Basis for focus area |
White Picacho mining district. MRDS producers, past producers, and prospects. |
Identified resources |
Historical production of beryllium (beryl), feldspar, lithium (amblygonite and spodumene), and niobium-tantalum (columbite-tantalite). |
Production |
Lower Jumbo mine produced 55 tons of spodumene @ 20% Li (1947-1952); Midnight Owl mine produced 62 tons of amblygonite @ 7.5-4% Li2O and 13 tons of beryl @ 11-12% BeO (1947-1952) (Jahns, 1952; Dale, 1961). |
Status |
Past mining. Midnight Owl mine closed but is now used for specimens. |
Estimated resources |
Unknown. |
Geologic maps |
Arizona Bureau of Mines (1958), scale 1:375,000; Wilson and others (1957), scale 1:375,000. |
Geophysical data |
Inadequate Rank 5 aeromagnetic and Rank 3 aeroradiometric coverage. |
Favorable rocks and structures |
Pegmatite. |
Deposits |
White Picacho district (MRDS dep_id: 60000001), Lower Jumbo mine (MRDS dep_id: 10027531), Midnight Owl mine (MRDS dep_id: 10027532, 10258983). |
Evidence from mineral occurrences |
MRDS. |
Geochemical evidence |
None. |
Geophysical evidence |
None. |
Evidence from other sources |
None. |
Comments |
Swarm of lithium-bearing pegmatites in schist. |
Cover thickness and description |
Pegmatites exposed at the surface. |
Authors |
David A. Ponce, Nora K. Foley, Jane M. Hammarstrom. |
New data needs |
Aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys. |
Geologic mapping and modeling needs |
Updated geologic mapping. |
Geophysical survey and modeling needs |
High-resolution, Rank 1 aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys. |
Digital elevation data needs |
Lidar planned/funded (2021). |