Santa Rita Mountains
The Smithsonian Institution's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on Mount Hopkins.On the western side of the northern Santa Rita Mountains, a large cliff face of white marble is visible from the Green Valley and Sahuarita areas.This "white scar" reminded early Spanish missionaries of Saint Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), an Italian nun, who is often depicted with a small wound on her forehead.A large porphyry copper deposit has been identified near the old Helvetia mining district on the north flank of the range.[2] The Santa Rita Mountains were the temporary home range of "El Jefe," an adult male jaguar first identified in 2011.