Geology and ore deposits of the Tombstone District, Arizona Authors Butler, B.S.; Wilson, E.D.; Rasor, C.A. Publisher Arizona Geological Survey (Tucson, AZ) Rights Arizona Geological Survey. All rights reserved. Download date 07/10/2021 19:25:11 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/630975 Vol, IX, No.1 llutu.rrntty of Art;:outt iuU.rUu ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE TOMBSTONE DISTRICT, ARIZONA By B. S. BUTLER. E. D. WILSON. AND C. A. RASOR Prepared under a co-operative agreement between the ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES and the UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES, GEOLOGICAL SERIES NO. 10, BULLETIN NO. 143 Fifty cents (Free 10 rcside'nts of Arizona) PUBLISHED BY l~nilTrn;ttu nf Arizoua TUCSON, ARIZONA TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTIOi'i. Location. Culture, and Transportation.. 7 PREFACE Physical Features ...._. 7 Climate and Vegetation __ . H Through the co-operatiou of the United States Geological Sur­ Previous Worlc 9 vey, the Arizona Bureau of Mines has been able to present this Field 'Vork and AcknO\\'ledgments __ 10 bulletin to the persons interested and to those who may become GENERAL GEOLOGY__ [1 General Statement. 11 interested in further development of the old mining camp of Pre-Cambrian HackL 12 Tombstone. If the Survey had not supplied the services of Dr. Cambrian' Rocks 13 B. S. Butler and made available the data collected years ago by Devonian Beds.. J4 Dr. F. L. Ransome, the Bureau would have been unable to com­ Carboniferous Rocks. 1-1 plete the project at this time. The Bureau is glad to acknowledge IVfesozoic Roeks__ 18 its indebtedness to the Survey for this splendid co-operation and Cenozoic Deposits.. 23 for numerous courtesies extended in the past. Post~ Paleozoic Igneous Rocks.. 24 Rhyolite Porphyry.. 24 When a detailed investigation of an old mining camp is begun, Uncle Sam Porphyry.. 24 it is always uncertain whether the report will be of any practical Schieffelin Granodiorite.. 25 value. Too often such an investigation indicates that the ore Dikes_ 26 deposits have been exhausted, and the report shows that further Volcanic Rocks__ 28 work in the camp is not justified by the conditions found. STRUCTURIL 28 Fortunately, that is not true of this report. The authors have Introduction.. 28 Sequence of Structural Events __ 29 demonstrated that the positions of the ore bodies are determined Generally East-West Structures: Ajax Hill Horst.. 30 by definite structural conditions that are plainly set forth herein, The Tombstone Basin.. 32 and that numerous favorable areas remain unexplored. A good Rolls_. 38 mining geologist who familiarizes himself with the geology of the Bedding-Plane Faults_. 33 district can, by following the suggestions offered in this bulletin, Bedding Faults Associated with Anticlines and Rolls.. 33 ascertain where new ore bodies are likely to be found, and it is Tension Fissures ("Hoodoo Cracks"). 34 confidently believed that the development of such ore bodies will Saddle Fissures_. 3d eventually mean a great deal to the district and the state. Thrust Faulting.. 34 North-South Dike Fissures and Faults.. 34 Emplacement of Igneous Bodies.. ;35 G. M. BUTLER Northeast Ore Fissures.._ 35 December 27, 1937. Faults of Uncertain Age.. 36 Tranquility-Contention Fault.. :36 Grand Central FaulL ;)7 Date of the Late Faulting.. 37 Cause and Re18.tion of Structural Features.. 37 ORE DEPOSITS. :38 History and Production... 38 Summary. Detailed Description. Production Summary. I\-lineralogy General Statement.. Native Elements.. Oxides. Carbonates Silicates 'J'i\BI,E; (:fiT CONTKI\TTS -Co}lti,nued ILLUS'I'Hl\,'frONS PAGE PLATE -,PANORAIVLA OF P:\RT UF TOJ:'lclBSTONE DISI'RICT. Fnmtispiec(~ 6'~:;, (-):3 PLATE n. --GENEHil.I.,IZIW COI,U_MNAH SECTION.. _ Supplement Antimonatcs B4 PLATE III, ·GENERiI.L GEOLOGIC MAP OF' TOI\TBSTDNE 134 DrsTHlcT__ Supplement and 'Tellurites (7) 66 PLAT~: IV. -GIWLOGIC MAP OF CENTHAL PAHT OF Molybdates 66 TOl\'1BSTONE DISTlUCT.. Supplement Classification of thc Ore Deposits_ 67 PLi\TE S:t~CTIONS ALONG LINJ<~S A-A' and Favorable Rocks 137 Ole PLATE IIL . Supplement Upper Part of Bisbee '""nee..... !~B PLATE VI, - -STIn.rCTUHE DIAGRAJVI OF TOMBSTONE DIS'l'RICT __ Supplcmcnt Upper Part of Naco and Lower Part of PLATE VII. -MAP OF PIUNCIPAL CLAIMS AND WORKINGS IN Bisbee Group ,G8 CENTRAL PART OF 'TOMBSTONE DISTHIC'l' __ ... Supplement Dikes 69 P'LA.TE: VHI. --CROSS S.E,CTlON THROUGH CONTENTION DIKE AT Deposits Associated \vith North-South (Dike) Fissures. 69 PUWIP SHAFT.. Supplement Contention-Grand Central Ore Zone.. 69 PLATE IX. --LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF WORKINGS IN HEAD E:merald Mine 71 CENTER AREA._ Supplement Tombstone Extension Area._ 72 PLi\TE X. --LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF TOMBSTONE Comet Ore Zone_ . 73 EXTENSION MINE. __ Supplement Minera1i:t.ation Associated with the Anchor or Coyote F'ault 74 PLATE XL -,-LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF COMET MINK Supplement Deposits Associated with Faults __ 74 PU\TE XII.-LoNGITUDINAL SECTION THHOUGH LUCKY Cuss, Lucky Cuss Fault Zone __ 74 OLD GUARD, AND HERSCHEL MINES Supplernent Prompter Fault ".\'o,,,n, 80 PL.:>"TE XIII ---CROSS SECTION THROUGH LUCKY CGSS Deposits Associated Anticlines and Rolls.. 84 WORKINGS AT l\iL-\IN SHAFT Supplernent Location of Mineralization on the Rolls 85 PLAn: XIV. ----]:..,ONGITUDINAL SECTION THHOUGH OREGON AND Description of Roll Deposits,. 35 PHOMPTER MINES __ ___ Supplement Holls East of the Dike_ Sf) Empire PLATl': XV.-SE;C'fWN ALONG "409" FISSURE.. __ Supplement Enwire Anticline West of Empire Dike t8 XVI.---LONGITUDINAL SECTION NEAR AXIS OF SILVER Rolls in Sulphuret S:ync1ine PLATE 03 THREAD ROLL. _Supplement Sulphuret Anticline_ . 93 FLATf.~ XVII.-LONGITUDINAL SECTION NEAR AXIS OF Boss 'Terrace 95 MACIA ROLL Supplement Ingel'sol Overturn 96 XVIII.-LONGITUDINAL SECTION NEAR AXIS OF F'issure Deposits_ PLATE 97 NORTHEAST VIZINA ROLL_. Supplement Skip Shaft Fissure 97 A, B.~LONGITUDIN AI, SECTION Nr~AR AXIS. OF West Side Fissure 98 PLATE XIX, QUARRY ROLL Supplement Arizona Queen Fissure 99 Defence Fissure_ 99 PljAl'E XX.---LONGITUDINAL SECTION NEAR AXIS OF GIHAHD ROLL __ Supplement Fissure Veins in Quartz LatHe 100 LONGITUDINAL Sl':CTION NEAR AXIS OF Distribution of Metals and MineraL 102 PLATE XXI.- WEST SIDE ROLL Supplement Silver 103 Gold 103 PLATE XXII.-SEC'l'ION ALONG ARIZONA QUEEN FISSURE Supplement Lead 1O:J PLATE XXIIL----LONGITUDINAL SECTION ON SKIP SHAFT TvIanganese 103 FISSURE.. Supplement Copper 104 PLATE XXIV/A, B.--SECTION ALONG yVESI' SIDE FISSURE ._. ..s-upplement Zinc 104 PLATE XXV. ,-PLAN OF WORKINGS IN STATE OF MAINE MINE .Supplement Molybdenum_ 104 PLATE XXVI. ---CROSS SECTION THHOUGH STATE OF MAINE MINE Supplement Iron Minerals 104 Nonmetallic Minerals 104 PAGE DISTRICT FUTUHE OF THE 105 FIGURE l.--INIH~X MAP SHO\OVING LOCATION OF TOl\IIlSl'ONE DISTHICT 8 Deposits in the Eastern Part of the District above Water Level. 105 FIGURl'~ 2.-- ·-CHOSS SF~CTION THROUGH COMET SI-L\FT 75 Deposits in Northeast Fissures 105 Deposits Associated with Faults._ 106 FIGUHE 3.~"",CHOSS SECTION THROUGH PROMPTEH SHAFT 81 Deposits Associated with Dikes __ 105 _FlGUEE 4. -Cnoss SECTION OF VIZlNA ROLL 90 Deposits Associated with Holls._ 106 F'IGUEE 5 ...-,--Cnoss SECTION OF INGEHSOL OVERTURN. 1-lJ3 Deposits in the Eastern Part of the District below \A/ater Level 107 Deposits in the Vlestern Part of the DistI'icL lOB 1::0 OF THE INTIWDUCTION LOCATION, CULTURE, AND TEANSPORTATION The Tombstone district Wig, I) is in western Cochise County, iU'lZ,Jna, 25 miles north of the international boundary, The area the Tombstone special topographic map of the U.S. (Plate III) is bounded by meridians 1l0"02' and paranels 3F39" and 31'43'30" N. the only settlement within the area, is on U.S. aboui 25 miles northwest of Bisbee. The old deserted town Charleston is on the San Pedro River, 8 miles south- west of Tombstone and beyond the limits of the Tombstone special district is served by a standard-gauge branch line from a station on the Douglas loop of the Southern Pacific miles west of Tombstone. For agricultural supplies, access to the farms of the San Pedro Valley. PHYSICAL FEATURES The Tombstone district is in the Tombstone niHs, a group of scattered mountains that extend northwestward from the Mountains in which the Bisbee district is located. Tomb­ stone is near the northwestern margin of the area, at an altitude of 4,530 feet or 670 feet above the San Pedro River at ~"airbank. The Tombstone Hills rise to a maximum altitude of 5,339 feet or some 800 feet above the surrounding plain, which slopes westward to the San Pedro River. In tbe vicinity of the hills, this plain is a pediment, cut on hard rock. Even slopes and rounded contours characterize the northern half of the area in contrast to the steep-sided, linear ridges that 1)1'<0,,",1.1 in the southern half, There are no perennial streams in the area. Drainage is west­ ward to the San Pedro River through steep-sided gulches or arroyos that dissect the plain. Torrential rains flood these arroyos for short periods, but during most of the year no water flows at the surface, Water is encountered in the mines of the eastern part of the bJJ· district at an elevation of 4,120 feet above sea level. This mine c: w ,"""' u;' water has been used for concentration o.f ores, but1 according to ~;:; 00 anal'ysE<s by H. V. Smith, of the University of Arizona, its fluorine --;;:r; ~ cont<mt makes it unsuitable for drinking. Some water is obtained from sbaHow wells in the gulches, but the main supply for Tomb­ stone .is piped from springs in the Huachuca Mountains, about 25 miles sDutbwest of the town.