Blue Copper Mine (Durham Hills Mine; Busy Bee Mine; Blue Hill Copper Mine; Big Bull Mine), Durham Wash area, Durham Hills, Durham-Suizo Mining District, Pinal County, Arizona, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
32° 43' 50'' North , 111° 7' 55'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock | 169 (2011) | 25.0km |
| Cactus Forest | 594 (2011) | 31.0km |
| Catalina | 7,569 (2011) | 31.9km |
| Saddle Brooke | 9,614 (2017) | 32.5km |
| Marana | 41,315 (2017) | 33.8km |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pinal Gem and Mineral Society | Coolidge, Arizona | 45km |
A former surface and underground Cu-Ag-Au mine located in secs. 7, SW¼ sec. 17, 19, & 20, T8S, R12E, (Tortolita Mts 15 minute topo map), about ½ mile N of Durham Wash and about ¾ mile W of state highway 79, 1 mile SE of North Hill, the northernmost of the Durham Hills, on private land. Produced 1948-1962. Owned by the Utex Oil Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. Operators included Drake Enterprises; Guzman and Schwartz (1961); F.M. Elrath; H. McMillan & R.J. Edwards. 20 unpatented claims were owned by Utex in 1965; McFarland and Hullinger (1966). Operated by Mc Farland-Hullinger (1966).
Mineralization is an irregular ore body hosted in Pinal Schist. Ore control was a schist-granite contact and fractures with veinlets. Ore concentration was leaching of primary copper from schist and downward movement. Alteration is kaolinization, silicification, and chloritizaton. The South ore body is 1200 feet long, width in the range of 75 to 150 feet - all workings are on this body. The north ore body is 300 feet by 150 feet and may be too low in grade for production. Veinlets occur in both granite and schist. Associated rock units include the Oracle Granite and the Samaniego Quartz Monzonite. Area features include a fault along a contact striking N20-30W, and dipping 10-30E.
Workings include 2 old shafts and a tunnel driven westward into the hill. Shallow and deep drilling, numerous pit and bulldozed cuts. Ore was taken to a depth of 25 feet from the pits. Shafts are 30, 80 and 100 feet deep. ADMR reports production in 1929 and 1966, years not reported in ABGMT-USBM file data. The mine was in production intermittently.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
5 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Chalcocite Formula: Cu2S |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' |
| ⓘ Chrysocolla Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| ⓘ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ Malachite Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Chalcocite | 2.BA.05 | Cu2S |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ | Chrysocolla | 9.ED.20 | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcocite | Cu2S |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcocite | Cu2S |
| Cu | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10048323 |
|---|
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
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