Page 53

  53The Mineral Industry of 
Arizona 
This chapter was prepared under a Memorandum of Understanding between the
Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Arizona Bureau
of Mines for collecting information on all nonfuel nunerals. 
By Lorraine B. Burgin1 
The value of Arizona nonfuel mineral 
production reached $1.7 billion in 1978 and 
an alltime high of almost $2.5 billion in 
1979. The State was ranked second in the 
Nation for nonfuel mineral production in 
1978 and first in 1979. 
 Metal production, $1.5 billion in 1978, climbed to over $2.2 billion in
1979, about 91% of the total value of nonfuel mineral production in the State.
After the copper strikes of 1977, copper production recovered to $1.3 billion
in 1978 and rose to over $1.9 
Table 1.—Nonfuel mineral production in Arizona1 
Mineral 
Quantity 
1977 
 val 
(thousands) 
Quantity 
1978 
val 
(thousands) 
Quaiitity 
1979 
 Val 
(thousands) 
Clays           thousand short ton&. — 
233 
2$444 
143 
$731 
138 
$642 
Copper (recoverable content of ores, etc.) metric tons — Gemstones
838,038 
 NA 
1,234,168 
 4,500 
891,405 
 NA 
1,306,866 
 4,600 
946,002 
 NA 
1,940,211 
 4,000 
Gold (recoverable content of ores, etc.) 
 troy ounces_ — Gypsum         thousand short tons_ —
Lead (recoverable
content of ores, etc.) 
90,167 
 187 
13,373 
 775 
92,989 
 184 
'  
17,998 
 955 
101,840 
 231 
31,316 
1,245 
metric tons — 
288 
195 
416 
309 
354 
411 
Lime           thousand short tons.. — 
474 
15,528 
498 
19,743 
673 
27,186 
Molybdenum (content of concentrate) 
 thousand pounds —Pumice thousand short tons_ —Sandandgravel
dO___ 
Silver (recoverable content of ores, etc.) thousand troy ouncea.. —
Stone:* 
34,574 
 621 
22,313 
6,828 
120,497 
 1,226 
49,946 
31,546 
 W 
1,135 
28,314 
6,638 
 W 
3,130 
69,096 
35,844 
35,101 
 940 
~30,520 
 7,479 
213,065 
 2,367 ~74,716 
82,941 
CrusheL      thousand short tons_ — 
Dimension do...~ 
5,359 
 8 
16,367 
 128 
5,306 
 5 
17,669 
 101 
5,769 
 5 
21,401 
 110 
Zinc (recoverable content of ores, etc.) 
 metric tons - 
3,973 
3,013 
W 
W 
W 
W 
Combined value of asbestos, cement, clays 
(ball clay, common clay, and fire clay, 
1977), feldspar (1977-78), fluorspar, mica 
(crude, 1977), perlite, pyrites, salt, sand and 
gravel (industrial, 1979), tungsten, and val 
ues indicated by symbol W            
XX 
63,082 
XX 
227,586 
XX 
90,870 
Total                       
XX 
1,554,788 
XX 
1,704,628 
XX 
2,490,481 
 NA Not available. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data;
value included in "Combined value" figure. XX Not applicable. 
 ' Production as measured by mine shipments, sales, or marketable production
(including consumption by producers). 
 2Excludes ball clay, common clay and fire clay; value included in "Combined
value" figure. 
 ' Excludes industrial sand; value included in "Combined value"
figure.