Mining claims in Arizona
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The hardrock mining industry owns gold, silver, and other precious metals and minerals beneath an estimated 641,883 acres of U.S. public land in Arizona, resources worth millions of dollars a year, acquired for as little as $0.84 per acre and held in perpetuity for a yearly rental fee as low as $0.62 an acre. Under a 132-year-old law originally intended to spur development of the West, an industry dominated by a handful of multinational corporations pays no federal royalties, and leaves behind a landscape of dramatically diminished value, scarred with tunnels, pits, and toxic waste piles.
| Quick facts about mining claims in Arizona |
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• Total number of claim-holders: 4,033 • Acres of public land claimed by the mining industry, estimated: 641,883 (1 of every 56 acres of public land in Arizona) • Dollars paid for each acre: as little as $0.84, and as little as $0.62 yearly rental fee • Reimbursement to the federal government for gold, silver and other precious metals taken from public land: $0 • Companies owning minerals on at least 10,000 public acres: 26 • Percentage of claims held by foreign companies: 16% • Land area ever claimed by the mining industry nationally, estimated: 79 million acres (the size of New Mexico) |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Claim Owners in Arizona Ranked by Acres Claimed
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Claims | Acreage Claimed | Date(s) Filed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phelps Dodge Mining Co | Phoenix, AZ | 4,065 | 67,581 | 1906 to 2000 |
| 2 | ASARCO, a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico | World HQ in Mexico | 2,784 | 53,506 | 1898 to 2003 |
| 3 | Dorene Gerwitz | Tucson, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 4 | Carrie Lynn Martin | Tucson, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 5 | Dennis J Martin | Tucson, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 6 | Irene Martin | Tucson, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 7 | Thomas M Martin | Tucson, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 8 | Jacquelyn Smiley | Phoenix, AZ | 120 | 19,200 | 1986 to 1993 |
| 9 | BHP Billton | World HQ in Australia | 942 | 18,940 | 1903 to 2002 |
| 10 | Sands Mining & Invst | Phoenix, AZ | 118 | 18,880 | 1986 to 1993 |
| See all claim holders in Arizona | |||||
Some of the claimants in this table may be in partnership with other individuals or companies with a claim to the same land.
Counties in Arizona Ranked by Acres Claimed
| County | Number of Claims | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yavapai County | 3,727 | 106,599 | details | map |
| 2 | Pinal County | 3,844 | 106,587 | details | map |
| 3 | Mohave County | 2,918 | 103,578 | details | map |
| 4 | Pima County | 2,903 | 64,167 | details | map |
| 5 | La Paz County | 1,506 | 54,073 | details | map |
| 6 | Gila County | 2,673 | 50,071 | details | map |
| 7 | Graham County | 2,639 | 49,609 | details | map |
| 8 | Maricopa County | 1,249 | 41,206 | details | map |
| 9 | Cochise County | 841 | 18,082 | details | map |
| 10 | Coconino County | 260 | 14,018 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Arizona
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierrita Copper Mine | Pima County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Bagdad Copper Mine | Yavapai County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Copper Queen Branch Mine | Cochise County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Johnson Camp Mine | Cochise County, AZ | Suspended | Copper Ore | Nord Copper Corporation |
| Miami Copper (sx-ew) Mine | Gila County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Safford | Graham County, AZ | Proposed | Copper | Phelps Dodge |
| Morenci | Greenlee County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Equatorial Mineral Park Inc | Mohave County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Equatorial Mining Limited |
| Silver Bell Copper (sw-ex) | Pima County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | ASARCO |
| San Manuel | Pinal County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | BHP Billiton |
| See more mines in Arizona | ||||
Source: EWG analysis.