Imerys Marble Quarry - Pima County
Where: South of Tucson near Green Valley
Travel Conditions: Maintained dirt road can be travelled by most any vehicle.
Operation Dates:
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1972 - 1975 Mined by Homestake Production Co for quicklime to be used in copper flotation circuits
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1987 Mined by Calcium Products of Arizona
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1997 - Present Mined by Imerys a French owned company
Description: Looking at the west side of the Santa Rita Mountains a large white area can been seen from miles away. Some may think this is from past mining but this outcropping is natural Calcium Carbonate (limestone). Calcium Carbonate has many uses and is part of our daily life. Some of these include cement, used in the purification of iron, maintain alkalinity in pools, chalk, antacids, toothpaste, paint, and many other uses.
From and article in the Green Valley News it is mentioned that this area has been mined since the 19th century. The article also mentions that it is said "The stagecoach station, which connected with Tucson and Vail, is said to have stood on the site of today's limestone plant".
The Calcium Carbonate located in the Santa Rita Mountains has been mined since 1972 on and off and is currently an active quarry as of this writing.
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1972 - 1975 Mined by Homestake Production Co for quicklime to be used in copper flotation circuits
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1987 Mined by Calcium Products of Arizona
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1997 - Present Mined by Imerys a French owned company
What you will see today: This location mines calcium carbonate or limestone. There is no marble mined at this location as the company name might imply. Imerys Marble Company is a French owned company operating out of Atlanta Georgia.
Minerals Mined: Calcium Carbonate (Limestone)
Acknowledgement:
https://www.mindat.org/loc-36150.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate, https://www.imerys.com/minerals/calcium-carbonate,
http://www.gvrhc.org/Library/LimestoneQuarry.pdf
News: According to an article in the June 14, 2019 edition of the Green Valley News, the Imery Quarry is looking to expand.