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Big Steve Mine, Pena Blanca Lake, Big Steve - White Oak group, Pajarito Mining District, Pajarito Mountains, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USAi
Regional Level Types
Big Steve MineMine
Pena Blanca LakeLake
Big Steve - White Oak group- not defined -
Pajarito Mining DistrictMining District
Pajarito MountainsMountain Range
Santa Cruz CountyCounty
ArizonaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 22' 32'' North , 111° 5' 24'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Rio Rico18,962 (2011)15.2km
Nogales20,252 (2017)15.3km
Nogales212,533 (2018)15.9km
Beyerville177 (2011)20.1km
Tumacacori-Carmen393 (2015)23.1km
Mindat Locality ID:
34115
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:34115:9
GUID (UUID V4):
0


A former small surface and underground Ag-Pb-Au-Cu-Zn-U mine located in North-central sec. 2, T.24S., R.12E, 1 mile N of Pajarito Peak (elevation 5236), on National Forest land. The White Oak and Big Steve Mines are part of a group of 4 claims in the area. Produced 1926-1958. Owned by Mr. W.H. Clarke (1966). Operated by W.H. Clarke (1926 to 1950), and Mr. W.V. Rhea (1958).

Mineralization is irregular, narrow, shear zones containing spotty argentiferous, oxidized, lead mineralization, largely cerussite, pyrite, and minor copper, zinc, and gold, cutting Cretaceous quartz latite volcanics. The ore zone is 457.2 meters long, 9.14 meters wide, striking N55E and dipping 70SE to vertical. Mineralization fills fissures and partly replaces gouge and breccia. Spotty kasolite, uranophane, autunite and uranium-bearing pyromorphite have been recognized. Pyrite gossan. Ore is found within bounding fault planes. No trace of the host rock is left in the shear zone except for some quartz phenocrysts. Uranium is found in 2 small intersecting veins (dipping 75 and 41 degrees) about 15 feet long, 6 inches wide and 10 feet thick at the White Oak Mine.

Workings include shaft, adit, pits, and open cut operations. Worked for high-grade silver values prior to 1900 and sporadically from 1925 through 1958. UTM taken to the White Oaks shaft at the head of Walker Canyon; the Big Steve Mine shaft is about 1/4 mile W of the White Oaks shaft.

Production was 300 tons of ore averaging about 60 oz/ton Ag; 33% Pb; 0.3 oz/ton Au; minor Cu. Selected samples assayed up to 0.82% U and a chip sample assayed 0.47% U. Concentrations of high grade material are small, discontinuous and rare.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


15 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

Anglesite
Formula: PbSO4
Autunite
Formula: Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Cerussite
Formula: PbCO3
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Chrysocolla
Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Galena
Formula: PbS
Kasolite
Formula: Pb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Marcasite
Formula: FeS2
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Pyromorphite
Formula: Pb5(PO4)3Cl
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Quartz var. Amethyst
Formula: SiO2
Uranophane
Formula: Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Marcasite2.EB.10aFeS2
Group 3 - Halides
Fluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Quartz
var. Amethyst
4.DA.05SiO2
4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Cerussite5.AB.15PbCO3
Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Anglesite7.AD.35PbSO4
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
Pyromorphite8.BN.05Pb5(PO4)3Cl
Autunite8.EB.05Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
Kasolite9.AK.15Pb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Uranophane9.AK.15Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Chrysocolla9.ED.20Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H AutuniteCa(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
H ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
H KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
H MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
H UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
C CerussitePbCO3
C MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
OOxygen
O Quartz var. AmethystSiO2
O AnglesitePbSO4
O AutuniteCa(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
O CalciteCaCO3
O CerussitePbCO3
O ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
O KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
O MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
O PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
O QuartzSiO2
O UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
FFluorine
F FluoriteCaF2
AlAluminium
Al ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
SiSilicon
Si Quartz var. AmethystSiO2
Si ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Si KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Si QuartzSiO2
Si UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
PPhosphorus
P AutuniteCa(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
P PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
SSulfur
S AnglesitePbSO4
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S GalenaPbS
S MarcasiteFeS2
S PyriteFeS2
ClChlorine
Cl PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
CaCalcium
Ca AutuniteCa(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca FluoriteCaF2
Ca UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
FeIron
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe MarcasiteFeS2
Fe PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Cu MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
PbLead
Pb AnglesitePbSO4
Pb CerussitePbCO3
Pb GalenaPbS
Pb KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Pb PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
UUranium
U AutuniteCa(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10-12H2O
U KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
U UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10109796

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