Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Cave Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USAi
Regional Level Types
Cave MineMine
Cochise CountyCounty
ArizonaState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
05758910017272050671206.jpg
Lower Haulage Adit (Caved) - Dump Level

Cave Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
05758910017272050671206.jpg
Lower Haulage Adit (Caved) - Dump Level

Cave Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
05758910017272050671206.jpg
Lower Haulage Adit (Caved) - Dump Level

Cave Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 23' 8'' North , 110° 19' 5'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
31.38583,-110.31806
GeoHash:
G#: 9t9d99sgd
GRN:
N21W68
Type:
Mine
Köppen climate type:
BSk : Cold semi-arid (steppe) climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Sierra Vista Southeast14,797 (2011)12.3km
Miracle Valley644 (2011)15.6km
Sierra Vista43,355 (2017)18.8km
Palominas212 (2011)19.0km
Huachuca City1,755 (2017)26.9km
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
ClubLocationDistance
Huachuca Mineral and Gem ClubSierra Vista, Arizona19km
Mindat Locality ID:
22749
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:22749:7
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Cave Mountain Mine; Cave Creek Mine; Cave Canyon Mine; Silver Plume Mine; Snow Drop Mine


A former small underground Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag mine located in SE ¼ sec. 33, T23S, R20E, on National Forest land. First produced 1946. Operated by the Cave Mountain Mines Corp. (circa 1947).

Mineralization is partly oxidized, irregular replacement deposits of lead and zinc mineralization in exotic blocks of Paleozoic limestone in Triassic-Jurassic volcanics which are badly faulted and cut by Tertiary rhyolite dikes. Workings include tunnels. Produced 565 tons of ore (1946-47); or, 388 tons containing 73,716 pounds of Zn, 50,281 pounds Pb, 3,938 pounds Cu and 285 oz. Ag.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


6 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Fluorescence: Bright red (SW UV).
Description: Occurs as massive material.
ⓘ Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ Hemimorphite
Formula: Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Description: Occurs as delicate coatings in gossan cavities.
ⓘ 'Limonite'
ⓘ Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
ⓘ Willemite
Formula: Zn2SiO4
Fluorescence: Bright green (SW UV).
Description: Occurs as veils and coatings in calcite-rich matrix.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘSphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
ⓘChalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCalcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘWillemite9.AA.05Zn2SiO4
ⓘHemimorphite9.BD.10Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Unclassified
ⓘ'Limonite'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
CCarbon
Cⓘ CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
Oⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Oⓘ HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Oⓘ WillemiteZn2SiO4
SiSilicon
Siⓘ HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Siⓘ WillemiteZn2SiO4
SSulfur
Sⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ SphaleriteZnS
CaCalcium
Caⓘ CalciteCaCO3
FeIron
Feⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
CuCopper
Cuⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
ZnZinc
Znⓘ HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Znⓘ SphaleriteZnS
Znⓘ WillemiteZn2SiO4
PbLead
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10113095

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

Mexico
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
USA

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.

References

Arizona Department of Mineral Resources file data, Cave Creek Canyon.
MRDS database Dep. ID file # ?? and #10113095, MRDS ID #M241047, MAS ID #0040030048.
(1951, July) Arizona Zinc and Lead Deposits - Part II. University of Arizona Bulletin 158. Arizona Bureau of Mines
(1973) Index of Mining Properties in Cochise County, Arizona. University of Arizona Bulletin 187. Arizona Bureau of Mines p.65 - Table 4
Ludington, Steve (1984) Preliminary resource assessment of the proposed Miller Peak Wilderness, Cochise County, Arizona. Open-File Report Vol. 1984 (84-293) US Geological Survey doi:10.3133/ofr84293 pp.3-4
Tuftin, S.E. and Armstrong, R.C. (1994) U.S. Bureau of Mines Open File Report Mineral Land Assessment (MLA) 1-94.
Quick NavTopMineral ListOther DatabasesOther RegionsReferences
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 04:31:58 Page updated: August 9, 2025 15:08:12
Go to top of page