50 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

Hager, Dorsey, Practical Oil Geology, MeGraw-Hill Book Company,

370 7th Ave., New York City-$3.00.
Lilley, E. R., The Geology of Petroleum and Natural Gas, D. Van
Nostrand Co., Ine., 8 Warren St., New York City-$6.00.
Panyiti, L. S., Prospeeting for Oil and Gas, John Willey and Sons,
Ine., 440 4th Ave., New York City-$3.25.
Van Wiebe, ""V. A., Oil Fields of the United States, MeGraw-Hill Book
Company, 370 7th Ave., New York City-$6.00.
Warner, C. A., Field Mapping for the Oil Geologist, John Wiley &
Sons, Ine., 440 4th Ave., New York City--;-$2.50.
Zeigler, Vietor, Popular Oil Geology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 440 4th
Ave., New York City-$2.50.
 CONTENTS

Page
Preface ._.__.__.._ __.__._.__ _ __ _.. . ..__. .. .. . 5
Introduction and Acknowledgments ._ _. __ ._. 7
Geographic Features _ _ _.._.._..__.. _.._.. __._ __. _.. ._._..__ 8
Location and Accessibility __.._.._ ..__._.__.. _. __.._ _.__ __ .._ 8
Climate _, _._ _ _ ._ _. ._..__.._.._. .._. .. .__._ _. ' 10
History and Production _ __.._ __._ __ _ __ _,_. 12
Physiography _ _ _ _ _ .. , __ __.._,,_ .18
General Geology __ ,.., __.__._.._ _. _.__ __._. _ _ _ _. 22
Pre-Cambrian Formations __ _ _ __..__ ,.._._ ' 2,2
Murdock Breccia _ _..__ _._ _ __ _ _ _ 25
Tertiary Lavas __ ._ 26
Alcyone Trachyte _ __ 27
Esperanza Trachyte _ _' _._ _._ __ 30
Oatman Andesite _ __ ,.._,_. 31
Gold Road Latite _ __ 34
Antelope Rhyolite _.....•........._. _.__ 37
Sitgreaves Tuff _ _ 39
Olivine Basalt _ _ __._ ~ 39
Alteration of the Laves __ _. 39
Tertiary Intrusive Rocks _ _ _ _ _. 43
Moss Porphyry __.._..... 44
Times Porphyry _ . 45
Rhyolite-Porphyry _.._ _.. 46
Quaternary Deposits _._............... 49
Gravel and Sand _ 49
Structural Geology , __. 50
Tilting of the Lavas _. __ __ _ __.._ _. '50
Minor Structures around Intrusive Masses __ _ ..__ 52
Trend and Distribution of Faults _ __ __ _ __ _ __ 53
Age, Type, and Displacement of Faults _ _ ,.._ _._ --- 54
Ore Deposits ._ , _ _ __ __.__ __ 55
Distribution of Veins _. __ _ 55
Structure of the Veins : 57
Mineralogy of the Ores .._ _ __ __ _.. . 58
Stages of Mineral Filling in the Veins _ __ 63
Wall Rock Alteration . _ __ __ ,.. 73
Ore Shoots __.._ _ _ _ __.._ 74
Hypogene Enrichment __ _. _ . _. __ __._ 82
Supergene Enrichm.ent __ _.._ _ __.. _ __ _ ..__.__.__. 82
Outcrops of the Veins _ ~ .._ __._..__ ., 85
Placers __ _.._ __. ..__.__ _. 88
Origin of the Ores _ __ __._._.. ..__ .. 90
Comparison with Districts having Similar Types of Ore _ .__ 94
Mines of the Oatman District __ _ . _ _._,_ _._. 101
Mines of the Katherine District _ _ . ._ .__ __. ._.115
Future Possibilities in the Oatman and Katherine Districts . ..124
 ILLUSTR~L\.TIONS
TABLES
Page
Fig. I.-Index of Map of the Oatman and Katherine Districts................ 9 Page
Fig. 2.-Chart showing the relation between tons of ore mined and the Table I.-Temperature and Rainfall Record 11
value per ton for the years 1908-1928 inclusive 17 Table H.-Gold and Silver Production of the San Francisco District,
Fig. S.-Topography of the higher slopes of the. Black Mountains to the Arizona 16
east of Oatman, Arizona 18
Fig. 4.-Topographic relief in the foot-hill belt to the west of Oatman.. 19 Table HI.-Summary of the Characteristic Features of the Various
Fig. 5.-The detrital slopes to the west of the Katherine Mine 20 Stages of Quartz Deposition 72
Fig. 6.-General view of the town of Oatman from the south. The
white area in the lower central part is the tailing pile of the Ta:ble IV.-Production and Metal Contents of OTe from the San Francis-
Tom Reed nlill 26 co District, Arizona. 1908 to 1928, inclusive 77
Fig. 7.-The Elephant's Tooth, a rhyolitic plug to the east of Oatman 47
Fig. 8.-A general view of the southwestern part of the Oatman Dis-
trict. The Boundary Cone, a volcanic plug, may be seen in the
lower picture 48
Fig. 9.-View showing the structure of the Gold Road vein with nearly
vertical stringers of quartz 56
Fig. 10.-The hanging wall portion of the Gold Dust vein, showing
stringers in the wall rock 57
Fig. 11.-The first stage of quartz deposition. The dark band is the
amethystine variety 64
Fig. 12,-Plat.y quartz as a pseudomorphic replacement of calcite. Un-
replaced calcite leached out 65
Fig. lS.-Quartz of the second stage of deposition, showing a pseudo-
morphic replacement of calcite plates 66
Fig. 14.-Banded quartz of the third stage of deposition. A variety com-
monly found at the Gold Road vein 67
Fig. 15.-Quartz of the fourth stage of deposition. The platy structure
is due to a replacement of calcite 69
Fig. 16.-Dark greenish quartz of the fifth stage of deposition. The
white bands are adularia 71
Fig. 17.-A specimen of the fifth stage of deposition. This quartz is of
a dark greenish color. The white band is adularia...................... 71
Fig. 18.-Diagrammatic section showing decrease in the value of the
vein with depth at the Big Jim Mine 78
Fig. 19.-Diagrammatic section showing more extensive erosion of ore
shoots in the western part of the Oatman District 81
Fig. 20.-0utcrop of the Gold Road vein in the Oatman District 86
Fig. 21-0utcrop of the Black Dyke vein il) the Katherine District 86
Fig. 22.-A general view of the Tom Reed plant at Oatman 101
Fig. 2S.-View across the tailing pond to the No.2 shaft of the United
Eastern Mine 104
Fig. 24.-A view up Gold Road Gulch. Remains of the old mill in the
foreg'l'ound , 106
Fig. 25.-General view of the Moss Mine. The dark outcrop of the vein
may be seen behind the mill 114
Fig. 26.-A map of the veins and faults at the Moss Mine 114
Fig. 27.-Vertical section through the Katherine Mine Based on maps
furnished by R. H. Dimmick 117
Fig. 28.-A general view of the plant of the Katherine Mine 118
Fig. 29.-View of the Frisco Mine showing the veins at the contact of
the rhyolite and granite 121
Fig. SO.-Vertical section through the Frisco vein. The vein occurs at
the contact of rhyolite and granite. Not drawn to scale : 12:2
 PLATES PREFACE
Page
The Arizona Bureau of Mines considers itself fortunate in be-
Plate I.-Geologic map of the Oatman District, Opp. p _._ _ .:_ .. 20
ing privileged at this time to publish this report on the "Geology
Plate II.-Geologic map of the Katherine District .._.. ..__.. _..__ _. 21 and Ore Deposits of the Oatman and Katherine Districts." A
Plate IlL-Structure sections of the Oatman District _. c__ __ • __ _ 51 mere descriptive paper would doubtless prove valuable in attract-
Plate IV.-Location of ore shoots on the Tom Reed vein and the Gold ing attention to these districts, but Doctor Lausen has written
Road vein ::: :..: _............ 75 ~ something much more significant. While it has long been known
that some of the veins could be mined profitably, while others
could not, the reason for the differences in mineralization has
been a mystery, and, as a result, much money has been wasted in
exploring veins which it is now known do not contain the type of
vein filling that is associated with good gold values in these dis-
tricts. Doctor Lausen has, apparently, solved the problem, and
has succeeded in discovering certain facts as regards the vein
fillings that should prove extremely valuable when applied in sub-
sequent operations. Recognition of the fact that only fourth or
fifth stage quartz and associated minerals, as described herein,
contain enough gold to be minable at a profit is an achievement
of great potential value.
It is recognized that the descriptions of mines and prospects
are not in every case as complete as might be desirable, and that
some meritorious properties may not even be mentioned, but the
time available for the preparation of this paper did not suffice to
gather the data required for a really detailed report. Because
of the existing keen interest in gold properties, it was thought
best not to delay publication until additional information could
be collected and compiled.
Suites of specimens representative of all the different stages
of vein fillings described herein are possessed by the Bureau and
may be examined by anyone. Furthermore, the geologists of the
Bureau will be glad to assist prospectors or miners by determin-
ing to which stages of vein filling samples submitted for examin-
ation belong, if iUs possible to do so. June 1, 1931.
G. M. BUTLER, Dil'ect01'.
 ----- ---~~--,-.-

GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS

OF THE

OATMAN and KATf-IERINE DISTRICTS

ARIZONA 1
By CARL LAUSEN

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Oatman and Katherine districts have produced more than
thirty million dollars worth of gold and silver yet no complete re-
port on the geology and ore occurrence of this interesting region
is available though numerous short papers on various phases of
its geology or the mining operations conducted there have been
published from time to time. A thorough study of the Oatman
District was made by Dr. F. L. Ransome and a preliminary re-
port 2 based on that study was issued by the United States Geo-
logical Survey in 1923. The detailed descriptions of the rocks
and the excellent map of the district accompanying this report
have been of great value to the operators in this district. As Dr.
Ransome has left the Geological Survey, it is hardly likely that
a complete report will be written by him and published. Among
the earlier accounts of the district, that by Mr. F. C. Schrader3
is, by far, the most complete. Although Schrader's report is
based upon a reconnaissance examination of the district, as
stated in the introduction, it served a usefui purpose until super-
seded by Ransome's more detailed studies. Schrader's work, which
preceded Ransome's by fifteen years, was done at a time when a
farge number of the properties were operating. The bulletin,
therefore, contains much information on the character of the
vein fillings and the grade: of· the' ore mined. Both Ransome's
and Schrader's bulletins have been drawn on freely for infor-

1 Submitted as a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of Doct01.· of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, May, 1931.
2 Ransome, F. L., Geolo:gry of the Oatman Gold District, Arizona: U. S.
Geological Survey Bull. 743, 1923.
3 Schrader, F. C., Mineral Deposits of the Cerbat Range, Black Moun-
tains, and Grand Wash [Cliffs, Mohave County, Arizona: U. S. GeoL Survey
Bull. 397,,1909.
8 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 9
mation on,the underground workings of properties now inaccessi-
ble. Frequent short notices in the technical press deal chiefly
with mining or metallurgical problems, and rarely make more 114" 00'
Scale CHLORIDE
than a brief mention of the geology, and then usually treat of the
geology of some particular mine rather than of the dish-ict,as a
whole.
The writer, while a member of the staff of the Arizona Bureau
of Mines, visited the region at various times whiTe the geologic Iii!:

map of the state was in preparation. Later, he examined the

Oatman and Katherine districts for the United Verde Copper
Company. Since then, additional trips have been made, chiefly
"'~ Uniol7
in connection with special problems on general geology, faulting, ,,1// Pass
and ore deposition.
A laboratory study of ores and associated country rocks has I

yielded results, some of which are not only of scientific interest, /~'!: Thumb Buffe
I
but also of considerable economic importance. ,
J

The operators in botb, districts have given freely of the data 'X': MOSS MINE
accumulated during the years of operation in the,district. Among " I
'--~ b,NufIMf.
them, may be mentioned in particular, Messrs. Victor Light and
Chas. Waters of the Tom Reed Gold Mining Company, Mr. J. W.
Bradley of the United Eastern, and Mr. R. H. Dimmick of the
Katherine Mine. Numerous others in both districts have been
obliging enough to take the writer to their properties.
Mr. J. B. Tenney, of the Arizona Bureau of Mines, kindly com-
piled the information on production records.
To the staff of the Department of Geology of the University
of Arizona, the writer is under obligations for aid in the labora-
tory investigation of ores and for suggestions during the prepa-·
tion of this report. YUCCA

GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES
LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY
Local names were, at one time applied to parts of the minin~
district of the Black Mountains, such as Gold Road District,
Vivian District, Union Pass District, and others. In reality, these
localities comprise what is officially the San Francisco Mining 0
114 00'
District. A local concentration of veins occurs around Oatman
and another from Union Pass westward, while the intervening Fig. I.-Index map of the Oatman and Katherine Districts.
country, particularly north of the Moss property, and south of
Thumb Butte, although not entirely devoid of veins, is more cussion when the terms Oatman District or Katherine District
sparsely mineralized. On this basis, an arbitrary subdivision are used rather than when the broader term, San Francisco Min-
into the Oatman District and the Katherine District is made in ingDistrict, is employed.
this report for the sake of clearness, as those acquainted with All the important veins in both districts occur on the west
the region are more familiar with the particular area under dis- slopes of the Black Mountains, in the western part of Mohave
County. Highways connecting the mining camps with Kingman,
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 11
10 ARIZONA BUREAU ()F MINES

the county seat, traverse the mountains through low passes. U; S.

Highway 66 in northern Arizona crosses the Black Mountains
at Sitgreaves Pass; the distance from Kingman to Oatman by
this road is 29 mnes. The road from Kingman to the Katherine
Mine crosses the range at Union Pass; the distance between
the two points iSI approximately 35 miles. Still farther north,
several other roads cross these mountains. The position of these
camps relative to Kingman is shown on the index map, Fig. 1.
Kingman is the nearest shipping point on the Atchison, To-
peka, and Santa Fe Railway, and power for the Oatman Dis-
trict is generated there. To the southwest of Oatman is Topock,
a station at the bridge across the Colorado River, and about
eighteen miles to the northwest of Topock is Needles, a division
point on the railway.
In the early days of Oatman, a narrow-gauge railroad,extended
from the Vivian and Leland mines to Fort Mohave on the Colo-
rado River. At that time, a ferry was operating at Ft. Mohave,
and supplies for the mines were' brought in from Needles, Cali-
fornia.
Numerous short roads lead from the main highways to the
individual groups of claims, but many of them are now impass-
able. One of these roads leads off of the main highway about
midway between Oatman and the Gold Road Mine and follows
Silver Creek to the mines in the northwestern pa.rt of the Oat-
man District. A branch from the Silver Creek Road turns north
and connects with the Union Pass Road just north of Thumb
Butte.
CLIMATE
The region is characterized by an arid climate, with high tem-
peratures prevailing during the summer months, and a rela-
tive low humidity. Cloudy days are rare and even in: the win-
ter a sunny day may be quite warm. Extremes of temperature are
shown in Table 1 4 for Ft. Mohave, about fourteen miles to the west
of Oatman, and for Kingman 29 miles to the east. The extremes
of temperature do not picture accurately the climatic conditions,
and for that reason the mean monthly temperatures are also giv-
en. The average monthly rainfalls at Ft. Mohave and Kingman
are also given. No records are available. for Oatman, but the
temperature can be expected to be somewhat lower than at Ft.
Mohave and higher than at Kingman. A diurnal change in tem-
perature of 50° to 60°F. has frequently been recorded, and a

4 Smith, H. V., The Climate of Arizona: Bull. No. 130, Agricultural

Experiment Station, University of Arizona, 1930.
 ~ --.nzn

12 ARIZONA BUREAU OF lVIlNES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 13

marked drop of temperature usually occurs where a bright, sunny Very little reliable information is available concerning activi-
day is followed by a clear, star-lit night. in the district during the seventies, eighties, and early nine-
The elevation above sea level is an important factor in deter. Apparently, work continued on the veins in the vi~inity
mining climatic conditions. The elevation at Ft. Mohave is 604. Silver Creek, and, as interest waned, the prospectors mIgrat-
feet above sea level, at Kingman it is 3,326, while at Oatman it ed to areas of greater promise. It is possible that the discover~
is 2,700 feet. of rich silver-gold ores in the Cel'bat Range to the north of
Rainfall is also dependent, in a measure, on elevation. Table I Kingman, in the early seventies, drew the attention of prospec-
shows the average annual rainfall at Ft. Mohave to be 5.21 nors away from the region of Silver Creek. Such are as was
inches, while at Kingman it is 11.50 inches. At Oatman, it is mined along Silver Creek was hauled to Hardyville on the Colo-
between these two figures. In Arizona, the rainfall is seasonal; rado River for treatment. The reason for so doing was the gen-
the heaviest showers occur during the summer months, particu- eral absence of water in this region, although a small seep OCCUI'S
larly during July, August, and September. During these months, near the old settlement on Silver Creek where bedrock is. ex-
the showers are nearly always accompanied by violent electric posed at the surface. That some of the ores, perhaps the rIcher
storms which are of rel'atively short duration, but, during these ones, were treated near the settlement, is suggested by the pres-
brief storms, a large volume of water may fall. For the remain- ence of an old arrastre cut out of solid stone.
ing months, the rainfall is chiefly concentrated in December to From such information as' is available, it seems probable that
March, inclusive. Gentle showers are then the rule, ~but heavy the earliest locations in the Katherine District, the Sheeptrail
showers may occur. and Boulevard mines, were made in the early eighties. The ore
The rainfall record at Ft. Mohave, shown in Table I, represents from these two mines was hauled to the Colorado River for treat-
an average of 44 years, while the temperature record is based ment in the Pyramid mill. A teamster hauling this ore to the
on 13 years of observation. The figures given for Kingman, both river had passed a small granite knob about midway between the
temperature and rainfall, are based on a 25-year record, and have mines and the river many times. Examining this outcrop, he
been compiled from official government som:ees. noticed numerous stringers of quartz traversing the granite, and,
HISTORY AND PRODUCTION on panning a sample, he obtained a string of colors. .This ~ed
Much of the early history of discovery and mining in these to the discovery and locations of the present Katherme Mme
districts is obscure. According to Ransome's bulletino, Gen. J. H. about 1900 or 1901.
Carleton and the 5th California Volunteers were stationed at Prospectors from the settlement on Silver Creek, searching the
Ft. Mohave in 1862. As some of the soldiers were experienced hills to the southwest, located a number of veins. There, the
gold miners from California, they prospected the surrounding' Leland and the Vivian were located prior to the year 1891, the
country when not on military duty. Some of these soldier-pros- Pioneer about 1896.
pectors. probably discovered the Hardy vein and established the A discovery which led to a more thorough prospecting and
settlement on Silver Creek. Fragments of old stone walls' are still development of the region was the finding of fre: gold in th.e out-
standing as a monument to these pioneers. crop of what was later termed the Gold Road vem. Accordmg to
About 1863, John Moss located the Moss vein. Some reports Schrader G, the locations were made by Joe Jeneres in 19~2.
state that he was led to this deposit by friendly Indians who J eneres was grubstaked by Henry Lavin of Kingman. The dIS-
showed him specimens of quartz which contained free gold. The covery was said to have been accidental.. A sample taken from
outcrop of this vein is said to have contained considerable free the outcrop is said to have carried forty ounces in gold pel' ton.
gold, particularly at one place. About this time, the Mossback The announcement of this discovery led to an influx of prospectors
vein about two miles to the east was located. Considering the and many claims were located.
prominence of some of the veins as features of the landscape, The Tom Reed vein was located about 1900 and changed hands
particularly the silicified portions of the Tom Reed and Gold Road a number of times before the present company took over the
veins, it is surprising that ore shoots in them were not discov- holdings in 1908. In 1901, the Gold Road Company put down
ered earlier.
5 Op. cit. p.3. GOp. cit. p. 154.
14 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
15
two shafts to a depth of 100 feet and discovered some ore in each
shaft. value of the ore decreased or production dropped off ; t '
At the time of Schrader's examination of the district, in 1906 wane d,an d a peno ' d of stagnation set in Many of th ' .n e1 est
and 1907, a numbet of companies were operating; some were t , f 'I . e new ven-
UI es aI ed to find ore and, unable to raise additional capital t
producing gold, others were developing their holdings. carryon, the claims were often abandoned. The cycle is the~
Additional claims were located from time to time after the comp~ete, and may be repeated over and over again as new dis-
earlier discoveries among them the Grey Eagle and Bald Eagle, covenes are made.
in 1904, that wer~ destined to play an important part in a law- Foll?w,ing ~he discovery of the United Eastern ore body in
suit at a later date. These claims are to the southeast of the· 1,915, ,It IS SaId that fully 200 properties were operating at one
Ben Harrison shaft of the Tom Reed Company, and are now a tIme m the Oa~man District. ?uring 1916, eighty different
part of the holdings of that company, shafts were bemg sunk at varIOUS properties. Of this large
In March, 1913, McIver and Long obtained an option on ground number" only a few encountered new ore bodies, usually near the
which later formed the main holdings of the United Eastern, surface m the zone of enrichment where higher values could b
According to some statements the U. E, vein was first recog- expected. Such enriched ores seldom continued in depth mol':
nized in the Tom Reed Mine. Miners, working in the Tom Reed than a few hundred feet below the point of discovery.
Mine noticed that the vein split into two branches, the main The ore at the United Eastern was first encountered at a
fract~re continuing its trend to the northwest, while the ilplit, dep,th of 3~0 feet below the surface. This discovery led to the
which also contained some vein filling, had a more nearly north- belIef that It was necessary to attain this depth before ore could
south trend, Development work continued on the main or north- be e~pected. The number of shafts eventually sunk to depths
west branch, but, at the time, the branch was not developed., In rangmg from 300 to 600 feet thoroughly exploded this fallacy.
1915 the United Eastern Gold Mining Company was orgamzed, , A ,record of the production from the Oatman and Katherine
and the shaft started by McIver and Long was continued by the dIStncts has, been cOl?piled by Mr. J. B. Tenney of the Arizona
company. By the end of 1916, a considerable tonnage of ore with Bureau of ~mes and IS given in Table II. As shown in this table
a value of about $22 per ton had been blocked out, and a 200-ton the productI?n from ,the various mines prior to 1907 is more 01:
mill was completed. les~ uncert~m, an? IS ba~ed on such records as are available.
The next important discovery was the finding of ore on the Th~s table I~ also mterestmg because it shows the years during
Big Jim claim to the east of the Tom Reed vein. This claim was ,,:hlCf the dIfferent large mines were the main producers of the
later (1917) acquired by the United Eastern Company, and led to dIStrIct.
litigation with the Tom Reed Company. . Production prior to 1908 is given as $2,500,000. This figure
In 1917 the Telluride vein was discovered, and, although the> IS prob~blY low, as $2,,250,000 is credited by Tenney to the Gold
ore body ~as relatively small, it was rather rich. This discovery R~ad,Mm~ for the penod of 1904 to 1907 inclusive; and the Moss
was the latest important one made in the Oatman District ~l­ vem IS, saId t,o have produced $250,000 from the original discov-
though some rich ore was found in a winze at the Sunnyside vent ery. The eS~Imate does not cover the production from the Hardy
below the 500-foot level in 1927. The ore shoot was compara- and oth~r mmes along Silver Creek; nor does it include the early
tively small and soon play~d out in depth. , productIOn f.r0m the Katherine District or the various properties
Both the Oatman and Katherine districts, like so many of the around and mcluding the Vivian.
bonanza gold districts of the west, have had a checkered his- Table II s~ows that the main period of production from the
tory. The spectacular character of sO,me of the rich ore ~nd t~e Gold Road Iy.Ime was from 1904 to 1915, inclusive. This mine was
possibility of fortunes being made qUIckly appeal to the Imagm- shut down In 1918, reopened in 1922, and again closed in 1924.
ative mind. Each new discovery led to a period of excitement The Tom Reed Company produced from 1908 to 1921, and from
during which many new claims were located, or old ones re- 1922 to May, 1924, g?ld production was entirely by lessees
located; additional capital was brought in to try! out new v~n­ whose ore was treated m the Tom Reed mill. Production by the
tures' activity increased by leaps and bounds and prosperIty company, beg,an agai~ from the Black Eagle shaft in 1927. The
reign~d; but, in time, the excitement slowly subsided. As the total productIOn credIted to this company includes also in the
later years, a small production from outlying propertie;.. Pro-
 TABLE n.-GOLD AND SILVER PRODUCTION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT, ARIZONA
COMPILED BY J. B. TENNEY
f-'

TOM REED MINE UNITED EASTERN GOLD ROAD TOTAL PRODUCTION a '"
Year --- --_. --
Tons Bullion Tons Bullion Tons Bullion Total Tonsl Total Gold Total Silver Tota~ Value

1897
Ore Value Ore ValueI Ore
1904 to
I Value
1$ 2,250,000
Ore Treated in dollars in ounces in dollars

to
I 1907 inc!. $2,522,000
~907 \
I
1908 739,400 72,757 266,254 6,522 269.711
1909 $1,037,911 I 18,106 300,036 7,118 303,737
.~
1910 676,600 89,284 1,103,221 26,254 1,117,398
1911 43,924 835,048 665,783 110,699 1,458,639 33,831, 1,476,571 ~
1,154,559
a
, 1912 55,663 109,070 676,515 1
174,319 1,794,847 41,456 1,820,342 ~.

1913 48,111 1,141,907 103,629 843,991 159,948 1,818,522 ~

1914 46,995 ~002,407 107,846 651,761 160,469 1,846,398 b:l

C:j
1915 29,916 661,871 Discovered 96,273 132,579 1,499,033 ~
1916 46,170 486.678 Developed 95,245 892,681 23,812 908,349 tl:J
~
1917 81,884 620,179 ' 84,548 $1,827,670 167,258 2"nO,270 57,353 2,357,529 c:::i
1918 88,525 794,383 92,339 2,072,359 Mine closed 182,824 2,772,991 70,432 2,843,423
2,636,650
'~
1919 89,537 679,986 97,325 1,970,509 184,490 2,556,197 71,833
1920 93,970 705,657 102,926 2,233,81£ 197,629 2,830,731 92,806 2,9:51,890 ~
1921 69,832b 377,992 97,413 1,910,054 Mine 179,013 2,388,050 ~
2,138,546 tl:J
1922 43,072 463,118 117,687 1,643,909 reopened 169,240 V:J
1923 42,81<1 538,366 104,800 2,085,075 31,109 186,686 2,796,830 68,551 2,853,042
1924 14,586 181,936 Closed June 1,000,000 Closed.Oct. 96,788 1,617,196 39,097 1,643,391
1925 35,448 494,829 Dump ore 60,000:1: 46,638 568,131
1926 21,261 283,595 treated 89,391 647,172
1927 17,259 161,461 102,979 530,866
1928 7,672 118,275 43,300 296,926

Total 876,639 :jill,740,158 697,038 $14,726,895 447,927 $ 6,504,050 2,659,642 $35,417,926

<+~~
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 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 19
18 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

PHYSIOGRAPHY
In both the Oatman and Katherine districts, aU the veins so
far located occur on the west slope of the Black Mountains or in
the lower country to the west, between the range and the Colo-
rado River. The mineral-bearing area may be subdivided on the
basis of topographic relief into three belts or units with a north-
south trend. These are, 1st, the rugged uplands, 2nd, the foot-
hill belt, and, 3rd, the detrital slopes.

Fig. 4.-Topographic relief in the foot-hill belt to the west of Oatman.

tween the massive flows are softer tufaceous members that in

places weather to form more gentle slopes. At several places,
the continuity of these nearly vertical cliffs is interrupted by
faults. Side canyons, although of a steep gradient, make the
higher region accessible. Cottonwood Creek, which heads in this
portion of the range, in its upper reaches,. has formed a canyon
of wild scenic beauty. This rugged type of topography continues
Fig. B.-Topography of the higher slopes of the Black Mountains to the in the higher portions of the range northward for many miles,
east of Oatman, Arizona. even beyond Union Pass.
Foothill Belt: In places, the rugged topography of the moun-
Rugged Uplands: At Sitgreaves Pass, where the main high- tains proper merges imperceptiblYI into the foothill belt; in oth-
way between Oatman and Kingman crosses the mountains, the er places, the change is more abrupt. Flanking the range on the
elevation is nearly 3,600 feet above sea level. South of this pass, west side, a region of lower elevations and gentler sropes forms
the mountains, as viewed from a distance, present a mesa-like the foothill belt. It~ width is quite variable, ranging from two
appearance due to what appears to be nearly flat lava flows. In miles to six miles. The relief consists of a more mature topog-
reality, these flows are deeply dissected by streams which flow to raphy intricately dissected by stream erosion. 'Dhe hills rarely
the east or south. Antelope Creek, within a mile of its head at rise more than a few, hundred feet above the stream bed. The
the crest of the range, just east of the town of Oatman, has cut hill tops are well rounded and the slopes are usually gentle. Here
a canyon into these lavas, which is nearly a thousand feet deep. and there, however, particularly in areas in which the Esperanza
Basalt flows are present less than two miles south of Antelope trachyte is exposed, a more rugged topography exists. This con-
Canyon and there the mesa-like relief is even more apparent. The dition is particularly notable in areas around the Boundary
drainage is to the south through Warm Springs Canyon, This Cone.
particular part of the range is frequently referred to as the Ute Intrusive plugs of rhyolite form prominent features of the
Mountains.
landscape. Two such plugs occur in the Oatman District. They
North.of Sitgreaves Pass, the topography is much more rug- are somewhat lighter in color than the lavas which they invade,
ged. In this area, Nutt Mountain, with an elevation of 5,065 and Boundary Cone, in the southwestern part of the district, is
feet above sea level, forms the highest point in the Black Moun- the most prominent. This conspicuous feature of; the landscape
tains. Surrounding Nutt Mountain on all sides, the relief forms is visible for long distances, .especially from the west. T'his
a terraced topography of cliff and slope. In some places, the plug rises 1,400 feet above Esperanza Gulch in a horizontal dis-
more massive flows form cliffs, from 300 to 500 feet high. Be-
20 ARIZONA BUREAU OF NUNES

tance of somewhat less than a half mile. The Elephant's Tooth,

east of the town of Oatman, another plug of rhyolite porphyry,
is the erosional remnant of a dike with a local increase in width.
Intrusive porphyry forms a rugged area to the northwest of
Oatman. The highest point, Mt. Hardy, attains an elevation of
3,231 feet above sea level and a thousand feet above Silver Creek,
immediately to the north. The rock is traversed by a large num-
ber of joint planes along which erosion has cut numerous rugged
crags.
In the southeastern part of the Katherine District is Thumb
Butte, a prominent feature of that region. The rock from which
this butte is carved is a thoroughly consolidated volcanic ag-
glomerate. Erosion has cut the upper part of this agglomerate
into a series of sharp pinnacles and crags.

Fig. 5.-The detrital slopes to the west of the Katherine Mine.

Detrital Slopes: Recent gravels and sands form long detrital

slopes which extend from the foothill belt westward to the Colo-
rado River. The general uniformity of this slope is its most
striking feature. In its upper reaches, the surface slopes at the
rate of 200 feet to the mile, but, nearer to the banks of the river,
the slope has decreased to somewhat less t'han 100 feet to the_
mile.. Long, dry washes, broad and shallow, drain the region.
These washes rarely carry water except after heavy storms, but,
the streams carry large quantities of sand, gravel,' and even
large boulders when in flood. At present, the streams have cut
their beds to depths which rarely exceed 50 feet below the old
surface.
The down-cutting of the streams has developed a series of ter-
races. Particularly good examples occur on Silver Creek near the
 ~ ...... C1Cl c:-t- t:d ~ O" ..... ·~O .....,..(0 M- 1\0
ll:> ::.1 '=' 0" _ ~ro. ~ ~_ M I7.l ll:> ll:> o

PLATe II

nay 1931.

36
~
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TeEN
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Rhyolite

lf
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wilh dip (ha,,;fe Rhyolite urav"ll'<
Trdchyle FJoo-Y.sAlu!t""-' O,lf,-" .5""r-<!

\ \-;-
1\ )c-
Plate l1.-Geologic Map of the Katherine District,
t:<l
.....
22 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 23
Oatman Amalgamated Mine. Only a few isolated remnants re-
main, and the shifting· of Silver Creek from side to side has cut There is a small exposure of these older rocks near the Mur-
deeply into the few remaining remnants. ock shaft, in the southwestern part of the Oatman District.
his brownish, somewhat schistose rock may be a partly recrys-
allized sediment. It is rather fine-grained in texture with abun-
GENERAL GEOLOGY dant mica flakes on parting planes. In this vicinity, also, is an
PRE-CAMBRIAN FORMATIONS ~xposure of fine-grained diorite. The rock is somewhat altered,
but appears to consist essentially of feldspar and a ferromagne-
The underlying rocK on which the Tertiary lavas rest is ex- sian mineral, perhaps hornblende, together with a small amount
posed in several small areas in the western part of the Oatman of accessory magnetite.
District. Deep diamond drilling at the United Eastern Mine
shows that the andesites at that mine rest directly on the The older rocks occur a short distance to the west of :B'ortuna
highly sheared granite. A small exposure of sheared granite Hill, in the western part of the Oatman District, where a small ex-
present on the east side of the range opposite Oatman, only a posure of biotite gneiss is cut by granite. The granite is uni-
short distance south of the highway. form in texture, the large feldspars rarely exceeding two-tenths
of an inch in length. The minerals are potash feldspars, both
Granite is the prevailing type of rock in the Katherine icrocline and orthoclase, some acid plagioclase,and quartz.
trict. A prominent ridge, which extends eastward to the base of erromagnesian minerals are rare, but the form of some iron-
the range, just south of the Katherine Mine, is composed of tained patches suggests derivation from biotite. A little mag-
granite with local, small patches of lavas. About a mile south netite may also be seen in the hand specimen. The rock is
of Union Pass, a belt of this granite crosses the crest of the range cream-colored on fresh fracture and weathers pale brownish. It
and extends eastward an unknown distance. Shafts sunk through is somewhat altered and seamed with veinlets of caIcite, and the
the surface gravel at various properties near the Katherine Mine feldspars are kaolinized. In texture and mineral composition,
have penetrated the granite in depth. The intervening country this granite closely resembles the rock cut in deep diamond drill-
on the west side of the Black Mountains, between the Oatman ing at the United Eastern Mine, but the granite from the mine
and Katherine districts, also contains isolated exposures of the contains a small amount of chlorite.
older rocks.
The prevailing rock in the Katherine District is a coarse-grain-
Although the formation as a whole is essentially granitic, in ed granite. On a weathered surface, it is brownish due to the de.
reality it is a complex of various old rocks, such as schist and composition of the ferromagnesian constituents. Surface ex-
gneisses, highly sheared and altered. At least two different posuresare highly altered and crumbly. Even in the deep~r
granitic intrusions occur in these districts with marked differ- workings ofjthemines, it is practically impossible to obtain speCl-
ences in mineral composition and texture. Both, however, are mens that do not show intense alteration. Specimens from the
younger than and intrude the schist-gneiss complex. ine workings have a greenish-gray color due to abundant chlo-
There is no positive proof in either the Oatman or Katherine ite. Intense shearing has crushed the large crystals of both
districts that this complex is pre-Cambrian in age, but its highly quartz and feldspar, and has produced a gneissic structure. . The
sheared and altered condition suggests that it belongs in the old- rock is rather coarse-grained and somewhat porphyritic in tex-
er divisions of geologic history. Not far to the north-east- ture, with large phenocrysts of microcline rather common. 'These
ward, in the lower slopes of the Grand Wash Cliffs, are exten- phenocrysts are rounded in outline and measure up to two inches
sive exposures of a coarse-grained, highly sheared granite, re- in diameter. The matrix of the rock in which the large pheno-
markably similar in appearance to the granite in the Katherine crysts are set consists of) quartz and feldspar grains rar.ely le~s
District, which is overlain unconformably by Paleozoic sedimen- than one-quarter inch and frequently over one-half mch m
tary rocks the oldest member of which is a sandstone of Middle diameter. The quartz is of an opalescent, bluish color and trans-
Cambrian age. The older rocks in both the Oatman and Kath- lucent rather than transparent. The feldspars are nearly all
erine districts are therefore assigned to the pre-Cambrian divi- more or less kaolinized. Between the quartz and feldspar grains
sion of geologic time. is abundant chlorite to which most of the dark color of the rock is
due. Associated with this chlorite are grains of pyrite, and it
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 25

24 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

The order of crystallization of the constituents of this rock
appear to be zircon, apatite, hornblende, magnetite, pyrite, plagi-
is possible that the solutions that ~eposited the ~yrite also oclase, Ol:thoclase, microcline, and quartz.
changed the original ferrogamnesian mmerals to chlorIte. The texture may be described as allotriomorphic with a ten-
An examination of thin sections of the freshest granite avail~ dency towards idiomorphism for the grains of plagioclase feld-
able shows the rock to consist essentially of anhedral grains of spar.
feldspar and quartz together with aggregates, irregular in out- The rock may be described as a hornblende-microcline granite.
line, of small hornblenqe grains. Both feldspar and quartz s,how A striking feature of the rock is the entire absence of micaceous
wavy extinction, which suggests that the rock has been subJect- minerals such as biotite or muscovite.
ed to considerable pressure. This suggestion is further borne out Dikes of pegmatite and pegmatitic quartz are quite common in
by the study of quartz grains. Rounded outlines. o~ quartz g~'ains the granite of the Katherine District. They do not present any
which appear in ordinary light to have been, orIgmally, a smgle features of special interest.
grain are found, when examined in polarized light, to comprise Near the road leading west from Union Pass is a small ex-
an aggregate of smaller grains. Such quartz grains are always posure of rock which is weathering to an olive drab soil. Decom-
traversed by numerous trains of dusty inclusions. The .most position is so far advanced that it is impossible to get a speci-
abundant feldspar in the slides is orthoclase, usually as twmned en for accurate determination. It appears to have been diorite
crystals. Some decomposition product occurs along cleavage or gabbro. Certain dark dikes cutting the granite are hornblende
cracks as small scales, perhaps sericite. Although most of the diorite porphyry and may be related to this diorite or gabbro in-
microcline is present as large phenocrysts, ~s mentioned in a trusion.
preceding paragraph, a subordinate amount is present as sn;aller
grains. It shows the usual tWinning according to the Perlcline MURDOCK BRECCIA
law, and is remarkably free from decomposition. Crystals of Near the Murdock Mine, in the southwestern part of the Oat-
acid plagioclase, either with subhedral outlines or in well-de- an District, is a detrital deposit which is here named the Mur-
fined crystals, are quite common in the rock. The effect 0 ock breccia. It consists very largely of granitic detritus togeth-
polysynthetic twinning, very fine, narrow striations on cleavage . with angular fragments and boulders of granite, gneiss, SChist,
faces is a characteristic feature. By optical means, this mineral ein quartz, and some dark-,rocks, perhaps diorite. The matrix in
was found to be albite. Aggregates of small scales of a micace~ hich these more resistant rocks are set is composed of angular
ous mineral (sericite or paragonite) occur in the feldspar. A rains of quartz and feldspar derived from the disintegration of
a rule the albite shows more decomposition than any of the oth posures of granite. More or less red mud occurring in the
er feldspars. Frequently only small areas of a grain remain ~re atrix was probably formed from the decomposition of the feld-
from alteration. Hornblende is present as an aggregate of grams, aI'.
roundedlor irregular in outline. The hornblende is of the green-
ish variety, strongly pleochroic, with the character~stic cleavage. The material at this locality shows little or no sorting, and a
It shows some alteration to fibrous shreds of chlorIte. ixture of large and small boulders is a common characteristic.
om a distance, however, a rude stratification is discernible
Among the accessory minerals are magnetite, pyrite, apatite, d the deposit near the Murdock Mine appears to dip to the west
and zircon. The magnetite occurs as veinlets traversing the about 25°.
hornblende or moulded around grains of this mineral, indicating About two miles west of the Leland' Mine are extensive ex-
that its period of formation was slightly later than that of the ()sures of this formation. The material of which it is composed
hornblende. Associated with magnetite are occasional grains of very much the same as that near the Murdock Mine, but the
pyrite. Apatite occurs as rather large; stout crystals, usually en~ lor, particularly in the upper portions of the deposit, is green-
closed in the magnetite or the hornblende. Smaller crystals of h rather than brown. A closer examination shows more dis-
this same mineral, as slender needles, may be observe~ in bot net bedding. The greenish portion appears to consist partly
feldspar and quartz. Well crystallized individuals of ZIrcon are volcanic ash, and may represent material derived from the first
also common but no titanite was found. Very small needles of a of volcanic activity.
yellowish br~wn mineral in the feldspars may be rutile, but i
was not positively identified.
26 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DlSTRICTS 27

No substance of this nature was observed anywhere in th

Katherine District. Although it may have been presentbeneatl e basic end of the series and rhyolites at the acid end. Between
the lavas at one time, it has probably, like the lavas, been re' he extremes are various intermediate types.
moved long ago by erosion. 'rhe lowest member of the series was described by Schrader as
he "basal andesite" or the "older andesite."7 Above, is an ande-
The absence of sorting, the angularity of the boulders an ·tic flow to which Schrader gave the name "green chloritic ande-
smaller grains, and the freshness of some of the feldspar sugges ite," and still higher in the series is his "undifferentiated vol-
the materials of which this formation is made up V1;~retrans anic rocks."s Ransome, however, mapped the district in detail
ported by streams, torrential in character. It is possible tha. nd separated the various members of the volcanic series; and to
arid or semi-arid climatic conditions prevailed at the time 0 ese members he gave formational names. His terminology,
decomposition. ased on more detailed studies, gives a more accurate classifi-
The age of this breccia is uncertain. No Paleozoic or Mesoz6 tion of the rocks of this interesting series.
sedimentary rocks occur in the region. The nearest exposur In the western part of the Oatman District, the basal member
of Paleozoic rocks, which are of marine origin, is approximate this volcanic series rests on the pre-Cambrian rocks or on the
sixty miles to the northeast in the Grand Wash Cliffs. It is po urdock breccia. In the southeastern part of the Katherine Dis-
sible that these sediments covered this region at one time. T ict, a flow of trachyte, correlated with the Alcyone, rest in
upper Cretaceous sediments of eastern Arizona with their co laces on the Katherine granite. At other places in this district
tained coal bed indicates a humid climate. If, therefore, he flow is underlain by a bluish-gray tuff, which in turn rests on
assumption is correct that the Murdock breccia was formed he granite. Exposures fail to indicate the topographic relief at
del' semi-arid conditions. and cannot be correlated with any () he time volcanic activity began. It appears to have been some-
the formations already mentioned, it was, most probably, d hat hilly with some of the depression filled or partly filled with
posited at some time during the Tertiary, perhaps early Ted e detritus that forms the Murdock breccia.
ary. A search of the various tuffs intercalated in the flows failed to
ield fossils. In many parts of the Great Basin Province, from
orthern Nevad~ southward to the Mexican boundary, volcanic
cks are commonly found. At some places, the occurrence of
ossils' in associated tuffs shows the volcanic rock to belong to
he Tertiary period, and the various flows and associated rocks
t Oatmaan are also believed to be T'ertiary' in age.
The volcanic rocks dip to the eastward at a low angle; the
Idest members, therefore, occur to the west and form irregular
elts with, roughly, a north-south trend. To the eastward and
rming the crest of the range, are the younger members of the
ries.
Alcyone Trachyte: The basal member in the Oatman District
as been named by Ransome fhe Alcyone trachyte. 9 In general
he color of the Alcyone trachyte, when viewed from a distance,
Fig. 6.-General view of the town of Oatman from the south. The white
in the lower central part is the tailing pile of the Tom Reed mill. a delicate lavender tint; occasional areas are pale greenish
ray. Some flows are reddish, perhaps due to the oxidation of
TERTIARY LAVAS he ferromaganisan silicates, while others, more basic in com-
In the Black Mountains of western Mohave County is an osition, are of a rather dark gray. Interbedded with the flows
sive series of volcanic flows, agglomerates, and tuffs which sho
considerable variety, in composition and texture. These flow 7 Op. cit. p. 34
and associated tuffs are of such diverse types as olivine basalt a SOp. cit. p. 37
9 Op. cit. p. 17.
 ----------
28 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DlSTRICTS 29

are beds of ash and volcanic agglomerate. The differences in Ransome 1o gives the chemical analysis of a specimen of the
color give a banded appearance to the formation in some places, Alcyone trachyte, as follows:
The Alcyone trachyte is composed of rather thick, massive CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ALCYONE TRACHYTE
flows, but in places they! show a platy structure. In a hand R. C. WELLS, Analyst.
specimen, the rock invariably shows an abundance of stubby 8:0, : .__._.__._ _ 65.26
feldspar crystals and, occasionally, ferromagnesian constituents A1 2 0, ._ _._._ _._ _ _ 16.39
Fe,O, _._ __..__ _ _ _.._.._..... 1.98
in a dense groundmass. Some of fhe flows are really flow brec- FeO _._ _ _ _.._ _..__._._._._.... 1.21
cias formed by the breaking up and inclusion within the Mg<O .. _._ _ _ _ _ .83
CaO .._._ _._ _ _ _._ _._. 2.16
moving magma of the thin solidified crust. This type is par~ N a,O ._ _ " ,.._ _... 4.23
ticularly well exposed to the south of the Boundary Cone rhyo_ K,O ..._ _ _...................................... 6.30
litic plug. H 2 0 above lloac ._ _ _._._ _. .34
H20 below Hoac _ _ _._ -._ .47
The maximum thickness of the Alcyone trachyte was estimat Ti0 2 _•••••••• _.. .55
ed at about 2,000 feet for exposures in the vicinity of Fortun P20. . _....... .14
MnO _................................... .05
Hill, to the west of the Leland Mine. The flows are little disturb~ CO, .14
ed by faulting, and the estimate is believed to be close to the ac"
tual thickness. The thickness varies from place to place, prob- 100.05
ably due to erosion. At the United Eastern Mine, as shown b As shown by the small amount of water and carbon dioxide,
diamond drilling, the andesites rest directly on the old granite. this analysis was of an unusually fresh specimen of the trachyte.
When examined in thin sections, the Alcyone trachyte sho The lime is so;mewhat higher than is common in typical trachytes
some variation in mineral composition. The phenocrysts of felc and results from the abundance of plagioclase found in the
spar are commonly orthoclase, but in the more basic membed slides. This feature was recognized by Ransome.
the phenocrysts are andesine. Smaller plagioclase crystals are The framental members, in part, show sorting and distinct
always of a more acid variety of andesine than the phenocrysts, stratification, but larger fragments of rock are to be seen here
The groundmass contains an abundance of small feldspar laths, and there mixed with the finer debris. A microscopic examina-
which, in specimens not too intensely altered, were determined as tion shows aD abundance of glass shards together with angular
orthoclase. The ferromaganesian constituents also vary in the fragments of the minerals commonly found in these rocks.
different flows; the more acid members show biotite, somewhat Exposures of stratified sands, grayish in color, with a thick-
aLtered, and outlines of what appears to have been hornblende. ness of sixty feet, are present less t'han a quarter mile due south
The basic flows contain augite and occasional remnants of horn- of the White Chief Mine. Part of this 'material is coarser in tex-
blende. Magnetite grains and apatite needles occur as accessory ture and is composed of angular fragments of the :Alcyone
minerals. The groundmass is glass crowded with minute crystals trachyte, which may be the products of explosions.
of feldspar and dusted with grains of magnetite. The texture is In the narrow valley south of the Vivian Mine is an exposme
vitrophyric with well-defined flow lines. of detritus; derived by weathering from Alcyone trachyte and
transported by stream. The bedding, in places quite distinct,
The larger orthoclase crystals are commonly altered along dips to the east ail 17 a to where it is overlain by the Oatman
cracks to a white, opaque substance, perhaps kaolin. The plagio- andesite. At this place, the measured thickness is 310 feet.
clase shows more intense decomposition than the potash feld- In a saddle immediately east of the Boundary Cone, the Al-
spar and consists of aggregates of small scales of sericite some cyone trachyte has a: brownish color, and is overlain by the
calcite, secondary quartz, and, less commonly, a little epidote. tufaceotis member at the base of the Esperanz?- trachyte. No
Of the ferromaganesian constituents, the augite shows the least sedimentary material occurs at this point.
alteration.. The hornblende is usually entirely replaced by cal- It appears, therefore, that the Alcyone trachyte was subjected
cite, serpentine, bastite, and secondary quartz. These minerals to some erosion before the tuffs and flows of the Esperanza
are frequently surrounded by a rim of magnetite and' hematite trachyte were formed. How extensive this erosion was is not
which outlines the original crystal. The groundmass is clouded
with kaolinitic dust. 10 Op. cit.p~ 17.
 THE OAT1VIAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 31
30 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
The glass shards may have been decomposed by hot vapor or so-
known, nor is it definitely known that actual disturbances took lution, for locally a microscopic thin section contains an abun-
place after the volcanic activity that gave rise to the Alcyone dance of calcite, some small veinlets of quartz, and a sprinkling
trachyte. of iron oxide.
Esperanza Trachyte: Exposures of this formation are confined The Esperanza trachyte is a rock which varies in color from
to the southwestern part of the Oatman District, and rocks of a purplish brown to bluish gray and contains small crystals of
similar character were not observed anywhere in the Katherine feldspar, rarely exceeding one-tenth of an inch in length.
District. The limited distribution may be due to the original Abundant flakes of biotite, or black mica, are common in a dense
small areas covered at the time the flows were erupted rather groundmass.
than to erosion following their solidification. Where the Oatman When examined in .thin sections under a microscope, the
andesite may be seen resting on these trachytes, a small thick- phenocrysts of feldspar were found to be mostly the clear variety
ness of ash beds is present, but 'no evidence of extensive erosion. of orthoclase, sanidine, with an occasional grain of acid plagio-
East of the areas of Esperanza trachyte s'hown on the map of the clase. The biotite is present as long flakes rather than as the
district, the rock is known to extend beneath the andesite to the more common hexagonal plates. The groundmass, whic'h con-
Sunnyside Mine where it forms one wall of the Sunnyside fault tains very little glass, is closely crowded with long, slender,
on the 500-foot level. twinned crystals of feldsPar together with minute grains of
The maximum thickness in the block to the northeast of Iowa magnetite. It shows a trachytic texture with the flow lines in
Canyon, based partly on measurement and partly on estimate, is the lava indicated by the more or lessi parallel arrangement of
between 800 and 1,000 feet. This block, apparently is 'not cut by the small feldspar laths.
transverse faults. It is uncertain whether this section contains No analysis is available of this type of rock. The mineral
more than one flow. In hand specimens, the rock is everywhere composition, however, indicates that the flows of the Esperanza
remarkably uniform in texture and mineral composition, but a trachyte are, perhaps, more nearly true trachyte than those of
banded structure which is evident in cliff sections, may mark the Alcyone. The tuffs at the base of the flows contain consider-
the divisional planes between flows; if it does, there are at least able calcite, however. It is possible that this calcite is from an
three flows and one bed of volcanic agglomerate. An interest- extraneous source, and should, therefore, not be considered in
ing feature of this rock is the manner in which it weathers into estimating the probable. composition of the rock. If, however, it
thin slabs, usually somewhat curved. It is not uncommon to was actually derived from the decomposition of the glass then
find such slabs up to twelVe inches or more in length and nearly the rock must approach a latitic trachyte in composition rath-
as broad, but only a half inch in thickness. As the rock er than a true trachyte.
quite dense, such slabs give out a metallic ring when struck with Oatman Andesite: The Oatman andesite is the most im-
a hammer. This has frequently led prospectors erroneously to portant of the various groups of flows from an economic stand-
refer to this rock as a phonolite. point, for it is in this formation that most of the ore in the Oat-
The base of the Esperanza, trachyte near the Boundary Cone man District has been found. It forms a continuous belt from
is a fifteen-foot bed of well stratified, cream colored ash. No the southern limits of the area mapped northward to the Oat-
fragments of foreign rocks occur in this tuff, but some layers man Amalgamated Mine, and exposures of the andesite were
are largely .made up of angular fragments of pumice, somewhat again observed at the Mossback Mine. No rocks of this kind
lighter in color than the remainder of the ash. Just south of occur in the Katherine District. The belt attains its greatest
the White Chief Mine, the tuff is between fifteen and twenty feet width just west of the town of Oatman where the greater width,
thick and has a pinkish color with a mottled appearance due to along this east-west line, is due in part to duplication in the sec-
the presence of fragments of white pumice. Here the tuff rests tion by faulting, but it is 'here also that the Oatman andesite at-
on the sandy beds that form the top of the Alcyone trachyte at tains its greatest thickness. As shown by diamond drill holes,
this locality. the thickness must be around 2,000 feet, perhaps even 2,200 feet.
When examined in thin sections, the tuffs are found to consist There is a, thinning to the southwest, for, near the Highland
largely of glass shards, angular grains of clear feldspar (sani- Chief Mine, the andesite is not over 600 feet thick. North of the
dine), and an occasional grain of plagioclase. Biotite is surpris- Mossback Mine, the andesite is also rather thin.
ingly scarce in the tuff, considering its abundance in the flows.
32 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 33
Surface exposures of this rock weather to disintegrated grains
or fragments o.f an olive drab to brownish color. Exposures of ?idal. The amygdules are commonly composed of calcite which
harder rock are usually dull green or greenish gray while fresh IS usua.II! surround~d by a rim of chalcedony. Some of the small-
rock is of a, dark gray to black color. As much of the Oatman er c~vItIes are entIrely filled with chalcedony. The vesicular
'andesite is altered at the surface, it is frequently difficult in pOl'tIons of the flows are more altered than the main body of
places to distinguish the andesite from certain more basic phases the rock.
of the Alcyone trachyte. It is particularly difficult to do so TIE'ar A.mi<;rosc?pic examination of these andesites shows little di-
the eastern margin of the Times porphyry. versIty m mmeral composition. In many thin sections, the min-
Where the Gold Road latite has been altered by mineralizing erals are too alt.ered for accurate determination. The larger
solutions, as near the Gold Ore Mine, or near the Big Jim, it crystals .of pl.agIOclase vary in composition from andesine to
closely resembles the Oatman andesite; but the latite always labradorIte wIth the central portion of the crystal more basic
contains abundant flakes of brown biotite, and remains of this than the margins. Much of the feldspar is altered to calcite and
mineral, even though much altered, can nearly always be found. seco~dary quartz. Th~ ~erromagnesian minerals are pyroxene
This is a useful criterion in distinguishing the Gold Road latite (augIte) a.nd brown b.IOtIte, both of which are largely altered
from the Oatman andesite. to serpe.ntme or ~hlorIte. Na hornblende was noted in any of
Near the hl3ad of Iowa Canyon, the andesite may be seen resting the sectIOns. Grams?f magnetite and slender prisms of apatite
on the Esperanza trachyte with only a few fe~t of reddish ash occur as accessary mmerals. The groundmass is rather dense
beds between the two. Northwest of the Pioneer Mine are well- and is cl.ose.ly packed with microlites of feldspar some of which
bedded layers of sandstone and shale which appear to be made up show twmnmg and h~ve ~ low index of refraction. It is possible
largely of material derived from the weathering of volcanic that some of these mIcrolItes are orthoclase which would account
rocks. Some thin layers of dark limestone, rarely more than a for the rather high potash content found by analysis in some of
few inches thick, occur in the shaly portions. No fossils were these rocks.
found in these limestones which are probably of fresh water The porphyritic texture is quite pronounced but there is con-
origin. siderable variation in the proportion of phen~crysts to ground-
Although the flows which make up the Oatman andesite are mas~. In some. specimens, the large crystals are embayed, sug-
quite uniform in texture and color, some portions show an un- gestmg resorptIOn by the magma, but most of them still show
usual development of large, porphyritic feldspar crystals. It is welt-developed crystal boundaries. This is true also for some of
possible that this rock may occur as an intrusive sill. Ordinarily, the pyroxene crystals, but occasionally the augite occurs as a
the feldspar crystals visible on a fresh fracture are less than a cluster of irregular grains. In the groundmass of some speci-
quarter of an inch in length. With a hand lens, some pyroxene mens, the microlites of feldspar show a more or less parallel ar-
may be seen, but in none of the rocks examined was biotite found range:nent, indicating flow lines. Perhaps these varieties of the
in a hand specimen. The groundmass in which the crystals are andesIte are more acid in composition.
. set is quite dark in color and dense in texture. The analyses below are from Ransome'sl/ bulletin and from
The individual flows rarely have a thickness of over 100 feet. Schrader's1 2 report.
This fact is brought out in tile examination of diamond drill
cores. An amygdaloidal texture is well developed at the tops of ANALYSES OF OATMAN ANDESITE
the flows and perhaps, also, to some extent at their bases. The
vesicular portion at the tops of the flows not only has a greater 2 3 4
53.55 53.13 56.33
thickness than that at the bases, but in most flows is stained
reddish due to the oxidation of the iron. Some of the cavities
in such vesicular portions are lined with a thin film of greenish
chlorite, and, resting on the chlorite, is a thin film of scaly hem- 5.60 7.96 4.00
atite. When tb,e cavity is filled with introduced matter these 2.62 2.43 2.60
3.14 3.13 5.19
irregularly rounded lumps of mineral are referred to as amyg-
dules , and· the texture of the rock is then known as amygdal-
) 11 Op. cit. p. 23.
12 Op. cit. pp. 36-37.
 j

34 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 35

H 2 0 below 110°0 ... ._. .______ 0.38 These flows form the rugged cliffs to the east of Oatman and a
. H 20 above 110° 0 1.66
TiO. .. -.-- .___ 1.16 part of the surface rock of the mesa extending for some dis-
P..D. .. . ."_. ._.______ .41 tance to the east. To the south of Oatman, the latite is cov-
Mn02 .. . ._.. .__._____________ .07 ered by the basalts of Ute Mountain. These flows are exten-
CO•..... . .._._..__._.__..__. .__. 2.18
sively exposed north of the Gold Road fault, and extend an un-
TotaL.__.. .. ._ 99.85 known .dista~ce ~o the north. South of the area mapped in the
No.1 is given by Ransome as an analysis of the specimen from Kathe~me l?l~trIct are some flows belonging to this period of
the No.2 shaft of the United Eastern. R. C. Wells, Analyst. volcamc actIVIty. They are well exposed a short distance to the
west of Thumb Butte.
Nos. 2 to 4 are partiaI analyses from Schrader's report. No.
2 is from the west Gold Road Mine; No. 3 from the Pasadena The Gold Road latite shows some variations in thickness. What
Mine; and No.4, is from the lower east tunnel of the Leland appears to be the thickest section exposed occurs to the east of
Mine. E. C. Sullivan, Analyst. Oatma~. Here,. however, there is considerable faulting, and the
In these analyses, the alkali content is somewhat higher than true thwkness IS not known as the throw on the various faults
is to be expected in typical andesites. This is particularly true has not been determined. These flows dip to the east from 8 0
of the specimen from the Leland Mine. This rock is classed by to 12°. In the cliff section alone, the flows and associated tuffs
Schrader as latite, and correctly so, althoug'h he recognized it as have a combined thickness of over 1,000 feet. The minimum
forming a part of his "green chloritic andesite." The others thickness is estimated at 1,600 feet. Part of the variation in
should be classed as latitic andesites. thickness may be due to a rather limited distribution of individ-
Volcanic agglomerates are intercalated in the flows at various ual fl~ws at the time they were poured out. At Iowa Spring
places. Near the head of Iowa Canyon is an excellent exposure there IS not over 600 feet of latite in the cliff section. T:here has
of such material which consists of angular fragments of ande- been some erosion of the original surface, for the tuff at the
site, decidedly vesicular in texture and stained reddish due to base of the overlying, rhyolite may be seen occupying depres-
the oxidation of the iron compounds. Some material of this sions. An excellent example may be seen to the southeast of the
nature was also noted on Silver Creek, near. the Nigger Head. Sunnyside Mine, and similar, pre-rhyolite erosional features
Ransome 13 mentions the occurrence of tuffaceous sandstones occur near the head of Antelope Canyon. Some flows rather
to the southwest of the Argo Mine, and somewhat similar sand- distin~tiv:e in appearance, which are abundant in other ~arts of
stones were found on the 900-foot level at the BI:ack Eagle shaft the dIStrwt, do not occur here. As a rule, the flows are rather
where the tuffaceous member has a known thickness of 270 feet. massive, and many individual flows have a thickness measured
An interesting feature is the occurrence of angular fragments of in hundreds of feet.
rhyolite up to ten inches in length. This rhyolite contains visible The contact of the Oatman andesite and Gold Road latite is
crystals of quartz and feldspar in a groundmass showing pro- not always well exposed. A few feet of ash beds are usually all
nounced flow banding. No flows of this character older than the that separated these two types of rock. At Iowa Springs the
andesite are known in the Oatman District, although it is pos- base of the latite is a volcanic agglomerate about eighty' feet
sible that such a flow may be covered by some of the later rocks. thick that contains an abundance of large and small boulders set
The source of these fragments is, therefore, unknown. in a matrix of finely divided ash. Nowhere was any definitely
Gold Road Latite: Above the Oatman andesite is the Gold sedimentary material noted between the two formations. The
Road latite which is apart of Schader's "Undifferentiated Vol- andesite does not appear to have suffered much erosion, which
canic Rocks"14 to which Ransome 16 gave the formational name would suggest that perhaps the interval of time between the
Gold Road latite. The higher members of the series are rhyolites erupting of the andesites and latites was rather short.
which Ransome proposed to map separately for his final report. As a rule, the various flows are some shade of gray or brown
and the dull greenish color so characteristic of a weathered sur~
13 Op. cit. p. 22.
face of the underlying andesite is entirely absent. It is only
14 Op. cit. p. 37. where the latites have been intensely altered by mineralizing
15 Op. cit. p. 23. solutions that they cannot be distinguished from the andesites.
36 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 37

The basal member of the latite is well exposed in a small hill to time when the later trachytes were erupted. Again, they may
the south of the Texas shaft. It is. darker in color than most of be the result of alteration by mineral solutions as suggested by
the flows, being a dark gray with a lavender tint. Somewhat Schrader.
higher in the series the latite flmys are a light gray, and, towa~'d
the top of the cliff, the latite is brownish. Such flows are dIf- ANALYSES OF GOLD ROAD LATITE
ficult to distinguish from the rhyolites. No.1, R. C. WELLS, Analyst.
The latites always contain large, well-developed, tran~parent Nos. 2 and 3, E. C. SULLIVAN, Analyst.
crystals of feldspar. These phenocrysts are larger than IS com-
mon in either the andesite or the rhyolites. Many of these lar!Se 1 2 3
tabular crystals are rounded in outline. Sparkling fla~es of bI?- SiO,
Al,O,
.
.
62.96 58.74 66.46
15.36 15.09 14.14
tite are always present. Pyroxene may be seen WIth the aId Fe,03 . 2.57 4.66 4.07
of a hand lens, and a glassy variety of latite, near the top of the FeO . 2.09 .84 .40
mesa, contained visible crystals of hypersthene. The groundmass MgO . 2.50 2.75 .67
CaO . 4.26 2.68 .78
is always either stony or glassy. . . Na,O . 3.84 .25 1.26
Examined in thin section, these latites show only shgh~ ?Iffer- K,O . 3.96 8.05 9.26
ences in mineral composition. The larger phenocrysts vISIble to H,O below 110° C . .23 2.08 .78
H,O above 110°C . 1.37 3.0'9 1.28
the unaided eye are predominantly andesine, a plagioclase feld- TiO, . .72 .98 .83
spar intermediate in composition. The euhedral cryst~ls of P,O, . .28 .40 .25
MuO .- . .04 .09 .03
plagioclase show very little zoning. A second generatIOn of ZrO, . .02 .05
plagioclase is somewhat more acid in composition and has be.en CO, . .61 None
determined as oligoclase. Some orthoclase also occurs .as lar.ge BaO . .07 .06
S1'O . .04 .03
crystals, but is not common. Among the ferromagnes.ran mm-
erals biotite of a deep brown color is a constant constItuent of TOTAL 100.18 100.44 100.35
thes~ lavas. Common augite, pale green in section, is also near- Sample No. 1 was collected by Ransome from the base of the
ly always present. It frequently shows well-deve~oped crystal cliff, one mile southwest of the Sunnyside Mine.
boundaries both in section parallel to and perpendIcular to the Samples No. 2 and No. 3 were collected by Schrader from the
vertical axis. In some slides, the augite occurs as an aggregate Gold Road Mine.
of rounded grains. One slide showed green hornblende pa.rtly Antelope Rhyolite: In the Oatman District, the rhyolite flows
surrounding the pyroxene. A glassy var.iety of latite c~ntamed and tuffs are confined to the higher portions of the range. The
hypersthene in addition to augite. Grams of m~gnetIte and map of this district includes only the western edge of the higher
slender crystals of apatite occur as accessory constItuents.. The country, consequently only erosional remnants of these acid lavas
groundmass may be closely crowded with minute, uI,1twm~ed remain. North of' Sitgreaves Pass are extensive exposures of
w:
feldspar laths, or it may be composed larg.ely o~ glass m hlCh rhyolite which have been separately mapped and named by Ran-
incipient crystals, trichites, are visible WIth hIgher ~ag.lllfica­ some as the Cottonwood rhyolite. The Sitgreaves tuff which un-
tion. Perlitic cracks are common in the glassy vanetles of derlies the black glassy flows of rhyolite to the north of the pass
latite. 't' are not present south of this pass. No rock resembling the Sit-
Analyses of the latites show greater differences in composl Ion greaves tuff occurs in the upper reaches of Antelope Canyon, and
than are apparent in a study of thin sections. The two analyses the I~h~olitic tuffs to the east of the town of Oatman are quite
given below from Schrader's report are classed as trachyte, 16 al- different in appearance. It is not definitely known, therefore,
though they were collected from underground at the Gold Road that the Cottonwood rhyolite and the Antelope rhyolite were
Mine. To the northeast of this mine, Ransome has mapped tw.o erupted at the same time. The southernmost exposure of the
trachytic lavas which are later in age than the latite. The speCI- rhyolites noted was about a mile to the northeast of Iowa
mens collected by Schrader may be intrusive sills formed at a SprIng.
Rhyolite tuffs are abundantly exposed in the range to the north
16 Op. cit. p. 39. of Oatman and extend even beyond Union Pass. In the eastern
38 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 39

part of the Katherine District are erosional remnants of both Sitgreaves Tuff: Exposures of this tuff are confined to the
flows and tuff. There the tuffs attain a much greater thick- northeast corner of the Oatman District, and no rock resembling
ness than in the Oatman District. it occurs in the Katherine District. As shown by Ransome's
The rhyolites show some differences in appearances; in some map, this tuff underlies the Cottonwood rhyolite. At Sitgreaves
places, they are black obsidian with transparent crystals of sani- Pass, the tuff rests on the Gold Road latite, and to the northeast
dine and shiny flakes of biotite; inother localities, the obsidians it rests on trachytes younger than the latite. Exposures to the
are pale gray glass with bright red spherulites. Very common- north of the highway to Kingman, just east of Sitgreaves Pass,
Iy these glasses show a streaked appearance or flow banding. form prominent, light colored cliffs, and there the beds of tuff
Many of the flows are of a reddish brown color with crystals of are quite massive and compact.
feldspar, quartz, and biotite in a stony groundmass. On a fresh fracture, the tuff is ligl1;t-gray in color and weath-
Examined in thin section, these rocks show' crystals of sani- ers buff. The rock is somewhat porous, and consists of frag-
dine, acid plagioclase, and brown biotite. Clear crystals of quartz ments of pumice together with crystals of sanidine, biotite, and
are common and usually show resorption by the magma. Occa- occasionally hornblende. Some rounded grains of quartz may be
sional crystals or grains of green hornblende or of nearly color- seen under the microscope.
less augite may be seen. Grains of magnetite or needles of apa- The Sitgreaves tuff would make an excellent building stone.
tite occur as accessory minerals. Small, rounded crystals of Because of its porous nature, it is the water-bearing formation
zircon were found in the flakes of biotite.. The groundmass of of the district. It is from, this rock that nearly all ~he springs
the stony varieties contains a second generation of minute feld- of the district issue.
spar laths in glass. The glassy varieties show an abundance of Olivine Basalt: In the southern part of the Black Mountains
perlitic cracks. Frequently, hair-like incipient crystals or are extensive flows of olivine basalt. Only a sman portion of
trichites are present. these flows is shown in the southeast corner of the map of the
At some localities, the tuffs are well stratified. The lines of Oatman District. A few erosional remnants occur a short dis-
stratification are more apparent where fragments. of foreign ma- tance south of Sitgreaves Pass, capping the rhyolite flows. Ex-
terial are abundant. The tuffs may be cream, pink, or dark brown posures of these basic flows also occur to the north of this pass.
in color. Fragments of pumice or of lithoidal rhyolite are em- At the base of the flows are beds of bright red volcanic ash.
bedded in an aggregate of glass shards. Grains of feldspar and The basalts are dark gray to black in color and fine-grained in
quartz are also present. texture. Some of the flows are quite vesicular in texture, and the
Ransome 17 gives an analysis of a specimen collected three- cavities in places are filled with calcite. With a hand lens both
fifths of a mile south of Sitgreaves Pass. This particular area plagioclase feldspar and olivine may be identified. In thin sec-
has been included by the present writer with the rhyolites. tions, the rocks show no unusual features, and the minerals
Ransome classed it with the Gold Road latite, but recognized that present are basic feldspar, olivine, augite, and magnetite.
it was much more acid than the typical latite. He planned to Just north of Union Pass, and capping the higher points, are
map these rocks separately at a later date for his final report on also basaltic flows. Th,ey are slightly east of the limits of the
the district. area mapped as the Katherine District. The flows are black,
ANAL,YSIS OF RHYOLITE quite dense in texture, and are interesting because they are
R. C. WELLS, Analyst. slightly different in mineral composition from those in the Oat-
SiO, 68.94 H 2 0 below llOoe 0.28 man District. They are the olivine-free variety of basalt.
A120•.......................................... 13.36 H 20 above llooe ,............ 3.43
Fe 2 03 1.29 Ti0 2 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .47 - ALTERATION OF THE LAVAS18
FeO 1.04 p,O, _ _......................... .12
MgO .79 MnO .03 Volcanic eruptions, particularly of the more violent type, are
GaO 2.02 always accompanied by the emission of great quantities of gas,
Na 2 0 ..: _ _............. 2.20 99.86 among which water vapor is the most abundant constituent.
K 20 5.89
18 The alteration of the rocks produced by the solutions forming th~
17 Op. cit. p. 26. veins will be discussed in the section on ore deposits.
40 ARIZONA BURFJAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 41

Even the quiet outwellings of basalt from fissure eruptions are The a~ter-effects of volcanic activity are fumeroles or vents
accompanied by such vapors. Volcanic explosions and their from ~hICh great .quantities of gas issue. This feature was well
after-effects have long been an interesting subject of scientific in- exemplIfied followmg the eruptions of Mt. Katmai in Alaska in
vestigation. Clarke Hl gives an excellent summary of the litera- 1912. The floor of a valleYI about eight miles from the crater
ture on volcanic emanations, including the classical studies about was filled to ~ variable depth with layers of ash. Through these
the middle of the 19th century. These early investigators beds of pumIce, numerous fumeroles issue. The gases ill' this
noticed that even t'h,e surface of flowing lava gave off white valley, no~ known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, have
vapors. Some such vapors sublimed to anhydrous salts. The been studIed by Allen and Zies. 20
21
temperature of such flowing lava varies somewhat depending Clarke divides the after-effects of volcanic activity into four
partly on the composition of the magma. Measurements made 21 Clarke, F. W., The data of geochemistry: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull
770, p. 292, 1924. '
at different places indicate llOOGC as an average.
stages which depend largely on the temperature, as follows:
The gases enclosed in the magma are, therefore, at high tem- 1. The ga.s~s issue at a high temperature and are practically
peratures and under great pressures. As the magma rises in dry. In addItIOn to superheated steam, they may contain
the conduit to the surface, the pressure is released, and the vio- hydrogen, carbon monoxide, vapors of metallic chlorides,i nitro-
lent explosions accompanying volcanic eruptions are due to the gen, sulphur vapor, and gaseous compounds of fluorine. Some
sudden expansion of these gases. So powerful are these forces oxygen may be present.
of explosion that, in many eruptions, large quantities of the rock 2. The hydrogen burnE\ to form water vapor which in turn
lining the conduit are disrupted and thrown high into t'h,e atmos- re~cts with the metallic chlorides to form hydrochloric acid, and
phere. Great quantities of liquid lava are also ejected, and the ~cld fumeroles result. The sulphur burns to form sulphur diox-
expansion of the gas withini this Hquid gives rise to a froth of Ide, and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide.
glass on cooling. In this manner are formed the fragments of 3: These acid gases traverse and penetrate the rocks through
pumice wh~ch settle out of the air to form the beds of volcanic WhICh they pass and react with the minerals of the rock pro-
ash or tuff so common around volcanic vents. Much of the ma- ducing various reactions.. '
terial of which the tuffs are composed is rather light in weight 4. The dying stages of fumerolic activity emit only steam and
and porous in texture, and such ash beds are usually very perme- carbon dioxide.
able to vapors and solutions. Tha~ the. vapors of fumeroles are capable of producing intense
alteratIOn m the rocks traversed has been shown by study at
Even the slow-moving flows of lava may develop a vesicular numerous places.
texture in the upper portion of th,e flow. In the acid lavas,
. In both the Oatman and Katherine districts the lavas often
vesicles are generally less abundant, and this condition may be show intense alteration which does not appea~' to have been
due in part to the more viscous nature of the magma. The more
brought about by the solutions that formed the veins. Such al-
basic flows, such as andesite and basalt, appear to have been
teration is not due to surface weathering and oxidation. for it
much more fluid, and the tops of such flows are usually so filled occurs at considerable depth below the surface. It appears there-
with cavities that fragments of this vesicular lava will float on fore, that the alteration may have been caused by the gase~ which
water. To the east of Oatman, the rhyolites often contain litho- passed through the rocks. Some members of the volcanic series
physae or stone-bubbles which are spheroidal objects which show more pronounced alteration than others. This alteration
consist of thin, concerttric shells, separated from each other by is best exemplified in the Alcyone trachyte, while the overlying
air spaces. Cavities also exist which are more or less filled with Esperanza trachyte is remarkably free from alteration. In the
chalcedony or opaL In the Oatman andesite, a vesicular texture Oatman andesite, this type of alteration is confined to a narrow
is often well-developed, and, although not commonly seen on a edge along joint planes or other fractures in the rock and to the
weathered surface, is clearly and abundantly shown in diamond vesicul~r port~ons of the flows. Both the latite and rhyolite
drill-cores. show lIttle eVIdence of decomposition except along joints, but
j

19 Clarke, F. W., The data of geochemistry: Bull. 770, U. S. Geol. Sur. • 20 Allen, 'E. T. and Zies, E. G.. Nat. Geo. Soc. Tech paper Katmai
vey, pp. 261-292, 1924. serIes No.2, 1928. ' ,
42 ARIZONA BURFJAU OF MTNES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 43
the tuffaceous members associated with these flows invariably Whereth~ vesicles have been filled with mineral matter they
s'hpw some change.
sh?w a defimte sequence. The partly filled vesicle is lined with a
A geologist who examines the Alcyone trachyte is immediate- thm film of a scaly green mineral, chlorite. Resting on the chlo-
ly impressed with the extent of the decomposition that has af- rite are scales of bright red hematite. This mineral is not how-
fected this rock. Specimens'coming from a depth of over 500 ever, alway~ deposited. If the cavity is of small size, it may
feet below the surface show these changes to the same degree as then be entIrely filled with chalcedony, but usually the central
do pieces from nearer the surface. A hand specimen of this rock portion is composed of calcite. The groundmass, invariably, con-
usually appears to have been bleached;- the feldspars are kaolin- tains an abundance of kaolin.
ized, and the ferromagnesian constituents are either altered to Alteration of the rhyolites is confined to a thin film along joint
chlorite or else the iron is abstracted and segregated as magne- ~lanes. .Along these joints, chalcedony and, in some cases, opal
tite. The outline of original hornblende crystals is usually weIl IS deposIted. As the tuffs are more pervious to hot vapors Or
shown by a narrow rim of magnetite which also contains, in solu~ions, they contain an abundance of kaolin, and, in. part, this
some cases, hematite; and within this rim of iron oxide is pale kaolm has been formed from the decomposition of the glass
greenish chlorite or serpentine with some calcite. Feldspars are shards.
largely changed to aggregates of kaolin, secondary quartz, and
small amounts of calcite. The groundmass of the rock is frequent- To sum up: The important changes are hydration and carbo-
ly so clouded with kaolin that portions of the slide are quite nation. This fact is indicated by the abundance of chlorite and
opaque. There is no evidence in the thin sections to indicate th~t serpentine, both, hydrous minerals formed from biotite, augite,
the feldspars were first altered to sericite and this mineral m and hornblende, and the presence of kaolin formed from feld-
turn changed to kaolin, although a little sericite was found in spar. No analyses of the altered rocks are available, and it is,
some slides. . therefore, not possible to say to what extent certain constituents
like soda and potash have been abstracted and carried away. The
The interesting fact that the overlying Esperanza trachyte fact that orthoclase is replaced by kaolin indicates that potash
has suffered no such decomposition indicates that the alteration has been removed; and, similarly in the plagioclase soda has
• , I · ,
was produced prior to vein formation. It is possible, therefore, dIsappeared. That constituents have been transferred is clear-
that the mineral changes in the Alcyone trachyte were produced Iy shown by the film of chlorite and, sometimes, hematite which
by hot gases sh,ortly after the consolidation of the lavas. lines the vesicles in the andesite. There is no evidence in slides
The most interesting changes in the Oatman andesite occur in that silica has been introduced, and such irregular aggregates of
the vesicular portions of the flows. Where the vesicles are secondary quartz as occur within or surround altered minerals
abundant and close together, the wall of rock between individ- may have been formed: by the breaking down of silicates; nor
uaL bubbles is quite thin; consequently, when such rock has un- can one definitely say that lime has been introduced. Such lime
dergone more or less decomposition, it is so soft that it can as! is now found in the form of calcite could easily have come
readily be crushed in the hand. The altered rock is nearly al- from the breaking down of hornblende, augite, and plagioclase
ways of a pale greenish color except in those portions in which feldspar. Carbon dioxide was, however, certainly introduced
the iron h~s been oxidized, and then the rock is reddish. for it is hardly possible that the fresh rock contained sufficient
These altered rocks, when examined with a.microscope, show of this gas to form the amount of calcite existing in the altered
intense changes in the original minerals. Of ,the feldspars, the roc.k.Carbon dioxide is abundant in fumerole gases, particular-
orthoclase which is not abundant, always sJl,ows less alteration ly m the later phases of their acivity.
than the ~lagioclase. In the orthoclase, some kaolin may be
seen along cracks in the mineral, but the plagioclase is largely TERTIARY INTRUSIVE ROCKS
replaced by calcite and a little quartz. The ferromagnesian Two major intrusions are associated with the volcanic activity
constituents, unlike these constituents of the Alcyone trachyte, of Tertiary age that gave rise to the flows and tuffs in the Oat-
are not outlined by magnetite; instead, the change has been man and. Katherine districts. Numerous dikes and sills showing
largely to serpentine. Now and then unaltered remnants of nearly as much variation in composition as the flows themselves
either biotite or augite may be seen. occur as minor intrusions in the flows. No dikes which corre-
44 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 45

spond in composition to the Alycone and Esperanza trachy~es and occurs either interstitially or intergrown with orthoclase,
were found but dikes of andesite are common; such andesIte forming a micropegmatitic texture. Magnetite, zircon, the
dikes are, however, difficult to trace where they cut the andesite apatite occur as accessory minerals.
flows. Only a few dikes were observed which appear ~o have A chemical analysis of the Moss porphyry made on a sample
been the feeders that gave rise to the latite flows. DIkes of collected by Ransome north of the Moss Mine is as follows :22
rhyolite-porphyry are common in both the Oatman and Kather-
ine districts. In some instances,' there has been movement along ANALYSIS OF MOSS PORPH\YRY
these dikes after consolidation, and vein filling is frequently R. C. WELLS, Analyst.
found in such fractured zones. SiO•...................................................... 62.54
AI.O 14.42
MOSS PORPHYRY Fe.O. 3.51
FeO 2.57
Exposures of the Moss porphyry occur about a mile to the MgO 2.41--
CaO "...................................... 4.26
north of the Hardy Mine and extend northward to beyond the Na.O 3.83
Moss Mine. The average width of this intrusion is about two K.O 3.98
miles, and it has a known length of somewhat over four miles. H.O under 110°0 .29
H.O above 110°C .84
The general trend is towards the northwest. TiO. 1.05
Just west of the Moss Mine, this porphyry intrudes the Alcyone P.O, .36
MnO .07
trachyte and the flows have been tilted to the west at angles as
steep as 40°. North of the Oatmallt District, the porphyry was TotaI 100.13
observed cutting the Oatman andesite. Where the Moss porphyry As was noted by Ransome, this analysis of the Moss porphyry
is in contact with the flows of Gold Road latite, the rocks are so is similar to. that of the Gold Road latite. Both the chemical
thoroughly altered that the relations are not absolutely clear. analysis and the mineral composition, as shown by microscopic
The Moss porphpry consolidated, therefore, after the flows of examination, show the rock to be a quartzlllonzonite-porphyry.
anadesite were poured out, and perhaps later than the Gold Road The amount of quartz in the rock is somewhat less than is com-
latite. monly found in this class of rocks.
Fresh exposures of the rock are of a grayish color due partly
to the ferromagnesian minerals present and also to phenocrysts TIMES PORPHYRY
of palgioclase feldspar which are of a d,ark gray color. Altered The rugged country, of which Mt. Hardy is the highest point,
rock varies from a creamy white, freqently iron-stained, to a consists of a i1ne-grained porphyritic intrusion to which Ran-
pale greenish gray. The rock is porphyritic in texture :v ith some has given the name Times porphyry. The rock weathers
phenocrysts of plagioclase crystals up to one-quarter of an mch to a dull brownish color, but fresh exposures are light gray with a
in diameter. These phenocrysts, somewhat rounded in outline, slight pinkish tint. The rock is not conspicuously porphyritic
are thin plates of a dark grayish color. Polysynthetic twinning although a close examination discloses phenocrysts of orthoclase
may be observed with th)e aid of a hand lens. The groundmass rarely more than one-quarter of an inch in length. Occasional
is uniformly fine grained in texture, pinkish in color, and appears thin flakes of biotite may be seen, as well as some pyrite which
to be largely orthoclase. A little biotite and quartz may also be was introduced after the magma solidified. The groundmass is
seen in the rock. uniformly fine grained, and, in this groundmass, quartz is visible
A thin section of the rock examined' under the microscope under a lens.
shows more alteration than is apparent in a hand specimen. The The most striking feature observed in a thin section is the in-
plagioclase, which has the composition of acid andesine, is altered tergrbwth of quartz and feldspar of the groundmass, forming a
along -cleavage cracks and fractures to an aggregate of scales micropegmatitic texture. Where this intergrowth surrounds a
of sericite. The orthoclase is quite turbid and has -been re- phenocryst of orthoclase, the feldspar of the intergrowth has the
placed almost entirely by a felted mass of sericite.. Biotite is
partly ll.ltered to chlorite. Quartz is not abundant III the rock 22 Op. cit. p. 27.
46 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 47

same optical orientation as the phenocryst. A- little acid plagio-

clase was seen in one slide, but the mineral is rather scarce. The
feldspar is usually clouded with kaolinitic material, particularly
around grains of pyrite. The biotite is more or less altered to
chlorite. Scattered grains of magnetite occur as an accessary
mineral. .
The Times porphyry has a rather limited distribution. To the
north, this rock does not extend beyond Silver Creek, and the
southern boundary is Times Gulch. To the westward, the Alcyone
trachyte has been intruded by the porphyry, but, along the east-
ern margin, the lavas have been faulted against the intrusive.
Along Silver Creek, the Times porphyry appears to intrude the
Moss porphpry, but at this locality, the latter rock is so thorough-
ly brecciated and altered that positive identification is impossi-
ble.
An analysis of the Times porphyry given by Ransome is as
follows :2 3

ANALYSIS OF TIMES PORPHYRY

R. C. WELLS, Analyst.
SiO, 72,.85
Al,Oa 13.45
Fe20. 1.11
FeO .54
MgO , _..... .24
CaO 1.13
Na20 ,................................... 4.01
K,O 5.40
H20 under no °C .08 Fig. 7.-The Elephant's Tooth, a rhyolitic plug to the east
H 20 above nooc ,...................... .40 of Oatman.
Ti0 2 .39
P 2 0, .04
MnO .06 of Oatman, known locally as the Elephant's Tooth, is the erosion-
CO 2 .27 al remnant of a dike of rhyolite porphyry at a point where it
TotaL................................ 99.77 is unusuaUy thick. The trend of these dikes is in all directions
'i".he small amount of acid plagioclase found in thin sections but the prevailing strike is either northwest-southeast, or nearl;
would not account for the high percentage of soda shown in the east-west. The dikes have been injected along fractures for in
analysis, and it is possible, as suggesteCi by Ransome, that some
.
some Instances '
the brecciated wall rock may be seen frozen to
of this soda is combined with potash in the orthoclase. The the dike. Fragments of the wall rock are included in the dikes,
analysis is therefore that of a sodic granite-porphyry. but such fragments are not abundant and usually correspond to
the volcanic rocks exposed in the district. The dikes, as may be
RHYOLITE-PORPHYRY expected, vary considerably in size, and only the more prominent
Dikes of rhyolite-porphyry are common in both the Oatman ones were mapped. These minor intrusives are particularly abun-
and Katherine districts and also in the intervening country. In d.ant near the Times porphyry intrusions, and a local concentra-
tIon of them occurs near the Boundary Cone.
some instances these dikes are connected with intrusive plugs,
notably the Boundary Cone. The white knob east of the town The prevailing color on a surface exposure is pale brown to
pinkish and is due to finely disseminated iron oxide but on a
23 Op. cit. p; 29. fresh! fracture, t'bje rock is a creamy yellow. The l:ock is por-
 ARIZONA BURRAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 49
48

phyritic in texture with about an equal development of both Dark-colored dikes are fairly common in the westel~n part of
quartz and orthoclase. The quartz phenocrysts are frequently the Oatman District, and they are particularly abundant at
irregular in outline, but the feldspar crystals show well-defined Fortuna Hill. Specimens from this hill were found to be ande-
crystal boundaries. These crystals are rarely more than two- site-porphyry. A similar dike was found near the Red Lion
shaft, cutting the Oatman andesite. As a rule, such basic dikes
tenths of an inch in length.
are difficv.lt to trace in the andesite, and no effort was made to
map them.
Dikes, corresponding in composition to the olivine basalt flows
were not observed in the Oatman District. It is possible that
they occur beyond the limits of the area mapped, or they may
even be entirely covered by the flows.

QUATERNARY DEPOSITS
GRAVEL AND SAND
Deposits of gravel and sand are not important in the Oatman
District except in the extreme western portion where they cover
the older rocks from which they were largely derived. Here
and there, small knobs stand out above the gravel cover, and one
Fig. 8.-A genera! view of the southwestern part of the Oatman Dis- such k:r:ob in ~he Katherine District .contained the outcrop of the
trict. The Boundary Cone, a volcanic plug, may be,seen in the center of Katherme Mme. The gravel deposIts are more widespread and
the picture. have a greater thickness in the Katherine District than at Oat-
The phenocrysts of quartz, when examined with a microscope man. At both the Katherine Extension and the Treasure Vault
in a thin section, show a rather stubby development along the mines, it was necessary to sink through the gravel to reach the
prismatic axis. The quartz often shows crystal boundaries, but unlerlying granite. In both cases veins were found..
here and there it is resorbed and embayed by the magma. Fre-
T.he thickness of the gravel, as might be expected, is quite
quently a darker border of a finer grain surrounds the crystals
varIable. In the flat to the east of the Sunnyside Mine in the
and, if examined with higher magnification, is found to consist
Oatman District, a prospect shaft shows the gravel to be 60 feet
of a micropegmatitic intergrowth of quartz and feldspar. The
deep. Mining operations in the Katherine District penetrated
groundmass is of uniform grain and consists of quartz and ortho-
beds of gravel as much as 100 feet or morein thickness. Between
clase. It is interesting, in this connection, to note the occurrence
the 'Katherine and Pyramid mines, holes drilled by the Reclama-
of such an intergrowth surrounding some of the feldspar crystals
tion Service are said to have located an old river channel in
in the rhyolites. Dikes of the rhyolite porphyry have been
which these deposits are somewhat more than 300 feet thick.
traced to the very edge of the Times porpryhy intrusion, and, in
other instances, dikes pass up to the contact of the rhyolite flows. The gravel is composed of angular and subangular to rounded
The assumption is reasonable that the Times porphyry, the boulders of rock which show considerable variation in size. As a
rhyolite-porphyry dikes and plugs. and the rhyolite flows all cam'~ rule, the coarse deposits show very little sorting, but the sandy
from the, same magma reservoir at about the same time. This layers are sorted and cross-bedded. The pebbles and boulders
observation is important as it throws some light on the time of in- comprise an types of rock common in the district, and their de-
trusion of the Times porphyry as related to the age of other rivation has been local, largely from the mountains to the east.
igneous rocks. As no flows younger than the Oatman andesite On the banks of the Colorado River, however, pebbles of
are in contact with, the Times porphyry, its age as compared quartzite and limestone are quite common, and, as no such rocks
with the age of the Gold Road latiteand younger rhyolites could
occur in th,ese districts, it is possible that such pebbles were
not be definitely ascertained. The dikes may be, however, con-
necting links, between the Times porphyry and the rhyolite flows. brought down by the river.
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
Part of the gravels and sands are well consolidated and some-
what cemented with thin films of Mme. Locally, such deposition
of calcium carbonate is: in bands which have a thickness meas- c
:j'
a c
a
~
a
c
a g
~
~ ~

urable in inches, and, in the Southwest, such lime is frequently .

referred to as "caliche." W ~

'"
No fossil remains have been found in either the gravel or sand.
As the deposits are clearly younger than the lavas, they are here
assigned to the Quaternary.

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY m~~

~~~ .~ "1

u, ill ~ ~
TILTING OF THE LAVAS U

In a general way, the Black Mountains may be considered as a Z

0 ~.o ~~
~II~~ ~ !:i~ .,;
tilted block with a fault or series of faults along the western side. I-
I/;:'%'

~Il:
"-'
The range may also be considered as the eastern limb of a broad u
w
...,
'l::
rn
arch, the central portion of which l'ies to the west of the Colo-
rado River. If arching of the earth's crust has taken place, the ...U V)

8j+\ ~ ~
+ .~ ~
$
;5
'I"l
~

-
I/}
volcanic rocks th,at Occur on the limbs of the fold may be con- Z
+ + K: ...,E
oil
sidered as the erosional remnants of a vast volcanic field which
i= ...
0 0::: 0
originally extended for many miles in all directions. Such arch-
U (J)
a
g ~I IK~
~~ ~~I\; :S
:.::,~ ~ ~

ing would give rise to a tilting of the lavas< on the limbs, of the
fold. There is, however, some evidence, against the idea of arch-
u.J
I/) -Q -"
•
g
(\I a
~
;;;
«
Z
0
" 0
•.... ~ 'H
0
rn
ing, for, at the, Needles, on the Colorado River and a few miles u.J ro >- ;: ~
Z .§
a:: (f)z va <{ ...,
=> Z
U W
south of Topock, 'there is no evidence of such arching and the I: W \!l

disturbance in the flow can all be explained by faulting. North

of the Katherine District and just west oithe Colorado River, the
I-
u
«
~
a
a
0
U)

~
.J
IU al
rn
<II
~~
volcanic rocks of Eldorado Canyon dip towards the river. This => ,n E::s
~
a:: 0

~.
"-'
occurrence would suggest that the volcanic rocks of Eldorado I- i;
~ .b
II) m
Canyon have been faulted, against the pre-Cambrian rocks to the 0
east. I.
....
....
....
The best available evidence suggests that the Black Mountains ...,<II
are a fault block tilted to the east. As the maj or fractures in
the Oatman District dip to the east at steep angles, and as these
faults are of the normal type, the crest of the range would be de- +
'~

~
'<0
cO
z
0
~ .~
~~ ~"
-OIl
A-o

>-
+
+
+
+ ;: ~l<l
pressed re}ative to the western portion of the district. If the 0

'"
«
+
+
U
W
r +
Black Mountains are a tilted fault block, the main fracture, or
IHTIj ,!
~ + V)
>:
+ +
+
series of fractures lies to the west of the Oatman District. No • }
+ ~
I'tI
\j
,'> ~.~
"-./ I '
•....
t::: \,
ill ~
+ 1
evidence of such a fault was found in the Katherine District, t
+ i.l~~ G\)
but much of this area is c,overed with Quaternary gravels.
+
+
+ ~
,, :t
"
~
Another possibility that IT).ust be considered is the likelihood
of a fault along the eastern margin of the range. The one oc-
,,
~
Z
~
currence of pre-Cambrian rocks found there lies at a higher
~
c g
.~
a
elevation than the exposures on the western side of the range,
0
"'
and it is not impossible ~hat the block may have been tilted
a

THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 53

52 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MTNES

along this fault and later modified to its present form by erosion. tion. No such features are to be seen in connection with the
Pre-Cambrian granite forms, however, a part of the crest of the dikes.
range a few miles to the south of Union Pass, and the old sur-
TREND AND DISTRIBUTION OF FAULTS
face on which the lavas were poured may, therefore, have been
quite irregular. The general trend of the faults in the Oatman District is north-
The general dip of the lwvas is to the east at low angles. South west-southeast, but in the southern part of the district they are
of the highway to Kingman, the basaltic lavas which form the more nearly east-west. A few faults near the Times Mine (see
very highest parts of the range to the southeast of Oatman are Plate I) have a northeast trend, but examples of this kind are
here at the base of the range. The eastward dip is less than five rare. There is no such regularity to trend of faulting in the
degrees. In the immediate vicinity of Oatman the average dip is Katherine District. Some faults like the Pyramid Katherine
about twelve degrees, but, to the west, it becomes steeper. Small Arabian, and Tyro have a northeast trend; othe;s, like th~
fault blocks may show high dips. In the southwestern part of Treasure Vault, Gold Chain, and Big Four have a northwest
the Oatman District, the prevailing dip is more nearly south than strike. It is possible that a number of other faults occur in this
east, but here again it is at gentle angles. At Union Pass, the district, but, unless such fractures have been mineralized they
dips observed in the tuff are, in general, similar to those farther are not likely to be prospected, and, where such fracture; have
south, but in the region surrounding the Sheeptrail-Boulevard granite in both walls, they are difficult to trace. The fractures
Mine the small fault blocks dip at various angles. that occur in the underlying rock in much of the district are ef-
fectively covered by gravel, as at the Treasure Vault and Kath-
erine Extension mines.
MINOR STRUCTURES AROUND INTRUSIVE MASSES
In the Otaman District the faults are grouped in zones each
West of the Moss Mine, the lava dips to the west at various zone having a slightly different trend. Plate I shows a c~ncen­
angles up to 24 0 , and the local westward tilting appears to be tration of faults between the Tom Reed vein and the Gold Road
due to the intrusion of the Moss porphyry. A somewhat simi- vein. In this zone, the average strike is approximately N. 45° W.
lar feature occurs around three sides of the Times porphyry. It Another area in which faults are abundant lies to the south of
is not certain that the eastward dip of the andesite and underly- the Lucky Boy fault and extends westward to include the Vivian
ing trachyte along the eastern margin 'of the Times porphyry is and Leland mines. The average strike in this zone is about N.
due to intrusion of this rock, for here the dip is normal. To the 60 0 W. To the east of the Boundary Cone is a thir'(j concentra-
west of Times Gulch the dip is, however, to the south, and, in the tion of faults with a trend approximating N.70° W. These three
extreme western part of the district, the tilting is to the west. zones converge toward a point a few miles to the southeast of the
Here again, there is a suggestion that the tilting is due to in- Oatman District. At this point, the surface is covered by flows
trusion. of olivine, basalt, and, as much of the faulting is earlier than the
To the southwest and also to the west of Mt. Hardy, the effusion of this basalt, the interesting junction of these faults is
Alcyone trachyte rests on the Times porphyry. The contact is effectively covered.
an intrusive one, and th~ overlying lavas are frequently dis- ,Another interesting feature in connection with these faults is
turbed and displaced by the ign'eous rock. Many faults with a the prevailing dip. To the east of and including the Tom Reed
small displacement occur here, and, on some of them, the dis- fracture, the dip is generally to the east; while, in the western
placement is large, as at the main break on which the Times and southren parts of the Oatman District, the prevailing dip is
Mine is located. These remnants of Alcyone trachyte are parts to the southwe8t.
of the original cover over the intrusion. There must be some underlying cause for this change of dip
The flows surrounding the Boundary Cone, which is an intru- feature. An arching of the lavas in a northwest direction across
sive plug, have also been disturbed as a result of intrusion. A the district with conseql1ent>breaking down of the arch on each
more interesting feature is the brecciation produced in the sur- limb of the fold by normal faulting would account for the differ-
rounding rocks, which suggests that the magma was injected un- encein dip, and may also account for the convergence of the fault
der considerable pressure and perhaps in a semi~plastic condi- zones. It i~ conceivable that such arching might have been
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 55
54 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

District. At the Katherine Mine, the ore body is cut by a series

brought about by the intrusion of the Times porphyry which
of low~angle faults which appear to have pushed the hanging wall
may have been injected at a low horizon in the volcanic series,
segment upward. A longtiudinal section of the mine which
and may rest on the old granitic rocks. If the magma moved up-
shows this feature will be found under a description of thi~
ward at an angle in a northwesterly direction, it might readily
mine.
take the form of a laccolith, and such type of intrusion is known
to produce an arching of its cover. Remnants of Alcyone trachyte The absence of good horizon markers makes it difficult to de-
which rest on the Times porphyry are parts of such a cover, but te~'mine th.e displacement of the individual faults.. Many of the
the base on which the porphyry rests was not seen. There is, ~me :vorkmgs are comparatively shallow, and only in the produc-
therefore, no conclusive field evidence to show that the intrusion mg mmes are depths of a thousand feet or more attained. Many
is a laccolith. shafts have been put down to depths of 300 to 500 feet, but such
sha~ts are commonly in only one kind of rock and yield no infoI"
AGE, TYPE, AND DISPLACEMENT OF FAULTS ~atlOn on the amount of displacement. Quite frequently, two
Among the earliest faults definitely recognized are the frac- kmds of rock, such as andesite and latite or andesite and
tures occupied by the rhyolite porphyry dikes. These dikes show trachyte, are brought in contact by faulting and, in some such
a radical arrangement around three sides of the Times porphyry instances, it is possible to determine the min'imum vertical com-
and appear to be a direct result of the intrusion of this porphyry. ponent of faulting. On the Mallory fault, the vertical displace-
ment of the Tom Reed vein between the Big Jim and Grey Eagle
Many of the dikes are offset by the mineral-bearing fractures is about 500 feet. Very likely the displacement on similar frac-
as is well shown in the northern part of the district where the tures, such as the Tom Reed or Gold Road is of about the same
two nearly parallel dikes are cut by the Pasadena vein. In somB .
magmtude. Many of the faults have a much' smaller displace-
cases faulting prior to the formation of the veins fonowed these ment-measurable in tens rather than hundreds of feet.
dikes, and the vein occurs on one wall of the dike. Examples of
this phenomenon occur in the southeast corner of Section 23, and The vertical displacement on a fault may vary from place to
also at the east end of the Esperanza vein. place along its length. This certainly appears to be the case with
Renewed movements on the faults after some of the vein- the Gold Road fault. Where this fault cuts the rhyolites, the dis-
filling had been deposited, and before the last stages of quartz placement is under 300 feet, but to the northwest beyond the No.
and calcite were introduced into the veins by the mineral-bear- 1 shaft, it is,,~2ertainly 500 feet and! may be eve~ more.
: ./\.--".":;;'
ing solutions, resulted in a crushing of the earlier, depos.it of v~in
-

Branchi:J;lg 6f the faults is a common feature in the Oatman

materials. This period of faulting is important and WIll be dIS- District. Near the Red Lion shaft, the Telluride fault appears to
cussed more fully in connection with the ore deposits. be a ,:est branch of the Tom Reed fault, and a similar bra~!Ching
Faulting later than ore deposition is well illustrated by the on th.lS fault occurs a short distance to the northwes,t of tli Ben
Mallory fault which in its northern extension follows along a HarrIson shaft. On the east branch of this fault, the ' nited
rhyolite-porphyry dike (see Plate 1). It cuts across the Tom Eastern ore body was formed. Still farther northwest, the
R~ed vein near the Big Jim shaft, follows the course of this vein Tom Reed fault again branches into two parts.. .
for a short distance, and then takes a rather sinuous course past
the Sunnyside shaft and up the cliff to the south. Near the Big OR,E DEPOSITS
Jim shaft, the Mallory fault is offset about 300 feet by the Oat-
DISTRIBUTION OF VEINS
man fault. Some of the faults which cut the basalt flows may
represent a post-mineral movement along pre-existing fractur~s, The veins occupy fault fissures or fractures in the enclosing
for none of such faults cutting basalt was found to carry vem- rocks; no exceptions were noted. The distribution of the veins,
filling. therefOl:e, bears an intimate relation to the distribution of the
All of the faults described above appear to be of the normal fractures or faults which have been described in a preceding sec-
tion of this report. Certain features of the occurrence of the
type; that is; the hanging wall has gone down with respect to ~he
vein-filling in these fractures are important.
footwall. Some reverse faults occur, however, in the Katherme
56 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 57

It will be well, perhaps, to state now that many of the faults

which have a length, as shown on the ~ap, ?f thous~nds. of feet
ot filled for their entire extent wIth vem matenals, on the
~~~t~ary, there are frequent interruptions in th~ vein. In f~llow­
ing a vein along the strike from one prospect pIt to anot~el, the
vein-filling is often found to diminish, and, in places, entIrely to
disappear' but the fault continues as a crushed zo~e. Fart~er
along thi~ same fracture, the vein-filling will agam come. l~
During the field mapping, an effort was made to show the w~dt
nd extent of the vein-filling along the fault, but, as ~ strong
~ein may end in a few small stringe:'s,. it .was foun.~ dl~cult to
show these features on a map. An mS.lgm~cant stn~geI at the
surface has been found to lead to a solId vem of quaItz a~d cal-
cite three feet thick at a depth of only thirty feet on the dl~), and
similar variations in width may be observed along the stnke of
the vein.

Fig. lO.-The hanging wall portion of the Gold Dust vein, showing
stringers in the wall rock.
STRUCTURE OF THE VEINS
The structure of the vein is sometimes quite simple and con-
sists of a tabular body of quartz and calcite with well defined
walls. Most of the deposits, however, are lodes whidh consist of
a large number· of stringers or veins variable in width and separ-
ated from each other by barren rock. Where there has been no
post-mineral faulting, small ramifying stringers branch from the
main vein into the wall rock. Such side stringers arp, mineralogi-
cally similar to the main vein from which they branch, and may
consist of either quartz or calcite, or an intergrowth of both min-
erals. Frozen contacts are common, particularly in those veins
on which there has been no post-mineral faulting. Even in the
veins showing' late faulting, one wall may be frozen to the coun-
try rock.
Some veins or lodes consist entirely of a great number of reti-
culating stringers which traverse the country rock. This type
of deposit is well shown in portions of the Gold Dust vein in the
Oatman District and in the Frisco vein in the Katherine Dis-
trict. Compound veins, which consist of two or more veins of
solid quartz; and calcite separated by country rock, are common
in both districts. The intervening country rock is commonly
traversed by stringer veinlets, and, when these stringers are
Fig 9 -View showing the structure of the Gold Road vein sufficiently abundant, the country rock which contains the vein-
. . vith nearly vertical stringers of quartz. lets may constitute ore.
 J

58 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
. 59
The ribbon structure, so common in the Mother Lode of Cali- adularia, and, in a few cases notabl
fornia, was not seen in these districts; but a paralled sheeting, fowhere Was visible gold found i : ca~ t.~e Moss Mine, in fluorite.
simulating such ribbon structure, occurs in the ore at the Kath- pIes of c~lcite which are heaVily s~:iln:d alt~ou~h many sam-
erine Mine,' and to a lesser extent in the Gold Road vein. gan~s~ oXIdes carry gold. wIth Iron and man-
Fragments of wall rock are frequently enclosed in the veins, . VIsIble gold in quartz, particul 1'1 Ill . .
and such fragments are in most cases quite angular in outline. IS usually confined to layers 1ess a fh the hIgher grades of ore
Many of these. fragments are surrounded by concentric layers thickness. When examined m· a~ one-tenth of an inch i~
of quartz. Where the calcite surrounds rock fragments, the show crystal outlines T''l.. IC:do~coPlCallY, SOme isolated grains
banded structure is less evident, but, if the calcite is fine grained, .t· l ' .
Pal IC es of gold are embedd d"
,11,e OXI Ized ores wh' h
.
.
IC carry VIsible
banding may occur. Many of the small stringers in the walls G ld . e III Iron OXIdes
'. ~ III adularia is rather uncom .
occupy joints and irregular fractures, and these veinlets appear speCImen from the United E t mon, but was observed in a
to have filled open fissures rather than to have replaced the wall some rich ore from the Gold ~s ~~?re body. A thin section of
rock, although it is possible there may have been some metaso- gr?wth of quartz grains and o~ t· Ille showed. a parallel inter-
thm wire~ in this specimen tr~v~l~~dobo~~ula~Ia. Free gold as
matic replacement, but the extent of this replacement cannot be f
determined. During the process of ore deposition, open fissures A speCImen of fluorite from t ~merals.
must have existed; otherwise the thin plates of calcite could not rather stout wires and hea 1 the Moss vem contained some
have formed as they did. of fluorite. Some of the fl:Y'~ a /s of gold between the grains
tains visible gold. Oll e rom the Hardy vein also con-
MINERALOGY OF THill ORES
The mineral composition of the veins is comparatively simple
and consists essentially of quartz and calcite with smaller
Silver: Silver as alread t t d
gold, and, in sorde ores th: :.t e. ' al;ay~ occurs alloyed with
never in value. Silver Creek ~:~l p.~e ommates by weight, but
amounts of adularia, fluorite, and gold. During the process of the ores from mines along this st~~ I s name fron; the fact that
oxidation, but few additional minerals were formed, and, among The general impression amon l' am car~'Y conSIderable silver.
them, gypsum, hematite, and pyrolusitel are the most common. tain the silver sulphide arge~lttoS1e~t~~ IS t~at these ores con-
Sulphides are rarely found in the veins,but are commonly en- served in any of the sp'ecI'm e, u. IS mmeral was not ob-
ens exammed It· 'b
countered in the walls of the veins. pu Iverent manganese oxide . 1 't . IS POSSI Ie the
· ,
f or a SlIver mineral. Accordin to R' HpyIO USI e may have b . t
Gold: Gold is the most valuable constituent of the ore, and is g . . een mIS aken
always alloyed with more or less silver. In most of the ore hav- copper-stained quartz from one f th' 1 . DImmIck, an assay of
ing a value of less than $20 per ton, &ilver exceeds gold by weight, edne Mine gave a high ret . ,0 • e ower levels of the Kath-
but, in such ore, the precious metals are so finely divided that some chalcocite and may al~r~III SlIver: The sample contained
they are rarely recovered by panning. High-grade ores fre- 'All persons questioned agr~e t~ve car~Ie~ some argentite.
quently show free gold. When such gold is primary in origin, it these gold ores and non at hOln SlIver does not OCcur in
occurs as aggregates of small, hackly grains, as slender curved that this minoi'~l may bee was sete~ by the writer. :rt is possible
• Y presen m small q t't" .
wires resembling trichites in volcanic glasses, or as thin plates dlzed ores and yet not be visible A . uan : Ies. m the OXI-
between grains of quartz. Coarse gold is rarely found. Such ed at the Arizona Bureau f M·' speCImen of WIre SlIver receiv-
gold is of a pale, brassy yellow color and contains approximately the San Francisco Mining ~i t ~~~s ;;ras said to have come from
20 percent by weight of silver. Gold, believed to be of supergene known. s llC, ut the exact locality is un-
origin, occurs as loose flakes and wires in vugs with the oxides Copper Minerals: Ransome 24 fo d r .
of iron and manganese. This secondary gold is almost always in chalcocite at the Gold 0 '. un a Ittle chalcopyrIte and
larger particles than the primary gold. Its color is a deep, brassy chalcopyrite in ore at Bi~eJ~~n'T~nd t~e ~riter found specks of
yellow and it may contain as much as 10 percent by weight of has given rise to copper-stained e ,~xldatlOn of t~ese sulphides
silver, or much less. but chrysocolla is common in suc~ual z~ No ~~lachlte was found,
Visible particles of primary gold in the richer ore is most com- quartz occurs to. a limited ext t qtUtah1 tz. SImIl~r copper-stained
en a e Katherme Mine.
monly found embedded in quartz grains, less commonly in 24 Op, cit. p. 33.
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 61
ARIZONA BUREAU OF l]1lINES
60
ture and color. It occurs in sever 1 .
Lead Minerals: A pulverent, bright red mineral was found in ated with calcite and in a. generatIons, always associ-
cavities in ore from the Big Jim Mine, by J. W. Bradley. At first, The first depo~itio~ of sqoUmetSP~cImens, with adularia. .
. ar z m some vei
it was thought this red powder might be cinnabar, but blowpipe gramed, colorless variety in cryst I t ns . was a coarse-
tests indicate lead rather than mercury. It is possible this min- length. Some quartz is mostly :h\ up 0 an mch or more in
eral is the red oxide of lead, minium. Several specimens col- which possess an amethystine tint I e,. but shows some bands
lected on the dumps at the Big Jim and also at the Aztec shaft cases, however, this early quart cros.smg the crystals. In most
contained a thin film of a bright yellow mineral. Blowpipe tests terlocking grains instead of crys~:l~~slSts of an aggregate of in-
show it to contain lead and molybdenum, and it is probably Yellow quartz is most common' th .
wulfenite. Similar material was collected from the Pioneer vein. has a decidedly greasy lust " m e h~gher grade ores and
Pyrite and Marcasite: Pyrite, as already stated, is rarely examination of sections of e~h:n sow speCImens. A microscopic
e
grains are filled with an ' IS ye. ow .quartz shows that the
found in the veins although it is quite common in the wall rock but these tiny scales area:gI egate of mm~te plumose inclusions;
adjoining the veins. In a few instances, it was observed embed- fusion of this yellow tOO small for optIcal determination. A
ded in quartz, and a specimen of quartz from the United
it is possible that the er;~~o~gar ~ d~fimte reaction for iron, and
e
American Mine contained small cubes of this mineral. Irregu- Banded quartz chalce . C? or IS ue to some iron silicate.
lar grains and crystals of pyrite were also identified in a speci- Road vein and also at thdoenGIcoIldn toexture: is abundant at the Gold
men from the Moss vein. A sample of the altered wall rock . re vem Such t
wh Ite to cream, or even pinki h · . qual' z may be
Calcite: Calcite: is next t~ ~~r~o~e shade of br~wn.
which contains pyrite, from the United American Mine, was
crushed and the pyrite was concentrated by panning. These con-
centrateswere then examined microscopically, but no gold was
t
Much of it is white to grayish ~ CO m a:undance m the veins.
in texture, forming large rh mb o\an rather coarse grained
seen. An assay of this pyrite-concentrate gave only a trace of Some varieties of the calcitehom s ,WI h cur~ed cleavage faces.
gold and silver. ular to the base and well ave gIown as thm plates perpendic-
Marcasite was found with pyrite in quartz at the Moss vein. the rhombohed;al f -developed crystals of this mineral show
The mineral occurs as groupS of thin plates which diverge slight- Chemical tests g~~:saaI~~~~~ ~~e~dges ~f the cry~tals.
ly at each end. It could not be separated readily from the pyrite iron, and a specimen from th p' agn:sIa, sometImes a little
for assay, and, consequently, it is not known whether or not the a test for manganese. e lOneer vem, pinkish in color, gave
mineral is gold-bearing. Adularia'
' . Ad. u1ana.' IS
. a common constituent of th h' h
Hematite and Limonite: These two minerals are quite com- gra d e Olej and m such ' ' t ' " e Ig er
mon in, the oxidized ores of both districts, and have been de- yellow quartz.' Thed ~I:: I IS mvarIably associated with the
rived from the oxidation of pyrite and perhaps, also, from the tween layers of qu:rt~ aI~a tus~allY occurs as white bands be-
breaking down of ferromagnesian silicates in the wall rocks. adularia and grains of q~artU , .m. :ome specimens, plates of
Porous quartz which contains an abundance of hematite fre- ly found as an a Te z a;- e I? ergrown. Gold is frequent-
quently also carries small flakes and wires of free gold. Such plates. of g lel gg f gate ~f grams ~n such intergrowths, and thin
o were ound m adularIa. .
gold is of a deep, brassy color and is believed to be supergene in
an inch up to nearly two in~~:n ~~
Bands of pure adularia v r ' .dth
origin. from a small fraction of
Psilomelane or' PY1:olusite: Pulverent, black oxide of man- bands show the crystals t b' ~avage faces on these broad
2;anese is rather widespread in distribution. It appears to be ~arge:' crystals have well-de~elo;edq~~~:ni~~f~e. ~reqduetnhtlY, the
particularly common,though never abundant, in the western IdentIfied are the base and l' ace~, an e forms
part of the Oatman District where it is associated with ores con- a microscopic constituent oc/~~~o:,:Ss' Ad~larla alsoo~curs as
taining fluorite. Chemical tests show some of the calcite to crystals surrounded by quartz. as ISO ated grams and
carry manganese, and it was probably from this source that the
b An analysis of the adularia from the Oatman District d
manganese oxide was derived.
Quartz: Quartz is the most abundant and widespread consti- p;"~~t~~e~'s~~~a~: :~u;::~ Y.niversity of Arizona, Yielde::~h:
tuent of the veins and shows considerable diversity in both tex-
 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 63
62

1 2 decomposition of adulal'ia in the veins, and, in, part, it may have

SiO, 65.81 64.7
18.4
come from the alteration of the wall rock by surface waters.
AI,03 17.64
GaO 0.32 Asbestos: A variety of asbestos known as mountain leather
Na,O 1.76 was found in a specimen of ore from the Big Jim by J. W. Brad-
K,O 15.08 16.9
ley. It occurred as a thin, flexible sheet between layers of quartz.
100.61 100.0
STAGES O~ MINERAL FILLING IN THE VEINS
In column 2 is given the theoretical composition of pure potas-
sium silicat~, 'KA1SisO g , for comparison. Adularia freq?ently Tn interesting characteristic of the .ores of both the Oatman
contains small amounts of soda which replace the potash m the and Katherine districts is the rhythmic alteration of quartz and
adularia molecule. As may be seen from the above analysis, the calcite. In each vein, deposition begins with quartz and closes
Oatman material contains also a little lime. with calcite. Five stages have been recognized; each of which
Flumite: Fluorite is common only in the northwestern part of has its distinctive type of quartz, and they can usually, although
the Oatman District, although a little was found by Ransome 2E not always, be distinguished from each other. The calcite shows
at the Aztec Mine. At the Times and Hardy mines, fluorite is no such distinctive features, although coarse-grained, gray cal-
intergrown with or occurs as veinlets in the quartz, and .also lines cite occurs only in the veins following the first stage of quartz
cavities. It occurs in a similar manner at the Moss Mme. Fluo- deposition. .
rite also occurs in the Moss vein as segregations which some- N either the color nor the texture of the quartz is alone a safe
times enclose stout wires and plates of free gold. From its oc- criterion in distinguishing the stage of mineralization to wnich it
currence in various veins, it appears to be of late introduction, belongs. For example, yellow quartz with a greasy luster is
but whether it was deposited earlier or later than the adularia is always looked upon as indicating high-grade ore, but assays of
not known as the two minerals have not been found associated carefully selected samples of such quartz gave low value. Yellow
in the same specimen. Apparently, fluorite was not an important quartz which shows a pseudomorphic texture after platy calcite
or abundant constituent of the larger ore shoots of the Oatman is, however, always commercial ore, and such ore invariably con-
District. tains microscopic crystals of adularia. Transparent crystals of
The fluorite is white to pale green in color and is usually pres- quartz may belong to any stage of deposition, but only in the first
ent as an aggregate of interlocking grains; but, where it lines stage are such crystals large.
cavities in the quartz, it forms octahedral crystals. Occasional- It should be apparent from what has been sold that the recog-
ly a little of the purple variety is found, but it is less common nition of the different types of quartz may be of commercial im-
than the pale green fluorite. . . . portance. For instance, quartz of the fourth or fifth stage of
Gypsum: The variety of gypsum known as selemte IS qUIte mineralization, taken from the outcrop of a vein, although car-
common in the Oatman District. It occurs in the outcrops of rying no gold, would be worth following to depth. The jdenti-
those portions of veins where the wall rock was originally im- fication of these different stages is not always easy, but the abil-
pregnated with pyrite. The oxidation of th~s pyrite fo~'me.d sul- ity to differentiate them can be acquired with practice; and, as
phuric acid, and the acid, in turn, reacted WIth the calcIte m the an aid, illustrations of· the more distinctive types are included
veins to form gypsum. . in this report.
Gypsum is quite abundant north of Silver Creek where ext~~­ The evidence on which this sequence was determined was col-
sixe exposures of the Moss porphyry outcrop. This rock was ongI- lected in both the Oatman and Katherine districts. At no mine
nally mineralized over wide areas with pyrite. The significance were all stages observed, but, by piecing together evidence from
of gypsum in the outcrop of veins and its relation to ore shoots different veins, a more complete story was obtained. Some veins
will be discussed in a following section on outcrops. are filled almost entirely with calcite, but,in most veins, the
Kaolin: Kaolin occurs in the oxidized ores, associated with walls are lined with quartz and the central portion is filled with
hematite. Part of this kaolin was undoubtedly derived from the calcite. Stringers of later quartz cut across both the calcite and
earlier quartz. The earlier quartz and calcite from the Aztec
2~ Op. cit. p. 33. vein and also from the Big Jim was crushed by later faulting,
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 65
64 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

and, on this crushed vein-filling, a later stage of quartz and cal-

cite was deposited.
There is an interesting relation between the stages of quartz
deposition and the ratio of gold to silver. In the earlier stages,
silver predominates over gold by weight, while in th~ la~t stage
the gold exceeds the silver. There is also a progressIve mcrease
in the total value of the gold and silver from the earlier to the
last phases of mineralization.
Although quartz stringers traverse previously deposited min-
erals or follow periods of faulting in which the veins were re-
open~d, there is no reason to believe that the various st.ages or
mineral deposition were separated by long intervals of tIm~..
A detailed description of the various stages in the deposItIOn
of the ores is given below:
First Stage: The quartz of the first stage of deposition sho~f!
the most variation in texture, and, for that reason, it is often dIf-
ficult to identify, it with certainty. The coarse-grained, trans-
parent variety which occurs as an aggregate of large crystals
Fig. 12.-Platy quartz as a pseudomorphic replamecent of calcite. Unre-
may be placed with certainty in this first stage. As already placed calcite leached out.
stated these crystals are frequently traversed by a band of
ameth~stine colored quartz, and an example of this type is sho~n A microscopic examination of this quartz shows no unusual
in Fig. 11. Most of the quartz of the veins that belong to thIS features. The individual grains of quartz are irregular in out-
stage is, however white in color and consists of. an ag~regate of line, but fairly uniform in size. They are crowded with minute,
small, interlocking grains. It, is difficult to dIfferentIate such dust-like inclusions.
puartz from some quartz deposited during the next stage whe.n Assays reveal that this stage of quartz carries a maximum of
the latter is free from such textural features as psuedomorphlc $1.20, a minimum of $0.40, and an average of $1.00 a ton in gold
replacements after calcite. and silver. The ratio of gold to silver is one to six by weight.
Calcite followed the deposition of quartz, and most of it is
coarse grained with curved, rhombohedral cleavage faces.
Usually, this type, of calcite is of a grayish color ;. sometimes it
is brown, and, rarely, pure white. Generally, the finer grained
varieties are lighter in color. Chemical tests show a trace of
magnesia and sometimes a little iron.
This calcite, in some instances, must have been deposited in
open fissures, for, frequently, it formed as thin plates with crys-
tallographic faces around the edges. This structure is important
since this calcite is often replaced by the next stage of quartz
deposition and the original texture retained.
Second Stage: Following the deposition of the calcite de-
scribed above, the solution again began to deposit quartz. There
is no way to determine the lapse of time between the two stagef':
ofl mineralization. Very likely, they followed each other rather
Fig. n.-The first stage of quartz deposition. closely. In some veins, small stringers of this stage of quartz
The dark band is the amethystine variety.
:66 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 67

Microscopic examination of such quartz showed no adularia and

only a few residual shreds of calcite.
Quartz of the second generation is more abundant and wide-'
spread in its distribution than any of the other stages. Assays
show considerable variation with a maximum of $1.70 in gold
and silver per ton. Several samples assayed only 0.02 ounces in
gold. Silver, although low, exceeds gold by weight.
Calcite, deposited immediately after this quartz is relatively
scarce, or else difficult to identify positively. One reason for the
general absence of this calcite may be the renewed faulting and
crushing along the veins which follow the deposit of this min-
eral. Specimens collected from the Moss and Hardy veins in the
Oatman District, and from the Arabian vein in the Katherine,
District, show a platy variety with a pinkish color. The plates
are parallel and closely spaced.
Fig. 13.-Quartz of the second stage of deposi-
tion, showing a pseudomorphic replacement of cal- Third Stage: Faulting followed the deposition of the second
cite plates. stage of quartz and calcite, so the first mineral of the third stage
was deposited upon this crushed material. Specimens showing
may cut the earlier deposited quartz and calcite. Frequently,
the resulting features were collected from the Big Jim and Aztec
these veinlets are of a different texture and sometimes show mines.
slight differences in color.
An interesting feature of some of this later quartz is the tex-
ture shown in Figs. 12 and 13. From specimens studied, it was
concluded that the quartz was first deposited between the thin
plates of calcite, and, as deposition continued, some calcite was
dissolved and carried away by these same solutions. Such cal-
cite as remained was later dissolved, perhaps by surface waters,
leaving the thin plates of quartz standing out in relief. These
features are shown in Fig 12. Sometimes the thin plates of cal-
cite grew together at acute angles, and the deposit of quartz
,took place on these plates. Later, when the calcite was leached
out, the texture shown in Fig. 13 was developed.
Much of the quartz of this generation does not show these
textures, and, when replacement is extensive, only a faint sug~
gestion of the original texture remains. The more massive vari'-
eties of this type of quartz consist of an aggregate of small, white
grains. Before deposition ceased, however, clear crystals of yel-
10)V quartz were deposited over the variety formed earlier. In
places, such yellow quartz is quite massive, and examples of this
variety occur at the Katherine and Arabian mines in the Kather-
ine District. Although this mineral appears to be "live quartz,"
with a color and luster very much like the commercial ore from Fig. 14.-Banded quartz of the third stage of de-
the Oatman District, an assay gave only 0.08 ounces in gold. position. A variety commonly found at the Gold Road
vein.
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 69
ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

This variety of quartz is extremely fine grained, often chalce- in this manganese-stained calcite suggests that this gold may be
donic, and consists of alternate layers of slightly different color. supergene in origin. In some specimens, the calcite is coated
UsuaHy, it is a creamy white with thin bands of pale brown. with small, colorless crystals of quartz.
Sometimes, the broader bands are a delicate lavender between Fourth Stage: :Although a few small crystals of quartz were
layers of white or yellow. Quartz of this generation, but?f a yel- depositel on calcite, as mentioned in the preceding paragraph,
low color and not particularly different in appearance from the they were but the forerunner of the extensive deposition of the
next stage of quartz, was found at the Big Jim and Aztec mines. quartz that constitutes commercial ore bodies. The quartz again
The quartz is rather opaque and lacks the oily luster. Very thin shows casts of platy calcite. Fig. 15 is an illustration repre-
layers or partings of calcite may be seen in some specimens, but sentative of this variety of quartz. The color is invariably yel-
such calcite is rare. An illustration of this banded quartz is low or greenish, but the oily luster is absent except in such
shown as Fig. 14. This type of quartz has a rather limited dis- specimens as have a banded structure. '1'he banded structure is
tribution. The most extensive known deposit of the third stage best seen where the earlier stages of mineral filling have been
of quartz is in the Gold Road and Gold Ore veins where much of shattered and this later quartz introduced into the fractures.
,the vein filling is of this type. Smaller amounts may be seen at
various other mines, notably at the Pioneer. The Frisco vein in
the Katherine District is made up almost entirely of this type
of quartz.
A microscopic examination of this stage of quartz shows con-
siderable variation in the size of grain. Usually, the quartz first
deposited is extremely fine grained, and the texture becomes in-
creasingly coarse in later formed layers. In those bands last
formed the individual crystals or grains are large enough to be
distinguished with the unaided eye. With renewed deposition,
a new, very fine-grained band' was formed, and the process was
repeated over and over again. The colliform (Le., in layers the
surfaces of which are covered with low, rounded protuberances)
structure suggests that this stage of quartz was deposited in
open fissures.
Values in this type of quartz range from 0.06 to 0.40 ounces in
gold and10.18 to 0.24 ounces in silver per ton.· The average Fig. 15.-Quartz of the fourth stage of deposition.
value of all assays was slightly over $5 per ton in gold and silver. The platy structure is due to a replacement of calcite.
The average ratio of gold to silver is2 to 3. It, will be noticed
that there is an appreciable increase in the gold-silver ratio over A microscopic examination of this quartz s:Qows the individual
the earlier stages of vein filling. crystals along definite lines which were originally thin plates of
calcite. The space between the rows of crystals is lined with
Calcite again followed the deposition of quartz and IS usually a granular aggregate of quartz grains together with ragged
flesh-color,ed. It oCCUl;S as thin plates, sometimes as much as six shreds of unreplaced calcite. Occasional grains and crystals of
inches across and usually is less compact than the earlier stages adularia may be seen in the granular quartz. This adularia is
of calcite, although this characteristic is not a reliable criterion. remarkably, free from aIterationproducts, and it is interesting to
Occasionally, it is quite granular, and a pinkish specimen from note here that the first appearance of the adularia coincides with
the Pioneer vein gave a good test for manganese. Very likely the first deposition of commercial ore. Gold is rarely seen with
this calcite contains some of the rhodochrosite molecule (Mn a microscope and then only as widely scattered, thin flakes.
COs), Another sample from the same mine contained some ma~­
ganese oxide along fractures, and an assay gave 0.16 ounces III Quartz of this stage of deposition occurs at the Katherine
gold and 0.02 ounces in silver. The high ratio of gold to silveI;' Mine, but was not found at any of the other mines of the Kath-
 hi

70 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN,4,NIJ.KA,THERINE DISTRICTS 71

erine District. In the Oatman District, this variety of .quartz crystals: t~e next Hiyer of quartz was .deposit~Q. This feature
occurs at practically all the mines that have produced gold. This clearlymdlCates that, during this phase" of mineralization at
period of mineralization represents the first introduction of com- least; the p~ocess of vein formation was due to '$imple deposition
mercial values. Assays of such quartz range from 0.20 to 1.00 of n:merals m. open fissures, and replacement was negligible. Illus-
ounces in gold and 0.24 to 2.34 ounces in silver per ton. The ratio tra t~ons of t~llS type of quartz are shown as Figs. 16 and 17.
of gold to silver is approximately 1 to 2. ~IC~OSCOPlC examination of this quartz often shows the cr(jnu_
The calcite formed upon this pseudomorphic quartz occurs as lahon m theb~nding to be developed on a minute scale. In such
very thin lameHae which form a somewhat compact mass of parts of the slIde, as show this feature, the size of grain is also
curved plates. The calcite has a pearly luster and is the most unusua~ly small. A striking feature of the coarser crystals of
distinctive variety of this mineral in all the stages of mineral quartz IS the development of a plumose texture in them, due to
deposition in these veins. A broad band of the, calcite, several
inches wide, may be traversed by thin layers of the yellow
quartz which show a rhythmic alteration of quartz and calcite.
Where the thin plates diverge, small, clear crystals of quartz rest
on the calcite.
Fifth Stage: This stage of deposition brings to a close the
active filling of the fissures by th,e mineral-bearing solutions
which arose through the fractures. It is also of interest to note
that the ascending solutions that deposited this last phase of
mineralization also brought in th(j greatest concentration of gold.
The vein filling of this stage of mineralization was deposited in
open fissures upon the earlier stages of vein filling or upon rock
fragments. Banding is well developed and crenulation in the
bands is very pronounc(jd. Such banded structures are frequent-
ly referred to as "cockade are," 26 and represents the repeated
deposition of alternate layers of somewhat different composition.
Fig. 16.-p:,rk greenish .quartz of the fifth stage of
The quartz of this last stage of mineralization is yellow and, deposItion. The whIte bands are adularia.
often, olive-green in color. Such quartz invariably shows an oily
luster, and a well-developed banded structure. The size of the
quartz grains varies from fine to coarse, and, usually, the darker-
colored bands are somewhat coarser in texture. The difference
in color, certainly in some specimens, appears to be due to a
greater concentratipn of impurities, perhaps a silicate of iron.
Layers of quartz are often separated by bands of snow-white
adularia, and these partings of adularia vary in width from a
small fraction of an inch up to two inches. Occasionally, the
quartz and adularia are separated by a thin parting of calcite.
The thicker bands of adularia are made up of coarser crystals
and, on a fractured surface, show the cleavage characteristic of
this mineral. In these broader bands, the crystals of adularia
have well-developed terminal faces, and, upon the ends of these
Fig. 17.-A specimen of the fifth
stage of deposition.. This quartz.is of
26 Spurr, J. E., Successive banding around rock fragments in veins: ~,darkg::eenishcoloI'. The white band
Econ. Geology, vol. 21,pp. 519-537, 1926. IS adularIa.
72 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 73

the arrangement of small, opaque inclusions. A little kaolinitic W ALL ROCK ALT'EiRATION
dust occurs in the adularia, frequently along cleavage planes; oth-
erwise this mineral is remarkably free from alteration products. Alteration of the wall rock is more intense along some parts
of the veins than elsewhere. Such alteration is particularly in-
TABLE III.
tense where the rock is impregnated with pyrite; and, as a rule,
the more acid members of the volcanic series have undergone the
SUMMAR¥ OF THE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE VARIOUS
least change. At many of the mines, only the workings near the
STAGES OF QUARTZ DEPOSITliON.
surfac~ are accessible, and here the alteration in the walls pro-
duced by ascending solutions has been masked by the changes
Range of Ratio of Relative
Stage Texture Color values gold to di~tribution brought about by surface waters. By examining the rock on the
pel' ton. sHver. in the veins. dumps, however, some information was obtained as, to the char-
Coarse to Colorless, Up to acter of the alteration at greater depth. Even in specimens col-
1st fine gTained. white, $1.20 1 to (, Abundant
amethystine lected from the mine dumps, it is often impossible to disinguish
Fine grained. White, Up to the alteration produced by mineral solutions from that which the
2nd Often shows rarely $1.70 1 to 6 Abundant rock has suffered prior to mineralization. This is particularly
casts of calcite yellow trlue of the Alcyone trachyte.
3rd Fine grained Various $1.20 to 2 to 3 Relatively
Banded colors $8.00 scarce At the Katherine Mine, the effects of surface decomposition in
Fine-grained Pale green $4.00 Abundant the granite extends to the lowest level. The change most notice-
4th Often shows to to 1 to 2 only in able is intense kaolinization, but whether this kaolin was formed
casts of platy yellow $20.00 ore shoots
calcite from feldspar or seric~te is not known. The altered rock there is
Fine to me- Pale to A<bundant also more or less stained with iron oxide. The effect which can be
dium gra,ined deep $20.00 up 4 to 1 on~y in attributed directly to the mineralizing solutions is a narrow zone
5th Usually banded honey-yellow ore shoots
of intense silicification in, the granite. As the small stringers
are abundant and closely spaced in some sections of the mine, the
Gold is often concentrated in certain bands as clusters of small silicification has resulted in a local induration of the rock.
grains. Adjoining bands of quartz may contain only isolated Much of the Alcyone trachyte was altered prior to the forma-
grains. In a few instances, the gold observed microscopically tion of the veins, and consequently, the changes produced in the
was 'found to have crystal boundaries, but such occurrences are rock by the mineralizing solution are not readily determinable.
rare. A specimen of the high-grade ore from the Gold Road There appears, however, to be a bleaching of the wall rock im-
Mine s'howed the clusters of gold to be associated with thin mediat~ly adjacent to the vein.
plates of adularia separated by granular quartz. A high-grade The Oatman andesite shows much variation in the intensity of
specimen shown the writer at the United Eastern had coarse gold the alteration where it forms the wall rock of the veins. Locally,
on adularia. Usually the coarse crystals of adularia contain very it is intensely altered, and especially so where it has been im-
little gold. pregnated with pyrite. Specimens containing finely dissemi-
Assays of this stage of deposition always show commercial nated pyrite are thoroughly bleached of their green color, and are
values and range from.$20 per ton up. Mr. J. W. Bradley in- light gray with only a slight .greenish tinge. Although the rock
formed the writer that selected specimens would often carry is thoroughly altered, the outlines of original feldspar crystals
more than $1,000 per ton. The average ratio of gold to silver is remain. In thin section, such altered rock was found to consist
4 to 1. largely of calcite, secondary quartz, and kaolin. Whatever
chlorite was first formed from the original ferromagnesian min-
The calcite that followed the deposition of the fifth-stage
erals in the rock has been changed to a fibrous mineral resembling
quartz was transparent and colorless and presents no features of
sericite. It is not abundant, however. Of the original constitu-
unusual interest. Such calcite is usually well crystallized and
represents the last mineral deposited by the ascending solu- ents of the rock, only apatite and magnetite remain unaltered.
tions. The less altered andesite wall rock that contains no dissemi-
nated pyrite is darker in color. Even this rock, when examined
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 75
74 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

in thin section, is found to be composed almost entirely of cal-

cite, secondary quartz, and chlorite. The secondary quartz was
most probably formed by the decomposition of the silicates, but,
to some extent, it may also represent silica introduced by the
mineralizing solutions.
Changes produced in the Gold Road latite are quite similar to
the alteration 6n the andesite. Some of the latite at the Gold
Road and Gold Ore mines is impregnated with disseminated
pyrite, and such rock is also bleached to a light gray color.
The rhyolite flows in the Oatman District are not traversed
by veins, and the smaIl stringers of chalcedony and calcite have
produced only slight changes in the rock. In the Katherine Dis-
trict, however, the changes in the rhyolite flows are more pro-
nounced. Calcite is only a minor constituent of the alteration
products, and the rock has been changed very largely to an ag-
gregate of kaolin and secondary quartz. Only specimens from
near the surface could be obtained, and they were invariably
stained with iron oxides. Silicification appears to have been the
most important result of the alteration. .
Attention was directed to the altered condition of the Moss
porphyry when describing that rock. This intense alteration ap-
pears to be associated closely with the deposition of pyrite in
the rock. At the Moss Mine, there is very little pyrite; conse-
quently, this intensely altered condition is absent. Fragments
of the porphyry ~nclosed in the vein have been silicified, but, in
addition, small amounts of kaolin, calcite, and chlorite have also
formed.
A surprising feature of the alteration of the wall rocks is the
general absence of sericite. Sericite is often found in such rocks
as a result of mineralization, and signifies the addition of potash
from the solutions. In this case, however, the solutions may
have abstracted potash.:fromthewal1 rock. No analyses are avaIl-
able to establish this point.
1/l'Pto Z·W
",,,,>T../-rl/J o;../-,!W?

ORE SHOOTS
The distribution of ore shoots along the Tom Reed vein, which
are shown in elevation on Plate IV, indicates a concentration of
ore bodies at certain points. For example, the three most im-
portantore bodies, the United Eastern, the Tip Top, and the Ben
Hal'rison, were all localized within 2,000 feet along this fracture.
South of the Ben Harrison ore body, the Tom Reed fracture is
barren for over 2,000 feet of its length, and some portions of
the fracture are entirely devoid of vein-filling. Underground
exploratory work, however, shows the fracture to becqntinuous,
76 ARIZONA,BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
77

but filled with only a heavy gouge of crushed rock. Beyond the TABLE IV.
Red Lion shaft, the important Big Jim-Aztec ore shoot with a
PRODUCTION AND METAL CONTENT OF ORE FROM THE SAN
length of over 1,500 feet was found. Here th~ Gr~yEagle ore
FRANCISCO DISTRICT, ARIZONA, 1908 TO 1928, INCLUSIVE.
shoot represents a displaced segment of the BIg Jlm-tAztec ore
body along the Mallory fault. Still farther south alo~g this same
fracture are the Black Eagle-United American ore s:qoots. Plate IV Year I Tons
treated
IAv. value
per ton
I Ounces.
gold
Ounces Ratio
Sl'1vel' goId t o Sl'1vel'
shows only the ground stoped; the ore developed has a greater 1908 72,737 $ 3;71 12,881 6,522
depth than shown in the section. 1909 1.975
Due to lack of information it is impossible at present to show
an outline of the ore shoots on the Telluride, Gold Dust, Pioneer,
1910
1911
1912
18,106
89,285
110,699
174,319
16.78
12.52
13.34
10.44
I 14,5-15
53,373
70,568
86,833
7,118
26,254
33,834
2.041
2.033
2,.086
1913 159,948 41,456 2.095
Vivian, and Leland veins.' The vertical range of ore was much 11.35
1914 160,469 11.51
less than that of the ore bodies that occur along the Tom 1915 132,579 11.31
and Gold Road veins. 1916 95,245 9.54 43,181 23,812
1917 167.258 8.12 1.813
111,769 57,353
The outlines of the individual ore shoots, as shown in elevation, 1918 182,824 15.55 134,155 70,432
1.949
1919 184,490 1.905
is usually quite irregular; in plan, however, they are lenticular. 1920
14.29 123,667 71,833 1,721
197,629 14.84 136,948
Nearly all of these ore bodies have been mined, the undergrou~d 1921 179,013 13.34
72,806 1.476
workings are now inaccessible and it is impossible to collect In- 1922 169,240 12.64
1923 186,686 15.28
formation which may give a clue to the localization of ore 1924 96,788
135,309 68,551 1.974
16.98 78,239 39,097
at definite points along the main fractures. The termination 1925 46,638 12.18 2.001
ore shoots in sharp, narrow tongues in the case of the !ip Top 1926 89,391 7.24
1927 102,979 5.16
and Ben Harrison ore bodies suggests that, perhaps, In these 1928 43,300 6.86 I
areas there was a more intense fracturing which may have
contr~lled the circulation of the ascending, mineral-bearing solu- Av. value 1908-1928-$12.368 per ton.
tions.
Faulting and reopening of the veins was a condition neceilsa,ry Gold and silver content decreased rather suddenly with depth.
for the formation of an ore shoot. This was an essential In the case of the ore shoot of the United E'astern, on the Tom
tion for unless the veins were reopened, there was little CIl;cUll;e Reed Extension claim, this change took place at about the 800-
for the later, higher grade stages of quartz to be deposi~ed. foot level. Above this level, the average grade of the ore was
point will be discuss.ed in connection with hypogene enrIchment. over $20 per ton, while, below this level, the value dropped to
under $10. per ton.. A ~ross section of the Big Jim-Grey Eagle
The ore shoot~, br~adly speaking, are lenticular in plan; ore shoot IS shown In FIg. 18. It will be noticed that the grade
times they are rather long and narrow as, for example, the a?ove the 600-foot leveVaveraged $19 per ton, althougih, on the
Jim-Aztec ore shoot. The portion of this ore shoot on the dIsplaced segment on the Grey Eagle claim, it ran better than
Jim claim, as mined by the United Eastern, had a $20 per ton. Below the 600-foot level of the Big Jim, however,
width of 35 27 feet. The Black Eagle ore shoot and also the ore the average grade of the vein was IE;lsS than $6 per ton. A similar
bodies on the Telluride vein were also narrow. The main ore abrupt change in values with depth was found in other mines and
body of the United Eastern which occured on the Tom Reed E~­ ppears to be characteristic of the ore bodies of these dist;icts.
tension claim had a maximum width of 48 feet. In places, thIS
ore body consisted of massive quartz and calcite, but, in other The average grade of the ore mined for each year from 1908 to
places, it was a stringer lode with andesite between the 928, inclusive, is given in Table IV for the year 1908, the grade
of quartz and calcite. f the ore was rather low, $3.71 per ton, and most of t:his ore
.allle from the Gold Road Mine. With increased production from
he Tom Reed Mine in 1909, however, the average value of the
27 Moore, R. W., Mining methods and records at the United Eastern
r e was increased to $16.78 per ton. From 1909 to 1917, inclu-
Mine: Trans. A. I. M. & M. E., vol. 76, p. 56, 1928. , Ive, the grade of the ore gradually decreased ; but in 1918 the
 THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 79
ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
78
Throughout the years for which records are available, the ratio
of gold to silver is remarkably constant, as is shown in the last
column of Table IV. This ratio is nearly two to one; that is, the
ore carried two ounces of gold to every ounce of silver. This
feature of the precious metal content of the ores is significant
in indicating the type of quartz mined. 'In a preceding section,
attention was directed to the ratio of gold to silver that occurred
in the various stages of mineral filling. Only the fourth and
fifth stages of deposition contained commercial concentrations of
the precious metals, and, of them, the latter alone carried a high
rartio of gold to silver. As the earlier stages of quartz con-
tained more silver than gold by weight, such ore bodies as were
mined must have contained more or less of the later stages of
mineral filling.
Gold of supergene origin carried a comparatively small amount
of silver, and records show that such gold was worth $19.50 an
ounce. Only a comparatively small amount of secondary gold
was produced, however, and the ratio given in Table IV may be
taken as indicating the respective quantities of the precious
metals in the primary ores.
Veins in the Oatman and Katherine districts frequently branch
6'00 Level and intersect; yet no ore shoots have been found at such inter-
sections which are ordinarily favorable places to search for ore.
Where the Telluride veins joined the Tom Reed, the intersec-
tion was barren; and the point at which the Tom Reed vein
700 L branched to form the United Eastern ore shoot contained vein
filling, but the grade was low. Although no ore has been found
at such intersections in the past, it does not mean that ore will
not be found under such conditions in the future.
Ore has been found in various kinds of rocks. In the Kather-
ine District, primary ore occurs in granite,and, in the Oatman
District, primary OrB shoots OCcur in latite at the Gold Road
GREY EAGLE. and Gold are mines and in andesite along' the Tom Reed frac-
BiG JIM
ture. A small ore shoot at the Sunnyside Mine on the 500-foot
, th value of the vein level had trachyte for the footwall. The very rich ore shoot
, t' section showing decrease ,m e
Fig. 18.-DIagramma~fthdepth at the Big Jim Mme. worked in the early days at the Moss Mine was in quartz monzo-
nite. The general absence of ore shoots in the western part of
important pro ducer, a nd , with the Oatman District will be taken up in a later paragraph.
United Eastern Mine became an lue per ton was raised ac-
its higher grade ores, the ~v:~:goere:afor the years 1926 to 1928, The chemical composition of the rock, therefore, does, not ap-
cordingly. The low grade? elusion of large tonnages from the pear to have been an important factor in the localization of the
inclusive, wa.s due to the ~~~m the Katherine Mine during these ore shoots, and would hardly be expected to be of prime import-
Katherine Mme. The ore d than the ore from the Oatm~n ance unless the ore bodies were formed largely by a process of
years was of much lowe~'ag;eao~ the ore from 1908 to 1928, m- replacement. A physical property of the various rocks, such as
District. The averag~ g vailable was $12.368 per ton. their ability to shatter and remain open rather than~t0form a
elusive, from all recor s a , ,
80 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
81
tight gouge, may have contributed to the localization of the are
shoots where they are now found. As was stated previously, a
,,
I
reopening of the veins by later faulting was essential for the in-
troduction of the later and richer stages of vein formation.
,,
I

The are of these districts is of the "bonanza type" and was

1
deposited relatively close to the surface. Such are bodies usual- I
ly have a limited vertical range; and experience in other deposits ,
1

of a similar character shows that are stops ratherabruptly. This I

QI
is true of the are bodies at Oatman. The longitudinal section of \II

the are bodies alonK the Tom Reed vein, shown in Plate III, ~:
shows that the United Eastern, Tip Top, and Ben Harrison are ~:
shoots stopped at nearly the same depth below the present sur- 'lJ1
~I
face. Still farther south, the Big Jim-Aztec are shoot occurs at IIJ,
~,
a somewhat higher elevation, but it must be remembered that .;i'"
this are occurs in the footwall of the Mallory fault, and the ~:
IJI .S
vertical displacement of this fault is about 500 feet. Conse-
quently, the lower limit of are before faulting was at about the ",
"),
el,
...,
Ul
o
o
same elevation as the bottom of the United Eastern and Ben
Harrison are bodies. The lower limit of are on this vein is near- \:)1
~,
""e
Ul

I o
IIJ ,
ly at the same elevation. What the upper limit of the are shoots
~, '+-<
o
was at the time of their formation, it is impossible to say, for I
s:::
'0 ,
much of the are may have been removed by erosion. The out- .~
.S
~-ri
I
crop of an are shoot may be leached of metals, as at the United ~,
I
H·....
Eastern and the Grey Eagle, and at one time may have extended III I
"'.13
higher than at present. ~I, "' .....
.~Q
Ul

The are shoots in veins to the west of the Tom Reed invari- 'I
'0,
Ul
s:::

ably extended to lesser depth, and there must be a reason for the 1<'"
",
Q,I

more limited vertical range of these are bodies. The primary '"
~, '"o
H
ore in the Gold Dust vein was mined to: a depth of about 300 feet 1..,
S
::),
below the outcrop; in the Pioneer vein, about 500 feet; and, in ~r OJ)
the Leland vein approximately the same. The following sugges- ,,'
'\),
s:::
.~
tion is offered as a tentative explanation. Assuming that the ore .C: o
""'"
1

shoots were formed at approximately the same distance below "

.~,
the surface as is shown in Fig. 19, then the lower limit of ore 6:
would occur at about the same elevation, as shown in the dia-
grammatic section. Although the lower limit of ore may have
been at the same elevation when formed post-mineral faulting
I

has changed this general level. Erosion has cut deeper into the
volcanic rocks in the western part of the Oatman District, and
has exposed the older members of the volcanic series as well as
the basement on which these flows rest. The veins have been
eroded also to greater depths and the ore found in them may
represent, therefore, the roots of ore shoots. Insufficint evidence
. is available definitely to establish this theory at the present, but
such information as has been collected suggests it;
 , THE OATklAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 83
82 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
precipitated. The level at which these metals are precipitated is
HYPOGENE ENRICHMENT the zone of secondary or supergene enrichment. Deposits of iron,
Ransome 28 proposed the term hypogene for minerals deposited copper, gold, and silver may show such a zone of enrichment.
by ascending hot solutions, and supergene for minerals deposited Many deposits originally too low grade to be workable at a profit
by downward moving cold solutions. Hypogene enrichment, have been enriched and made commercial by this process.
therefore, is enrichment brought about by ascending so. The veins near the surface in both the Oatman and Katherine
lutions, and the term has been broadened to cover all such districts have been enriched in this way. Practically all the ore
enrichments no matter whether they were deposited from hot Or in the Katherine District resulted from supergene enrichment
cold solutions. of the veins near the surface, and the same statement is true
In both the Oatman and Katherine districts, the earlier stages of some of the veins in the Oatman District, particularly those in
of vein filling did not contain commercial concentrations of the the western and northwestern part.
precious metals, but fracturing, followed by the deposition of The portion of the rainfall which soaks into the ground de-
the later stages of high-grade quartz, raised the tenor of the ores scends to the zone of saturation where the openings in the rocks
to a point where they could be extracted at a profit. An examin- are filled with water. This constitutes the upper limit of the
ation of assay maps for ore of the larger ores bodies of the Oat- water table or level of ground water. In a general way, it fol-
man District showed narrow zones, a few feet wide, carrying val- lows the contour of the surface, and it is in this zone that enrich-
ues up to $500 per ton. Such high grade streaks generalIy ment takes place. Above the water table is the zone of oxidation
paralle1 the long direction of the ore shoot as shown in plan. in which the veins are frequently leached of their metallic con-
Sometimes the high-grade streaks are near the footwall, some- tent.
times near the hanging wall. They split into two or more
branches, and, farther along, again rejoin. An excellent summary of the enrichment of gold is given by
Innumerable small stringers, too narrow to be sampled separ-- Emmons 30 in his bulletin on enrichment, which includes all the
ately, enriched the low-grade quartz and calcite, or, traversing important contributions available up to that time. As is shown
enclosed blocks of barren andesite, gave the entire lode a profit- in this bulletin, gold does not dissolve in sulphuric acid, but ex-
able grade. Schrader 29 noticed at the Gold Road Mine that the periments by A. D. Brokaw show that gold will dissolve in the
vein was locally enriched where stringers joined it. This portion presence of manganese dioxide if the solution is acid and con-
of the mine is now inaccessible, but it is possible these stringers tains some chloride. Limestone walls or much calcite gangue
represent the later stages of vein filling. will prevent the solution and downward movement of gold, how-
The abrupt bottoming of the ore shoots is due to the, playing ever.
out of these high-grade stringers. The lower limit of ore is also Manganese dioxide is widespread in its distribution in these
the lower limit at which this high-grade quartz was deposited. districts and maybe seen in almost any of the veins above the
The veins continue in depth beyond this point, as has been shown ground-water level. It occurs as thin, dendritic films on frac-
by underground development work and diamond drilling, but the tures or as pulverent black masses in cavities in the veins. Fre-
vein filling is too low grade to be mined and treated at a profit. quently this manganese dioxide is associated with fluorite.
The ore shoots were formed above this lowest point of deposition The source of the chlorine necessary for the solution of gold
by a process of hypogene enrichment. may have come from the decomposition of the volcanic rocks.
Such rocks contain apatite, a mineral which often contains a
SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT
small percentage of chlorine, but a study of the altered rocks
By supergene enrichment is meant the process whereby metals shows that the apatite is one of the few original constituents
are dissolved near the surface in the zone of oxidation, carried which has remained unaltered. Sodium chloride may occur in
downward toa lower level by descending cold water, and there igneous rocks, especially as minute crystals, which occupy

28 Ransome, F. L .. Copper deposits near Superior, Arizor.a: U. S. GeoI. . ao Emmons, W. H., The enrichment of ore deposits: U. S. Geol, Survey
Survey Bull. 540, pp. 152-153, 1914. BUll. 625, pp. 305-349, 1917.
20 Op. cit. p. 158.
84 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 85

microscopic cavities in other minerals. In an arid region, com- gests that these ore bodies were probably enriched by supergene
mon salt may be concentrated in playas by evaporation of the solutions.
water and the salt deposited as a thin, white crust at the sur~ The association of secondary gold with fluorite may be of more
face. Later, dust storms would distribute this salt over a wide than casual interest. Chemically, fluorine is similar to chlorine
area. Penrose 31 has pointed out that c'hloridesoccur most in its properties, and may possibly be a solvent for gold under
abundantly in undrained regions. certain conditions. No experimental evidence bearing on this
Gold in solution could be precipitated readily by anyone of point is available so far as the writer knows. Clarke 32 states that
several substances occurringl iri the veins. Calcite is known to fluorite is attacked by percolating waters which contain calcium
precipitate gold by reducing the acidity of the solution, and it is bicarbonate or alkaline carbonates. Fluorite. however, is rare or
a notable fact that iron- or manganese-stained calcite will often absent in other veins in both the Oatman and Katherine districts,
give an assay for gold, whereas unstained calcite win not. A although some such veins show evidences of enrichment. At the
sample from the Pioneer vein gave, on assay, 0.16 ounces of gold southeast end of the section of the Gold Road vein, as shown
and 0.02 ounces in silver, while unstained calcite at this time is in Plate IV, a number of small bodies of ore were mined near the
barren. surface. None of these ore bodies extended much; over a hun-
Pyrite is also a precipitant of gold. Solutions containing ferric dred feet below the surface. The quartz was well stained with
sulphate, coming in contact with pyrite, would be reduced to the the oxides of iron, and it is possible such ores were enriched..
ferrous state by the oxidation of the pyrite. A sample of quartz At the Gold Dust vein, several small pockets of secondary gold
from the Moss vein which contained pyrite, some of which was were found. Like other occurrences in the Oatman District, this
oxidized, carried 10.80 ounces of gold and 30.16 ounces of silver gold was associated with iron and manganese oxides in cavities.
per ton. Cavities in this sample contained visible specks of gold Such gold contained but little silver and was worth $19.50 per
in limonite. It is hardly likely that the amount of gold present ounce. At the United Eastern Mine, in the upper levels, the
in the cavity could have come from the single, small grain of footwall of the vein was impregnated with iron oxides, and this
pyrite. iron-stained quartz carried good gold values.
In the Katherine District, nearly all the commercial ore bodies
stopped at or a short distance below the top of the water table, OUTGR0PS, OF THE VEINS
and such ore was invariably stained with iron oxide. Small Many of the outcrops of the veins consist of solid masses of
pockets of rich ore at the Frisco vein, according to R. H. Dim- quartz, an abundance of closely spaced stringers of quartz
mick, occurred in the footwall arid were heavily stained with iron traversing country rock, or silicified wall rock. Such outcrops
oxide. Some of this ore assayed over $1,000 per ton. are the most conspicuous and stand out in relief because they
According to E. H. Dickie, Who was foreman at the Moss Mine are more resistant to erosion than the surrounding wall rock
at one time, numerous small pockets of secondary gold were Prominent outcrops of this type occur in the Gold Road, the Tom
found occupying vugs in the mille. The gold was of a deep, Reed, and the Moss vein in the Oatman District. In the Kath-
brassy yellow color and occurred as rather coarse flakes "and erine District, the most conspicuous outcrop of this type occurs
wires. This gold was present as loose particles in pulverent on the Black Dyke property. Such outcrops contain very little cal-
masses of iron and manganese oxides associated with fluorite. cite except local bunches here and there, and those places in the
So constant was this association of gold with fluorite that in vein where calCite is abundant weather most rapidly. Frequent-
later prospecting for such pockets smaller stringers of fluorite ly such outcrops are black or red; the red stain is clearly due to
were followed in the search for additional ore. Many of the veins iron oxides; but the dark outcrops are due to a thin lllm of desert
in the, vicinity of the Times porphyry contain both fluorite and varnish, and may consist of a mixture of iron and manganese
manganese dioxide, and, without exception, the ore bodies oxides.
mined occurred relatively close to the surface. This factsug- Gold is sometiIrles found free as visible particles in such out-
crops, and the first discovery in the Oatman District, the Moss
31 Penrose, R. A. F.Jr., The superficial alteration of ore deposits: ·--~2·Clarke.F.W.,Thedata of geochemistry; U. S. Geo!. Survey Bull,
Jour. Geology, vol. 2, ,pp. 314-316, 1894. 770. p. 339. 1924.
86 ARIZONA BURK4U OFMlNES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
87

vein, was made on the finding of gold in the outcrop. In many

cases, however, the gold is rather finely divided and its presence
can be ascertained only by crushing and panning the sample, or
by assay. Visible free gold has, however, been found in the out-
crop of the Gold Road vein, but a sample taken by Joe Jeneres
assayed fdrty ounces..
The type of outcrop most commonly found in both the Oatman
and Katherine districts consists of an intergrowth of quartz
and calcite. Where these two minerals are intimately mixed, the
outcrop weathers down to the level of the wall rock on each side
of the vein. Sometimes, such an outcrop is rather inconspicuous
and may be covered by detritus at places along its strike.
Outcrops which consist entirely of calcite are relatively rare
and represent a portion of the vein where this mineral was de-
posited in great abundance. Farther along-the same vein, quartz
may predominate.
The outcrop which is the least conspicuous and the most diffi-
cut to follow over the surface is one in which the vein contains
more or less calcite and in which the wall rock is impregnated
with pyrite. The oxidation of this pyrite generated sulphuric
acid, and the acid, att:wking the calcite, is neutralized and forms
the hydrous calcium sulphate, gypsum. Where a vein with this
type of outcrop crosses a spur or ridge, the outcrop is marked by
a well defined depression. Thhe depression may be partly filled by
detritus washed in from above, and a careful examination will
show the wall rock to be bleached to an ocherous yellow color.
Fig. 20.-0utcrop_ of the G'old Road v;ein in the Oatman Panning of the decomposed vein material that contains gypsum
District. . will, almost invariably, yield fragments of residual quartz. The
gold colors obtained in such panning, in every sample tested by
the writer, were small and flaky.
Outcrops of veins which carry gypsum occur over the United
Eastern, the Big Jim, a part of the United American, and the
GoldOr-eore bodies.-To the northwest of Oatman, gypsum is
commonly found in the decomposed Moss porphyry. In many
places, there is no evidence of a vein, nor is vein filling necessary
for the production of gypsum. Although, in a vein, the calcite
undoubtedly furnishes the lime necessary for the formation of
gypsum, in the porphyry, this constituent could have been de-
rived from the decomposition of the plagioclase feldspar.
The fact that gypsum occurred over large ore bodies at the
United Eastern and the Big Jim mines has led prospectors and
promoters to conclude that gypsum in the outcrop signifies ore
bodies in depth. This assumption is based on incorrect premises,
Fig. 21.~Outcrop of the Black Dyke vein in the Katherine District. and actual development beneath such outcrops in some instances
has failed to reveal an ore body.
88 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
89

To evaluate the various types of outcrop~, and indi~ate ~hich small size. Such particles occurred as isolated grains or as ag-
has the greatest merit from the economIC sta~dpomt, IS not gregates of grains and, when liberated from the quartz, might
easy. The Tip Top ore body on the Tom Reed vem and so~e of, be transported for long distances by the streams, particularly
the ore bodies on the Gold Road vein occurred beneath promme.nt, when they are in flood.
silicified croppings. In the case of the Tip Top outcrop, samplmg Another factor which must be considered is that of supergene
showed low veins, but, within the last few years, lessees have enrichment. In the veins where secondary downward enrich-
mined small bunches of ore up to within a few feet of the s?r- ment had taken place, the gold would be, largely, or even entire-
face. The occurrence of gypsum in the outcro~ has .no ?earmg ly abstracted from the outcrops. Such outcrops, therefore, could
on the deposition of gold. It does indicate mmer~hzatlOn,.for contribute no gold for the formation of placers.
the pyrite was certainly deposited by miner~l:bearmg solutIOns Ch~nges in climatic conditions may affect the rate of enrich-
in the walls of the fissure prior to l the ~epo~ItI.on of q~art,z ~nd ment; and, at some time in the past, the rate of erosion may
calcite, but the mere existence of the vems mdlCa~es mmeI ~hza­ have been more rapid than enrichment. The leached portions
tion, and many of them have been shown to contam no bodIes of
--
af the veins would then be stripped and the enriched zones ex-
posed to erosion. Under such changed conditions, gold might
~. 1 readily be contributed to form placers. The gold derived from
Iron-stained outcrops, more or less porous and leached of ca-
cite, may overlie enriched bodies of ore. Such ore may ,or, may the enriched zon~ might be coarser in grain, although part of
not be high grade, and most of such ore of supergene OrIgm oc- the primary ore also contained some coarse gold.
curred as small pockets or as rather small lenses. In most cases Placer gold hasheen found at various places along Silver
it will prove worth while to search for them, however. Creek, and at different times, efforts, have been made to work
these gravels, but up to the present, these efforts have been un-
Outcrops in which the fourth and fifth stages of quartz have
successful. No information is available as to the extent of the
been deposited may be leached of the precious met~ls near,th: gold-bearing gravels and the value per cubic yard.
surface. On panning, the decomposed, gypsum-bean~Ig out:eIOP";
A little placer gold was washed from the small side streams
of the United Eastern and the Big Jim-Aztec vems YIelded
tributary to Silver Creek, which headed in the area of Times
fragments of the yellow quartz characteristic of the later stages porphyry near Mt. Hardy. A sample of this placer gold was
of mineral deposition. Such outcrops are always worth prospect- shown the writer by Mrs. Le Clair of Oatman. This small vial
ing. If an ore body is found, it ~ay be expected to extend to a contained gold of two different colors; one was pale yellow and
depth of a thousand feet or more m the eastern part of the Oat- the other much darker yellow in color. It is not certain that all
man District, but, in the western part of this district, it may this gold was panned from the same stream. This gold varied
extend down only a few hundreds of feet below the surface. in the size of grain from small, flat flakes to hacklyparticles up
to the size of a grain of wheat.
PLACERS
The small stream below the Pioneer Mine was panned at differ-
A small amount of placer gold has been found in the. Oatman ent points along its course and some flake gold was obtained.
District, but no records are available of the gold produ~tIOn fr~m Nearly all of this gold was in fine particles and occurred within
the detrital deposits. The amount of placer gold ~hrmks to In- three feet of bedrock. Only a small amount of gold was ob-
significance when compared with the large productIOn fro:r:r the tained, however,and the ground was abandoned. Some placer
lodes. No information on the occurrence of placer gold III the gold is said to have been found a short distance below the Moss
Katherine District is available. vein, but only meager information is available. Coarse gold oc-
Several factors are important in accounting for the general curred in the one important ore shoot on this vein and it is pos-
absence of placers, and perhaps, also, in limiting the amount of sible that the gold in the placer was also coarse.
gold concentrated in the stream beds. Of these factors, t~e most The placers that OCcur to the northwest of the Katherine Dis-
important is probably the small size of most. of the par~Icles of trict and in the high benches bordering the Colorado River were
gold originally in the veins. '~s was stated III a precedm~ sec- not derived from the veins in the districts covered by this re-
tion of this, report, the particles of gold found wh.en m.akmg a port. They are not properly a part of these districts and will not
microscopic examination of, the ores were almost mvarIably of be considered furthel' in this report.
 ARIZONA BUREAU·OFMINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DlSTRICTS 91
.190

. As a whole; the placers of these districts are unimpOl'tant; largely of quartz and calcite together with smaller amounts of
they have contributed very little gold in the past and are not adularia and fluorite. These substances may have been concen-
l'kely tbyield much in the future. Undoubtedly, the total value tl;ated w~th the vapors in the magma basin and, therefore, were
~f gold in the gravels of these. streams would amount to many once an mtegral part of the original magma. If so, they were
'thousands of dollars, but test PIts show the value per yar~ to be transported by the solutions and later deposited in the fissures to
.1 w In this ariel< region, a sufficient quantity of water IS not form veins. In addition to water vapor, the gaseous emanations
:vailable for sluicing, and dry-washing machines are not success- from the cooling magma would contain much carbon dioxide and
smaller amounts of fluorine, boron, and perhaps, other constitu-
ful on finely divided gold. ents. Solutions charged with such. substances would be power-
ORIGIN OF THE ORES ful mineralizers, and would be likely to react with the walls of
the fissure and produce various mineralogical changes. Among
The ores of the Oatman and Katherine districts belong to the- them, would be the formation of hydrous silicates such as chlo-
general group of deposits sometimes referred to as the "bonanza rite and sericite. The solvent action of such solutions in some
type." In such types, gold is often concentrated to form ex~ep­ cases. might be quite strong, and they are known to be capable
tionally high-grade ores. The gold may occur free or co~bll~ed of dissolving silica, iron, lime, and soda from the wall rock of the
with other constituents, such as tellurium. Deposits of thIS kmd fissures which they traverse. No analyses of the altered wall rock
are classed as epithermal by Lindgren. 33 of the Oatman veins are available, and the quantitive chemical
Such deposits have been formed relatively close to the surface, changes that have occurred are not definitely known.
at depths measured in hundreds rather than thousands of feet. .The rising, hot solutions, therefore, could have derived their
They appear to have formed at relatively low temperature~, mmer.al matter from the wall rock in depth, and, on ascending to
that is, not over 175°C. In many cases they are clo~ely aSSOCI- a regIOn of lower temperature and lower pressure, could have
ated with Tertiary volcanism, and the ores may occur m the lavas deposited this mineral matter as veins in the· fissures. If this
or in the rocks upon which the lavas rest. . hypothesis is correct, the magma need only furnish the water
In the Oatman and Katherine districts, the ores are. beheye? and carbon dioxide, and perhaps also the fluorine. The. remain-
to have been deposited by hot, ascending solutions WhICh orIgI- ing constituents, including the precious metals, could have been
nated at considerable depth below the surface. The exact source abstracted from the wall of the channel traversed by the rising
of the solutions, however, cannot be determined. They we~e, thermal water. Even a part of the water may have been fur-
however, derived from a cooling magma. The more vo~a~Ile nished by the underground circulation.
constituents, including water vapor, were concentrated.bY dIffer-
entiation of the magma. Slow cooling and contractIOn .would According to these two views, the gangue minerals, as well as
force these volatile constituents upward through cracks m the the gold, could have been derived from some magma in depth as
earth's crust. Such heated vapor on rising would reach a cooler a result of slow cooling and differentiation, or, these constituents
environment; and would condense with a decrease in tempera- .could have been abstracted by the hot solutions from the .rocks
ture, and, under the pressure existing at that depth, form traversed on rising to the surface.
It is certain that the gold was not abstracted from the lavas in
aqueous solutions. .
The solutions would issue from the surface as sprmgs, and which the ore bodies occur in the Oatman District, for the veins
the temperature of the flowing water would depend on the quan- extend into the rock beneath the lavas. At such depths, the
tity of heat lost in transit. Hot. spri:t~gs ar~.rather c~mn:on "and later stages of quartz deposition do not occur at Oatman, but, at
the temperature of the water IS qUIte vaIl~ble. Mmeral "u.b- the Katherine Mine, these ores occur in the pre-Cambrian
stances are often deposited around the ol'l~ces, and ~areful granite. If they were deposited by ascending waters, the gold
analyses of these deposits show traces of varIOUS metals, mclud- must have been derived from some source beneath the lavas.
lng gold and silver. In a preceding section of this report, it was shown that the
The veins in the Oatman and Katherine districts consist time of hljectiop. of the Times porphyry corresponded closely
with the outpouring of the rhyolitic flows. Attention was also
33 Lindgren, W., Mineral Deposits: 3rd ed. 1928.
called to the absence of veins in the basalt, although these basic
92 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS
93
flows are traversed by faults. The period of ore deposition
consequently, followed the rhyolite flows and was earlier than is .not ~ver 700 feet vertically below the base of the basalt. At
the basalts. Vein formation, therefore, probably took place in thIS pOInt, the flows of r;v:olite may have been largely removed by
the latter half of Tertiary time. er~slOn,for only a few mIles to the north they have an estimated
The depth below the original surface at whicllores of this type thIckness of neatly 1,000 feet. Even here, however, they may
were formed has been determined indirectly with some degree have bee,n eroded to a certain. extent. It is possible, therefore,
of certainty in several districts. At Cripple Creek, Lindgren and that ore may have been depOSIted in the Oatman District within
1,500, feet of the original surface.
Ransome 34 have shown, on reconstructing the cone of the old
crater, that the deposits were formed within 1,500 feet .of .the A ~eque.nce in the deposition of the ores, such as has been
original surface. At Goldfield, Ransome 35 found that the pnncIpal descr~bed In a ~rec.eding section of this report, has been noted
ore bodies were formed at comparatively shallow depth, perhaps als? In other ~IstrlCts. In ~he Tonopah District, Spurr36 de-
less than 1,000 feet below the original surface. SCribes a defimte sequence In the formation of the ores b t
37
In the Oatman District, there is some evidence suggesting that. Locke concluded that, although several periods of miner~liz~­
commercial ore was formed relatively close to the surface, but tion .did ex~st, the as~ignment of a vein to a particular period
the evidence is far from conclusive. Veins are rarely found in was ImpossIble. BastIn and LaneY,38 as a result of microscopic
the rhyolite in this district, largely because of the limited dis- stu~y o~ the ores, concluded that "the primary or hypogene min-
tribution of the< rhyolite in the mineralized areas. The Gold erah~atIOn was no~ a simple, brief event, but was a process of
Road vein can, however, be traced from the latite to where it conSIderable duratIOn accomplished by solutions whose composi-
passes into the overlying tuffs and flows of rhyolite. The gen·· ti0:t,I was not at all times the same." Ransome39 found three
eral trend of this vein is southeast, and, towards this end, the maIn stages in the deposition of the ores at Goldfield and a at
vein becomes narrow, averaging less than thirty inches in width. ?atman, the richest ore was deposited last. Here, al~o, f~ac:ur­
On following this vein in a southeasterly direction up Gold Road mg was followed by renewed deposition of the vein filling.
Gulch, one passes from lower to higher levels, both geographical-
ly and geologically. The last prospect pit is still in the latite, . .In the O~tman and Katherine districts, the first of the mineral-
and there the quartz is of the greenish yellow variety and well l~Ing .solutIOns deposited pyrite and produced an intense altera-
banded. An assay of a sample of this quartz gave an assay of tion m. the wall ~'ock of the fissure. An assay of this pyrite
$8 per ton in gold and silver. This pit is less than 200 feet sho~.s It to con~aIn but a trace of the precious metals. The de-
vertically below the base of the rhyolitic tuff. Farther along the pOSItion of pyrIte was followed by the introduction of the first
vein" the quartz is still of a yellowish color and shows both the stag~ quartz and then calcite., Probably the composition of the
banded and platy texture. Immediately below the base of the solutIOns cha~ged from time to time, for we find the earlier
tuff, the quartz is banded and grayish white iII< color and con- stages of ~alcIte partl:: .replaced by quartz. What brought about
tains numerous small and irregular cavities lined with quartz the changmg composItIOn of the solutions is unknown. It ap-
crystals. A sample taken here assayed only a trace in gold and pears to be a rather common phenomenon in ores of this kind. 4o
silver. Where the vein enters the tuff, it splits into a number of No information is available to indicate whether the solutions
small stringers, and consists of quartz and chalcedony. Only a that deposited the ores were acid or alkaline. Primary sulphates
trace of the precious metals was obtained on assay. In the
rhyolite flows over the tuffs, the stringers are made up entirely
of chalcedony and calcite. Above the rhyolite are tuffs and flows
36 Spurr, J. E., Geology of the Tonopah mining district Nevada' U S
of basalt with no evidence of the vein. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 42, pp. 71-72, 1905. , . . •
The sample from which an assay of $8 per ton was obtained LtOCMk~, .Augustus, The geology of the Tonopah mining district: Trans
A m. 3r7ns. mmg Eng" vol. 43, p. 164, 1913. .
34 Lindgren, W. and Ransome, F. L., Geology and gold deposits of the
Cripple Creek District, Colorado: U. S. Geol. Survey, Prof. Paper 54, p. N eva3d8a:Baustin, GE.s., and Laney, F., B., The genesis of the ores at Tonopah
• S. eol. Survey Prof. Paper 10'4. p. 12, 1918. '
226,1906. .
35 Ransome. F. L., The geolog,y and ore deposits at Goldfield, Nevada: U . S.39GeoI.
Ransome, F. L., The geology and ore deposits of Goldfield Nevada'
Survey Prof. Paper 66, pp. 195-196, 1909. , .
U. S. Geol. Survey Plrof. Paper 66, p. 174, 1909.
40 Lindgren, W., Minexal deposits, 3rd ed., pp. 528-524, 1928.
94 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN'ANDKATHERI'NJil'JlUSTRICTS
95
were absent from these solutions, although they probably con- 7h~olit~hflfows.'They range in width from ottexto twenty feet and
tained an abundance of carbon dioxide. It is conceivable that III eng . rom 1,000 feet to several miles. '. '
calcite might be deposited from slightly acid solutions due to a th The V~InS are composed e~sentially of quartz and adularia and
greater concentration of carbonic acid gas OVBr the concentra- e qu.altz often has a lamIllated structure showing' 'd
a
tion of lime. As there is no chance for escape of the carbon morphlC replace.ment of platy calcite Some'of the veI'n pseu ?-
s m h 60 .' s con t'aIn
dioxide, and if the law of mass action applied, one would expect a u~ ~s percent adularIa. Associated with the quartz and
the equilibrium to be shifted in a direction which would precipi- adularIa, IS more or less fluorite and both' . ,'t d .
. r t d ...' pyn e an marcaSIte
tate CaCOg • ale IS ~ as o.ccurnng In thIS district. At the surface th .
are staIned WIth th 'd . e veIns
Within recent years, more evidence has become available e OXI es of Iron, and manganese. Plate VIII
suggesting that the particles were transported as colloids by the 0: S.chr~~e,s report on this district illustrates two specimens
solutions. The delicate banding in ores such as are found in these ~h Ole 7,IC bear a remarkable resemblance to the Oatman ores
districts is often interpreted as indicative of deposition in the l~ co 01 of tlJ,e ore, however, is "milk-white" rather than th~
colloidal state. If so, there has been a dehydration and crystal- ye ow color so common in the Oatman District.
lization of the gel after its introduction into the fissure. Open Most of the gold is fi 1 d"d d .
, f . ne y IVI e , and the particles range in
spaces must have existed, for' otherwise the growth of the thin ~Ize 7'0m that of a PIn head to minute specks. Some of the old
plates of calcite would have been interrupted. IS qUIte coarse along fractures in the specimen. The SP;Cks
of gol~ are often associated with argentite and hematite The
CO:I\1PARISON WITH DISTRICTS H)AVING SIMILAR, ~'ange~~ the value of the ore Was from a few cents to $1 000 per
TYPES OF ORE o~ e gold,occ.urs both in quartz and adularia. '
e, I:amar D~8tnct, I da~o: :rhe country rock in which the veins
Epithermal deposits containing gold and silver as the principal OCCUI .In ~he De Lam~r DIstrIct is rhyolite, and a description of
metals are widespread in their distribution throughout the world. the dIstrIct was publIsh~d by Lindgren 42 in 1898-99 Th
They occur almost invariably in regions where Tertiary volcanoes er:;tl trend of the veins is to t~e northwest, and the di~ is u:u~~~
have been active; but similar types of deposits are are known to the so~thwest,.but sometImes they are vertical. The veins
from areas characterized by pre-Tertiary volcanism. It is possi- ~ar C?nslSt of stnnger lodes or narrow fissure fillings. Angular
ble that ores of this kind may be in process of formation today InC uSIIlons of the country rock are common, and such fragments
at the Yellowstone National Park and at the Katmai volcanic as we as the wall rock, may be kaolinized. '
province in Alaska. The gold-silver veins, as represented by the De Lam' .
The gold and silver deposits of epithermal origin (formed near car~y extremel:: fine gold. Associated with this gold is a~ ~~~?~
the surface) often bear resemblances to each other, but may pynte, m~rcaslte, and silver sulphides. Quartz is the chief
diverge widely in mineral composition. A brief description of gangue r~ll1~eral and !Jas a platy structure, suggesting that it
some of the better known deposits of the western part of the repla~~ blO~It~ or calcIte. Adularia is abundant in the ores and
United States is given below for comparison with the ores of the Some :me.s It IS well crystallized. Pyrite and marcasite occ~r in
Oatman and Katherine districts. the dlSt:'I?t: but the ~ormer is practically confined to the wall
Jarbridge District, Nevada: The Jarbridge District is situ- roc~ a~JOl.ll1J.lg thelveIns. In this respect, the occurrence of
ated in northern Nevada, within fifteen miles of the Idaho state f~rIte IS sIm:lar to that in the Oatman District. Lindgren states
line. The gold veins of this district were described by Schrader 41 in at the ratIo of ~old to silver by weight, based on production
1912. Here Tertiary rhyolite flows rest upon older sedimentary records over. a perIod of years, is 1 to 20. A Small amount of
and granitic rocks. The general trend of these gold-bearing gold occurs In the. pyrite. and in the silver sulphide.
quartz veins is north-south, and they occur chiefly in the older The ore, shoots at the De Lamar Mine were large, rich, and

42 Lindgren W, The gold d 'I . . .

41 Schrader, F. ,C., A reconnaisance of the J arbridge, Contact, and
Mountains mining districts, ElkoCounty, Nevada: U. S, Geol. Curvey, Rept. part 3, 1898-99.
Su
and other lf1iriln~ di~tricts in Id:ho' ve~ vGems °Sf SIlver. CIty" De Lamar
l
, ' . . eo. urvey TwentIeth Annual
497, 1912.
96 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 97

continuous to the 10th level. They were about 200 feet long and 000,000. The geology and ores have been described by several
were ordinarily bne to six feet thick, although ore bodies thirty writers. 44
feet thick have been found. Below the 10th level, the average The prevailing rocks are practically all of igneous origin and
grade of the vein was less than $10 per ton. All the quartz con- are essentially flows with associated tuffs. These flows compriSe
tained some gold and silver, but some bf it ran as low as $1.20 such diverse rock types as rhyolite, trachyte, dacite, andesite, and
per ton. basalt. Some intrusive, dacite and rhyolite are present as volcanic
Gold Sprvngs District, Utah: The Gold Springs District occurs rocks and sheets. The lavas are traversed by a number of faults
in the southeast corner of Utah and has been described by B. S. which divided the area into a series of irregular blocks. The
Butler. 43 The prevailing rocks are volcanic in origin and com- general trend of the veins is to the northeast, and they have
prise such types as latite, rhyolite, and rhyolite tuff. These flows been offset by a series of closely spaced fractures which trend
are essentially horizontal and have been disturbed but little by more nearly north-south. Usually the offset along these frac-
folding and faulting, although fissuring is extensive. tures is small. More recent work on the district has shown that
The ores occur in veins with a general north-south trend and the ore shoots are related to a flat fault. 45
with an easterly dip and have been deposited in open fissures. The veins are usually quite narrow and vary considerably in
Banded and crustified structures are common, and lamellar struc- length; many of them are between 500 and 1,000 feet long and
ture has been noted. Quartz is the most abundant mineral and are about equally persistent in depth. The wall rock in most
is usually fine grained; it is sometimes chalcedonic in texture. cases is intensely altered adjacent to the veins. Spurr believes
Calcite, perhaps containing some iron and manganese, is also that the ores were formed, in the main, as replacement deposits
a common constituent of the veins. Next in abundance after the along closely spaced zones of fracturing rather than a simple fill-
calcite is adularia, the vein-forming feldspar. Locally, this min- ing of fissures.
eral forms 50 percent of the vein filling. Fluorite occurs in The content of the veins is essentially quartz with smaller
small amounts, and is variable in its occurrence. A little pyrite amounts of other minerals, among which adularia and sulphides
is usually associated with the wall rock or with included frag- are the most important. Locally, the adularia is very abundant.
ments of rock in the veins. The mineralogy of the veins is re- A carbonate, probably calcite, occurs as microscopic particles in
markably similar to that of the Oatman District. Even the yel- the ores. The sulphides most commonly found are complex salts
low quartz so common at Oatman occurs there. of silver, chalcppyrite, pyrite, galena, and blende. The texture
The gold, as observed in a thin section with the microscope, is most often observed is a colliform banding.
rather pale, suggesting the presence of considerable silver. This As a result of microscopic study, Bastin and Laney divide the
gold is associated with' a dark-gray, metallic mineral that may hypogene mineralization into two stages known as alpha hypo-
be a telluride of gold and silver. Most of the gold occurs in the gene and beta hypogene. The earlier minerals formed are of
yellow quartz, while the finely crystalline white quartz contains the alpha hypogene stage and are essentially base metal sul-
but little of the precious metals. The coarsely crystalline calcite phides with, complex silver minerals. The minerals of the sec-
is almost barren. Most of the bullion shows silver to predomi- ond stage replace the first and consist of silver sulphide with a
nate over gold by weight. little chalcopyrite. Associated in both stages is some electrum,
The ore occurs in distinct shoots in the vein. Several shoots an alloy of gold and silver. The ratio of gold to silver in these
decrease in size and metal content with increase of depth, but ores is 1 to 98 by weight.
this may not be general. A common characteristic of the veins
is to break up into a series of stringers in a zone of altered rock.
44 Spurr, J. E. Geology of the Tonopah mining district, Nevada: U. S.
Tonopah Dist1'ict, Nevada: The rich silver ores, containing Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 42, 1905. "
more or less gold, were discovered in 1900, and the total value of Burges~. J. A .. The geology' of the producing part of the Tonopah min-
the precious and base metals produced is now well over $100,- ing district: Econ. Geology, vol. 4, pp. 681-712, 1909.
Locke.' Augustus, The geology of the Tonopah mining district: Trans.
Am. lnst. Mining Eng., vol. 43, pp. 157-166. 1912.
45 Nolan, T. B., The underground geology of the western part of ,the
43Butler,B. S., The ore deposits of Utah: U. S, Geol. Survey PIIof. Tonopah mining district, Nevada: Bull. 4, vol. 24, Univ. of Nevada publIca-
Paper 111, pp. 563-568, 1920. tions, 1930. ' ,
 98 ARIZONA BUREAU ()FMTNES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 99
.The points of similarity of the Tonopah ores to those of Oat;.
man are the occurrence in veins or vein-like bodies in volcani'c Goldfield District, Nevada: The Goldfield District is located
rocks; the association of quartz and adularia as gangue; and the about 28 miles south of Tonopah. Ransome 47 published a com-
banded textures. The two occurrences aie dissimilar in other plete account of the geology and ore occurrences in 1909. At
res~ects. The ores at Tonopah are essentially ores of silver Goldfield the country rocks are a series of volcanic flows, associ-
whIle t.hose at Oatman and Katherine al7~,!yaluable principally ated tuffs, and some lake bed deposits. The flows comprise such
for theIr gold content. Replacement wasilIlPortant at Tonopah rock types as rhyolite, latite, dacite, andesite, and basalt. These
and does not appear to have been important at Oatman. volcanic rocks were arched into a domical uplift through which
Manhattan District, Nevada: In the Manhattan District erosion has cut and exposed the underlying formations upon
Tertiary volcanic rocks rest upon Paleozoic formations and o~ which the lavas rest.
Mesozoic granitic intrusions. The district has been described by A few major faults traverse these rocks, and there are a
Ferguson. 46 The distribution of the ore bodies in different kinds great number of minor fractures. The ore bodies are closely re-
of rock has resulted in various types of deposits. lated to these minor fractures. Ransome prefers to use the non-
The vein~ that occur in th,e volcanic rocks occupy joints in the commital term "ledges" rather than veins because of the lack of
~ocks or n;tmor faults. Quartz with some calcite, and locally a
l persistancy along the strike and in depth. As shown in Fig. 12
lIttle fluorIte, are the gangue minerals. Sometimes the quartz of his report, the ledges may be divided into two groups' those
sho,:s a tabular structure and is a pseudomorphic replacement of with a north-south trend, and those with a northwest-so~theast
calcIte: ?,hese. quartz veins, however, are not important and trend. The strike of others not included in these two major
the prmcIpal YIeld of gold has been from the oxidized portions groupings, may be northeast or east. As a rule, the ledges are
near the surface. quite irregular in shape, and there have been local concentra-
Veins also occur in the older rocks, and consist principally of tions of the valuable metals within them. The ore shoots are
comb qua.rtz and platy calcite, but in places adularia is plentiful. rather limited in size and quite irregular in outline. The ledges
The gold IS of a pale yellow color and is finely divided. It is found represent areas of replacement and silicification of highly altered
embedded in both quartz and adularia. Near the surface much country rock.
of the ore is manganiferous, and the gold is believed to b~ large;. The mineralogy of the ores is more complex than in any of the
ly supergene in origin. other districts reviewed in this report. The gangue is chiefly
The principal deposits at Manhattan occur in the Paleozoic cryptocrystalline quartz. Embedded in this fine-grained, flinty
~edin;ten~s ; principally the White Caps limestone. The ore bodies quartz are sulphides of. the base metals, such as galena, sphale-
m thIS lIme~tone. are of the replacement type and the mineralogy rite, chalcppyrite, and pyrite, and complex sulpho-salts of silver,
of the ores IS qUIte complex. The gangue minerals at the White such as proustite and polybasite. Famatinite, enargite, and
Caps Mi:t~e are chiefl:y- c~lcite and quartz, less commonly dolomite goldfielditehave been found in this district.
and fluo:-Ite.. The p~mcIpal sulphides are pyrite, stibnite, reaJgar, Over 95 percent of the gold in the district occurs free. The
and orPlment. Pynti:l occurs throughout the deposit, but is less particles of gold are small, but are usually visible except in the
abu.ndant than t~e other sulphides. Both the realgar and the lower grades of ore. Sometimes the particles of gold are clus-
orpIment ar~au:Iferous, but the stibnitl,:l is practically barren, tered together in the quartz and are so abundant as to impart
and the calcIte IS everywhere barren. Gold is more abundant a yellowish color to the ore. The gold is remarkably pure; the
than silver in the ores. average of 34 assays of rich ore gave 330 ounces gold and 46.5
. !he?re ;deposits of Manhattan and of the Oatman and -K.;t-:h= ounces in silver. The gold is not uniformly distributed through-
erme dIstrIcts show few similarities. They are all, however, of out the ores, but appears to be concentrated around the grains
the bonanza type, and the principal metals are gold and silver. of sulphides.
Some of the ore at Manhattan W8,S oftather high grade. . , Ransome recognizes three types of alteration; a silicification
associated with the formation of the ledges, an intense altera-

'" 4 6 FeurgussoGn,Hl' G., Geology and ore deposits of the Ma'nhattan District'
N eva d a: . . eo. Survey Bull. 723, 1924. ' II I ," r . 47 Ransqme, F. L., The geology and ore deposits of Goldfie,ld, Nevada:
U. S. Geol. Survey, Prof. Paper 66, 1909. , . .,
100 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 101

tion of some of the flows with the development of alunite, and a ores of the Comstock lode. Bastin recognizes two stages of
propylitic alteration. The development of alunite appears to be quartz deposition, some of which probably replaces the country
closely associated with the deposition of the rich ores. As a re- rock. The various sulphides are intergrown in a fashion suggest-
sult of this alteration, the rocks affected have been changed to ing contemporaneous deposition. Enrichment, apparently, did
light-colored masses of quartz, kaolin, alunite, and pyrite. This not extend to depths greater than 500 feet below the surface.
type of alteration is not confined to the immediate vicinity of ore
bodies, but extends for some distance away from the)imits of MINES OF THE O(ATMAN DISTRICT
ore. The propylitic type does not appear to be related to
deposition of ore. The brief description of the various mines in this district is
based partly on original observations and partly on the published
Comstock Lode, Nevada: These remarkable concentrations accounts in the bulletins issued by Ransome and Schrader. Much
silver ores are in the western part of Nevada, near the California information was obtained from Schrader's report, particularly On
line. These deposits have been described by Becker and by oth- the ores mined at the time of his study. Ransome examined the
ers. 48 In 1923 a microscopic study of the ores was published by district when some of th,e large ore bodies were mined, such as
Bastin. 50 The ores on the Comstock lode were discovered in 1859, the United Eastern main ore body and the Big Jim-Aztec ore
and, since then, the value of the production of gold and silver ex- shoot.
ceeds $400,000,000.
The lode is a fault fissure which can be traced for over two
miles, with the veins that contain the ore bodies occurring in the
,hanging wall. At the surface are flows of andesite and they
rest upon intrusive rocks variously classified as diorite, diabase,
~nd augite andesite.
The ore bodies occurred along nearly vertical fissures, and con-
,§,isted largely of crushed quartz in which the sulphides, including
the rich silver salts, were deposited. Although mining has been
'Canied on to a depth of 3,000 feet below the outcrops, the rich
};Jonanza ores were not found at depths of over 2,000 feet. The
;wall rock of the ores shows intense alteiation with an abundant
:qevelopment of sericite where the ore solutions have traversed
the fissures.
Quartz is the principal gangue miner'al, although some
cite is also present. Banding is pronounced in some of the ores,
due to the deposition of the sulphides in layers. The principal
sulphides are pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, and zinc blende. Re- Fig. 22.-4 general view of the Tom Reed plant at Oatman.
placing the quartz and sulphides, are gold, argentite, and polyba-
, TOM REED MINE
site. The gold is pale in color and contains considerable. sil-
ver.. The quartz is rather fine grained in texture; and the The first locations on the Tom Reed vein were made about 1900
lamellar variety so common at Oatman does not Occur in the by a grouPQ{~ndividuals, and thei!: holdings were purchased in
1904 by the Blue Ridge Gold Mines Company. The original dis-
covery appears to have been made on the Ben Harrison claim.
48 Becker, G. F., Geologyoj' the 'Comstock lode and Washoe district,
In 1906 th,e holdings were taken over by the present company,
Nevada: U. S. Geo!. Survey Monograph 3. 1882. the Tom Reed Gold Mines Company. 51
Reid, John A., The structure and genesis of the Comstock lode: Univ.
of California, Dept. of Geology, Bull. 4, pp. 177-199, 1905. 51 Schrader,F. C., Mineral deposits of the Cerbat Range, Black Moun-
50 Bastin, E. S. Bonanza ores of tne Comstock lode, Virg,inia City, tains, and Grand Wash Cliffs Mohave County, Arizona: U. S. Geo!. Survey
Nevada: U. S. GeoL Survey Bull. 735, pp.41-63, 1923. Bull. 397, p. 192, 1909.
 102 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN ANDKATHERINEDISTRIOTS 103

This company's claims extend for a length of over three This group of claims was later taken o.ver by the Tom
along the Tom Reed fracture; at the northwest end is, what Company, and additional work was done In depth, but the
originally, the Pasadena Mine, and, at the southeast end is .grade of the vein filling was too low to be worked at a profit. It
Black Eagle Mine. is possible that the better values ~ound nearer the surfat.:e
The vein takes a sinuous course and has an average strike may have been due to supergene enrIchment. . .
about N.50° W. Throughout its entire length,With the To the southeast of the Ben Harrison shaft, there .IS a s~ctlO.n
tion of a small section on the Black Eagle claim, both walls of the Tom Reed vein that is barren. A part of ~hI~ se~tlOn IS
the vein are Oatman andesite. Along most of its course, devoid of vein filling a.nd only a heavy gouge, IndIcating the
croppings are inconspicuous and the vein is difficult to trace; position of the fault, exists here. The ground was e~plored by
numerous prospect pits are, however, located along what a long drift on the 500-foot level from the Ben Harnson shaft
pears to be the main vein. and also by a drift and crosscut from the Aztec shaft.
The Ben Harrison was the first important ore shoot discov- That portion of the Big Jim-Aztec ore shoot that occu:Ted
ered on this vein. According to Schrader,52 this ore shoot had a on the Aztec Center claim had a length of 900 feet. The WIdth
width of sixteen to twenty feet in the Ben Harrison shaft. The of the ore shoot varied from place to place and averaged be-
first thirty feet in depth averaged $25 per ton, and below that tween ten and twenty feet; it was widest at the northwest end.
point, $12 per ton. The outline of the ore shoot, as shown in The upper part of the ore shoot is cut off by the Mallory fault
elevation in Plate IV, is rather irregular. It takes the form of with a displacement along the dip of the fault of about 500 feet.
two separate tongues connected on the lower levels. No in- The horizontal component of this faulting is not known. The
formation is available as to the maximum and average width, upper limit of the ore shoot, where it is cut by the Mallory fault,
nor is the grade of tlh;e ore mined known. The ore shoot ex- is near the 300-foot level and extended below the 600-foot level.
tended to a depth of about 800 feet below the outcrop. Much of the ore consisted of the fourth and fifth stages of quartz
Approximately 1,000 feet to the northwest of the Ben Harri- deposition, and the grade of the ore mined is said to hav~ been
son shaft is the prominent outcrop of the Tip Top ore body. better than $12 per ton. A part of this same ore shoot whIch oc-
About 1901, the Gold Road Company sank a shaft on this out- curred on the Grey Eagle-Bald Eagle claims, w~ich. is generally
crop to a depth of 100 feet, but apparently the results obtain- considered as the down-faulted segment of the BIg JIm ore body,
ed were not sufficiently .promising to justify a continuation of -averaged more than $20 per ton. .
the shaft to greater depth. Within recent years, lessees have South of the Aztec shaft, is the Black Eagle ore body. Dunn~
taken out considerable ore within 100 feet of the surface. The the past few year$, this ore shoot has been developed under dI-
Tip Top extended to below the 1,400-foot level where it ended in a rection of Mr. Victor Light to the 1,100-foot level. On the ?OO-
rather sharp point. According to Victor Light, it is possible foot level it has a l~ngth of over 500 feet with an average WIdth
that this lower portion is a segment of the ore shoot displaced of seven feet. Much of the ore is relatively high grade, and fr~e
by normal faulting. gold is often visibl~jn a specimen. The daily mill heads on th~s
To the northwest of the Tip Top ore body, the vein is not of ore often run better th~n $60 per ton. Some of the ore IS
commercial grade. This section of the vein was· explored from oxidized and small :flakes of gold in hematite are common. Such
the OlIa Oatman shaft on the 300-foot and 500-foot levels. Some gold ma~ be supergene in origin, but primary gold also ?ccurs a.s
~ood assays were obtained, but no body of ore was found. The vein visible particles empedded in quartz, and, as yet, there I~ no ev~­
filling consists of an abundance of calcite with some quartz, d~nce ofa material decrease in grade with depth.. It IS POSS!-
and, where examined, appears to belong to one of the earlier ble that the orema)' extend an additional 300 feet below the
stages of deposition. 1,100-foot l e v e l . . . . .. 't
The Telluride vein joins the Tom Reed In the general VICInI y
Prior to Schrader's visit to the district, work on the Pasa-
of the Red Lion shaft.. Th,e junction was barren, but, a short
dena claim, at the northwest end of the Tom Reed fracture, dis- distance to the south, a part of the Telluride ore shoot occurred
closed a good grade of ore to a depth of 55 feet below the sur- on Tom Reed.ground. According to Victor Light, ore never
occurred within less than 200 feet of the surface and played ?ut
52 Op. cit. p. 193. at about the500-foot level. The .vein was only three feet WIde,
 104 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 105

but the grade was exceptionally good. Only a small tonnage ing, one branch is as much to be regarded as the direct continu-
was mined from this vein. ation of the main vein as the other."53
The total number of tons mined from the various ore bodies The main ore shoot of the United Eastern occurred on the Tom
the Tom Reed Company from 1911 to 1928, inclusive, was Reed Extension claim, just south of the No. 2 ~haft. ~ccordin~
876,639, and, to date-May, 1931-this tonnage probably has been to Roy Moore,54 this ore shoot had the follo,,:mg maXImum dI-
increased so that it now totals 1,000,000. The total value of mensions: height, 750 ft.; length, 950 ft.; thIckness, 48 ft. A
bullion produced from 1908 to 1928 inclusive was $11,740,158. vertical elevation of the ore body is shown in Plate IV. Ore ex-
Included in. the amount is the gold from ore produced by other tended from the 3rd level down to the 8th level, and only a small
mines in the district and from lessees, but it will hardly amount amount was extracted below the 8th level. Here, an abrupt
to one percent of the total. At the time of writing this report, change in grade occurred. The vein continues in ~ept~, .but the
the Black Eagle ore body was producing ore with a gross value grade of the quartz and calcite is too low to per~~t mmmg at a
of $100,000 per month. profit. Above the 3rd level, what gold was orIgmally present
has been largely leached out. The outcrop, as was stated in a
preceding section, contains gypsum.
This ore body produced over 500,000 tons with an average
value of $21 per ton. In places, the ore consisted of massive
quartz and calcite, but, elsewhere, it was made up of ~tringers
separated by barren andesite. Quartz and adularI~ were
abundant in the ore shoot, and such streaks often contamed ex-
ceptionally good values. On the footwall of this ore body and ex-
tending from the 300-foot to the 500-foot level was.a stre~k of ore
heavily stained with iron oxides. This ore contame.d .hIgh gold
values, and the gold may have been of supergene OrIgm.
The other ore body mined by this company occurred on the
Big Jim claim. The ore extended from a short distance below
the 1st level down to. the 6th level. Its height was 450 feet,
Fig. 23.-View across the taiiing pond to the No.2 shaft of the United its length was 850 feet; and its maximum thickness was 35
Eastern Mine. .feet. This ore body produced somewhat over 220,000 tons of ore
with a gross valueof!$19 per ton.
UNITED EASTE,RN MINE
The upper part of the ore shoot was displaced by faulting
The main ore shoot of the United Eastern occurred on the and was mined on the Grey Eagle and Bald Eagle claims by the
northeast branch of t'heTom Reed fracture and was discovered Tom Reed Company.
in 1915. During the following year, a considerable tonnage of
lore was blocked out, and, in February, 1917,.the mine was pro- The total production of the United Eastern Gold Mining. Com-
ducing .bullion. pany, from the year 1917 to 1925 inclusive:. :-vas $14,726,895.
Before closing the mine, extensive diamond drIllmg was done un-
The junction of this branch with the Tom Reed was still ac- derground chiefly on the 800-foot level, but also on the 1,100-
cessible in 1921, and Ransome described it as follows: foot level. All the ore mined came from the Tom Reed Ex~en­
"The main vein, consisting· here chiefly of many irregular sion claim and the Big Jim claim. In addition to the claIms
stringers of calcite accompanied by a strong gouge-filled fissure,
plainly divides into two branches, each similar to the main vein
and each accompanied by a gouge-filled fissure. Nothing was 53 Ransome, F. L., Geology of the Oatman Gold District, Arizona: U. S.
seen to indicate that one branch was older than the other. The Geol. Survey Bull. 743, p. 44, 1923.
angle of divergence is about 50 0 , and, as this angle is nearly 54 Moore Roy W.· Mining method and records at the United Eastern
bisected by the strike of the vein south of the point of branch- Mine: Trans. Am. Ins~.'Mining and Met. Eng., vol. 76, pp. 56-90, 1928,
 THE OAT'MANAND KATHERlNEDISTRICTS 107
106 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
turns towards the vein and probably joins it, but not at the sur-
mentioned, the company owns three fractional claims and im- face. Vein quartz occurs along the dike, and sorne of this quartz
portant water rights on Silver Creek. hasbeen mined as ore, but the grade of most of this material was
rather low. The vertical displacement on the fault appears to
GOLD ROAD MINE be greater at the nOl'thwest end, and ,the average throughout its
The Gold Road vein is located in the eastern part of the Oat- entire length is probably between 300 and 400 feet. At the ex-
man District, and has a' northwest trend. The dip of the vein treme southeast end, the rhyolite tuff is not offset more than
is at steep angles to the northeast. This company owns four full 250 feet.
claims along the length of the vein. Located in 1900, the groun? The outcrop of the vein is quite prominent and is formed of
changed hands several times before it was sold to a Fr~nch syndI- well banded quartz as stringers in silicified latite. In reality, the
cate. In 1911, t'h,e mine was purchased by the UnIted States vein is a stringer lode which in places attains a width of nearly
Smelting and Refining Company. 100 feet. The quartz filling was concentrated in two zones; which
formed the north and the south veins, and the country rock be-
tween these two veins was barren. Stringers ofquart>rbranehed
awayfrornboth the north and south veins into the barren por-
tion of the lode, but the grade was too low to constitute ore.
Such stringers rarely continued from one vein to the other, but
played out at a relatively short distance beyond the point of
divergence. Nearly all the ore mined came from the north vein.
Three important ore shoots occurred on the north vein; the
largest was at the northwest end and was mined from the No.1
shaft. This ore shoot had a length of 900 feet and extended
from the surface down 'to the 700-foot level. The maximum
width was 22 feet. About 600 feet to the southeast is the Sharp
ore body. The ore sh06t did not crop out at the surface, al-
though the vein is marked by conspicuous croppings at this
point. Ore extended from a short distance above the 300-foot
level down to the 500-foot level, and what appears to be a con-
tinuation of the ore shoot was mined between the 700-foot and
Fig. 24.-A view up Gold Road Gulch. Remains of the old mill in the,
800-foot levels. Apparently, most of the veins between the
foreground. 500:"foot level and the700-foot level on this ore shoot was too
low grade to be mined at a profit. Less than 200 feet to the
: The, deepest development along the vein is fr~m the No.3 south of the 'No. 3 shaft is a small ore shoot known as the Rice
shaft which extends to the 900-foot level. The Lme Road tun- ore body. It occurred between the 300-foot level and the 500-
nelfollowed the vein Jor over 3,000 feet to the southeast end of foot level, and had a, length of about 400 feet. Southeast of
the ';aa,ilroad claim, the limits of the property. No ore body was the No.3 shaft, the bold outcrops of the Gold Road vein are
fonnd'lndriving thi$ trinnel, although ore was taken ou\t more or less stained with iron oxides and some manganese
surface 'above the, tunJ:l.el. ,On,' the Railroad, claim is the, dioxide. Small pockets of ore were mined along a length of 1,500
shaft'with a, depth of sl~~htly over 200 feet. feet of the vein, but none of this ore extended to a depth of much
orelllined along this veiiiwas taken out through the and over 100 feet below the surface. The tonnage mined from
No.3 shafts. ' ' along the outcrop was small. Supergene enrichment may have
At the surface, the wall rock for almost the entire len~rtl!~2L played, a promirientpart in raising the grade of this portion of
the vein latite. Not far below the surface, the Oatman a:n?e- the vein and made the mining of these small ore bodies profit-
site fo:tiris lhefootwall of the vein ancPthe latitethe ", ha¥gIJ};~, able. At th,is end, the southeastern, the vein narrows down to
wall., The vein parallels a dike q~"rhy~!~te 'po~phy~YWhlCh. IS less than five feet. "
about 600.£eet to ,We ,south-west. ~t-J.pe~q)ltlt~~st end,th,e d!~~:L
108 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 109

Most of the vein filling in the outcrops is of the third stage of narrow streak rarely more than six inches in width but samples
quartz deposition. This quartz is chalcedonic and is very ~ne frequ~~tly assayed as high as $200 per ton in gold ~nd silver. A
grained. ;A striking feature is the well-developed wavy bandIng surpm;mg feature of this vein was the rather limited vertical ex-
in several colors. As this type of quartz rarely carries over $5 tent of the ore shoot. The grade of the ore is said to have
per ton in the precious metals, it is not ore. In the ore shoots, changed abruptly at about the 500-foot level.
the 4th, and 5th stages of quartz were deposited. The texture No records of the production of gold and silver from this mine
of this ore is the same as in other parts of the district. Some of are available,but estimates furnished the writer indicate that
the richer ore contained an abundance of thin plates of adularia
the gross val.ue .of all the ore mined was approximately $200,000.
intergrown with granular quartz. The quartz was always of a Although thIS IS a comparatively small production it is inter-
deep yellow color. Free gold occurred in this adularia-quartz in-· esting to note that this amount of bullion came fro~ a relatively
tergrowth as an aggregate of minute particles. As some of the
small t?nnage of ore. Th,e grade of the ore per ton was, ther~­
quartz in the vein is the coarse-grained, glassy variety it repre- fore, hIgher than the average in most of the ore bodies of the
sents the first stage of mineral deposition. Calcite does not ap- district. Information obtained from the pUblications on the
pear to have been an important constituent of the ore shoots, mineral ~'es~ur~es of the United States by the Department of
and certainly forms but a minor part of the vein which can now the InterIOr mdICates that the Telluride Mine was producing bul-
be examined. Pyrite occurred in the altered wall rock at a num- lion from 1922 to 1925. '
ber of places along the vein, but appears to have been barren.
The total value of the bullion from the Gold Road Mine from PIONEER MINE
1904 to 1915, inclusive, was $6,504,050. 'I'he earlier records of
production, however, are incomplete, but it is hardly likely that The Pioneer Mine, originally known as the German-American
is located about one and one-half miles to the southwest of Oat~
the entire value of the gold and silver produced exceeds
man. The property has been developed by three shafts the
million dollars.
de~pest of which is the Pioneer shaft with a depth of 420 feet.
TELLURIDE MINE
DrIfts connect these three shafts on several levels:
The Pioneer vein strikes N.13°W. and dips to the east at 800.
The Telluride vein takes a rather sinuous course, but, in gen- This ~r:~d is across the strike of the broad zone of fissuring in
eral, parallels the Tom Reed vein:. It joins the Tom ~eed the VICInIty of th.e Gold Dust-Boundary Cone zone of faulting
ne.ar the Red Lion shaft, and, at its southern extremIty, ~here the general trend is about N.55°W. The two;vein systems
the Lucky Boy vein. It has a known length of about 3,00°' feet, mtersect at 40°, but neither vein appears to have been offset
and the general strike is southeast-northwest. The country by the other. The hanging wall of the Pioneer vein is the Oat-
in both walls of the vein is Oatman andesite. Outcrops of man andesite, and the footwall, for 2,000 feet is the Alcyone
vein are rather inconspicuous and are difficult to trace over trachyte. The maximum width of the vein is near the Pioneer
surface. shaft, and there it is. eighteen feet. At that place the vein
Development work on this vein has been at relatively shaHOW consists of coarse-grained, gray calcite and quartz' and the
depths. According to Victor Light, the ore extended from gold-silver content ·israther low except along h:on-stained
500-foot level to a short distance above the 300-footJ~v~1. ~treaks.. The~e iron-stained streaks represent zones of crushing
part of this ore shoot occurred on Tom Reed ground and m the vem fillmg produced by post-mineral faulting.
mined by that company. The vein varied in width from a Several small ore bodies were mined towards the south end of
inches up to five feet, and for most of its. length averaged the Pioneer vein; the largest occurred near the Treadwell shaft.
three feet in width. T?is ore shoot had a length, of about 400 feet and an average
An examination of the dump sh,owed the vein filling to Idth of 3.5 feet. The lower workings are now inaccessible, but
consisted l~rgely of quartz of the first and second periods mall bunches of Ore left near the surface and ore left in the bins
deposition,·· accompanied by calcite. Faulting reopened the ndicate that the ore shoot contained quartz of the 4th stage of
and the high-grade quartz of the last stage of deposition eposition. The ore consists of quartz with some unreplaced
C

the available openings. This high-grade quartz occurred as alcite, but no adularia was noted in any of the specimens studied.
110 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MiNES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 111
The color of the best grade of ore is pale greenish rather than
yellow and it assayed up to $35 per ton in gold and silver. The level ,of the main shaft failed to find are bodies in depth on this
are shoot stopped rather abruptly a short distance above the vein. The are mined. consisted of greenish quartz with unre-
~M~k~. . . placed remnants of calcite. Adularia is present in the specimens
A small are shoot was mined just north of the ThIrty-fifth collected only as a microscopic constituent.
Parallel shaft. The length of this are shoot was less than 200 Most of the production from this mine came from are produced
feet, and the width was about three feet~ ~he be~t are ~ccu~red from 1923 to 1925, inclusive. Records of the amount or value
near the surface where the vein. was heavIly stamed wIth 11'011 of gold and silver produced are not available.
oxides. Some of this' surface are is said to have been high.grade
A third important or~ shoot was developed from the ~lOneer LELAND MINE
shaft at the north end of the property. Only narrow po~tlOns of The Leland Mine is situated on the east slope of a prominent
the vein there assay better than $10 per ton. Very lIttle are hill, about two miles to the west of Oatman. The Oatman
was mined from this section of the vein except near the sur- andesite forms the top of the hill and the long slope to the
face where some samples assayed over $100 per ton. east, but, on the west side' of the hill, is the Alcyone trachyt~.
The mine was located in 1896,and, up to 1907, produced 2,700 Some of the andesite flow contains an abundance of unusually
tons of are. Much of the are mined in the early days was from large crystals of feldspar. The contact between the two types of
near the surface and was of a good grade. No record of ~he rock is a short distance below the top of the hill and dips to the
bullion produced is available, however. The last productlOn east at 15°. The strike of the vein for most of its length is
recorded was in 1925 and was mined by lessees. N.65°W., but, at the west end, after crossing Leland Hill, it
turns and takes a more westerly course. The southeast end of
GOLD DUST MINE the fault continues to where It joins the Pioneer vein near the
'rhis mine is about one mile to the southwest of the. Ben Treadwell shaft. The dip of the vein on Leland Hill is 70° to
the southwest.
Harrison shaft. Originally, this mine was known as the Vlctor-
Virgin and was located about, 1900. The general, trend of t~e , Some of the development work on this vein was done by tun-
vein is northwest, and, on the Virgin Lode claIm, the. vem nels, but a shaft was sunk to a depth of 700 feet and levels run.
branches. The southern branch, striking nearly east-west, ,mter- The lower levels are now under water, and some of the tunnels
are badly caved.
sects the Pioneer vein a fewh,undred feet south of the PIoneer
shaft. The north branch continues northwest and ~pp~ars to ?e According to Schrader,56 who examined the mine when it
was in operation, 4,500 tons of are with an average grade of $15
continuous with the southern extremity of the Mldn~ght ~eI~.
The country rock throughout the entire length of thIS vem IS per ton were miIled~Some ore is reported to have assayed $50
the Oatman andesite. . to· $60 per ton. OnlY-the richer portions of the vein were mined.
At some places, the vein consists of solid quartz an~ calc~te Specim:ens obtained. frorn near the old are bins consist of green-
with a width up to seven feet. To the northwest, the vem splIts is'h quartz and calcite. No adularia is visible in a hand specimen,
up into a series of small stringers which ramify through a z?ne but may occuras a microscopic constituent.
of somewhat altered andesite over twe;nty feet wide. Acco:dm g The outcrop of the vein ig,ten feet wide in places and consists
to Ransome, 55 two, are .shoots were mmed, the largest havmg a aLa ,nearly solid mass of quartz .and calcite. As it is more re-
length of 200 feet and •(;)xtending from the surface to. a depth of sistant to erosion th~n the wall rock, it stands out in relief. To
160 feet.Asm:~Il ate shoot, mined ne:;tr the No. 2 s~aft,extend­ the west the vein splits into '. a number of stringers spread
ed only from,the surface to the 100-foot level. ThIS are shoot avera width of forty feet. As these diverge, they' also tend to
occurs up the hill to the nOl:thwest of the main shaft and a;t a play out:' and the course of the vein is then more difficult to trace,
higher elevation. The vertical range of the are shoots. as mmed particularly iri the Alcyone trachyte; About 400 feet to the south
is approximately 500 feet. Development work from the 500-foot of the Leland vein is the Mitchell vein. ,These two veins take a
parallel course, but the Mitchell vein dips steeply to the north;

55. Op. cit.p. 49.

112 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 113

It is much narrower than the Leland vein, and its greatest width GOLD ORE MINE
is seven feet. A little ore was mined on this vein from the up-
per levels. The Gold Ore shaft is about ,one mile to the northeast of the
Gold Road Mine. The vein occurs in a fault fissure which strikes
Near the surface on both the Leland and Mitchell veins, sman N.68°W. and dips 82° to the southwest. The country rock is all
cavities, lined with quartz crystals and more or less filled with latite, and, along parts of the vein, is intensely altered. At the
manganese dioxide containing wire gold, were found. Such gold surface, the altered rock is kaolinized and stained yellow to
was undoubtedly supergene in origin. browll( by iron oxides. Although the altered rock is the same
All the ore found at this mine occurred above the contact of in appearance as the altered andesites, the presence of abundant
the andesite and trachyte, and, from this relation, it was as- flakes of bleached biotite suggests that the rock was originally
sumed that the trachyte was an unfavorable rock for the deposi- latite.
tion of ore. The Alcyone trachyte, however, is traversed by The shaft is· down to a depth of 800 feet and various levels
veins, and a small body of ore was mined on the Midnight vein were run at 100-foot intervals. Most of the ore mined occurred
where one wall was trachyte. between the 300-foot level and the 600-foot level. Only a small
From Schrader's figures of 4,500 tons with an average value of amount was found above the 300-foot level, and little mining
$15 per ton, the gross·production in the early days was $67,500. was done below the 600-foot level. According to Victor Light,
Some ore was mined after Schrader examined the district, but the ore shoot was approximately 100 feet long and had a width of
no records of this production are available. four to five feet.
Several stages of quartz deposition occurred in the vein.
SUNNYSIDE MINE Specimens of glassy quartz, coarse grained and stained with
The Sunnyside Mine is situated in the southeastern part of the copper, were found. _There appeared to have been an abundance
district,· near the center of Section 25. The fault on which thiS) of the well-banded,chalcedonic quartz of the third generation,
mine is located has a known length of about one mile. At the and such material was traversed by yellow stringers of quartz
no~th end of it offset one hundred feet by an east-west fault, and with adularia. Some ,of this yellow quartz contained visible
beyond this fault, it is difficult to trace. At the south end, it clusters of free gold. 'and undoubtedly was high grade. Pyrite
joins the Mallory fault. The vein is well exposed at several was common in the walls of the vein, but near the surface it was
places along the fault and appears to be continuous, but it is difii- oxidized.
cult to trace. The wall rock at the surface is andesite. This mine produced bullion at various times from 1918 to 1926,
but no information is available on the total value of the output.
Much of the vein consists of coarse-grained quartz and calcite
and is low grade. The vein is quite variable in width along the MOSS MINE
strike, and, at one place, it contains five feet of solid quartz and
calcite. Small stringers occur in the adjacent wall rock. The Moss vein was located in 1863 or 1864, by John Moss. The
mine is situated in some low hills, about seven miles to the
The main shaft was sunk to a depth of somewhat over 500 northwest of Oatman and about two miles. to the north of Silver
feet. 'On the 500-foot level, the footwall of the vein, which at Creek. One prominent hill to the northwest of the shaft rises
this point dips steeply to t~e northeast, is the/ Esperanza 700 feet above the general level of the surrounding country. The
trachyte, while the hanging wall is Oatman andesite. Moss vein follows the crest of a ridge to the summit of the hill.
In the spring of 1928, a small ore shoot was found in a ~in~e The country rock in which the vein occurs' is a quartz monzo-
sunk from the500-foot level. The ore shoot had a rather hmlt- nite-porphyry. To the west of the prominent hill described
edextent both horizontally and vertically. The ore consisted of above, are flows of Alcyone trachyte with a westward dip. At
quartz a~d very. little caJcite, and specimens showed visible the east and in the same general line of strike are some veins of
specks of /coarse gold~ To the east of t,his ore shoot, is a lode porphyry with a north-south trend.
forty feet wide, which consists of quartz stringers in andesite. The vein, which strikes N.800W., consists of a mineralized
The ore is too low in grade to be mined. The small ore lode from twenty to over 100 feet wide. The widest portion is
later mined by lessees. at t,he west end. Where the ore shoot was found, the vein is 22
 ¥ k

THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS

ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

tance to the east of the shaft, a little pyrite and marcasite were
found in the quartz. One specimen, in which the sulphides were
oxidized, contained small particles of free gold in the cavities.
The one important ore shoot found contained free gold in iron-
stained quartz, at the surface. This was exceptionally rich ore,
but extended to a depth of only 65 feet below the surface. Ac-
cording to Schrader, 57 two tons of ore netted $114,000. From a
hole only ten feet in diameter, $240,000 is said to have been
taken out. Several smaller bodies of ore were mined at various
places along the vein, but none extended more than a few feet
in depth.
The mine has been developed by a shaft, 230 feet deep, and a
level run at 225 feet below the surface. One long tunnel was
driven under the vein from the south, and several other short
Fig. 25.~General view of the Moss Mine. The dark outcrop of the vein
tunnels have been driven into the vein.
may be seen behind the mill.
MINES OF THE KATHERINE DISTRICT
Scale The Katherine District extends from the Pyramid Mine on
-+ o
+ -+ -I- I
500
I
1000 '500
I I the Colorado River eastward to Union Pass. The more important
+ + + deposits are all located in the ten-mile strip from the Frisco
Mine westward andate shown on Plate II. The elevations range
+ +- + from somewhat over 500 feet at the Colorado River to 3,200 feet
+ + +- at the Frisco Mine. It is a region of low hills and ridges of
+ gTanite with occasional knobs of rhyolite. In the general vicin-
+ ity of the Katherine Mine are extensive deposits of gravel and
... + sand which slope gently towards the Colorado River.
+ ...... The district has had a checkered history. The earliest loca-
veif7 + + + tions were probably made on veins in knobs of granite along the
+ ++ -+ ++ Colorado River, such as at the Pyramid Mine. The dates of
+ ++ + + + these early locations are unknown.
Moss Porphyry + + + Only the Katherine Mine was operating at the time this study!
+ + + + +. + + of the district was made, and the underground workings of other' I

Fig. 26.-A map of the veins andiaulti at the' Moss Mine. mines were generally inaccessible except in the surface levels.
Much information concerning these mines was obtained from
feet wide and dips to the south, at 70°. The vein is traceable to R. H. Dimmick, formerly the manager of the Katherine. Mine,
the easton the surface.for somewhat over a mile. Farther~ to the individual who is best informed concerning the district.
the east and in the samegeneraI line of strike are some veins of
quartz which may occur in the same fracture. Thevein is off- KATHERINE MINE
set by several northwest faults and these relations are shown
in Fig. 26. The Katherine Mine is about two miles to the east of the Colo-
rado River and is located on a small knob of granite which pro-
The vein consists chiefly of fine-grained, white quartz and a trudes slightly above the general level of the surrounding re-
small amouht of calcite, but here and there are small stringers of .
pale green fluorite. At several places in the vein, these stringers
led to vugs in .the vein: which were lined with fluorite and con- 57 Op. cit. p. 170.
tained free gold with pulverent manganese oxide. A short dis-
116 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 11'1

gion. The exposure is hardly more than 150 feet across and is
surr~unded by gravel~. /1,'pe elevation of the collar of the shaft is ,~
~
990 feet above sea level and about 450 above the level of the.
Coiorado River. The top of the water table at this mine is 350
'I~
~
~
'-l
~
~
fe.et below the surface. Coarse-grained granite forms the walls u.i ': "0
~
,"l
.~
S
of the vein. It is highly sheared and altered even at some dis- i ~ "l s
~
tance away fromcthe vein. Near thfl vein, the granite is. '-l i5
kaolinized and iron stained, and, locally, it is silicified. '.,"
"- \
, ~
The Katherine vein is a stringer lode with a width of over
\ \
\
\ ,
I,
~
sixty feet at the surface. In the lower levels, the vein narrows I ~
:t: p,
,.Q
down considerably. The vein has been explored underground for I ~
,<;:, "=1
<1l
a distance of 1,700 feet. A continuation of the vein occurs at the
Katherine Extension Mine, approximately one-half mile to the "",~
I ~
-;j

n.ortheast. Nothing is· known of its extension in a southwesterly

\
\
\
~I ~
\,
~I '.
~I •
"- j
direction, for h,ere the granite is covered by recent detritus. It \ It(
has been thought by some individuals that the Katherine vein I
'"
$:l<.
OJ
I . S
continues its southwesterly course and joins the Pyramid vein " , I ~
o
near the Colorado River. The two veins have approximately the 'I'
"=1
same strike, and, if they were. originally continuous, have been I
I
<1l

offset by cross faulting. The strike of the Katherine vein is I '"OJ

P=l
N.62°E., and the dip is about vertical.
The vein and the ore shoots have been cut by a large number
of north-south faults which have been interpreted by Dimmick
as low angle thrusts from the· southwest. The displacements of
each of these faults is small; the maximum offsetting of an are
body in the plane of the vein is sixty feet. Later movements on
the vein cut the thrust planes. The relation of these various 006' <?L ----!to-
faults to each other, and the levels on which they have been
mapped, are shown in elevation as Fig. 27.
Vein filling at the Katherine Mine usually consisted of a series
of closely spaced stringers in the granite. At some places, how-
ever, the vein filling, was solid quartz and calcite up to ten or
more feet wide. Much of the vein filling consisted of quartz, but
here and there calcite was abundant. Various stages of quartz
deposition are represented at this mine, but the first and second
are the most abundant although of least importance from an
economic standpoint as the grade of such quartz is low.
An intergrowth of quartz and adularia also occurred here and
formed some of the important ore shoots. It was very similar
in appearance to that occurring at Oatman. Sometimes the
adularia was rather coarse grained, and the associated quartz
,,
was of a d~ep greenish yellow color. Platy quartz, white in color,
with a well-developed laminated structure, also occurred in the
Katherine vein. Some of the smaller stringers frequently show-
lIs I ARIZONA BUREAU OF MIl1ES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 119
ed a fine banding and were usually frozen to the somewhat silici-
fied granite walls. GOLDEN CYCLE MINE
At the west end of the 200-foot level, some rich silver ore was About 2,000 feet to the northwest of the Pyramid Mine is the
mined, and, on the 900-foot level, a small stringer, from two to Golden ~ycle. The vein there also occurs in the coarse-grain-
six inches wide, assayed 65 ounces in silver, and ten ounCBS in ed gra~llte .. The vein takes a more easterly course than the
gold. Copper stain was abundant in this rich stringer, associ- Pyr~mld vem, and appears to join this vein somewhat less than
ated with chalcocite. It is possible that this high-grade quartz \ a ~Ile to. the ea:st. The vein consists of a series of quartz
was locally enriched by supergene processes. Similarly enriched strm~ers occ~pymg a shear zone in the granite. The genera] dip
are was found on the 300-foot level in reddish, silicified granite. of thIS zone IS 82 0 to the north, and the width is from ten to
The mine has been developed by a vertical shaft to the 900- eighteen feet.
foot level. Levels have been run at 100-foot intervals. The 5th At the west end of the property, a shaft was sunk toa depth'
and 6th leve}sare not connect~d 'withthe'shaft" hawever, but of 115 feet, and some lateral work has been done at this level,.
were run from a winze sunk fromtlreeast end of theAth level. Near the surface, samples assay from $1 to $3 per ton, but, un-
According to R. H. Dimmick, the gross production of the derground some samples have assayed $14 per ton. ~
Katherine Mine has been about $2,000,000, and,from July, 1925,
to 1930, when the-mine was closed, the production was slightly BLACK DYKE GROUP
over $1,000,000. Records show the bullion to contain 344.59 The Black Dyke group of claims is three miles to the east of:
parts gold to 637.62 parts silver. the .Katherine Mine. This large vein is composed principally of
ca~clte, cut by a great number of small stringers of quartz. The'
vem takes a curved course, trending northwest, and with a
length of one-half mile. About midway between the ends
~t swells to a ~idth of 150 feet. A general view of the outcrop
IS shown as FIg. 21. The dark color is confined to a thin film at
the surfa~e, usually termed "desert varnish." The vein appears
to occur I.n a shattered rhyolite which may have been replaced
to a certam extent by both the calcite and quartz.
This v~in is said to have been thoroughly sampled and found
to .av~rage $3 per ton, but the highest assay obtained by the
wrIter was $2.40. A small inclined shaft has been put down. at
the west end, and numerous small tunnels have been run be-
neatl1 the outcrop. According to Dimmick, i'lmall, iron':'stained.
streaks have been found to assay as much as $50 per ton. Some
Fig. 28.-A general view of the plant of the Katherine Mine. diamond drilling is said to have been done on this vein but the'
records of this work are not available. '
PYRAMID MINE
The Pyramid Mine is probably the oldest location in the Kath- SHEEPTRAIL-BOULElVARD MINE
erine District. It is situated nearlthe Colorado River in some The Sheeptrail Mine was one of the earlier locations in the.
low hills' of granite. The vein, which consists ofa large num- ~atherille District; and, according to Dimmick; was discoveredc
ber of small stringers in reddish granite, strikes N.65°E. and m 1887... The mine was operated for a number of years and was
the dip is vertical. The vein has been prospected by a number finally:closed down in 1902. The property was laterunwatered
of small pits and a shaft at the west end, which is said to have and sampled by R. H. Dimmick. Originally, the' Sheeptrail and
been sunk to a depth of seventy feet. Some rich ore is said to Boulevard were separately located, but were later. combined by
have been stoped from this shaft, but the workings are now oile operating company. The mine is situated approximately five
caved. No record of production is available. miles in .an easterly direction from the Katherine Mine, in a
group of)ow hills of granite and rhyolite.
120 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 121
The vein occurs near the contact of granite with a dike of
rhyolite-porphyry which forms the hanging wall at the west end the second stage o~ deposition. This vein is a strong one, but the
of the mine. Small stringers occur both in the granite and in the grade as a ~hole IS .I0~; locally, some small pockets of rich ore
dike, but most of the ore mined appears to have come from the were found m assocIatIOn with iron and manganese oxides.
rhyolite. The vein strikes northwest, dips south, and takes a The s~a~t on the Tyro vein is down to a depth of 500 feet, and
curved course, trending more nearly east-west towards the so~e dnftmg on the vein was done at the 200-foot level. The
northwestern end. At the west end, it is cut by a northeast ~em has no.t been found in the deeper levels, and Dimmick be-
fault. A number of minor faults which trend northeast cut the lIeves that It has b~en displaced by thrust faulting. This mine
vein, but, in each case, the offset is small. has had no productIOn other than that from a few small pockets
Mineralization consists of a number of small stringers of. of ore found near the surface.
quartz over a width of from three feet to seven feet. This quartz
is not everywhere ore, and only certain portions of the vein
stained with iron oxides were mined. Much of the quartz is
fine grained, and some of it shows a platy structure. The speci-
men illustrated in Fig. 12 came from this mine, and represents
the second stage of quartz deposition. The average width of the
stopes was four feet. The best ore was found where pulverent
manganese oxide occurred in the porous quartz, and such ore
would carry $100 per ton or more in gold. The best ore was
found at the water table or else a short distance below. This oc-
currence strongly suggests that secondary enrichment concen-
trated the gold. In the lower parts of the mine, the grade of
the ore is too low to be mined at a profit.
The mine was developed to a depth of 450 feet by an inclined Fig. 29.-View of the Frisco Mine showing the vein at the contact of the
shaft, and considerable drifting was done from this shaft. At rhyolite and granite.
the surface, numerous tunnels have been driven into the vein.
The water table occurs forty feet below the collar of the shalt, FRISCO MINE
and no ore was mined below the 350-f6ot level.
Dimmick states that the total production from this mine was .Th~Frisco Mine is situated in the eastern part of the Katherine
15,000 tons of ore. This ore was hauled to a mill located on the DIstnc~, abo~t eight mil.es in an easterly direction from the
banks of the Colorado River. The total production of bullion is ~ather~ne Mme. The vem occurs in a low hill the base of which
unknown. IS gr~n.Ite, and above the granite is a flow of rhyolite and some
rhyolItIc tuff. The Frisco vein was located in 1894 d th .
TYRO MINE closed in 1914. an e mme
The Tyro shaft is located about one-half mile to the northeast ~e vein occm;,s at the contact of granite and rhyolite It
of the Sheeptrail-Boulevard Mine. The country rock is gneissic strIkes N.55°E. and dips to the southeast at 12°. A b' f
granite, coarse grained in texture. Numerous narrow dikes of small faults cut the vein, and, in nearly all cases, th:u:::rs:~ ~s
rhyolite-porphyry
I
occur in the vicinity of the mine. The vein, only a few ~eet. At the south end, however, one fault dis-
which consists of a large number of stringers in granite, varies places the vem a?out 100 feet. A fault with a northwest trend
in width from a few-feet up to sixty feet. The strike is north- drop.s the w~st SIde of the mineralized zone about 35 feet. A
east, and the dip is 85° to the southeast. vertIca! sectIO~ t~roug.h the mine is shown as Fig. 30. The out-
The vein consists of granular white quartz and platy calcite; crop of th;e vem. IS qmte conspicuous because of the abundance
some of the plates of calcite are quite large. A later stage of of Iro.n oXIde WhICh occurs at the contact of the granite and the
quartz, glassy and with a yellow color, occurs here, but the rhyolIte.
grade is rather low. Very likely this yellow quartz represents '. . Ba?din? is a characteristic feature of the qua~tz that occurs
III thIS vem.. The color is from creamy white to light b
'_ rown, an d
 ARIZONA BUREAU.OF MINES THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS 123
122
the texture is chalcedonic. The vein consists of many small
+>
o stringers which cut the rhyolite. The appearance of much of the
Z
l.Ll 1\ \j are suggests that the lower portion of the flow was shattered by
if) v faulting prior to the introduction of the quartz. Banding occurs
~ around these fragments of rhyolite, and the space between them
'\
is not always entirely :filled with quartz, but may be a vug lined
""'" < with quartz crystals. In places, the vein was eighteen feet thick,
/\
'\ but most of it was narrower. In the lower portion of the vein,
some sections were heavily stained with iron oxides, and these
portions of the vein constituted the are shoots. Iron oxide also
occurred in the granite, and some of the iron-stained granite
was mined for are. Frequently it carried high concentrations of
gold. Some of this enriched are, according to R. H. Dimmick,
carried $3 per pound in gold.
A second vein, which strikes northeast and dips to the north-
west at 65°, occurs in the flat to the southeast of the hill. A
shaft was sunk to a depth of 300 feet to explore, this vein. All
the lateral work was done on the 200-foot level. The vein,
which here consists of a mineralized lode with a width up to
59 feet, occurs in granite. The are is, however, too low grade
to mine.
Dimmick estimates the production of the Frisco Mine at 44,000
tons with an average value of $14 per ton.

ARABIAN MINE
The Arabian Mine is located about one mile to the southwest
of the Frisco Mine. At this mine, a rhyolite-porphyry dike in-
trudes granite, and, alo,ng the hanging wall of this dike, the
rhyolite tuffs have been fftulted against the dike. The vein oc-
curs in the dike, close to the fault, and it strikes northwest while
the dip is 82° to the southeast.
A mineralized zone, thirty feet wide and consisting of a num-
ber of quartz stringers, occurs in the rhyolite dike and, to a cer-
tain extent, in the granite footwall. The individual veinlets of
this zone vary in width from a fraction of an inch up to twelve
inches or more. The veinlets are chiefly quartz, but, in some
places, consists of coarse-grained gray calcite. A comb structure
is common in the smaller stringers where the quartz crystals
are large. The central portion may be vuggy, and the vugs often
contain manganese dioxide; occasionally, however, the centl'al
'Part of a veinlet is fiUed with calcite. Near the hanging wall
portion of the lode, a small stringer of fluorite was found. Near
the portal of the, tunnel is some waxy yellow quartz, a part of
which had replaced calcite. No adularia was found in this quartz,
124 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
THE OATMAN AND KATHERINE DISTRICTS

but, the best values occur in this portion of the lode. Assays of found in any of the igneous rocks that Occur in these districts.
this tunnel indicate a grade averaging between $5 and $6 per ton, The wall rocks have ~uffered little or no replacement, and their
but some assays run as high as $14 per ton. effect. upon ore depOSIts has probably been physical rather than
At the north end of the property, on the Rising Fawn claim; a chemIcal. They promoted ore deposition when brittle enough to
shaft was put down and exploratory work was done by drifts' shatter and provide openings for the passage of solutions and
and crosscuts. Some rich silver ore is said to have been found at the deposition of minerals.
this place. A small mill on the property was run on this ore, but
no information as to the amount of the bullion produced is avail- MOST PROMISING A'RgAS
able.
Speaking generally, the eastern part of the Oatman District
FUTURE POSSIBILITIES appea~s ~o.off:r greater promise than the western POrtion be-
cause l~ IS belIeved that ore shoots not yet exposed by erosion
While examining a mining district, many data are usually may eXIS~ th:re. It may be difficult or impossible, however, to
gathered which have an important bearing on future prospecting locate. vems ~n the Upper latite flows, because they are either
in the area. In fact, the chief aims of this study of the Oatman very m~onsplC~ous or else differ materially in mineral content
and Katherine districts have not been to describe the mines and from vems whIch outcrop to the west.
prospects in great detail and to write a complete history of In ~he western part of the Oatman District, good ore or
operations there, but (1) to discover geological facts which may materIal .that has been leached and enriched below may out-
be helpful to operators in the search for additional ore shoots, crop. ~t I~, therefore, easier to prospect there than farther east.
(2) to indicate in which sections of the districts new ore shoots
should be sought, and (3) to determine the possibilities of thes.e
:r here , It IS not necessary to speculate as to what changes sink-
~ng on a barren .outcrop will reveal. If 4th- or 5th-stage quartz
districts as future producers of gold and silver. The informa- IS present or eVIdences of supergene enrichment are seen de-
tion that has been obtained, bearing on these points, .may be velopment should be undertaken. It should be remembered
summarized thus: however, that ore shoots in the western part of this district have
probably suffered more erosion than to the east, and, once found,
FACTS APPLICABLE TO THE SEARCH FOR ORE SHOOTS may be expected to bottoIp within a few hundred feet.
Outcrops which consist only of stringers of chalcedony
calcite may be worth prospecting in the eastern part of the POSSLBl'LITY OF FUTURE PRODUCTION
man District where ore shoots which have not been exposed There i.s little probability that additional large ore bodies will
erosion may exist. be found m the Katherine District. Only in the Katherine Mine
Excepting in that part of the Oatman District just memtJloned, there was. 4th- or. 5th-stage quartz found, and the existence of
it is useless to prospect veins unless they contain quartz of large bodIes of rIch primary ore elsewhere in the district is
4th or 5th stage of deposition, as described in this rep,ort, or doubtful. Supergene enriched ore, like that in the Sheeptrail-
less they show evidence of having been subjected to leaching Boulev~rd and Frisco mines, may be found elsewhere, but such
supergene enrichment. ore bodIes are not likely to be important.
Mineralization has been connected with faulting, and Although many veins in the Oatman District have been ex-
which contain crushed zones through which run small stI'in:geI:s plored by shafts or drifts\at depths of from one to six hundred
of 4th- or 5th-stage quartz and associated minerals offer nll.rTlIl:U- ,feet, such exploration has rarely been continuous for the full
lady attractive possibilities. . known lengt?s of the vein,s.•. The portions still unexplored have
Outcrops which show black manganese stains, no calcite, some ~otentIal value, especially if 4th- or 5th-stage quartz was
or less iron stain in the veins or wall rocks, and occasional found m the parts already mined.
gold values should be prospected in th~hope of striking a In spite of the fact tha,tgood primary ore has been found at
gene enrichment of gold. depth of 1,100 feet below the surface in the Black Eagle Mine
There is apparently no' reason why ore shoots should not f the .Tom Reed Company, it is not believed that the chance of
 JANUARY 1,
126 ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES

finding other ore shoots beneath ore already mined and appar-
ently bottomed is good enough to jusitfy deeper exploration.
~ltif!l~r$itt! of
~ulI£ti1t
It is likely that further prospecting will result in the location
of new veins or of new ore shoots in well-known veins tha,t have
been previously unproductive, providing that prospectors and
miners keep in mind the significant facts about the types of
quartz that carry good values, which are set forth in this re- ARIZONA BUREAU OF MINES
port. Although the peak produQtion in these districts will
probably never again be reached, it is hoped that this report will G. M. BUTLER, Director
help extend for several years the period during which the Oat-
man 'and KatheriI1le,districts are the principal producers of
precious metal ore, free from base metals, in Arizona,

ARIZONA GOLD PLACERS

AND PLACERING

The University of Al'izona Bulletin is issued

quarterly, in January, April, July, and Oeto-
bel' of each year. Entered as second class
matter November 23, 1915, at the postoffice
at Tucson,. Arizona, under the Act of August
24, 1912.
Accepted ,for mailin.g at sp~cial rate of post-
age provIded for III SectIOn 1103 Act of
October 3, 1917, authoriz·ed June 29, 1921.

PUBLISHED BY
~nifu~r~Hl1 Itf J\ri>!Itua
TUCSON, ARIZONA

ARIZONA ;BUREAU OF MINES

MINERAL 'I1ECHNOLOGY SERIES NO. 34
BULLETIN NO. 132