production
Historical
review
of uranium
fromtheTodilto
Limestone,
Cibola
andMcKinley
NewMexico
Counties,
by William
L. Chenoweth,
Consulting
Geologist,
Grand
Junction,
C081506
Introduction
The Grants area of New Mexico is well
known for its largeresourcesof uranium that
occurin sandstonebedsof the Morrison Formation of Late Jurassicage. The areais also
one of the few localitiesin the United States
where economicdeposits of uranium occur
in limestonebeds.
During the period 1950through 198L,mines
on 31 different sectionsof land in the Grants
areaproduced 3,335.75tons of uranium oxide (iJ,O.) from the JurassicTodilto Limestone(Table1). This representsslightly more
than 2Voof the total uranium that has been
mined in the Grants area. The Todilto has
been the most productive limestonehost rock
for uranium in the United States,if not the
entire noncommunist world.
The principal area of Todilto deposits is
northwest of Grants and straddles the Cibola-McKinley county line (Fig. 1). The rel-
ative sizeof the depositsand their geographic
distribution are given in Table2. Thesedata
show that 64Vaofthe uranium produced from
the Todilto Limestone has come from four
sectionsof land.
Becausethis report dealsonly with the historicalproduction data, the readeris referred
to reports by Kelley (1963), Hilpert (1969),
Rautman (1980),and Mclemore (1983b)for
descriptionsof the geologyand ore deposits.
A report by Albrethsenand McGinley (1982)
gives the detailsof the AEC's uranium procurementprogram and a history of the uranium mills. Reportsby Reynerand Sheridan
(1950)and Rapaport(1952)give descriptions
of the properties at the time mining was
starting, and a report by Anderson (1981)
describesthe recentconditionsof the mines.
all of which are now abandonedor inactive.
The namesof the individual mines are given
in Table 3.
It should be noted that at certain deposits,
such as the Sandy and the Zia, ore aiso occurs in the underlying Entrada Sandstone.
At others (e.9., the HaystackNo. 2) mineralizationextendsupward into the basalbeds
of the overlying SummervilleFormation.No
attempthas beenmade to excludethesenonlimestoneores from this tabulation.
Database
During the time I was employed by the
Grand|unction Officeof the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and succeeding
agencies,the Energy Researchand DevelopmentAdministration (ERDA),and the Department of Energy (DOE), uranium
production statistics were routinely compiled for the New Mexico Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources.This articleis an outgrowth of that work and briefly summarizes
the uranium production from the Todilto
Limestonein the Grants area.
The uranium production data given in this
paperwere compiledon a property-by-prop-
TABLE1-Uranium productionfrom the Todilto
Limestone,Grantsarea,New Mexico.Figuresare
given in tons U3O6in ore; w : withheld due to
the limitednumberof operators.
Valencia County
lnow Cibolal
Explonolion
U r o n i u m d e p o s i li n
Todilto Limestone
Seclion number
FIGURE,1-Index.. map
-showing the principal area of uranium deposits in the Todilto Limestone,
modified from Kelley (1963,p. 137).
November 1985 Nap MexicoGeology
1950
7957
7952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
t959
1960
7967
1962
1963
1964
1965
7966
1967
7968
7969
1970
l97l
1972
1973
7974
1975
1976
7977
7978
7979
1980
t98l
Totals
0.03
010
3.49
25.69
53.61
60.68
43.67
37 77
85.98
54.81,
9.07
5.49
13.28
4.20
3.35
3.27
0.04
1.11
w
698.40
McKinley
County
0.06
22.91,
72.42
145.77
77070
752.09
754.93
158.06
228.57
198.87
158.85
131.59
84.54
75.05
56.74
c/./ I
5.16
8.10
1.38
13.65
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
149.46
762.08
153.60
59.09
Total
0.03
0.16
26.40
99.1L
199.38
231.38
795.76
192.64
2M.04
293.38
207.94
764.34
1,M.87
88 74
78.40
59.95
5/./5
6.27
8.10
1.38
13.65
7.76
74.25
97.80
65.33
57.35
77.28
118.09
749.46
762.08
153.60
59.09
2,637.36 3,335.76
TABLE 2-Geographic distribution of uranium production from the Todilto Limestone, Grants area,
New Mexico. Note that mines in four sections produced 647oof the U:Oe. *Western end of orebody is
in sec.33, major portion is in sec. 34; productjon cannot be separatei. tOrebody is in sec. 3, T12N,
R9W; portal of the decline is in sec. 34.
Tons U3O,
Number of
sections
801-900
701-800
@L-700
501-500
401-500
301-400
201-300
107J00
51-100
1- 50
12
<1
8
Totals
Section, township, range
1
I
30_13-9
0
0
I
1
1
2
)
J
25-13-10
34-12-9*
19-13-10
19-13-9, 13-13-11
4-72-9,29-73-9
9-r2-9, 23-13-10, 24-13-I7
8-8-5, 22-9-5, 20-11-9,
8-12-9, 15-12-9, 3r-13-9,
32-73-9, 34-13-9t, 18-13-10,
26-13-70, 36-13-10, 19-14-7r
6-8-6, 4-77-9,8-71-9,
33-13-9, 16-1.3-t0, 18-14-77,
28-L4-77, 24-14-72
Percent of
tons U,Os
:
lo
IJ
10
16
8
7
5
<1
100
JI
erty basis from the year-end production Grants merchant and, at the time, mayor.
summariespreparedby the Grand junction GundersoncontactedE. O. Hemenwav.Land
Office. Only the tons of U.O, in ore mined Commissionerfor the Santa Fe PaciiicRailw-ereconsistently recorded; hence, the grade road Company, who controlled
the mineral
of the ore usually cannot be calculated for rights on sec.
19, T13N, R10W, where the
individual propeities.
samplesoriginated (Evans, 1951,p. 1).
This compilation indicatesthat during the
The Engineering Department of the Atperiod from 1950through 1981,3,335.76"tons
chison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ComUrO, were produced from mines in the Todilto Limestone. Before this compilation was pany, parent company of the SantaFe-Pacific,
ef t h e r a i l r o a d ' s
made, a production total of 3,36t tons UrO. b e g a n a r e c o n n a i s s a n c o
holdings
from
Cubero
to
Gallup,
which inwas compiled by the DOE Crand Junction
Office for Mclemore (1983a).Considerable cluded nearly every odd-numbered section
effort has beenspent on trying to resolvethe of land. A field office was establishedat Baca
railroad siding near Prewitt, New Mexico.
difference of 32.24tons (6+,+d'0lbs), U,O,.
In the Grand Junction recordssystem,from The best exposureswere found to be on sec.
1950to L984,production was tabulatedevery 19, T13N, ittOW, ana the Santa Fe Pacific
three months and coded for computer stoi- Railway Company began an exploration program of drilling, sampling, and test pitting
age.During that time, the type of host rocksandstone,limestone,lignite, etc.-was des- on November 2'1,,1950(Evans,1951,p. 13).
ignatedby code.The Todilto production statistics provided to Mclemore (1983a)were
by a computer. After checking the
g"Ll+d
individual properties, on a year-by-yeaibasis, I believe that some early produciion statistics from sec. 1.9, T13N; R9W (poison
Canyon mine, Morrison Formation) were
confused with sec. 19, T13N, R10W (Havstack Butte mine, Todilto Limestone), boih
of which were,operated by the Haystack (D
Mountain Development Company and incorrectlycoded as limestone.fhuj, the production total given in this report is probibly
@
more accurate.The year-by-yearprirductioir
statistics for the Todilto Limestone are given l fo
in Figure 2 and Table 1.
Production history
Although yellow uranium minerals had
been known to exist in the Grants area for
several years, it was the discovery by paddy
Martinez, a Navajo sheepherder, that triggered the uranium boom. In the spring 5f
1950,Martinez collectedsamplesoi todllto
Limestone from the foot of Haystack Butte
that contained yellow uranium minerals. He
showed the samples to Carrol Gunderson, a
Uranium was also discovered on sec. 13,
T13N, R11W secs. 17, 23, and 25, T13N,
R10W, and on sec. 31, TL3N, R9W. (Mining
World, 1951).
The news of this uranium discoverybrought
hoards of prospectorsinto the Grants area.
This activity would lead to the discovery of
other deposits in the Todilto Limestone as
well as depositsin exposuresof the Morrison
and Dakota Formations, which triggered the
uranium boom in west-central New Mexico.
Development of orebodieson the SantaFe
lands, with the exception of sec. 19, T13N,
R10W, was hindered by litigation. Santa Fe
had sold the surface rights to their holdings
in previous years, but had retained rights to
"coal, oil, gas, and minerals, whatsoever"
(Rapaport,1952,p.1), The rancherswho acquired the surface rights claimed that the
uranium was superficial and, therefore, belonged to them. The casewas heard in May
1952,and the court decided in favor of the
railroad (Rapaport,1952).
The first shipment of uranium ore from the
TodiltoLimestonewas recordedin December
1.950when Fred Glover shipped 1.0tons of
ore averaging0.357oU.O. to theAEC buying
station at Monticello, Utah. The shipment
was labeled "Private Prcperty," but notes in
the AEC files indicate that the shipment came
from sec. 9, T1,2N,R9W, where Mark Elkins
owned the mineral rights.
The Anaconda Copper Mining Company
secured numerous leases in Tanuarv and
February L951 and began an extensiveexploration and development program in
March. In August 1951,uranium in the Todilto Limestone on the Laguna Indian Reservation was discovered by foy Sinyella, a
Supai Indian living on the Laguna Reservation (Towle and Rapaport, 1952).
In late 1,957,the Santa Fe Railway Company made a few small test shipmentsfrom
secs. 19 a d 25, T13N, R10W to the AEC
,F o
Colendor yeor
FIGURE 2-Uranium production from the Todilto Limestone, Grants area, New Mexico
NetDMexicoGeology November 1985
TABLE 3-Names of mines in the Todilto Limeindicate aliases.
stone, Grantsarea. Parentheses
Section,
Township,
Range
Name of mine and./or property
Valencia[now Cibola] County
8-8-5
Crackpoi
5-8-6
Paisano
22-9-5
Sandy
4-17-9
Tom 13
8-11-9
Lone Pine 3
20-11-9
Cedar 1 (Section20) (Yucca)
4-72-9
Bunny, Blackhawk, Christmas Day 1, Red
Bluff 2 and 4, Red Bluff 3, 5, and 9, Red
Bfutr 7, 8, and 10, Gay Eagle, UDC-5
(SuttonCroup).
Last Chance
8-12-9
9-12-9
Section 9 (Private Property)
75-1.2-9
Zia, Lalara
34-12-9
F-33
McKinley County
19-1.3-9
Hope
29-1.3-9
Faith (Section 29)
30-13-9
BarbaraJ 1, BarbaraJ 2 (Dalco), BarbaraJ
3, Flat Top 1-5, Piedra Trieste, Rimrock
L,2, and 3, Roundy Lease,Whitecap
31-13-9
Section31
32-13-9
Section 32 (Moe 4)
33-13-9
Charlotte
34-1.3-9
Vallejo (Double Jeny) (Farris 1)
16-13-10 Red Point
18-13-10
Section 18 (Brown Vandever Allotment)
(Wiiliams Lease)
19-13-10
Section 19 (Haystack Butte)
23-13-10 Section23
25-13-10
Section 25, Section 25 shaft
26-13-10
Section 26 (Hanosh) (DesideroAllotment)
36-13-10 Rimrock School Section (Section 35)
13-13-11 Bibo Trespass,NM-B-1, SWt/+Section 13
(Haystack 2)
24-73-11. Section 24 (Nana-A-Bah Vandever
Allotment)
18-14-11
Red Top 1 and 2
79-14-'11. Billy the Kid (Section 19)
28-74-1.1 T Group, Red Cap
24-1.4-72 Elkins
buying station at Monticello, Utah. Small
shipments also were made in 1951by the
Shaw Company and by William Barlow from
the Red Point and Last Chance properties,
respectively. Early in 7952, Warren McCormackmade a shipment to Monticello from
the Billy the Kid propert, north of Prewitt,
New Mexico.
On December27,1957,the AEC entered
into a contract with the Anaconda Copper
Mining Company to purchaseuranium concentratesproducedby Anacondaat a site near
Bluewater,New Mexico. In order to stimulate exploration and ore production in the
Grants area, the AEC engiged Anaconda to
operate an ore buying station at the Bluewater site. The station opened on June 9,
1952, and ores were bought from independent operatorsuntil early 1958.
At the beginning of the AEC program, ore
producerswere paid for their oresunder the
terms of the AEC's Circular5, Revised(U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission and U.S. Geological Survey, 1951). This schedule contained a baseprice of $3.50nbU.O, for ores
containing0.20%or greaterUrOr. Ores containing lessthan 0.20%U3O8receiveda base
price grading down to $1.504bU.O, in ores
containing the minimum acceptablegrade of
November 1985 NeusMexicoGeologv
0.10%U3O8.All ores receiveda mine development allowanceof $0.50/lbUrOu,and ores
containing0.21.%U3O8and better receiveda
$0.75nbgrade premium. The AEC also paid
a $0.06per ton-mile haulage allowance for
the first 100miles.
The highJime ores of the Todilto were not
amenableto acid leachingand required use
of the hot carbonateleach process.To develop this process,Anacondaconstructedand
operateda pilot plant at the Bluewater site
from March to October 1953. The original
300-ton-per-davcarbonateleach mill began
operatingin Oitober 1953and was expanded
to 1,200tons per day in 1955when it was
equipped to treat both limestoneand sandstone ores.
With a market for highiime ores established in the area, production from the Todilto Limestone began to increasein 1952.
Exploration, which had begun at rim exposures, gradually progresseddowndip with
drilling depths exceeding200feet.The Santa
Fe Railroad Company establisheda mining
subsidiary, Haystack Mountain Development Compan, and began an extensiveexploration program. They were joined by a
largenumber of companiesand individuals.
In 1955,Anacondacommencedmining at their
F-33 mine in the SE1/+sec. 33/ T12N, R9W
on the East Grants Ridge. By 1959,the underground workings had extended nearly
2,000feet into adiacentsec. 34.
During 1955,231.38 tons of uranium oxide
were produced, which made that year the
third highestproduction year on record(Fig.
2). Of the total, approimately 44%camefrom
ore that had been stockpiledon sec.19,T13N,
R10Wby HaystackMountain Development
Comoanv.
PublicLand Order 964,dated May 73, 1954,
mandated withdrawal of 1,3,700acres from
mineral entry for the purpose of exploration
by the AEC. The lands were locatedin T12N,
R9W;T13N, Rs9,10,11W;
and T14N, R11W.
With the exceptionof NEl/+, S1/zsec.3, sec.
11, and SEll4,3112
N1/zsec.13, T13N, R11W
all lands were restored in 1956.In order to
test the validity of the withdrawal, Art Bibo
mined a total of 3,736 tons averaging 0.22%
U.O, from an open pit in the SE1/asec. 13,
T13N, R11W during 1956-1961.The court
ruled in favor of the government and Bibo
was found to be trespassing. In L974, the
AEC leasedsec. 13 for mining.
During the mid-1950'sexplorationdrilling
for undiscovereddepositswas done on areas
of the Todilto bench where drilling depths
exceeded400feet, and by 1958orebodieson
sec.30, T13N, R9W were being mined from
vertical shaftsof similar depths.
On May 24, 1956,the AEC announced the
establishmentof a new domestic uranium
procurementprogram for the period April 1,
1.962,through December 31, 1966.The new
program guaranteed a government market
for 500 tons of UrO, in concentrateper year
from any one mining property, or operation,
at a flat price of $8.00nb.Thus, in 1956,the
stagewas set for a continuing AEC concentrate procurement program after March 31.,
7962, wlth an established price for concentrates rather than for ores. The prices, premiums, and allowancespaid under Circular
5, Revised(U.S.Atomic EnergyCommission
and U.S. GeologicalSurvey,1951),would no
longer be in effect. After March 31, 1952,the
AEC requiredthat the mill operatorpay'treasonable"prices to independent producers.
The May 1956 announcement resulted in
continued exploration for deeper orebodies
in the Todilto.
Exploration for new deposits of uranium
became so successful in New Mexico and
throughout the western United Statesthat
the government felt a need to limit its procurementprogram. On November 24, 1958,
the AEC announced that all concentrates
purchasedby the AEC in1962-t966 must be
derived from ore reservesdevelopedbefore
November 24, 1,958.Under this announcement, the AEC determined which ore reserveswere eligibleon a property-by-property
basis. Properties with eligible ore reserves
were given a market quota (allocation).As a
result of this announcement, exploration for
in the Todilto Limeundiscovereddeposits
stone ceased.
In1959, production from the TodiltoLimestonereachedan all-time-highlevel when 1.9
propertiesproduced 720,552tons of ore that
contained 293.38 tons U.O; and averaged
0.24%U3O8Gig. 2). This was largely due to
the fact that Anaconda, the only market for
limestone ore, announced they would not
acceptthe ore after May 1959.Anaconda's
carbonatecircuit mill and their F-33 mine in
the Todilto Limestone were shut down that
month. Operatorsof other mines in the Todilto such as Haystack Mountain Development Company, Mid-Continent Uranium
Corporation, and various independent operators, were forced to find other markets
such as the Phillips Petroleum Company mill
and the Homestake-New Mexico Partners'
mills, both of which had carbonatecircuits.
During the time that the AEC maintained
a buying station at Bluewater (1952-1958),
320,726tons of ore that averaged0.32VoU3Og
were receivedand sampled.Anaconda purchasedabout 182,280tons from the AEC and
the remainder was sold by the AEC to Phillips and to the two mills in which Homestake
Ml.ri.tg Company was a partner (Albrethsen
and McGinley,1982).
On November 9, 7961,,Homestake-Sapin
Partners acquired the assetsof the Homestake-New Mexico Partners including their
mill, which was adjacentto the HomestakeSapinmill. BothAEC contractswere replaced
with a single contract and the HomestakeNew Mexico Partners'mill was shut down
on April t4, 1962.Meanwhile, as of April 2,
1952,United NuclearCorporationwas merged
with Sabre Pinon Corporation (Sapin) and
the surviving corporation was renamed the
United Nuclear Corporation.
United Nuclear acquired the uranium assets of Phillips Petroleum in February 1963
and the Phillips'mill was closed in March.
Ores that were processed by Phillips were
then sent to the Homestake-Sapin Partners'
mill. Hence, all of the limestone ore mined marketwas entirely supportedby the electric manuscript by Richard Chamberlin and
in the Grants area after March 1963was nro- utilities for usein their nuclearpower plants. Christoph-erRiutman greatly improved it.
cessed at the Homestake-Sapin Partners' Prices were dictated by what the utilities
plant. In April of 1968,the partnership be- would pay, and becausethey were less than
References
came United Nuclear-Homestake Partners, the previous government prices, only tite
Albrethsen, Holger, Jr., and McGinley, F. E., 1982,Sumand in 1981HomestakeMining Company ac- higher grade, Iower cost operationscontinmary history of domestic uranium procurement under
quired completecontrol of the operation.
ued.
U.S.Atomic EnergyCommission conhacts,final report:
U.S. Department of Energy, Report GJBX-220(82),762
In 1962, it was apparent to the AEC that
In 1,971,Homestake Mining Company
pp.
the private market for uranium concentrates leasedthe F-33 mine from Anaconda.-ProO. J., 1981,,Abandoned or inactive uranium
would not be sufficient to sustain a viable duction from this propertv resumed in the Anderson,
mines in New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines
domestic uranium industry by the end of sameyear and continued into 7977.
and Mineral Resources,Open-file Report 148, 768 pp,
1966 when the AEC procurement program
At an AEC leasesaleheld on May t5,1974, Evans,T. O.,1957,Explorationof uranium deposits,section 19,T13N, R10W,NMBL and PM, near Grants. New
was scheduledto end. Thus, on November GeorgeF. Warnockwas the successfulbidder
Mexico:U.S. Atomic Energy Comission, ReportRMO20, 7962, the AEC announced its "stretch- to leasethe SEl/+,S1/zN1/z
sec.13,T13N, R11W
998, 1.4pp. (releasedto open files in L982).
out" program for t967 through 1970.Under for uranium mining. Warnock's royalty bid Hilpert, L. S., 1969,UraniumresourcesofnorthwestNew
Mexico:U.S. GeologicalSuruey,ProfessionalPaper503,
the program, the milling companies could of 5.55Vaon the first 190,000lbs U,O, pro1.66pp.
voluntarily defer delivery of a portion of their duced was the highest percentagereceived.
V C., compiler, 7953, Geology and technology of
1963-1966contract commitments until l96Z The lease *as ,p"proue'don Juie 12, 1974, Kelley,
the Grants uranium region: New Mexico Bureau of Mines
and 1968in return for an AEC commitment and after a period of exploration drilling,
and Mineral Resources,Menoir 1,5,277pp.
to purchase,in7969 and7970,an additional mining commenced in October 1975. The Mclemore, V. T., 1983a,Uranium industry in New Mexico-history, production, and present status: New
amount of UrO8equal to the quantity so de- lease, designated NM-B-1 by the federal
Mexico Geology, v. 5, no. 3, p. 45-51.
ferred. The "stretih-out" program was the government, was reassigned to the Todilto Mclemore,
V T., 1983b, Uranium and thorium occurlast of the major policy changesmade in the Exploration and Development Corporation
rencesin New Mexico-distribution, geology, production,
AEC procurementprogram.
and resources/with selectedbibliography: New
on March 23, 1976.In addition to producing
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.OoenThe price to be paid for the deferred ma- ore from new underground mines on the lease
file Report 183,950 pp.
terial in t967 and 1968would be $8.00/lb,the block,Todilto Explorationlocatedand mined Mining
World, 1951,Santa Fe Railroad Company evalusame as the 1962-1966contracts. The price a new orebody in the SW1/+sec. 13, a Santa
ates Grants, New Mexico, uranium deposits: Mining
W o r l d ,v 1 3 , n o . 4 , p p . 3 7 , 5 8 .
to be paid in 1969 and 1970for concentrate Fe RailwayCompanylease(HaystackNo. 2).
produced from properties controlled by the Production from the mines on the leaseblock Rapaport,Iruing, 1952,An interim report on ore deposits
of the Grants district, New Mexico, part Ill-descripmilling companywould be calculatedwith a and in the southwestquarter continued until
tion of the individual properties: U.S. Atomic Energy
formula basedon costsduring the 1963-7968 1981and 1979,respectively.
Commission,ReportRMO-840, 73 pp. (releasedto open
files in 1983).
period, not to exceedfi6.7011b.
The price for
A sharp rise in uranium prices, beginning
all concentratesproduced from ores pur- in about 1,974,rcsulted in renewed interest Rautman, C. A., compiler, 1980, Geology and mineral
technology of ihe Grants uranium region 1979: New
chased from independent producers would in Todilto orebodies.Hence, exploration and
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Mernbe $6.7011b
of containedU.Or. In the Grants mining increasedin the late I970's. Explooir 38, 400pp.
area, all mills participated in the "stretch- ration drilling by RanchersExploration and Reyner, M. L., and Sheridan, M. J., 1950, Preliminary
report on uranium depositsin McKinley and Valencia
out" program, and Todilto mines that pro- Development Corporation located orebodies
[now Cibola] Counties, near Grants, New Mexico: U.S.
duced in the t962-1.966period were pro- in the Todilto Limestone in the southern porAtomic Energy Commission, Report RMO-507, 52 pp.
vided a market through 1970.
tion of sec. 19, T13N, R9E, the railroad sec(releasedto open files in 1982).
lnl954, Congresspassedthe PrivateOwn- tion where the PoisonCanvonmine (Morrison Towle, C. C., and Rapaport, Irving, 1952,Uranium deposits of the Grants dishict, New Mexico: Mining- Enership of SpecialNuclear Materials Act. This Formation)is located. A440-ft shaft, named
gineering, 4, no. 11, pp. 1037-1,040.
act initiated the transition from a govern- the Hope mine, was sunk to the orebody. U.S. Atomic v.Energy
Commission and U.5. Geological
ment uranium market to a commercial ura- Productionbeganin 7977and continued inio
Suruey,1951,Prospectingfor uranium-part 50, Guaranteed minimum pdce for uranium-bearing camotitenium market, which would supply the nuclear 1981.In !979, approximately50% of the total
type or roscoelite-typeores of Colorado Plateau area:
power plants.Although severalmines in the Todilto production camefrom the Hope mine.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, pp. 88Grants area supplied uranium to both the
Todilto Exploration and Development Cor94.
government and private industry in the late poration located additional ore in the north1960's,all Todilto production during that time ern part of sec.30, T13N, R9W.Todilto sunk
was acquired by the AEC.
a 1,000-ftlong decline, named the Piedra TriAfter reachingan all-time-highpeakin 1959, este mine, which produced ore in 1979 and
production declined to a low of 1.38 tons 1980.
U.O, in t969; orc reseryes that were eligible
In addition to the propertiesalreadymenunder the AEC's November 24, 1958, an- tioned, five other mines alsoproducedin the
nouncementwere depleted by then. A final postAEC period (1971-1981):
Sec.19,T13N,
cleanupeffort of the mines in sec.30, T13N, R10W Sec.25, T13N, R10W;Roundy Lease;
R9W resultedin an increaseof production to Billy the Kid; and the Red Bluff.
13.65tons UrO, in 7970, the final year of the
Declining uranium prices, beginning in
AEC's procurement program. en egC taU- early 1980,forced the closure of the mines
ulation of Grants production bv I. M. Gav in the Todilto. The last production from the
(pers. comm., 1972)indicates tirat througir Todilto Limestone was recorded in August
1970 mines in the Todilto Limestone pro- L981from the Hope mine. In the future, when
duced 1,053,744tons of ore that contained uranium prices rise, mining of orebodiesin
4,627,357lbs UrO, and averaged0.227olJ 3O,. the Todiltb Limestonewiil nb doubt resume.
Becausemy data is recordedin tons U3OEit
ACKNOwLEDGlrnvrs--This
report would not
is necessaryto convert Gay's pounds U.O, have been completed without the encourto tons (by dividing by 2,000) for a compar- agementof Vireinia T. Mclemore of the New
ison. Converting pounds to tons UrOr, Giy's Mexico Burearl of Mines and Mineral Renumber of 2,313.68tons, checks extremelv sources. The compilation by Elizabeth A.
well with my independent tabulation o'f Learnedof the pre-l954 production from the
2,313.57tons.
various mill receipts to the AEC is gratefully
Beginning on January t, 1971,the uranium acknowledged. A critical review of th-e
Nan Mexico Geolqy
November 1985