Ridley Mine, Helvetia, Helvetia-Rosemont Mining District, Pima County, Arizona, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Ridley Mine | Mine |
| Helvetia | Town (Former) |
| Helvetia-Rosemont Mining District | Mining District |
| Pima County | County |
| Arizona | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 51' 6'' North , 110° 48' 33'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Corona de Tucson | 5,675 (2011) | 13.0km |
| East Sahuarita | 1,622 (2006) | 15.1km |
| Green Valley | 21,391 (2011) | 17.4km |
| Sahuarita | 25,707 (2017) | 18.1km |
| Vail | 10,208 (2011) | 23.6km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Old Pueblo Lapidary Club | Tucson, Arizona | 43km |
| Tucson Gem and Mineral Society | Tucson, Arizona | 43km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Graveyard Mine
‡Ref.: Guild, F.N. (1907) The composition of molybdite from Arizona: American Journal of Science, 4th series: 23: 455-456.
Schrader, F.C., and Hill, J.M. (1910) Some occurrences of molybdenite in the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains, Arizona, in Contributions to economic geology (short papers and preliminary reports) 1909 - Part I--Metals and nonmetals except fuels: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 430, p. 154-163.
Schrader, F.C. & J.M. Hill (1915), Mineral deposits of the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains, Arizona, USGS Bull. 582: 92, 126-127.
University of Arizona Bull. 41 (1916-17), Mineralogy of Useful Minerals in Arizona: 29, 36, 46, 50, 56.
Creasey, S.C. & G.L. Quick (1955), Copper deposits of part of Helvetia mining district, Pima County, Arizona, USGS Bull. 1027-F: 301-323.
Galbraith, F.W. (1947), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 153: 24.
Keith, Stanton B. (1974), Arizona Bureau of Geology & Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 189, Index of Mining Properties in Pima County, Arizona: 128 (Table 4).
Anthony, J.W., et al (1995), Mineralogy of Arizona, 3rd. ed.: 229, 302.
USGS Sahuarita Quadrangle topo map.
Arizona Bureau of Mines file data.
MRDS database Dep. ID file #10103743, MRDS ID #M050161; and, Dep. ID #10234887, MAS ID #0040190373.
A former small underground Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag-Au-Mo mine located on 1 of a group of 6 claims, in the SE ¼ sec. 21, T.18S., R.15E., 1 mile SW of Helvetia, 28 miles SE of Tucson, at an altitude of 4,060 feet, on a military reservation. Discovered 1915. Owned by C.B. Ridley; and, the Minerals & Metals Corp.
Mineralization is tabular, banded quartz with sulfides, partly oxidized, in a vein cutting Precambrian granodiorite, remote from the limestone or any other sedimentary rocks. The ore zone is 1.22 meters wide, striking N-S and dipping 50E.
The country rock is granite intruded by dikes and small stocks or masses of aplite and containing quartz veins, which are generally associated with the aplite. The vein in this mine dips 50ºE. The vein is about 4 feet wide and is in most places separated rom either wall, which is slickensided, by a sheet of gouge. On both walls, which are good and well-defined, the granite is considerably altered, crushed and sheared. On the hanging wall it is yellowish-gray and similar to the normal country rock. On the footwall it is dark greenish-gray and contains much secondary chlorite, muscovite, quartz, and some dark minerals, chiefly biotite and hornblende.
Sulphides were encountered about 40 feet below surface, and in the south drift on the 50 foot level the quartz, which is drusy and stained by limonite and copper carbonates, carries dark, massive galena and chalcopyrite. The sulphides become more plentiful just below the 50 foot level. A short drift to the south on the 105 level exposed a rioch vein of sulphides on the hanging wall side with a 10 inch (25 cm) pay streak. This streak consists of alternate bands of mixed sulphides and quartz, including pyrite, chalcopyrite, argentiferous galena, sphalerite, and a little molybdenite.
In the shaft sump, between the paystreak and the hanging wall occurs a 1/8 to 1 inch band of gouge-like material composed of muscovite, quartz, pyrite, and molybdenite. This band widens to 4 inches (10 cm) in places and is a good ore of molybdenum. An associated rock unit is the Continental Granodiorite Porphyry.
Local structures include homoclinal, tilting and broad open folds in teh S and extensive faulting in the N. Thrust and normal faulting/fracture zones. Faults are slickensided.
Better ore is in the lower part of the mine; molybdenite occurs in the lower part of the mine.
Workings include a 150 foot deep inclined shaft and a short tunnel, with short drifts on the 50 and 105 levels. The workings are 45.72 meters in length and 36.58 meters in depth. Sporadic production of some 50 or more tons of ore occurred from the early 1900's to 1929. The ore averaged about 5% Pb, 2% Cu, and 40 oz. Ag/T.
Production 1 SPORADIC PRODUCTION
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 References: |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS References: |
| ⓘ Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena Formula: PbS with Ag References: |
| ⓘ Molybdenite Formula: MoS2 References: |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 References: |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Description: Banded. References: |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | var. Silver-bearing Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS with Ag |
| ⓘ | Molybdenite | 2.EA.30 | MoS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| S | ⓘ Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena | PbS with Ag |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| Mo | Molybdenum | |
| Mo | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena | PbS with Ag |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena | PbS with Ag |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10103743 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Mexico
- Sierra Madre OccidentalMountain Range
North AmericaContinent
- Sonoran DesertDesert
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
- Southern Basin and RangeWide Rift
USA
- Arizona
- Santa Rita MountainsMountain Range
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