{"id":1034,"date":"2020-03-22T09:07:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-22T16:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/?page_id=1034"},"modified":"2025-10-14T10:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T17:18:44","slug":"sme-presentation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/sme-presentation","title":{"rendered":"SME Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On February 25<sup>th<\/sup>, 2020 a presentation was given by myself at the national conference of the SME (Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration) at the Phoenix Convention Center, and it was called \u201cMid-Tertiary IOCG deposits in Arizona and a \u201cLost\u201d mining district\u201d.\u00a0 This was a challenge, because over 15 years of fieldwork and research had to be rendered down to 20 minutes and 22 slides.  Below is a video of the same presentation that was given to the local chapter of the SME for a &#8220;practice run&#8221;. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Molly Marie Prospect speech 2020\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BT_zRNvIlTU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is the presentation slide by slide, with the bullet points that were presented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide1.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide1.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Welcome everyone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My presentation is about a \u201cLost\u201d mining district in the Superstition Mountains area about 35 miles east of here, and it is a culmination of 15 years of study and research. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People have been looking for 130 years for lost mines or a \u201cmine\u201d in the Superstition Wilderness area, but the mines are not in the wilderness area. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Widely varying stories told of pit mines and underground mines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The oldest printed story that I\u2019ve read about lost mines in the area was printed in the Phoenix newspaper in 1893, and it was about prospectors that had found a \u201cGreat Mine\u201d just north of Superstition Mountain with many shafts, and what appears to be described as a large subsidence zone.\u00a0 The prospectors then wandered up to the Goldfield area to find something much greater the story said. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The next oldest study that I\u2019ve read was from 1895 by a writer named Bicknell in a San Francisco Paper.\u00a0 Bicknell interviewed dozens of people in this area from all ethnicities, and the consensus was that there was a mine with an 80-foot shaft, and that the mine was in a \u201cDistrict\u201d.\u00a0 In 1895 there was only one kind of district, and that was a mining district; this is an area where there are many mines. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over time, the story devolved until it became a tale of one mine, and people forgot what the word \u201cDistrict\u201d meant.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The term \u201cThe Lost Dutchman\u201d, did not even surface until 1952, when a book by the same name was published. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This photo is of the north side of Superstition Mountain, and in the broad area of the photograph, 400 of a Peralta-led party were massacred by Apaches in 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American war. The party was hiding mines that had been mined by the Peralta family from northern Mexico since the early 1700\u2019s. The Americans had just taken what is now the southwestern part of the U.S. from Mexico. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide2.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide2.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some may say, \u201cHow can an entire mining district be \u201cLost\u201d outside the Superstition Wilderness area given today&#8217;s technology?\u201d <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is a map of the Mineral Potential of the Superstition Wilderness and the surrounding area prepared in 1981 by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1981 was the beginning of the greatest down cycle in mining since the last depression, and this study was likely forgotten about. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The red areas have high mineral potential and are outside of the wilderness area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The red area to the southeast is where the great Resolution deposit was discovered in 1992.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The red area on the west end has had little or no exploration since 1981.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cG\u201d in the red area marks the historic gold mining district of Goldfield. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cX\u201d in the red area marks location of the Molly Marie Prospect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide3.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide3.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Molly Marie Prospect is a group of 20<br>contiguous mining claims sited on a collapse caldera over one mile in diameter.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The red lines outline the group of claims <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A collapse caldera is created when the magma<br>chamber of a volcano evacuates and the rock above it collapses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In this case, the volcano was then eroded to its<br>base. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide4.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide4.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is a google earth photo of the Goldfield mining district located only 2-1\/2 miles away from the Molly Marie Prospect. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Goldfield District is also sited on a collapse caldera and the volcano here was also eroded to its base.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The brown areas on the margin are breccias. Breccia consists of fragments of rock that are created when the center of the caldera collapses, and the rock fragments are ejected around the margin of the caldera.\u00a0 Breccias are an excellent host for ore. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only a few mines that were in the Goldfield District are labeled here.\u00a0 They are all located in breccias, and were all located on the perimeter of the collapse caldera.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Mammoth Mine was the largest. It was discovered in 1893 when a flash flood exposed mineralization in Weekes Wash. A shaft was sunk and the Mormon Stope was struck only 35 feet below the surface.\u00a0 The gold ore ran hundreds of ounces of gold to the ton.\u00a0 The stope was 20 feet wide and 200 feet long.\u00a0 The grade continued to the 400 foot level, and the mine reached the depth of 1022 feet below the surface.\u00a0 Even here, the grade was still .66 ounces of gold per ton. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Old Wasp claim labeled here had a major strike in 1983.\u00a0 A vein 8 feet wide was struck with a backhoe.\u00a0 The vein was heavy with galena, and a one-foot wide portion of the vein ran 244 ounces of gold and 50 ounces of silver per ton.\u00a0 A million dollars worth of gold at 1983 prices was removed from a small open stope near the surface. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These two mines are just examples of the bonanza gold found in Goldfield. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide5.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide5.jpg\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Now, back to the Molly Marie caldera.  The slide is a highly enhanced google earth photo of the caldera created to accentuate the iron alteration. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reddish areas are breccias that are found in multitudes greater abundance than those found in Goldfield.\u00a0 The red areas have highly magnetic soil as evidenced by the inset on the lower left. Just by kicking the soil and dropping a magnet on it produces instant results. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please note the spot marked with an \u201cX\u201d and the hill dubbed \u201cCerro Negra\u201d .\u00a0 These will be talked about in detail. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 6<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide6.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide6.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many disturbed areas were found in the brecciated areas of the Molly Marie caldera that were suspected to have been mined by others by surface pits and filled back in. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These disturbed areas were suspected to have been the same type of orebodies that were mined in Goldfield. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A seismograph was rented twice from a company called Geometrics to investigate the possibility.\u00a0 The refraction method was used on 12 locations in total.\u00a0 The data was screened by rented software, and the data from 8 locations was sent to a geophysicist for further analysis. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This slide is a tomogram from the spot marked with an \u201cX\u201d in the previous slide, and was prepared by Zapata geophysics in Denver.\u00a0 This represents a pit 40 feet deep, 120 feet long, and the area is about 80 feet wide. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All 8 areas that were screened and had the data processed further by geophysicists indicated pits. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even though the outcrops of the orebodies have been removed, an alteration zone remains that surrounds each orebody.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The inset in the upper left shows what the alteration looks like.\u00a0 The normally tan-colored arkose of the Whitetail formation has been altered to black chlorite, a type of mica.\u00a0 This type of alteration is commonly found surrounding the sub-seafloor portions of VMS deposits in Canada, but it was learned that it also surrounds the perimeter of a cousin of the VMS ore deposit, the IOCG (Iron Oxide Copper Gold deposit). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide7.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide7.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the Molly Marie Prospect ore genesis model. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>20 million years ago, southern Arizona was covered in deep brine lakes, because the Colorado River had not been formed yet.  Proof of this are thick salt deposits beneath Higley and near Luke AFB. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Occurring concurrently with the brine lakes and adjoining them was the Superstition volcanism. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are 3 main types of IOCG deposits, and this is the caldera type. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brine is more saline than seawater, is highly corrosive, and it dissolves the metals from the volcanic debris of the volcano.\u00a0 In the model, the solution percolates through the volcanic debris, surrounding rock, and the breccias and boils off near the magma chamber.\u00a0 The metals precipitate at the boiling zone in the breccias and beneath the layer of basalt in the caldera.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The breccias are a great \u201ctrap\u201d for metals because the rock fragments chemically react with the hot metal-laden brine causing them to precipitate.\u00a0 However, beneath the basalt exists an even better trap. The basalt is an aquaclude stopping the upwelling hot brine, and the upper portion of the Whitetail formation contains a high amount of limestone.\u00a0 The limestone neutralizes \u00a0the acidic solutions  causing the metals to precipitate. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The inset on the upper right shows the rock that is found at the volcanic neck.\u00a0 It is a rhyolite porphyry that is very high in iron and can be highly magnetic.\u00a0 This porphyry is pre-enriched in metals by nature and is what the volcanic debris was comprised of.  This is likely to be the #1 reason for the gold richness of this IOCG.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The inset on the lower right is the massive hematite porphyry found in large outcrops at \u201cCerro Negra\u201d.  Massive hematite and magnetite is predominant in IOCG deposits. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supergene gold is also in the model.\u00a0 Supergene gold is created after the brine lakes subside and residual salt dissolves the gold in the ore, carries it downward, and the gold is precipitated at the water table.\u00a0 This process creates incredibly rich gold deposits, and this is what the now filled-in pits were focused on. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide8.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide8.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After the seismic testing was done, it was concluded that many filled-in pits were located in the breccias beyond a reasonable doubt . <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If all this ore was mined, it had to be processed somewhere nearby. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Of all the old maps \u201cout there\u201d only one showed a processing area (Arrastras), and this was the \u201cMinas del Oro\u201d map, or \u201cGold Mines\u201d map in this slide.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This was found to be the most comprehensive map in existence.\u00a0 It is made of leather and the third digit is worn off, so it could be from 1814, 1824, 1834, or 1844.\u00a0 Many experts have concluded that this map is authentic. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The river labeled Rio Salado was believed to be incorrectly named, because the Salt River runs east-west, and most maps have north at the top.\u00a0 It was believed this had to be First Water creek that flows in First Water Canyon most of the year except for droughts.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cNegra\u201d is the center piece of the map and appears to be a fold in the basalt. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please note certain features on this map, as it will be shown on a google earth photo where their locations are.\u00a0 Notably, the locations of the Negra, Picacho, Campo Mayor, Arrastras,\u00a0 Camino, Placeras del Oro, and Minas will be shown. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide9.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide9.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This slide is a google earth photo of the area represented by the Minas del Oro map. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The spot that is \u201cNegra\u201d is the hill dubbed \u201cCerro Negra\u201d. This is the only fold found in the basalt for miles around.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cCampo Mayor\u201d corresponds with a place called Hackberry Spring.\u00a0 This spring flows year-around, and it is located at the foot of a 500-foot tall cliff.\u00a0 This cliff is orientated in a direction so the sun never hits the bottom as can be seen by the shadow in the photo.\u00a0 This is quite the literal oasis, and is the perfect location for the main camp. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The place that labeled \u201cFirst Water Creek\u201d was suspected to be where the arrastras (crushers) where located. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The spot labeled \u201ccart ruts\u201d will be shown in detail, and this spot is located on the large \u201cCamino\u201d(road) on the Minas del Oro map. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cPlaceras del Oro\u201d (gold placers) were suspected to be in First Water Creek, and will be shown in detail. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cMinas\u201d on the map were suspected to be the pits that were proven seismically and geologically and are shown as &#8220;Mines&#8221; in the google earth photo.  The arrastras in First Water Canyon were about one mile away. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide10.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide10.jpg\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the \u201cPicacho\u201d shown on the map, and is<br>just northeast of the \u201cMinas\u201d shown on the Minas del Oro map.\u00a0 Some call this Gonzales rock. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 11<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide11.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide11.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is \u201cCerro Negra\u201d, the hill that is the<br>great fold in the basalt. \u00a0This is<br>looking east. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide12.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide12.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After taking several hikes into First Water Canyon to prove my suspicions, ruts were noticed in the road that were suspected to be cart ruts (the photo labeled \u201cbefore\u201d). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A broom, camera, and tall stepladder were brought out to clean the ruts and photograph them from above, and the photo labeled \u201cafter\u201d was gained. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Note the circled area where there are flat grooves created where the wheels rolled over a small ledge.\u00a0 It can be seen that these were created by steel rims. \u00a0The other grooves were filled with gravel after rains and the wheels ground out the debris forming rounded grooves. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The hill and road behind the camera in the \u201cbefore\u201d photograph is very steep (>25%) and could not be negotiated with carts.\u00a0 The carts had to \u201czig-zag\u201d down the hill.\u00a0 This zig-zag is even shown on the Minas del Oro map. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The road shown was made in the 1970\u2019s by a small dozer making a road to the satellite First Water Ranch. The dozer disturbed the topsoil, and monsoons did the rest.\u00a0 The Peralta\u2019s must not have known that the ruts existed beneath the topsoil, or they would have removed them. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide13.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide13.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The cart ruts were evidence of countless loads of ore being hauled down to First Water Creek for processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ore absolutely had to be processed using amalgamation and mercury or approximately 50% pf the gold would have been lost. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A mercury vapor detector was rented to test the air and soil in the area. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A research paper was found about testing the soil in Potosi, Bolivia for mercury.\u00a0 Potosi is likely the most mercury-polluted place in the world due to the use of the patio process for recovering silver.  Potosi was the worlds #1 silver producer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Potosi, small holes were dug, and the \u201csniffer\u201d of the mercury vapor detector was immediately put in the hole, and the soil briefly exhaled mercury vapor. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The same method was used on a large flat area near the creek by the satellite First Water Ranch, and an extremely high amount of mercury vapor was detected. As can be seen in the slide, the vapor started at .87 ug\/m3, peaked at 2.75 ug\/m3, and returned to 0, all in 13 seconds. \u00a0These readings were almost identical to that found at Potosi, and this same level of mercury vapor was found in several holes. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide14.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide14.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The vapor detector was taken to First Water Creek about 75 yards away, to see what readings could be obtained in the open air.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The creek bottom there appears to be thoroughly cleaned to bedrock, by placering. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The alarm on the vapor detector did not sound off continuously, but it sound off frequently in the open air for hundreds of yards upstream (south) of the awning shown in the google earth photo.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was only 90 degrees outside that day, and this was not a good place to be due to the mercury vapor. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are no orebodies upstream, and it is suspected that the ground-up ore that was processed by others without mercury was reprocessed with mercury.\u00a0 This was the modus operandi and forte&#8217; of Chinese emigrants, and the reprocessing of placers was done throughout the American West by them. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide15.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide15.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>So now it was known where the pit mines were and where the ore was processed, but where were the underground mines?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was strongly suspected they were located at Cerro Negra (the fold in the basalt).\u00a0 The fold would be the best trap for gold both physically and chemically, because it is an anticline with both breccias and limestone beneath. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A story kind of \u201cfell in my lap\u201d, and it is called the \u201cSalazar Survey\u201d and written by Clay Worst. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The story begins with a man called Cristobal Peralta that visited Tucson in 1924.\u00a0 He hired Perfecto Salazar of Florence as his guide and interpreter. Cristobal was from Spain, but he was raised in Mexico. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To make a long story short, they were driving several miles north of Apache Junction on Apache Trail (now Highway 88) and Cristobal had Perfecto pull over. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cristobal pulled out a large map and proceeded to tell Perfecto that in 1853, five years after the massacre, the Peralta\u2019s returned to the mines and conducted a clandestine mining operation.\u00a0 They brought surveyors, and a photographer, even though photography was in its infancy. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Perfecto did not remember much from the map (he didn\u2019t tell anyone about this until 1949) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Perfecto wrote the numbers 4 and 62 on a paper bag afterwards that he remembered were prominently displayed on the map.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clay Worst tried to solve the mystery in 1949, with surveying equipment, but was unsuccessful. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I thought the numbers could be the numerical portions of quadrant bearings; quadrant bearings were used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and I used them when surveying 40 years ago.\u00a0 This method in hardly used anymore, or possibly not at all. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was suspected that the full quadrant bearings would be N4E and S62E, and they were referencing Cerro Negra, and were the bearings to two prominent landmarks taken from Cerro Negra. \u00a0It is an age-old technique to give a location of a place in no-man&#8217;s land with the bearings to two landmarks.\u00a0 Where the bearings intersect is the location. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One of the suspected landmarks was a tiny hole though the top of a mountain shown in the inset.\u00a0 This hole can be seen just before sunrise all along First Water Road on the north side of Superstition Mountain and disappears when the sun comes up.\u00a0 It is made for Hollywood. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The second landmark was suspected to be El Sombrero or Weavers Needle. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Working the locating technique backwards, the brunton compass in the inset was taken to the top of Cerro Negra to take the bearings to the landmarks. The declination was set to 0. This cannot be solved with google earth because Cerro Negra is highly magnetic and the compass is turned considerably there; the bearings have to be taken physically from Cerro Negra. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>N2E and N65E were the bearings taken by the brunton to the tiny hole and El Sombrero respectively. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These were 2 and 3 degrees off respectively from the Salazar numbers. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But, the magnetic declination has changed by 3 degrees since 1853 as learned from NOAA. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When the 2017 numbers were adjusted for declination as shown in the table in the slide, the bearing to the tiny hole was off by one degree, and the bearing to El Sombrero was exactly the same.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Considering Salazar gave whole numbers to begin with, and the brunton is accurate to within a half of a degree, the numbers are a perfect match. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The bearings give the exact location of Cerro Negra, and it is impossible that what has been described occurs by coincidence. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 16<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide16.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide16.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Salazar said that Cristobal Peralta showed him three small glass photographs with \u201cEl Sombrero\u201d in the background of each of them.\u00a0 They were taken at different distances from the mine on the same bearing. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weavers Needle looks like a hat in a very small area.\u00a0 Salazar specifically said \u201cEl Sombrero\u201d. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This  slide is a replication of how he describes photo #2.\u00a0 That is Cerro Negra in the center.\u00a0 Bicknell described the mine as being within a 5-mile radius of Weavers Needle.\u00a0 The distance to Cerro Negra is 6 miles.  This is looking in the direction of the bearing of S65E in 2017.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a strong suspicion that Cristobal and Perfecto walked to Cerro Negra. It is only a 20 minute hike from the highway. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide17.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide17.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All attention now turned to Cerro Negra. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cerro Negra had always been viewed in normal plan view on google earth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By rotating google earth to a south looking position, and lowering the viewing angle, it was shocking to see what appeared to be large subsidence zone on the east side of Cerro Negra created by a caved stope.  It was especially surprising since a center post for one of the Molly Marie mining claims had been set in the middle of the crater 10 years before. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The only mining method known for the time period that would work on multiple passes on a thicker soft orebody is called the top-slice method.  It is no coincidence that this method was used for centuries to mine hematite in England.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The inset in the lower left shows what the outcrop looks like on the ridge on the north side of Cerro Negra.\u00a0 The rock is volcanic tuff, and it is tipped into the subsidence zone. The tip of &#8220;Flatiron&#8221; can be seen in the distance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Note the spot labeled \u201cportal\u201d as it will be shown later. This was discovered a couple of years ago in the summer during a bad drought.\u00a0 Bees were flying in holes between rocks at the base of a short cliff there.\u00a0 After backing up a hundred feet or so and throwing rocks at the spot, it was known that the bees were after water and it wasn\u2019t a bee hive. Later that winter, a hole was dug at the base of the cliff, and a \u201cbrow\u201d was encountered and a large void was found under the brow. It was filled with dried saguaro fruit from packrats. \u00a0It was concluded that it was a portal. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Note also the area labeled \u201csaddle\u201d.\u00a0 This photo doesn\u2019t do it justice, but the saddle is a literal highway across the canyon and the subsidence zone. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 18<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide18.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide18.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is what the subsidence zone looks like up close.\u00a0 It looks like it happened yesterday.\u00a0 The saddle is to the upper right, and El Sombrero can be seen over the top of the ridge.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The inset on the lower right shows how magnetic the rock is in the subsidence zone.\u00a0 This is a washer magnet and it easily stands on edge on the magnetic rock.\u00a0 It can also be seen how the rock is saturated by quartz veinlets. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Magnetism seems to be a great indication of ore on Cerro Negra.\u00a0 Wherever there are apparent cave or subsidence zones (especially here and on the south side of Cerro Negra) the rock is highly magnetic within each one.\u00a0 This may be indicative of a boiling zone and\/or convection cell beneath.  All of these areas are suspected to be caved stopes. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 19<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide19.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide19.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>So, are there any maps that seem to indicate multiple shafts like the 1893 newspaper article?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yes, there is.\u00a0 The\u00a0 Burbridge map was found hidden in the cover of an old book in Mexico in the 1960\u2019s.\u00a0 It was read that this map was truly dated to the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century by the University of Arizona.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The map is of an apparent mine development project that lasted four years, 1749-1753. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The copy of the map did not have the Salt River on it and the trail leading from it that are on the original.\u00a0 These were added in red.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The title is a mixture of Portuguese, Latin, and Spanish.\u00a0 Ona is Latin for \u201cDistrict\u201d. The full translation is \u201cThe Esteemed People of the Salt River District of the North.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The map shows a workers camp for men and one for women.\u00a0 This is indicative of forced labor. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Pima revolt was in 1751, and pretty much ended the forced labor of native people by the Spanish and Jesuits.\u00a0 It is suggested that the people that were being separated against their will were Chinese. (another story)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is suggested that the reason the trail labeled is \u201cfootprint trail\u201d is because the trail was made by people with no wheels and no horses (pre-columbian miners). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 20<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide20.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide20.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This map shows the Burbridge map laid over a google earth photo of Cerro Negra.\u00a0 The \u201cpass\u201d and the edge of the rhyolite were used as anchors when expanding the map.\u00a0 The map was not rotated. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The contact zone of the Rhyolite and the basalt is important because beneath the basalt the Rhyolite contacts the upper Whitetail that has much limestone.\u00a0 These are excellent conditions for gold skarn deposits. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This may not seem important here, but please note the location of the shafts labeled 1, 2, and 3 that will be shown later. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is the dubbed the Burbridge Level of the mine, or the upper level, and will be explained further. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide21.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide21.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the Ortiz map and was given by an Apache<br>man to a rancher near the Salt River, Ortiz. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Apache man said the map was taken off a dead<br>prospector that the Apaches had killed. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The oddity of this map is the date of 1884.\u00a0 All mining should have been long before that.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is very important to note the spot where it<br>appears there is a portal with water draining out of it.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 22<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide22.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide22.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the Ortiz Map overlain on the Cerro Negra photo. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The portal spot shown earlier and the edge of the Rhyolite were used as anchors. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This map was not rotated when overlain.\u00a0 It is clear that this map was surveyed and due north was used. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The tunnel passes exactly beneath the ridge on the north side of Cerro Negra.\u00a0 This ridge is an anticline as described previously, and for several reasons is the perfect gold trap.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The drift to the north runs right next to the contact zone of the rhyolite and the basalt (and the limestone-laden upper Whitetail below). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The drift to the west is just beneath the basalt.\u00a0 The surface elevation of this area and the portal elevation checks out with the estimated thickness of the basalt. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a very large subsidence zone in the \u201cY\u201d formed by the tunnels on the southwest side of the hill. This area is highly magnetic. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 1,2, and 3 match up with the 1,2, and 3 of the Burbridge overlay above.\u00a0 The shafts were extended to the level below. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is the second level of the mine, about 50 feet below the Burbridge Level. \u00a0It is now dubbed the \u201cOrtiz Level\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Like many old districts like Pachuca and Virginia City, a drainage tunnel has to be driven from farther out to drain the lower levels.\u00a0 In this smaller case, the drainage tunnel was driven in  mostly ore. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An exposure of the actual contact zone between the Rhyolite and Basalt could not be found on the west side of the volcanic neck. This contact zone is important, because gold bearing fluids may have escaped to the surface. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, an exposure was found on the east side of the volcanic neck and it assayed .02 ounces of gold per ton.  This is affirmation of the gold ore forming processes that took place here. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the last slide of the presentation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than a just a compelling argument has been given that a mining district can be \u201clost\u201d right out in the open in plain sight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a much more evidence that there was not time to present; please visit the Molly Marie website for more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The District would have not been lost if it were not for the Mexican American War; it would have been mined out. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Peralta party did an excellent job of hiding the mines. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There was much hatred then, and there is still some now for the U.S. after taking what are now 5 states from Mexico. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is excellent exploration potential on the Molly Marie Prospect, and in the entire area. There are at least 4 collapse calderas, and Government Well deserves special attention. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please see me after this presentation if you would like to talk more about the subject. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 23<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide23.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide23.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Hoddenplye map shown is another map that surfaced from Mexico in the late 1800&#8217;s. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This map was not included in the presentation because there was not enough time allotted, but it belongs here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It shows the exact general arrangement of Cerro Negra as presented;\u00a0 the tiny hole through the mountain, the placers, and Cerro Negra.\u00a0 The mines apparently didn\u2019t need any introduction on this map or the Minas del Oro map.\u00a0 It must have been well known that Cerro Negra is where the mines were located. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This map is looking southeast and it indicates three placered areas.\u00a0 About two hundred feet north of the location of the original or main First Water Ranch house there are large piles of boulders that are piled up like many placers throughout the west. \u00a0A pile of boulders is shown on the southernmost placer in the map here. \u00a0First Water Creek passes through here and it appears ore was processed here also, and the sand was later reprocessed.\u00a0  This was not known when the vapor detector was rented.  The main First Water Ranch is about .7 miles upstream from the satellite First Water Ranch.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 24<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide24.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide24.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To practice for the SME National Conference, the\npresentation was given to the local SME chapters in Globe and Phoenix.&nbsp; The local chapters had a bigger time slot to\nfill and it required a presentation of about 40 minutes.&nbsp; So, a \u201cprequel\u201d was given, starting where it\nis believed the whole story began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>INTRO<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of this presentation will not be given at the\nNational Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a much bigger story about the missing mining\ndistrict than has been told so far.&nbsp;&nbsp; The\n\u201cfootprint trails\u201d of the Burbridge map shown earlier is a clue that there was\na pre-Columbian presence in the Salt River District of the North.&nbsp; &nbsp;The\nrest of the presentation this evening is about where I believe the story began,\nin Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 25<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide25.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide25.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cortez entered Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519,<br>captured Montezuma, and held him hostage.\u00a0<br>In return, the conquistadors demanded that the Aztecs bring them all of<br>their gold. The Spanish stayed in Tenochtitlan and melted the Aztec artwork and<br>religious relics into bars until July 1, 1520. It is estimated that they had smelted<br>8000 pounds of gold. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Aztecs finally attacked on July 1, 1520 and nearly<br>annihilated the Spanish. \u00a0All of the gold<br>was left behind. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neither the gold bars nor the source of<br>the gold were ever found (by non-Aztecs). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neither the Aztecs nor the Incas knew how to<br>part gold and silver.\u00a0 Some Spanish knew<br>this was clue to the gold\u2019s source because it had an uncommonly high gold\/silver<br>ratio. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 26 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide26.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide26.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The four survivors of a shipwreck in 1527 on the<br>coast of Florida return to Mexico in 1536 with tales of Cibola and the seven<br>cities of gold.\u00a0 This drives the lust for<br>gold in New Spain to a peak. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finally in 1539, Viceroy Mendoza commissions Fr.<br>Marcos de Niza for a mission to a) ensure that Mexico is not an island and b)<br>to verify the stories of gold. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accompanying the entourage is Esteban, an<br>ex-slave, one of the four survivors of the wreck. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The routes in the slide and the following<br>accounts were according to the reports of Marcos de Niza. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cibola was a known place and the Meso-American trail<br>system extended to there from Mexico City. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos and Esteban traveled together up the<br>coast of the Sea of Cortez, verified Mexico was not an island, and turned back<br>inland. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos and Esteban split up near present day Nogales<br>because Esteban wanted to be the first to reach Cibola.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is suspected that Esteban went east to the<br>San Pedro river where the main trail was located and then up to Cibola (the<br>Zuni Pueblo).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos travels up the Santa Cruz river to Casa<br>Grande and Marcos calls this Chichilticale. \u00a0This is an Aztec name meaning \u201cRed House\u201d. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Casa Grande is only about 35 miles from the Salt<br>River District of the North. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos then travels to the main trail and to<br>Cibola. He gets within sight of Cibola, and meets the Esteban party, without<br>Esteban, fleeing south.\u00a0 Marcos reports<br>that Cibola is as large as Mexico City. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos learns that Esteban was killed by the<br>Zuni chief for assaulting and killing a girl. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos and both parties travel south \u00a0to Mexico City. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At that time, Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) was the<br>largest city in the world with a population of about one million. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide27.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide27.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After de Niza tells Viceroy Mendoza that Cibola is as big as Mexico City, Mendoza commissions the Coronado expedition in 1540 and assigns Fr. Marcos de Niza as their guide. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Coronado expedition consisted of about 1600 people and was privately funded. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When the expedition gets near the Chiricahua Mountains, east of the San Pedro River, de Niza tells Coronado the small Kuykendall ruins is Chichilticale.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When the expedition neared Cibola they learned that Cibola is just a stone pueblo, and most of the expedition \u00a0wanted to kill de Niza. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos de Niza is spirited back to Mexico City. Marcos de Niza\u2019s replacement writes that de Niza was almost a week behind Esteban, and he never saw Cibola. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Coronado expedition continues far into Kansas. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a little known part of the Coronado expedition, Hernando Alarcon took 3 ships up the Sea of Cortez (it wasn\u2019t named that yet) to the mouth of the Colorado river.\u00a0 A long letter by Alarcon exists that describes the expedition. No European had been up the Colorado or even to the mouth of the Colorado before. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hernando was to resupply the Coronado expedition. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Alarcon party took two small sailboats up the Colorado, and it is clear after reading the letter that they turned and then went up the Gila River, and the boats were empty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Gila was navigable by even steamboats until 1927 and the completion of the Coolidge dam. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The sailboats made it upstream to within 10 days on foot from Cibola<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unlike other Conquistadors, Hernando Alarcon was kind to the natives. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through interpreters, Hernando learns there is no gold in Cibola, and he learns about Esteban\u2019s death and that Esteban was in Cibola for two months before being killed by the Zuni chief. One of the interpreters had been to Cibola. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Another Fr. Marcos de Niza untruth was revealed.\u00a0 Marcos had two months that were unaccounted for, not just a week. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hernando and party make it to either the confluence of the Salt and the Gila rivers or Casa Grande before returning to the ships. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hernando makes a second mission with the sailboats, and this time goes up the Colorado and complains about strong current.\u00a0 He buries food for the Coronado expedition near the mouth of the Gila, and some letters that were found in the sand the following year by another explorer. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hernando\u2019s ships had to leave like \u201ca thief in the night\u201d in the first Mexican port in Hernando\u2019s letter, at night, after too many questions were asked.\u00a0 Hernando disappears from history. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conclusion of the last 2 slides: Marcos de Niza was a Franciscan, and this order was known for trying to save indigenous people from the horrors of Spanish occupation.\u00a0 Nearly every native in the Caribbean was slaughtered by the Conquistadors. Marcos told at least three whoppers:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>1) He told Coronado that the Kuykendall ruins near the Chiricahua Mountains were Chichilticale.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2) &nbsp;Marcos said that Cibola was larger than Mexico City. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3) Marcos said that he was almost a week behind Esteban.&nbsp; He was 2 months behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hernando\u2019s sailboats went upstream empty even though their first order of business was to resupply the Coronado expedition.\u00a0 It was impossible to resupply the Coronado expedition to begin with by the route that they took. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Spanish new very well where they were going in the Marcos de Niza, Coronado, and Alarcon \u00a0expeditions because the Aztecs and other natives new the geography well. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marcos de Niza intentionally guided the huge Coronado expedition far to the east of the mining district and thus quenched the fire of any further gold seeking expeditions by leaving most of the Coronado expedition broke and destitute. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is suggested that Marcos de Niza and party mined and hid the mines and left a large shipment for Hernando to pick up the next year. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 28<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide28.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide28.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For 250 years, the Manila Galleons took over<br>half of the silver and gold from New Spain to China. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Silver commanded 50% more in price in<br>China.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Manila Galleons could hold 2000 tons of<br>cargo and up to 1000 passengers. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The galleons brought silk, porcelain, spices,<br>and mercury in return. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many Chinese were also brought back to New<br>Spain. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 29 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide29.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide29.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The map in the slide was drawn by Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino and shows Pimeria and Apacheria in 1701. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino was a Jesuit, well-known for their business dealings. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was an expert in astronomy,\u00a0 mathematics, cartography.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He petitioned many times to be assigned to China during Jesuit training. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kino\u2019s first assignment in the New World was establishing missions on the coast of the Sea of Cortez. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was directly tied to the Manila Galleons though Admiral Atondo of the Sea of Cortez<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kino was a rich man and owned\u00a0 ranches in northern Sonora<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He made at least 4 trips to the Gila and Casa Grande with\u00a0 80, 90 and even over 100 horses and mules. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>His home base was Mission Nuestra Senora de Los Delores and it was only 50 miles from the Peralta home base of Arizpe, Sonora, and 40 miles south of Nogales Arizona. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is theory that the district stayed idle from 1640 until around 1700. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is further theorized that Kino reactivated the district with the mining expertise of the Peralta\u2019s and Chinese Labor. He alone had all the connections to the Peraltas, the Manila Galleons, and shipping in the Sea of Cortez. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is further concluded that all people and materials travelled up the Gila River by boat to the mining district, not overland. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide30.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide30.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chinese workers?\u00a0 How could that be? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As shown earlier, this creek bottom has been reworked by mercury; lots of it. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The author is no stranger to a gold pan, and this place has been cleaned out extremely well. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only one group of people were this good at placering and they used a lot of mercury to do it. \u00a0The Chinese. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There were two well documented accounts in the late 1800\u2019s of Apaches speaking fluent Chinese with Chinese people.  This could have happened only by the Apaches speaking Chinese as a second language. The languages are not related.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many Apaches look exactly like Chinese as many others, including this author have noted. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As shown earlier, the Burbridge Map of 1753 indicates forced labor was used and the Pima revolt, ending the forced labor of natives was in 1751. \u00a0The Chinese were the only other candidates that could have been put into forced labor. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Chinese were readily available considering the huge capacity of the Manila galleons. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is theorized the Chinese eventually intermarried with the Apaches and never left the area. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide31.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide31.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a map of all the people, places, and things involved\nwith the Salt River District of the North (from the Burbridge Map). &nbsp;Generally, the newer characters are on the\nleft, and the older characters are on the right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 32<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide32.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide32.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This gold bar was found near the site of Tenochtitlan in 1981 while excavating for a building foundation.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The bar is on display at the Museo Nacional de Antropolog\u00eda in Mexico City. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This bar appears to be about 80% gold, roughly the grade of the gold mined in Goldfield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is the last slide of this presentation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The entire story of the Superstition Mountains mystery has been shown this evening from beginning to end.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has been shown that there is strong evidence that the Salt River District of the North was the source of the Aztec gold.\u00a0 <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Franciscans and natives did an excellent job hiding the District the first time, and then the Peralta\u2019s, and even later, the Apaches, did a great job after that.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most people and materials traveled up and down the Gila by boat, not leaving a trace. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SLIDE 33<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide33.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/slide33.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/Rivers.JPG\" alt=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/presentation\/Rivers.JPG\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The above slide shows just how simple it was for boat travel from Kino\u2019s home mission and Arizpe to the mining district.\u00a0 It is not known if the Concepcion River was navigable by small boats in the 18<sup>th<\/sup> and 19<sup>th<\/sup> centuries. Likely it was.\u00a0 If not, it is about 150 miles to the coast of the Sea of Cortez. \u00a0Small craft could have traveled up the Salt River.  Remember, Hernando Alarcon traveled up the Gila in 1540. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This was not known when the presentation was given, but in In the January 2020 issue of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/arqueologiamexicana.mx\/\" target=\"_blank\">Arqueolog\u00eda Mexicana<\/a>,&nbsp; it was published that the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia  recently performed a non-destructive&nbsp; XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) of the Tenochtitlan bar shown above, and it was dated to 1520. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Additionally, the XRF showed that the bar was 76.2 \u00b1 1% de oro, 20.8 \u00b1 1% de plata y 3.0 \u00b1 0.5% de cobre (76% Au, 21% Ag, 3% Cu). This is roughly the same grade as most of the gold electrum found in Goldfield, and the same would be expected from the \u201cSalt River District of the North.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are probably many other trace elements that were detected in the XRF package that was used for the study that may further prove the gold came from the Goldfield area. \u00a0Research will continue. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MENU<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"menu-danone-container\"><ul id=\"menu-danone\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-304\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-post menu-item-304\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/archives\/21\">Introduction<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-294\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-294\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/location\">Location<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-299\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-299\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/geology\">Geology, Setting<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-301\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-301\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/geology\/stratigraphy\">Stratigraphy<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-302\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-302\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/geology\/ore-genesis\">Ore Genesis<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-296\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-296\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/the-missing-mining-district\/the-mill-site-and-mercury\">The Mill Site and Mercury<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-298\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-298\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/the-missing-mining-district\/the-salazar-survey\">The Salazar Survey<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-499\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-499\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/the-missing-mining-district\/seismic-work\">Seismic Work<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-491\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-491\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-502\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-502\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/contact\">Contact<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-1035\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1035\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/sme-presentation\">SME Presentation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On February 25th, 2020 a presentation was given by myself at the national conference of the SME (Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration) at the Phoenix Convention Center, and it was called \u201cMid-Tertiary IOCG deposits in Arizona and a \u201cLost\u201d mining district\u201d.\u00a0 This was a challenge, because over 15 years of fieldwork and research had &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/sme-presentation\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;SME Presentation&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1034","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1034"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1411,"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1034\/revisions\/1411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mollymarieprospect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}