Thank you :-) that was very helpful.
I thought Purdue civil is top class based on its rankings alone and no other parameter. Also, the faculty in the geotech division there are from MIT and Berkeley. I also know that Arizona Mining faculty are amazing, having interacted with them on various occasions. You make my decision seem easy :-). Hypothetically now, what about if a funded master's from West Virginia Uni and Lulea University of Technology, Sweden were to enter into the equation?
Also, note that my admission in Arizona is not in their Geoscience program (which is top-tier) but in their geological engineering program (which, as per my knowledge, is unranked). Both these programs are offered by completely different departments.