Adventures in Arizona Mining

An Arizona mine, which is home to a unique kind of amethyst, was destroyed by a wildfire in 2020. The owners recently invited us up to check out the rebuilding process.

I took longtime Arizona’s Family photographer Louis Tortora for our second trip in five years.

The Four Peaks Mine is the only commercial amethyst mine in the United States, and is home to a unique form of the gem called Siberian Red.

The amethyst mined at Four Peaks is only found here, and at a spot in Russia (hence the name: Siberian Red).

It was first found here by Native Americans, and later mined by Spanish explorers. Stones from the mine are said to be in the Spanish Crown.

These days, the owner, Kurt Cavano, says he makes just enough money to fund the next year’s mining operation. They ship a ton of rock (literally) to Thailand each year, and wind up with just a few handfuls of commercial-grade amethyst to sell.

Looking up at the ceiling, it all looks sparkly and pretty:

Cavano has owned the property for more than 20 years, and recently renovated the living quarters to include generators, solar panels, and water filtration.

For much of that time, a husband-and-wife mining team (Mike and Tae Blank) have lived part of the year at the peak, working in the mine with their dog.

It’s accessible either by a lengthy hike to the top of the peaks… or… by helicopter. Skilled pilots land the chopper on what looks like an impossibly-small landing pad, down a short path from the mine’s entrance.

The photo below is Louis, after unloading his gear from the chopper:

The Bush Fire burned nearly 200,000 acres, about 20 miles northeast of Mesa, Arizona. It was human-caused in June of 2020.

From the Valley, we could see the smoke, and I wondered if the flames would creep up the rocky terrain in the Four Peaks area, and impact the mine.

Turns out, from his home in New Jersey, Kurt Cavano, was wondering the same thing. Eventually, after the fire was contained, he hired a helicopter to survey the damage.

Below, you’ll see the burned tools, a melted piece of metal (which was once a ladder), and melted/shattered glass (remnants of the solar panels).

The fire burned at extremely high temperatures, melting and charring all of the tools and equipment, and burning the living structure to the ground.

Mike, the miner, thought about sheltering inside the mine itself as the wildfire approached. Luckily, he and Tae hiked down the mountain and avoided the flames, which would have choked off their oxygen supply in the cavernous mine.

During our visit, a helicopter was making trips (to the tune of $1,500 an hour) to and from the mine. It was hauling off burned debris, and flying in building supplies.

The owner, Kurt, is below in the blue shirt, directing the crew of builders. All of the bins behind him are full of charred debris, which will be flown off Four Peaks.

He doesn’t expect to recoup the cost of rebuilding all that was lost, but says he didn’t have to think long about *whether to rebuild the most modern version of the mine, and help write its next chapter in history.

If you are interested in my travel adventures, check out my travel blog Jared’s Detours.