Major Zn-Pb-Ag deposit of Santa Cruz County, SE Arizona
On 26 March 2018, Arizona Mining’s Don Taylor, discoverer of the world-class Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit in the Patagonia Mountains of southeastern Arizona, spoke with AZGS for the 44th episode of the Arizona Mining Review e-Video Magazine. You can view that 11-minute interview at our AZGS Youtube channel.
Mining in the Patagonia Mountains. In the 1870s, silver was discovered in the Patagonia Mountains of southeastern Arizona. From the 1880s to the 1950s, mining was a pillar of the economy and society of southern Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Mining operations continued through World War II - manganese was mined in support of the war effort - but by 1964 the first pulse of mining in the Patagonia Mountains ended.
The Taylor Zn-Pb-Ag Discovery. In the early 2000s, Wildcat Mining, Inc., was drilling a silver-lead deposit near Hershaw, Arizona; once a bustling mining town turned ghost town. In 2010, exploration geologist Don Taylor was brought on to guide exploration. It was then he discovered the large Taylor Zn-Pb-Ag deposit in the Patagonia Mining District. For this discovery, Don Taylor, now Chief Operating Officer of Arizona Mining, Inc., was awarded the prestigious Thayer Lindsley award for ‘Best Global Discovery’ at the 2018 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention in Toronto, Canada.
Select characteristics of the Taylor Deposit:
- 43-101 Report (1/2018): 15.2 million tons at 4.2% Zn, 4.0% Pb, and 1.6 opt silver (OPT = troy oz per ton);
- Deposits reside on patented or private lands in SE Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains;
- A carbonate replacement deposit with sulfides of Zn-Pb-Ag;
- Located about 55 miles south of Tucson, Arizona.
- Underground mine project;
- Estimated mine life of 29 years;
- Permitting underway & proposed earliest production by 2020;
- Estimated 946 M lbs of zinc equivalent and 9.5 M oz of silver production in concentrate in first 5 years.
For additional information on the Hermosa project, which includes both the Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit and the Central silver-manganese-zinc manto oxide deposit, see the Arizona Mining website.
The Arizona Mining Review is underwritten by the Mining Foundation of the Southwest.
