Christmas Mine, Christmas, Banner Mining District, Gila County, Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Christmas Mine	Mine (Inactive)
Christmas	Town (Former)
Banner Mining District	Mining District
Gila County	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

A former surface and underground Cu-Au-Ag-Mo-Bi-Pb-Zn-Be-W occurrence/mine with garnet abrasive, wollastonite and iron, located in the NW¼ sec. 29 & in sec. 30, T4S, R16E, 8 miles (ca. 13 km) N of Winkleman, 22 miles (ca. 35 km) S of Globe, on federal land. This mine is located at Christmas (headframe hamlet) near Hayden, Arizona (8 miles (ca. 13 km) North of Winkleman and 22 miles (ca. 35 km) South of Globe). Previous operators included Anaconda Co.; Christmas Copper Co.; the Columbia Mining & Milling Co.; and the Riviera Mines Co. Previous owners include the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. Owned and operated by the Cyprus Christmas Mining Co. (1988). Most recently, it was owned by Phelps Dodge until that corporation's buy-out by Freeport-McMoRan, which now controls the property.

Note: Alternate coordinates provided: 32.9986N, 110.7661W.

This property was located in 1880 by Messrs. Dennis O'Brien and William Tweed. The claims were relocated in 1902 by G.B. Chittenden. Serious mining started about 1905. The workings go to the 908 feet (ca. 277 m) level, but the deposits were drilled deeper. There were 5 shafts including the No. 3 (main shaft)(vertical, 3-compartment to the 908 feet (ca. 277 m) level), the Hackberry shaft, the Christmas shaft, the No. 4 shaft, plus one additional shaft. The initial claims proved to be on the San Carlos Indian Reservation and were declared invalid. In December 1902, that portion of the reservation was restored to public domain by executive order and the claims were relocated on Christmas evening by Mr. G.B. Chittenden, hence the name. The mine was later owned by the Inspiration Copper Co. until its closure in January 1982.

The mineral deposits are in a thick series of gently dipping Paleozoic limestones (Naco Limestone; Escabrosa Limestone and the Martin Limestone) that range from Devonian to Permian (?). Overlying the limestones with only slight discordance, is a thick sequence of Cretaceous (?) volcanic rocks, mainly andesitic tuffs, breccias, and flows. A small quartz diorite stock has been intruded into the limestones and volcanic rocks. The Christmas fault cuts north-westward through the limestones, lavas, and the quartz diorite intrusive. The eastern part has been depressed, bringing the lavas in contact with the limestones, which crop out West of the fault.

The mineral deposits are of the contact metamorphic or pyrometasomatic type. The mineralized zones extend to the surface, where there was an open pit mine as well. The ore zone is 1524 meters long, 822.96 meters wide, with a depth-to-top of 15 meters, depth-to-bottom of 655.32 meters, at 24.38 meters thick.

Area structures include the Christmas-Joker Fault zone 7.5 miles (ca. 12 km) long and 100 feet (ca. 30 m) wide, striking NW and other cross-cutting fractures.

Ore control was a limestone-diorite contact, favourable limestone beds, garnetized areas, and fractures in garnet-rich zones. Ore concentration was pyrometasomatic replacement of limestone, with some oxidation on fractures. Alteration was hydrothermal with epidotization, silicification, propylitic, K-silicate, quartz-sericite-chlorite, oxidation, and carbonatization.

Dimensions of the quartz diorite stock are approximately 1,500 feet (ca. 457 m) by 3,000 feet (ca. 914 m) elongated in a N60E direction. The deposit is zoned with a pyrite-chalcopyrite core, a chalcopyrite-bornite intermediate zone, and a pyrrhotite-sphalerite-chalcopyrite margin. The main mineralization is in limestone and contact area, but lesser mineralization is present in the diorite and andesite.

Past production was mainly from orebodies in the Naco limestone of Pennsylvanian and Permian (?) age. A few small orebodies have been mined from the Escabrosa limestone of Mississippian age. The ore in the Naco occurs in flat, tabular bodies which are replacements of certain favourable limestone beds close to their contact with the quartz diorite. The ore is confined to eleven distinct beds, which are consistently mineralized wherever they occur in favourable relationship to the contact. They constitute a zone about 425 feet (ca. 130 m) thick of interbedded limestones and shale. The deposits in the Excabrosa are thick, irregular bodies that lie against the contact.

Workings total 1066 meters long, 762 meters wide and 487.68 meters deep.
Developments include 6 shafts with levels every 100 feet (ca. 30 m) down to the 900-foot level. The 1600-foot level extends to the adjacent McDonald shaft. Dimensions estimated from mine map. Open pit, and cut and fill mining.

Total production is unclear; however, available statistics indicate a total of about 55,340,000 pounds (ca. 25,102 t) of copper (1905 to the end of 1943), plus $160,000 of gold and $150,000 of silver (period values). 1905-1914 production not included in ABGMT-USBM file data. Ore analysis: 0.005 oz/t Au, 0.23 oz/t Ag, 2.04% Cu, 33.2% Si, 1.7% Al, 3.6% S, 12.8% Fe, 28.2% CaO.

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10209578

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