Copper Creek photo showing discoloration from past mining in the area. Photo by T.C. Brown
More than 100 attendees from the local Pinal County community came together at the San Manuel Community Center recently to hear the most recent update from Redhawk Exploration. Redhawk is exploring for copper in eastern Pinal County on the area of Copper Creek. Redhawk expressed appreciation for all whom attended and engaged in a positive way at the event. They stated that they are “looking forward to continuing this journey together while keeping the community informed and involved…” Several points were discussed and presented by Redhawk Exploration in an attempt to address questions and concerns.
“We value the input of our community and always strive to be a good neighbor. The majority of our staff attended the open house in support of our communities, as they too live and work in the area,” said Redhawk Exploration Community Liaison Kennedy Ivy. “We had over 100 people attend, not including our staff, and we were happy to engage with so many people. There were many stories shared and conversations about the project. We had subject matter experts at our various booths so that people could come and ask about the areas that are most important to them. As many people are excited to see mining activity in the area, we had a lot of support and people inquiring about employment. Additionally, we always welcome other industry professionals who are curious about where our project stands. The mining community is close and supportive of other projects.”
Copper exploration is not mining; it is small footprint, minimal impact work.
Redhawk is in the process of exploring for a potential new copper deposit approximately eight miles east of Mammoth, Arizona. Exploration is a distinctly different phase from mining, which involves minimal disturbance and small footprint work confined to drill pads across Redhawk’s private land and adjacent state and federal lands.
For those who are familiar with drilling to install water wells, this work is similar in nature. This drilling receives cylinders of rock which is known as core, this core is then analyzed for a suite of elements, in the case of our project, copper, to determine if the concentrations are sufficient to be potentially economic for extraction.
Should a mine be proposed for development, this would involve a robust public consultation process where members of the community and other interested stakeholders are consulted.
“We would be pleased to see copper added to the critical mineral list,” Ivy added. “Copper is a vital resource to achieving the goal of clean energy, the medical field, communications and the defense of our country. In 2022 alone the United States imported billions of dollars’ worth of copper when we are more than capable of producing it domestically. It would be very beneficial to develop more domestic copper mines not only to the country as a whole, but to the states and communities that they would operate in.”
Exploration is not mining.
Exploration is a distinctly different phase from mining which involves minimal disturbance and small footprint work confined to drill pads across Redhawk’s private land and adjacent state and federal lands.
Redhawk’s work sites are not visible from Mammoth.
Redhawk’s land is located 8 miles east of Mammoth along the Copper Creek Road. Exploration drilling activities are not visible from the town. It is important to note that other mining and exploration companies that are not associated with us are working in the area.
Redhawk’s activities are regulated by state and federal authorities.
Redhawk’s drilling and other activities are regulated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD), and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). We strictly adhere to all permit requirements for drilling activities.
When it comes to water, every drop counts.
This means working closely with other water users in the area to ensure that our activities align with the long-term water balance in the region.
Currently, Redhawk only utilizes water pumped from privately registered wells for drilling activities, which is then directed back down the drill holes during drilling, known as recirculation. As a result, over 95% of the water pumped for drilling purposes goes back into the ground where it came from, with the remainder being evaporated. All of this activity is permitted and regulated by government authorities. One drill rig typically uses less than the equivalent of four household’s worth of water each month.
Redhawk is also currently studying and collecting data on local surface and groundwater, including flow and groundwater elevation data. These studies will help us better understand the local water conditions including water quality and quantity.
Redhawk takes care of the natural environment.
Redhawk has completed a biological evaluation as part of its drill permitting process on federal lands, including a review of species and plants. Cultural studies, including tribal engagement, site visits, and archeological surveys, are ongoing.”
Copper Creek Road will remain open as long as it is safe for the public.
Redhawk will continue to provide open access to Copper Creek Road as long as it is safe to do so. During periods of heavy equipment movement or road maintenance, the road on private land may be temporarily closed. Signage indicating possible intermittent road closure will be installed in the appropriate areas.
We ask that the public access Redhawk’s private land portions of Copper Creek Road with respect for the land and natural environment. The public must adhere to all posted signage. Failure to do so may result in the road being closed to the public.
Future mining activities could mean $14.2 billion in economic development.
While it is too early in the process to determine if the Redhawk Exploration project will become a mine, it is important to understand the potential impact of this project on the region. We recently commissioned an economic impact study to better understand these impacts. The study concluded that Redhawk would have an impact of $14.2 billion when looking at direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts. This is the equivalent of 14 Super Bowls to eastern Pinal County. The project would also result in nearly $90 million in personal income for Arizona residents, as well as $1.6 billion in local, county, state, and federal taxes and create approximately 1,200 local employment opportunities.
Protecting the supply chain, starts with mineral exploration.
With heavy demand for copper from utility grid improvements, manufacturing of electric vehicles, national security, and other uses, the U.S. needs steady sources of domestic production. As Pinal County grows its manufacturing base in response to meeting domestic production demands, Redhawk sees an opportunity to be the first link in the supply chain.
Redhawk is exploring on previously mined land.
Mining isn’t new to the Copper Corridor and it’s not new to the areas we are exploring on. Our project area has been host to mining activities since the late 1800s. The access roads and trails that both we and the public use are the result of these historical mining activities.
Some of our site evaluation work includes planning for the reclamation of mining activity that long pre-dates our work. Our aim: leave it better than we found it.
At this stage of the project, there is no definitive destination for where any minerals that would be produced at the site will end up. The robust public process of permitting a mine means that any potential operations would be far in the future and difficult to be considered today. That said, our preference is to keep any copper concentrate produced at the site as close as possible to the operation.
Community members can reach out to Redhawk via: the Community Hotline (520) 385-7797 or Email community@redhawkexploration.com. This information and more can be found on the Redhawk Exploration site at https://redhawkexploration.com/#get-the-facts.
Related Copper Creek History – Redhawk Copper and Faraday Copper
“The history of this advanced exploration site dates back to the 1860s when the Bluebird mine was first discovered and the 1880s when the Bunker Hill mining district was established.
“Claims were staked to cover copper deposits prior to 1900, but little work was done in the district until after 1902. Most of the historical interest in the property came as a result of the massive outcropping of breccias, many of which with green copper oxide minerals readily recognized. By 1913, the Copper Creek Mining Company and its successors (Minnesota-Arizona Mining Company and Copper State Metals and Mining Company) had constructed a dam, power plant, dispensary, and a 200 tonne per day gravity concentrator to mine a small ore body. Approximately 360kt of high-grade ore has been extracted over the site’s mining history.”
“1994 – Arizona Mineral Technology (AMT) acquired the Copper Creek property from Magma.”
“1995 – AMT began field investigations at Copper Creek, drilling nine reverse circulation (RC) holes at Old Reliable to confirm that leaching by Ranchers had not significantly depleted the chalcocite ore body there. AMT also obtained an interest in Phelps Dodge Corporation’s patented claims and obtained prospecting permits for State lands in the south half of Section 2, near Bluebird Mine.”
“1996-1997 – AMT drilled 37 angled diamond core holes (12,229 meters in total) to test the Childs Aldwinkle pipe above elevations of 853 meters. These holes, plus Newmont’s hole NE-10, comprise the database from which the Mammoth pipe resource was estimated.”
“2005 – Redhawk Copper acquired AMT’s property at Copper Creek, organizing and consolidating the available data and drill core. The historical core, along with the core from subsequent drill programs, is now housed in a core storage facility in San Manuel, Arizona.”
“2007 – Redhawk reached an agreement with Phelps Dodge to purchase 27 mineral claims.”
“2018 – CopperBank acquired Copper Creek from Redhawk to conduct advanced exploration, including new drilling and extensive geological, geochemical, and geophysical testing.”
“2022 – CopperBank was renamed to Faraday Copper Corp.
Faraday Copper completed a Phase I drill program and delivered an updated Mineral Resource Estimate.
“2023 – Faraday Copper delivered a Preliminary Economic Assessment, including an updated Mineral Resource Estimate, and a Technical Report.
Faraday Copper completed a Phase II drill program, and commenced a Phase III drill program and a gold re-assay program.”
“The Copper Creek area contains multiple styles of Laramide copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold deposits with high primary copper grades. While early development focused on the exposed breccia bodies and peripheral veins, the 1960s and 1970s saw deeper drilling programs that uncovered porphyry-style sheeted and stockwork vein mineralization at depths between 365 meters and 1,220 meters below surface, and understood to be open at depth.”
This and more information on the Copper Creek Project can be found at: https://faradaycopper.com/projects/copper-creek-project/history/
“Faraday Copper is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing its flagship Copper Creek Project in Arizona, U.S.” https://faradaycopper.com
“Note: The open pit design is based on constraints used in the MRE as presented in the report titled “Copper Creek Project NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment” with an effective date of May 3, 2023 (the “Technical Report”) available on the Company’s website at www.faradaycopper.com and on the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.”
For more information on Area 51 and Faraday Press Release from January 16, 2024 referenced above please go to: https://www.accesswire.com/825145/faraday-copper-discovers-new-mineralized-breccia-800-meters-southeast-of-the-existing-mineral-resource
There Is legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives that would use the Department of Energy Critical Mineral list as a guideline to stockpile certain material. If passed the Critical Mineral Consistency Act could allow for expedited permitting, exempt certain requirements, and amend policies to make material used in particular energy and mineral projects easier to access and store. More information on H.R. 8446 and S. 5274 can be found at www.Congress.gov. Opinions differ on what affect passage of this type of legislation would have on projects such as Copper Creek and more in our region. Residents of the Copper Corridor have several sources to conduct their own research on which to base their own opinions. The information shared here is submitted as a place to start.