, manganese, tungsten, and zinccould be present below surface in the WSA.It also has been suggested that aporphyry-type deposit could he hidden along this trend.A detailed geological and geochemical survey of the dikes within thestudy area would be necessary to determine if the mineralizing processes haveoccurred through the WSA.9

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIREFERENCESArizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, 1982, Geothermal resourcesof Arizona: map, scale 1:500,000.Cz~/ver, S. K., Crl/ver, Jack, Wodzicki, A., and Krason, Jan, 1982, Geology,energy and mineral resources assessment of the Kitt Peak area, Arizona:Geoexplorers International, Inc., Denver, Colorado, prepared for: U.S.Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, p. 88-92.Donald, P. G., 1959, Geology of the Fresnal Peak area, Baboquivari' Mountains,Arizona: University of Arizona, Tucson, M.S. Thesis, 45p.Haxel, Gordon, May, D. J., and Tosdal, R. M., 1982, Reconnaissance geologic mapof the Presumido Peak Quadrangle, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey MapMF-1378, scale 1:62,500.Haxel, Gordon, May, D. J., Wright, J. E., and Tosdal, R. M., 1980,Reconnaissance geologic map of the Baboquivari Peak Quadrangle, Arizona:U.S. Geological Survey Map MF-1251, scale 1:62,500.Haxel, Gordon, Wright, J. E., May, D. J., and Tosdal, R. M., 1980,Reconnaissance geology of the Mesozoic and lower Cenozoic rocks of thesouthern Papago Indian Reservation, Arizona: A preliminary report:Arizona Geological Society Digest, v. 12, p. 17-29.Heindl, L. A., and Fair, C. L., 1965, Mesozoic (?) rocks in the BaboquivariMountains, Papago Indian Reservation, Arizona: U.S. Geological SurveyBulletin 1194-I, 12p.Keith, S. B., 1974, Index of mining properties in Pima County, Arizona:Bureau of Mines Bulletin 189, 156 p.Ariz.Luning, R. H., and Brouilland, L. A., 1981, Uranium resource evaluation,Nogales Quadrangle, Arizona: Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, GrandJunction, Colorado, prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy undercontract No. DE-ACI3-76GJ01664, 87p.Ryder, R. T., 1983, Petroleum potentlal of wilderness lands in Arizona, i__nnPetroleum potential of wilderness lands in the western United States:U.S. Geological Survey Circular 902 A-P, p. CI-C22.Stipp, T. F., Haigler, L. B., Alto, B. R., and Sutherland, H. L., compilers,1967, Reported occurrences of selected minerals in Arizona: U.S.Geological Survey Mineral Investigations Resource Map MR-46, scale1:500,000.i0