Geology And Ore Deposits Of The Verde District; Jerome, Arizona

Early Proterozoic ore deposits in the Verde district at Jerome, Arizona have produced 33.7 million metric tons of ore (1893-1975). The United Verde and United Verde Extension deposits produced most of the ore that yielded 1,644,323,100 kg Cu plus large amounts of Au, Ag, and Zn. These deposits are situated on the fractured and hydrothermally altered apex of a large submarine rhyolitic extrusive (Cleopatra formation). Precambrian lithologies are penetratively deformed and at Jerome the Fl folds plunge steep to the NNW. For the past two decades the volcanogenic model has superseded the replacement theory of ore formation.