Tombstone Hills - Geology
Tombstone Hills - GeologyRoger Weller, geology instructor
wellerr@cochise.edu last edited: 5/8/08
The rocks involved in the structure of the Tombstone district range from
Precambrian to Quaternary in age. The oldest rock is fine-grained,
greenish-gray schist, correlated with the Pinal Schist of Bisbee. The Paleozoic
rocks include the Bolsa Quartzite, Abrigo Limestone, Martin Limestone, Escabrosa
Limestone, and the Naco Limestone. The Bisbee Group, Mesozoic in age, overlies
the Naco Formation. After deposition of these rocks, the area was folded and
faulted, and, probably at the same time, invaded by intrusions of igneous rock.
The Tombstone District was discovered in 1877. The district is mostly known for
its precious metals. Of the production by value from 1879 to 1933, silver
amounted to about 81% and gold about 14% of the total. The remaining 5% was
mainly lead with some copper, manganese, and zinc.
Between 1881 and 1882 the area yielded more than $5,000,000 worth of ore. The
value of the metals produced to end of 1936 is estimated at $37,000,000.
maps
Maps of
the Tombstone Hills
views
Views
of Tombstone and the Tombstone Hills
references
Published references on the geology of Tombstone and the
Tombstone Hills
student presentations on the
Tombstone area
Tombstone, Arizona Geology-Kathleen Pennington (Fall 2006)