Ray Mine

The mine was actually named after the town of Ray, which no longer exists – it was entirely taken over by the mine it gave its name to.

Ray Mine was originally opened in around 1880, and the open pit mine which replaced it began operation in 1952. By 1955, all underground operations ceased, and the open pit became the main working.

Mindat lists 59 minerals from the site, primarily copper minerals – but there are some unusual and interesting species found here too – Opal-AN, torbernite, anatase. Gem silica and chrysocolla from the site are very popular.

Further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_mine
• https://www.asarco.com/mines/
• https://www.mindat.org/loc-3377.html
• https://tucson.com/news/local/article_419cac1c-62e4-5df5-84c7-e14f9a44e87c.html