Golden Eagle prospect (Golden Eagle & Phonolite tunnel; Bokares placers; North San Francisco River placers), Dorsey Gulch, Greenlee County, Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Golden Eagle prospect (Golden Eagle & Phonolite tunnel; Bokares placers; North San Francisco River placers)	Prospect
Dorsey Gulch	Gulch
Greenlee County	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

A former surface and underground Cu-Ag-Au-Pb-Zn mine and surface gold placer deposit located in the NE¼ sec. 36, T3S, R29E, at the head of Dorsey Gulch, 5½ miles N of Clifton, on private land. Discovered in 1875 by the Polaris Mining and Milling Co. Produced 1911-1943. The Bokares claim was discovered by George Bokares (1938). Patented mining claims extend into secs. 35, 36, 31., 2, 1, 6, 11, 12, 7 (31, 16 in T3S, R30E)(6 & 7 are in T4S, R30E). Owned by Amax Inc., Colorado (1981). Operators included the Aricana Mining Corp.; the Banner Mining Co.; the Victory Mining Co.; and the Southwestern Development and Improvement Co. Additional names which apply to this property: Aricana Mining Corp.; King Mountain group; Victory Mining Co.; Polaris group; Evans Point Gold placers; Parrot group.

Located on Golden Eagle vein; maximum vein width is 6 feet. Claim extension is the Grey Eagle. Considered to be on the same lode as the Copper King Mine, which is located on the SE flank of Copper King Mountain.


Mineralization is ore in contiguous lens and shoot deposit hosted in the Modoc Limestone, Morenci Shale, and the Longfellow Limestone. The ore zone is 91.44 meters long, 12.19 meters wide, 45.72 meters thick, striking N50E, and dipping 80NW. The vein follows the porphyry dike in the granite. Some free gold is present. Associated rock units are the Precambrian granite basement and the Morenci Granite. Ore control was NE-trending fissure veins and W-E-trending porphyry dikes. Ore concentration processes were mineralization along a fissure vein and extensive surface leaching and redeposition. Surface oxidation exists to an unknown depth.

Regarding the placer deposit, mineralization is placer gold in streaks at or near bedrock on benches above the riverbed. Concentration was erosion and fluviatile processes. Alteration was surface oxidation of gold-bearing veins NE of Copper King Mountain. Gold was recovered from Quaternary river gravels 50-60 feet above the level of the present riverbed. Fine flakes of gold were recovered from well-graded stream gravels and from coarse, roughly bedded Gila Conglomerate in the hills around Morenci and on the SE slopes of Copper King Mountain.

Area structures include a rhyolite dike that forms the footwall of the Golden Eagle ore shoot surrounded by metamorphic andesites. A gouge streak of pure kaolin, with an average width of 1.0 feet, exists between the quartz vein and wall. A granite mass is cut by W-E-trending dikes of porphyry, diorite, and phonolite. Well-defined quartz veins exist between the granite porphyry. Tectonic element is a great fault block NE of the Copper King Mountain with a downthrow of about 1000 feet.

Developments included two 250 foot deep adits, and the Golden Eagle tunnel. Later connected to the Polaris Mine workings and considered part of the Polaris Mine. Assay results: $9 Au/ton, 4 oz. Ag/ton (period values). Production data might be included with Polaris group production data.

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10027004

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References