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Geology of the Morningstar Mine Area, Greaterville Mining District, Pima County, Arizona

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Geology of the Morningstar Mine Area, Greaterville Mining District, Pima County, Arizona Geology of the Morningstar mine area, Greaterville mining district, Pima County, Arizona Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Stewart, James Conrad, 1935- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/09/2021 15:41:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/566530 GEOLOGY OF THE MORNINGSTAR MINE AREA, GREATERVILLE MINING DISTRICT, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA by James Conrad Stewart A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN GEOLOGY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 1 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re­ quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar­ ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 2 0 (<jlf of Geology ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For their contributions which so greatly aided the undertaking, presentation, and completion of this study, I express my appreciation to Dr. John M. Guilbert, my major professor, and to Dr. William C. Peters, for their guidance and encouragement; to Mr. Eric Braun and Dr. William Rehrig, fellow students, for their assistance as survey rodmen; to Mr. G. A. Barber of The Anaconda Company for use of Ana­ conda's assay data from the Morning star mine; to Mr. Michael Gross, fellow student, for the benefit of our "geologizing" and discussions of the area; and to M iss Judy Margolis for her drafting work. To Mr. and Mrs. Fred Harm, lessees of the Morning star mine, go extra special thanks for the generous and enthusiastic donation of their time, efforts, and accommodations. Use of the living quarters at the mine and the splendid board prepared by M rs. Harm greatly facili­ tated the field work and made for a most pleasant and comfortable summer. Mr. Harm's familiarity with the area, acquired from long association and persistently diligent work, was an invaluable aid. Additionally, the actual physical assistance given by Mr. Harm made possible the study of underground workings otherwise inaccessible. For their steadfast encouragement and financial support, with­ out which this program would not have been possible, I am especially grateful to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Stewart. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS...................................................................................... v i ABSTRACT......................................................... v iii INTR O D U C TIO N ............................................................................ ..... 1 GEOLOGY................................................................................................ 8 R o c k s ............................................................ 8 Sedim entary R o c k s ............................................................................ 9 • Igneous Rocks ...................................................................................... 17 Metamorphic Rocks............................................................................ 19 . C o r r e la t io n ........................................ 20 A g e ........................................................................................................... 21 S tru ctu res....................................................... 23 Major Structures of the Sedimentary Rocks.......................... 23 Minor Structures of the Sedimentary Rocks.......................... 26 Structures in th e Igneous R o c k s .............................................. 35 MINERAL D E P O S I T S ......................... 36 The Morningstar M in e ....................................................... 36 M in e r a lo g y ............................................................................................ 40 V e i n s ...................................................................................................... 45 R o c k s ................................................................................................. 47 S tru ctu res........................................................................................... 51 Other Mineral D eposits ............................................................................ 54 V e in s........................................................................................................... 54 P la c e r s ...................................................................................................... 61 SUMMARY, INTERPRETATION, AND EVALUATION............................... 65 Order of E v e n t s .......................................................................... 66 R egional Folding of th e Sedim entary R o ck s.......................... 66 Regional Thrust F au ltin g ......................... 67 Quartz M onzonite I n t r u s io n ........................................................ 68 U p lift of G ranite M o u n t a i n ........................................................ 68 Local Minor Faulting ............................................................ 69 C la s sific a tio n o f M ineral D e p o s i t s ......................... 70 Economic Evaluation of Mineral Deposits .................................... 71 The M orningstar M i n e .................................................................. 71 Other M ineral D e p o s i t s ........................................ 72 iv V TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued Page APPENDIX: ASSAY DATA, MORNINGSTAR M IN E .................... ..... 74 REFERENCES 77 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Location Map ............................................................................................ ..... 2 2. Geologic Interpretation Map Morningstar Mine Area . in pocket' 3 . Geologic Outcrop Map Morningstar Mine Area .... in p ock et 4. Stratigraphic Column Morningstar Mine Area .... in p ock et — 5 . C ross S ectio n s M orningstar M ine A r e a ..............................in p ock et 6 . S h a l e ................................................................................................................ 10 7. Silts tone . ..................................................................................................... 12 8 . A rgillite . ............................................................................................ 12 9 . Rock C la s s ific a tio n D ia g r a m .....................•........................................ 14 10. Q u a rtzite........................................................................................................... 15 11. Arkose R id g e s................................................................................................. 15 12. Quartz M o n z o n ite ....................................................................................... 18 13. Folds near the Morningstar Mine ................................................... 27 14. Folds North of the Morningstar M ine .............................. 27 15. Folded L im e s t o n e ....................................................................................... 29 16. Bedding Plane Fault ......................... 33 17. Morningstar Mine ....................................................................................... 38 18. Block Diagram of the Morningstar Mine .............................. in p o ck et 19. Composite Level Plan Map of the Morningstar Mine . in pocket 20. Cross Section of the Morningstar Mine Shaft .... in p o ck et 21. Gold-bearing Quartz Vein in Argillite ......................... 44 22. Quartz Vein Cutting A rgillite ............................................................. 56 vi vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— C ontinued Figure Page 23 . A L enticular Quartz V e i n ........................................................................ 56 2 4 . Quartz Vein in Quartz M o n z o n i t e ..................................................... 59 • 25. Stream Bench G ravels ............................................................................ 62 26. Gold Nuggets ................................................................................ 64 ABSTRACT The Morningstar mine area is located in the Greaterville mining district, Pima County, Arizona. The area constitutes a north-trending, east-dipping, 2,000-foot thick sequence of arkose, quartzite, and shale regionally folded into anticlines and synclines plunging to the southeast. Later thrusting placed younger rocks in the southeast over older rocks to the northwest. Probably Cretaceous in age, the sedimentary rocks are cut by the small Tertiary quartz monzonite Granite Mountain stock. The stock produced local hornfelsic alteration
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