|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mines Menu:
Mines Reports:
Mines Map
Use the links at the left to return.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mine Descriptions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Empire Mining District | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Empire district, named from the Empire Mountains, about which it centers, lies in the northeastern part of the Patagonia quadrangle, east of the Helvetia district, in the eastern part of Pima county. It extends from Davidson Canyon eastwards to Cienega creek, 7 miles distant. The district contains six mining camps - the California, Montana, Lavery, Total Wreck, Copper or Hilton, and Prospect. The dominant topographical feature in the district consists of the Empire Mountains, which form an outlier of the Santa Rita Range. The mountains trend northeastward through the district, have a length of about 7 miles, and a width of about 4 miles, and rise to a maximum elevation of 5,360 feet, or about 500 feet above the surrounding surface. Structurally they consist mainly of a southeastward dipping monocline of the Paleozoic limestone and quartzite in descending order, underlain by intrusive granite and flanked, overlapped, an surrounded by Mesozoic sediments, with patches or rhyolite in Davidson canyon on the west. The topography is generally rough. Nearly all the mineral deposits of the district occur in association with the contact of the Paleozoic limestone with the granite or other intrusive rocks. The granite, which seems to be genetically related to the deposits, is in general a medium-grained biotite-bearing rock and contains some hornblende. The deposits are nearly all argentiferous lead and copper bearing ores. hey were first discovered in the late seventies. Since early in the eighties, besides the production of the Total Wreck mine, occasional small shipments of ore have been made from sundry small mines almost annually. The principal veins produce silver, lead, and copper ore. The principle camps, all small, are the California camp, at Andrade's ranch, on the northwest; the Total Wreck mine, on the east; and the Copper camp, at Hilton's ranch, toward the south. They are reached by wagon road from Pantano, the nearest railroad station on the northwest, from which they are respectively 6, 7, and 8½ miles distant.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
