Open-fileReport
100
History o f New Mexico .Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
as recorded. i n l e g i s l a t i o n , a n n u a l r e p o r t s ,
and n o t e s
1927-1977
by Candace L. H o l t s
Associate E d i t o r
New Mexico Bureau of Minesand Mineral Resources
Socorro, New Mexico
1979
Contents
Introduction
Excerpts from Bureau annual reports
1928
1929
19 30
1931
1946
1947
1948
1949
19 50
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1965
19 66
1967
1968
19 69
19.70
1971
19 72
19 73
19 74
1975
19 76
19 77
'
.
,ii
1
4
biennialreport
biennialreport
biennialreport
biennialreport
biennialreport
biennial report
biennialreport
Recollections-of the 1 9 4 0 ' s
by R.L. Bates
Sketch of the first50 years
by C.H. Merillat
Acts of theNM Legislature 1927-77
by C.H. Merillat
Legislative appropriations
Index
'f
7
9
13
24
33.
40
50
60
67
72
79
83 .'
86
90
92
96
107
124
138
143
149
153
155
161
165
1 67
168
170
172
177
19 1
207
Introduction
This open-file report is an outgrowth of my articles, published
1976-1977, on the New Mexico statufes
in the Bureau's Annual Report
relating
to
the
New
Mexico
Bureau
incomplete,
. .
view
and
of
such
Bureau
an
Mines
and
Mineral
Resources
I have not attempted to provide
and on the history the
of Bureau.
a comprehensive
of
history;
undertaking
available
would
records
require
far
are
more
time
was available to me.. ,
Problems encountered in compilation included
a basic lack of
In 1 9 3 1 President Wells prepareda'report of Bureau
material.
1927-28,1928-29,
activities.for the first three years:
1929-30; no addi'tional
-annual
reports
'were
and
issued
for 16the
next
years. Other. difficulties in collecting material were experienced
because
of.inconsistent
indexing
and
style
of
the
New
Mexico
statutes.
Annual
Reports
All Bureau annual reports are represented in this ,report. Some
yearsare represented
bya great
dealof material
and
others
by
only a short selection. Selections were chosen'that provide both
representative and one-time information; repetitive and routine
I
material was generally not cited for each year'. .Neither
did
include complete lists
of all personnel, projects, and publications.
Much
material
had be
to omitted
because
the
manuscript
is
already
and subst,ance of the Bureau
lengthy. 7: tried to convey tone
annual reports without including all details.
Capitalization and punctuation are the same asin used
the
original reports, witha few exceptions for clarity. Ellipses have
been used 1iberally.to denote omitted material. The complete
series
and
of
annual
Mineral
Resources
Appropriations
The
reports
the
is in
held
New
Mexico
Bureau
of
Mines
archives.
,
selection
of
New
Mexico
legislative
appropriations.is
essentially copied from the New Mexico statutes. As with the
Bureau
the
annual
sake
reports,
some
but the
clarity,
of
minor
modifications
original
has
been
have
retained
been
made
wherever
possible. Inconsistencies in style reflect changing style in the
New Mexico statutes. Specific appropriations are not available .in
till years;. in fact, no specific appropriations
the statutes for
are
listed
for
the
Bureau's
.first,1927-28.
year,
Acknowledgments
While preparing the legislative.materia1, the librarians of
the following institutions were consulted: New Mexico Supreme
.
Court (Santa Fe)
, University of New Mexico (Albuquerque), New
Mexico
'
Instituteof Mining and Technology (Socorro), and New
Mexico Legislative
Council Service (Santa
Fe).
.
.
Conversations with Robert
L. Bates, Robert Bieberman, Marian
Burks,
.and
Bureau
his
Two big
W. Foster
Roy
jobs
were
very
helpful
tory.
were
in
preparing onnotes
..
the
typing
and
proofreading
of
the
manuscrip
I wish to thank the following people for their assistance with
these
tasks:
New
Mexico
Institute8
of
Mining
and
student
Technology
assistant JayS. May, former student assistants Mark
C. Blazek
and former editorial clerk Karen Patterson.
and Colleen Bryant,
'
m
I)
The m a t e r i a l c o v e r e d i n t h i s r e p o r t b r i d g e s t h e
from 1927 t o 1977. i n t h e h i s t o r y
and MineralResources.While
time p e r i o d
of t h e New Mexico BureauofMines
no u p d a t e s h a v e b e e n s p e c i f i c a l l y
planned a t t h i s time, a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n
through the Bureau's annual report
may be provided
series i n . t h e f u t u r e .
. .
Socorro, New Mexico
June 30, 1979
Candace L. Holts
Associate Editor
New Mexico Bureau of Mines
andMineralResources
;
1.
Excerpts from Bureau Annual Reports
C i r c u l a r No. 3
. .
First, SecondandThirdAnnualReports
of theDirector
and Preliminary Report for the Fourth Year
by E. H. Wells,President.andDirector
First AnnualReport
16th f i s c a ly e a r ,J u l y
of the Director.
1, 1927,toJune
'30, 1928
Establishmentand'Objects
of theStateBureau
and Mineral ,Resources
'
The New MexicoBureau
of Mines
..:I
of MinesandMineralResourceswas
~
establishedbytheNewMexicolegislature
department of t h e New MexicoSchool
its. a c t i v i t i e s a r e s u p e r v i s e d
It wasmade
of 1927.
a
of Mines'atSocorro,andhence
by theboard
of regents of thatinstitution.
..
TheBureau
primary purpose
f o r the
of MinesandMineralResourceswasestablished
of assisting the development
of t h e m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
of New Mexico.Thework
of the.bureauconsistsmainly
preparationandpublication
of reports dealing with
andmineralresources,(b)thecollection
of (a) the
New Mexicogeology
of a. libraryandthecompilation
of a bibliography of theliteraturepertainingtoNewMexicogeology,
minesandminerals,and(c)the.compilationandpublication
pertaining to the mineral industry
of the state.
of data
Personnel
Thestaff
of theBureauduringthesixteenthfiscalyear'wasasfollows:
E. H. Wells,director(parttime)
W. D. Johnston, J r . , geologist(parttime)
Geo.
B.
Somers,geologist(parttime)
T. P. Wootton,
l i b r a r i a n and statistician(part'time)
HarriettHerkenhoff,stenographer(parttime)
In additiontotheirBureauduties,
of thefaculty
of t h e School of Mines, W.
Somersasassistantprofessors
T.
Wellsservedaspresident
E. H.
D.
Johnston, Jr. and Geo.. B.
of geologyandmineralogyonthefaculty,
P. Wootton a s schoollibrarian,
and H a r r i e t t Herkenhoff as school
stenographer.
Work of theBureauduringtheSixteenthFiscalYear
TheStateBureau
on J u l y 1, 1927,
of Minesbegantofunctionofficially
the beginning of thesixteenthstatefiscalyear.InJune
madereconnaissanceexaminations
1927 thedirector
of a number of mineraldepositsin
Taos, Rio Arriba,andSantaFecountiesforthepurpose
of adopting a
p r o g r a m f o r fieldinvestigationsduringtheyear.
In
December
1927, the
director
the
annual
convention
withofficials
D.. C . , to
attend
went to
Washington,
of theAmerican
Mining Congress and .to c o n f e r
of the U. S. 'GeologicalSurveyandthe
MinesregardingfutureBureauwork.Partlyas
S. Bureau of
U.
a r e s u l t of t h e s e
.
..
.
conferences Dr. A. C. Spencer,geologistfortheFederalSurvey,was
assigned to the Santa Rita district to complete
the field work for
a
..
.
3'
reportonthisdistrict.Thedirectorspentabouttendaysinthefield
with D r . SpencerinFebruary
and March 1928 in a jointstudy
some of thegeologicalproblems
A s a furtherresult
of
of theSantaRitadistrict.
of thedirector'sconferenceswiththeofficials
of t h e U. S. GeologicalSurveyinWashington,theStateBureauwas
Dp.,G. F. Loughlin'sincompletegeologicmap
givenpermissiontouse
andfieldnotesontheMagdalenadistrict,Socorro
,County, forthe
preparation of a state report on the geology
district.
Dr.
theintention
'
Loughlinspentparts
impossiblefor
Dr.
be i s s u e d a s
a professional paper
World
of specialassignments'duringthe
Wax andhispromotiontotheposition
metalliferousdeposits,
of the
of 1915 and 1916 inthisdistrictwith
of preparing a report to
of theFederalSurvey.Because
and ore deposits
of geologistincharge,section
it hadbeen
of theGeologicalSurveyshortlyafter,
. ..
Loughlintocompletethereport.
The two chieffieldinvestigations
of
of theStateBureau
of Minesand
MineralResourcesduringthesixteenthfiscalyearconsisted
of a study of
themica
B.
and lithiumdeposits
of New Mexico. :by Prof. Geo.
and a study of thefluorspardeposits
Jr.
Prof.Somersspentmost
of July andAugust
Rio Arriba counties and visited all'of the
Thepreparation
of hisreportoccupied
1927-28schoolsession.
of t h es t a t eb y . P r o f .
Somers
W. D.
Johnston,
inthefieldinTaosand
known m i c a and lithium deposits.
a part of his time during the regular
Theinvestigation
of the fluorspar deposits
of July and August, and several additional
Johnston occupied the months
,. .
field trips were made during the school year.,.
In the f a l l of 1927, Mr.
T. P. Wbotton beganthecompilation
bibliography of New Mexicogeology.
readyto
of New Mexico by Prof.
of a
Thisbibliographywasnearly
be put in m a n u s c r i p t f o r m by the end of the fiscal year.Mr.
Wootton: prepared . a revision of the New Mexico portions
of t h e , U. S. GeologicalSurvey,"TheMiningDistricts
The geological library was systematized
of the Director
1,. 1928, toJune
.
On July 5,
...
30,
of theSchool
includingthelibrary,records,anddata
of theBureau
hadbeenaccumulatedtodate.Thechief
Followingthefire
of Mineswas
of p r a c t i c a l l y a l l of its contents,
destroyed by fire with the loss
r e p o r t by Prof. Geo.
1929
Fire Losses
1928, the oldMainBuilding
almostcompletedmanuscript
of t h e United States.
by Mr..Woottonandmany
missingbulletinsandperiodicalswereobtained.
Second Annual Report
17th fiscal year,July
of theWestern
624, lWsefulMinerals
UnitedStates,andBulletin
of Bulletin 507
loss totheBureauwasthe.
and alsothenotes,maps,etc.
B. Somersonmicaandlithiumin
it was necessary to make a
of Mineswhich
of the
NewMexico.
newbeginninginthe
accumulation of books, reports,bibliographyandstatisticalinformation.
I'
.zl
0
During. the. balance of the fiscal year the
curtailed by thelack
the members
.
work of the Bureau was
of officespaceandthe
extrademandsmadeon
of t h e staff by theconstruction
of BrownHall,the.new
m a i n building,andinstalling.necessaryapparatusandequipment.The
its f i r e l o s s e s f r o m i n s u r a n c e
Bure.au was partially reimbursed for
paymentsonthecontents
of the oldMain
Building.
.Work of the Bureau during-the Seventeenth Fiscal Year
Thechiefundertaking
of theBureau
during the seventeenth fiscal year
geologyand
ore deposits
s t a r t e d by Dr. G.
i n 1915.Both
was:a
continuation of the study
of theMagdalenadistrictwhich
F. Loughlin,geologist
of the
U. .S.
of the
hadbeen
GeologicalSurvey,
.
Prof.KoschmannandProf.Stringfieldwereassigned
tothisproject,andthemonths
thedistrict
of MinesandMineralResources
of JulyandAugust
by thesemen.Most
thegeologicalmap
1928 werespent
in
of thetimewas,devotedtocompleting
of theMagdalenaspecialquadranglepreparedby
D r . . Loughlin.'Frequentshorttripsweremadetothedistrictduring
the 1928-29 schoolyear.
inJulyandOctober
Dr.
Loughlinmadebriefvisits.tothedistrict
1928 forthepurpose
of checkingthegeological.
mapping of ProfessorsKoschmannandStringfield.Someprogresswas
made in the writing
of the report
on t h e d i s t r i c t d u r i n g . t h e l a t t e r p a r t
of theyear.
E a r l y i n the fiscal year
it was decided to enlarge the area to
be
covered by thereportontheMagdalenadistrict.Thisrequiredthe
addition of about six square miles
Magdalenaquadrangle.Inthisarea
to thenorthandwest
of theoriginal
both topographicandgeologicmapping
.
6..
.'e
.e
.
'
wererequired.'Thegeologic.mappingwasassigned.toProf.
a.nd the topographic mapping was handled'
Prof..Koschmann'sdirection.
occupied the latter part
Followingthe
'
Koschmann
by Mr. Black,, working under
of Mayand
the month of June.
f i r e at theoldMainBuilding,workwasresumedonthe
T. P. Wootton.
by Mr.
Progress
first, however,dueto'thelimitedlibraryfacilities
yea'r. I n the spring
D. C,, in checking and adding titles on
of CongressatWashington,
.
preparing a more complete index
the State ,Bureau
.
in this connection.
of Mines entered into an .agreemknt
with the State Tax Commission whereby the Bureau undertook
data and information which
of thestate.Allappraisalswereto
'A'. S. Walter;head
be made by -theCommission.,Professor
department of mining and metallurgy
work.
to assemble
would be of service to the State. Tax Commission
inappraisingtheminingproperties
assignedtothis
in
New Mexico geology and
~
In June1929,
of that
of 1929. Mr.. Wootton s p e n t s e v e r a l ' w e e k s i n t h e .
libraries of the U. :S. GeologicalSurveyand
June 1929.
,
In theseventeenthfiscal'yearthiswork
bibliography of New Mexicogeology
wasslowat
.
of the School
. H e visitedanumber
of the
of Mines'faculty,,was
of miningpropertiesduring
A c c o r d i n gt ot h ea g r e e m e n t ,a l ls a l a r i e sa n de x p e n s e si n
connectionwith:thisundertakingwerepaid.
by the State Tax'Commission.
.
.
Fklblications
In this fiscal year Bulletin
No; 4,. entitled "Fluorspar in Ney Mexico,
by W. D. Johnston, Jr. w a s published.
...
IT
7
Third AnnuaI Report
18th fiscalyear,July
._
of the Director'
1, 1929, toJune
Work of the
Bureau
during
the
Eighteenth
Fis'cal
Year
Thestudy
continuedto
of the geology and ore deposits
be the major undertaking
Resources.Geologic
andMr.
M. W.
Dr. G.
of Mines and 'Mineral
by Prof. A. H. Koschmann
andtopographicmapping
of July and August 1929iand
Blackoccupiedmost
F.
of theMagdalenadistrict
of the Bureau
considerabletimewasdevotedtothis
year.
30,1930
work
during-the 1929-30 school
Loughlin,geologistin'charge,section
of metalliferous
deposits, of the U.. S. GeologicalSurvey,visitedthedistrictwith
Professors Koschmann
andStringfieldinOctoberforfurtherconsideration
of s o m e of the geological problems,
Early in the year
it wasdecidedtomakethestudy
U. S: Geological Survey
d i s t r i c t a formal cooperative project 'between the
andtheStateBureau
of Mines,beginningwiththenineteenthfiscalyear.
. Cooperative agreements
of this nature provide that the work shall
by thegeologists-andotheremployees
but theexpenseshall
of the U.
be sharedequally
decided to issuetheMagdalenareport
of Mines,thecost
'
of theMagdalena
of publicationto
In view of thecooperativenature
agreedtowrite,severalsections
WashingtoninDecember
be done
S.. GeologicalSirrvey,
by the two organizations.
It was
as a bulletin of theStateBureau
be m e t by theBureau.
of theproject,Dr.
G . . F. Loughlin
of thereport.Mr.Laskywassent
1929 to work under Dr.
preparation of p a r t s of thereport.Histime
Loughlin i n ' t h e
was devoted t.o theoffice
to
8
..
and laboratory work and the preparation
manuscriptdealing
of a preliminary draft
with theeconomicgeology
of the
of thedistrict.Mr.
Lasky remained'on this assignment until the end.of the fiscal year'.
CooperativeworkundertheagreementwiththeStateTaxCommission
.A. S. Walterspentthe
thepreceding.yearwascontinued.Professor
1929 ininspectingvariousminingdistricts
months of July andAugust
and' properties and obtaining data regarding them for tax appraisal
purposes.Duringpart
of thisperiodhewasassisted
J. A. Weir of theSchool
of Minesfaculty.Prof..Walter'sfinal
reportwassubmittedtotheCommissioninJanuary
expenses of this work were met
DuringJuly
Prof.Walter
by. P r o f e s s o r
All of the
by theCommission.
.
V. T.Stringfieldaccompanied
andAagust,Professor
on his inspectiontrips.
geology,oredeposits,etc.
1930.
He obtaineddataregardingthe
of theproperties
wilich would be
serviceable to the Bureau in its future work and collected typical
geological and oresamplesfrommany
of theproperties.Part
Prof. ,Stringfield's time during the balance
of
of the fiscal year was
devoted to the. report on the Magdalena district.
A study of theoredeposits
Magdalenadistrict,was
of Socorro County, exclusive of the
begun b y Mr. S. G. Lasky.ofJuly
thisstudywascontinueduntil
Loughlin.Mr.Laskyvisitedmost
he leftforWashington
of theminingdistricts
county and made considerable progress on the report
on this .subject.
tb.
1928 and:
a s s i s t D.r.
of the
fo.r a bulletin
Arrangementsweremadeearly,inthefiscalyear
H.
wi.th Mr.
Fowler,speciallecturemininglawattheSchool
Socorro attorney, to prepare
of,NewMexico.
C.
of Minesand
a reportonthemining
and mineral laws
P a r t of themanuscriptforthebulletinwaswritten
duringtheyear.
Themanuscript
of thebulletincontaining
a bibliography ofNew
by Mr. T.. P. Wootton just before
.. Mexicogeology,etc.wascompleted
the end of thefiscal'year.Mr.
Woottondevoted
considerabletime
during the year in assisting the director in replying to inquiries
regarding the geology, ore .deposits and mineral industr.y
In F e b r u a r y 1930 aneconomiccollection
of the state.
of s t a t e m i n e r a l s a n d o r e s
waspreparedandsenttotheStateHighway'Department,SantaFe,
forinclusionin
a stateexhibit
of thedepartment.Thiscollection
wasaugmentedfromtimetotime
PreliminaryReport
19th fiscalyear,July
by additionalspecimens.
1, 1930 to December31,
andProposedWorkfortheBalance
P r o f e s s o r A. H. Koschmannduringthe
first fourmonths
a cooperativeagreementbetweenthe
U. S. GeologicalSurvey.
section of metalliferousdeposits,
by
of t h e f i s c a l
'State Bureau of Mines
Dr.. Loughlin,geologist
incharge,
of t h e U. S. GeologicalSurveymade
a lastvisittothedistrictwithProf.KoschmanninAugust
whichtimethework
1930
of t h e F i s c a l Y e a r
Work on the report on the Magdalena district was continued
andthe
...
of the Director for the Fourth Year
1 , 1930,toJune30,1931
Work of theBureaufromJuly
year under
.
of thegeologists
1930, .at
of theStateBureauwasfinally
approved.Theportion
w r i t t e n by Dr.
of thereportremainingto
be prepared will be
Loughlin.Thisreportundoubtedlywillcomparevery
favorably with the best
of theprofessionalpaper.sissued
by the
.
It willprobably
GeologicalSurvey.
be published by theend
.
of the
f i s c a ly e a r .
Additionaltentativeplansforcooperativeworkin
betweenthe
New Mexico
U. S. GeologicalSurveyandtheStateBureau
a visit tosouthwestern
andMineralResourceswereadopted,following
NewMexico
by D r .
LoughlinandthedirectorinAugust
1930.
of a study of the geologyand
cooperative work will consist
of p a r t of t h eC e n t r a ld i s t r i c t ,G r a n t
County,and
A specialtopographicmap
HidalgoCounty.
of Mines
This
oredeposits.
theLordsburgdistrict,
of each of t h e s ed i s t r i c t s
I
willbemade
by theGeologicalSurveyin
workwillbeperformed.
Lasky will join the staff
1931.
by Mr. S. G. Laskyand
of t h e F e d e r a l S u r v e y
.
assistants.
Mr.
followingthecompletion
.
of hiscontractwiththeBureau,whichwill
The field work and preparation
Thegeologicalfield
be aboutApril
1, 1931.
of reports on the districts will probably
. .
requireeighteenmonths
o r more.Thecost
mappingandgeologicalstudywill
of boththetopographic
be dividedequallybetweenthe
SurveyandtheBureau.
In July 1930 the preparation
of a bulletin on the metal resources
was begunbyMr.
of NewMexicoandtheireconomicfeatures
S. G.
y
1
L a s k y and,\T.
thegeology
P. Wootton.
This.bulletinwilldealonlybriefly-with
of themetalliferousoredeposits
p a r t of thereportwillconsistlargely
of the state, and this
of s u m m a r i e s of existing
, @ .
'
authenticreports.Specialattentionwill
f e a t u r e s ofNew
be devoted t o theeconomic
Mexico metalsincludinghistory,production,and
marketing.Severaldistricts,regardingwhichlittlereliableinformation
hasappearedinpreviousreports,werevisited
includingtheGround
by' Mr.Ldsky,
A specialreportonthisproperty
Hog mine.
No. 2 of theBureau.Thestatereport
w a si s s u e da sC i r c u l a r
. .
requiredmost
of t h e t i m e
of Mr.Lasky
. .,
first half of thefiscalyear.
InNovember
1934.Mr.
andMr.Wootton.duringthe
D. E. Winchester,consultingpetroleum
geologist of Denver,Colorado,andformerlygeologist
GeologicalSurvey,wasemployed
by theBureau
ontheoilandgasresourcesand'possibilities
undertaking will require Mr. Winchester
be sixtosevenmonths.
Mr. Winchester's time was
in Lea
County,having
to p r e p a r e a . r e p o r t
.
of New Mexico.This
to spend. several. months in
tim requiredinthepreparation
fieldinvestigations,andthetotal
thereport;+ill
of. t h e . U. S.'
of
...
first given to a , study. of oil and gas
in mind the issuance
of a . s p e c i a l r e p o r t
on
thissubjectearlyin1931..
Themanuscript
mineral laws
of Mr.
C. H.
Fowler'sreportonminingand
of New MexicowascompletedinOctober
1930.
The publication program for .the current fiscal year includes the
i s s u a n c ef r o mt i m e
to t i m e of circu1ars"bytheBureau.These
.
.
c i r c u l a r s will consist of mimeographed reports
too s h o r t to justify
12
printing as bulletinsandsubjects
of timelyinterest..Theywill
of theBureau.
supplementtheregularbulletins
..T I :J
;. '
Nblications
. Publications issued during the first
yearincludedBulletin
No.
5, ."Geologic L i t e r a t u r e of NewMexico"
by T. P. Wootton,Bulletin
Mexico"' by C.
H.
6, "Miningand
No.
No. 1, "An Outline of the
of NewMexico"
by E. H. Wells,andCircular
OreDeposits
of theGround
Publicationswhichwillprobably
No.
be issued during the balance
by S. G. Laskyand
Bulletin No. 8, "The OreDeposits
Bulletin No. 9, "TheGeologyand
SecondandThirdAnnualReports
ReportfortheFourthYear"
of the
of NewMexico
.
T. P. Wootton,
of Socorro County" by S. G. Lasky,
Ore Deposits
County,NewMexico"
Koschmann, S. G. Lasky,and
by G.
of theMagdalena
F. Loughlin, A. .H.
V. T. Stringfield,Circular
of t h e D i r e c t o r
by D. E.Winchester.
No. 3, "First,
and P r e l i m i n a r y
by E. H. Wells,andCircular
O i l and G a s Resources and Possibilities
County,NewMexico"
No, 2,
Hog Mine,Central
7, "The MetalResources
andtheirEconomicFeatures"
D i s t r i c t ,S o c o r r o
of New
New Mexico" by S. G. Lasky.
District,GrantCounty,
yearincludeBulletin
MineralLaws
Fowler,Circular
MineralResources
"The Geologyand
half of the nineteenth fiscal
No. 4, "The
of Central and Southern Lea
...
13
Annual Report 1945-46
by Eugene C. Anderson, Director
Preface
This is the first detailed annual report of the activities, accomplishments, and disbursements of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines
1931. In that year Dr.
and Mineral Resources since
E.H:
Wells,
then President of the School of Mines-and Director of the Bureau,
p r e p a r e d a brief report covering the Bureau activities for the years
,.
1928, 1929, and 1930.
A limited number of mimeographed copies
of t h i s r e p o r t w e r e r e l e a s e d it
; h a s long been out of print and copies
a r e no longer available.
The New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources was
established by act of the State Legislature during its 8th regular
session, March,
1927.
The act establishing the’ Bureau designated it
a “Department of the School of Mines,
I‘
designed to.function under
the Board of Regents of the School, the Board to name
a Director of
the Bureau and t o approve the employment of n e c e s s a r y p e r s o n n e l .
by him.
’
The legislature outlined the duties of the Bureau, cited
its responsibilities to the mineral industry,
ana provided for its
14
financing by direct legislative appropriations. The
mnies from
which the appropriations are made are derived from the Federal
government from collections made under the Federal Minerals
Leasing Act.
Until s o m e t h r e e y e a r s ago the Bureau was staffed on a p a r t t i m e b a s i s by faculty members of the School of Mines. The
P r e s i d e n t of the School was also the Director
of the Bureau. Field
work was done during the summer-vacation months, and r e p o r t s
were compiled during the winter.
In 1943 permanent full-time
personnel was employed for the first time and the then State
Geologist, whose office is located in Santa Fe, was made Director.
In January 1945 the management of the Bureau was again established
a t t h e School of Mines under a p a r t - t i m e Acting Director.
In July
1945 the Regents appointed a 'full-time Director and authorized the
employment of per.some1 necessaryfor!the proper functioningof
the Bureau. The Bureau
has been organized and expanded to
its
p r e s e n t staff during the past year.
General Statement
At the beginning of the year, July 1, 1945, the Bureau had four
major and two minor projects underway. Included in the major
p r o j e c t s w e r e t h e plans for completing and publishing two r e p o r t s ,
as bulletins, that were being prepared jointly by personnelof this
.
e
15
Bureau, the U. S. Geological Survey, and the
U. S. Bureau of Mines.
..
T h e s e r e p o r t s w e r e c o n s i d e r e dof vital importance in furthering
the war effort and this Bureau had agreed withthe Federal agencies
to publish and release them at the earliest possible date. They
concern the s t r a t e g i c minerals, m i c a and fluorspar.
A third report, dealing with the deep prospecting for oil in the
southeastern part of the State, was on the editor's desk
at the start
of the year. The fourth major project was the preparation
of a m a p
and report concerning the geology of the Chupadera Mesa-Gran
Quivira area. The field work for this report had been done jointly
by Bureau personnel and the U. S. Geological Survey during the
summer of 1944.
The two minor projects were a general survey and report on the
Headstone mining district, Rio Arriba County, and a tabulation
the lands of the State as to control o r ownership, i. e.
lands, State lands, lands belonging
lands.
of
, Federal
to State institutions, and private
...
In o r d e r to be of s e r v i c e to the petroleum industry of the State,
an engineer who is familiar with the oil fieldsof New Mexico was
employed and a branch office was established at Artesia. This office
.l
is occupied jointly by the Bureau and the State Oil Conservation
Commission representatives. The placing
of a petroleum engineer
16
in t h e o i l d i s t r i c t s b y t h i s B u r e a u h a s . m e t w i t h a p p r o v aby
l the
'
industry, and the Bur,eau personnel 5s receiving hearty cooperation
f r o m the operators
....
P e p o r t of the Oil and Gas Division--Introduction
. .
The Oil and G a s Division'is concerned with &e geology and re-
sources. of petroleum, natural gas, and carbon dioxide
in New Mexico.
Its work is c a r r i e d o n b y two geologists, aided by two
of Mines
. School
.
students working part time. Secretarial work is handled by tlie
Bureau's'business office.
Subsurface Geoloev
,.
One of the functions of the Oil and Gas Division is to.maintain a
collection of cuttings and cores from oil wells and wildcat tests.
The cuttings are kept either in glass vials in,.metal t r a y s o r in paper
sacks in cardboard boxes. Trays and
boxes .are labelled, and a
c a r d i n d e x is kept up to date. The.samples (cuttings) and cores are
used by geologists of the Bureau and are also available for examination by company o r independent geologists. The collection
of samples
is an extremely valuable source of subsurface geological information.
This collection is kept up to date by the acquisition of cuttings
and.cores through the New Mexico Sample Cut at Hobbs, which
supplies the Bureau monthly with a s e t of cuttings from every well
being
drilled in eastern New Mexico.
In addition, the Bureau
.
.
17
.
e
occasionally receives' samples for a w e l l d i r e c t l y f r o m t h e o p e r a t o r ,
On July 1, 1945,
generally in exchange for technical advice or help.
,
the collection included samples from 315 wells in all p a r t s of the
State.
In July 1945 the Bureau acquired from the Cities Service Oil
Company a valuable file of cuttings then in storage at
Hobbs.
The
collection includes samples from many wildcat tests, some drilled
years ago; a number are believed notto be duplicatdin
. . any other
file.
Cities Service permitted tlie Bureau to retain the 383 trays and
64 boxes in which the samples were kept. The first
of five shipments
a r r i v e d a t S o c o r r o i+ September 1945 A d t h e l a s t in F e b r u a r y 1946.
The samples a r e now indexed, labelled, and filed
.
in wooden c a s e s .
Sample's f r o m 394 wells are included.
. .
E a r l y in 1946 the office of the U. S. Geological Survey at Roswell
offered to transfer to the Bureau an extensive collection of cuttings,
and in April and May this material was trucked to Socorro.
being indexed and filed
533 wells are included
It was
at the end of the fiscal year. Samples from
....
A r t e s i a Office
The Bureau's Artesia office was established April
N.R.
16, 1946, with
Lamb, field petroleum engineer, in charge. The office was set
up in o r d e r to a s s i s t o i l a n d g a s o p e r a t o r sof southeastern New Mexico
18
with petroleum engineering .problems. Extended discussions with
operators demonstrated.'that the mo'st important
of these problems
-.
a r e c o r r o s i o n of oil-field equipment and the secondary recovery
of crude oil.
The Artesia office is working with the Lea County Engineers! .
sub-committee on corrosion, in gathering.field data for fundamental
r e s e a r c h on the problem. .The timeliness of the work is indicated
by the fact that engineering organizations in west Texas have requested permission to participate in this research. The office
.
'
is working with the engineering committees of the Maljamar and Loco
Hills gas-injection projects f o r secondary recovery; .data are also
being compiled to devermirie the possibility of .a pllot water -flood
project in the Artesia pool.
Through its Artesia office, the Bureau is represented on the
following committees: Lea County Operators Committee, Lea
County Engineers Committee, Corrosion Comniittee,
GasCommittee,
New Mexico
New MexicoNomenclatureCommittee,and
EngineeringCommittee.
.
.
. . .'
Mining Division-- Services
The functions of the Mining Division may be.. -.presented by the
following outline of services performed.
1. Investigations and reports covering mining districts and areas,
19
and mineral deposits; reports published as Bulletins and Circulars.
2. Collection and distribution of statistics relating to the m i n eral industry.
3. Identification and analysis (both qualitative and quantitative)
.
of mineral specimens and sarpples sent to the Bureau.
4:
Preliminary examinations of, and reports on, p r o p e r t i e s
and prospects for small o p e r a t o r s .
5. Miscellaneous services, such as the collection
clay, perlite,
of samples of
pumice, and gypsum from deposits of c o m m e r c i a l
possibilities, field conferences with small operators, and the
showing of New Mexico deposits to out-of-state'investors.
During the year the Mining Division prepared3 6 r e p o r t s o n
p r o s p e c t s a n d small operations located in 10 counties.
...
Projects
During the year a m a p of the State was prepared showing the
ownership and control of ali lands.
In addition, a report on the
status of School of Mines lands w a s prepare'd and submitted to the
Board of Regents.
A bulletin o n the State's fluoispar deposits was in p r e s s at the
end of the fiscal year.
It is a joint report by, this Bureau, the U. S.
Geological Survey, and the
U. S. Bureau of Mines.
A detailed report
on the mica deposits of Rio Arriba County, p r e p a r e d by the U. S.
.
20
Geological Survey, w a s a l s on
i p r e s s as a bulletin.
A reconnaissance
survey of the Headstone minikLg district, Rio Arriba County, was
made by the Mining Division.and was issued as Circular 11.
-
The Mining Division prepared and i s s u e d a bulletin containing'
timely information on the fabricationof building blocks'from the
porous volcanic materials, pumice'and scoria.. A brief preliminary
r e p o r t . a p p e a r e d as a circu/&r prior to publicationof the bulletin.
A report on the contributions of New Mexico's minkral industry
to the war effort was..:activated and was nearing completionat the
end of the fiscal y e a r .
...
s e p o r t of the Editor of Publications--Introduction
The Bureau issues two s e r i e s of publications, bulletins for longer
reports and circulars for shorter ones. Reports .for one
o r both of
t h e s e s e r i e s . a r e c o n s t a n t l y in preparation o r in"p,ress, and considerable
time must be taken to edit manuscripts, 'read'proof, and' supervise
final printing. During the fiscal year 1945-1946 these duties were.
'
c a r r i e d o u t by the chief of the Oil and G a s Division, whose time was
thus divided between geological and editorial work.
As of July 1, 1945, Bureau publications in print included Bull e t i n s ' i - 2 0 a n d 22, and Circulars 1-9.
Two bulletins and three
.*
. .
circulars were issued during the fiscal year, and on June 30, 1946,.
two additional bulletins were in p r e s s .
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Oiland 'Gas andMining
typing general correspondence for both the
.
..
v i s i t o r s to the Bureau i s kept.
,
I
.
f i s c a l y e a r w a s 2,224.
includes State officials and members of the Board of Regents, as
surveys, public libraries, and
U. S. Government agencies.
in exchange for Bureau publications. There were
t h e f r e e m a i l i n g l i s t as of June 30.
The ar-
290 names on
Upon request, publications are
'
.
e
22
f u r n i s h e d f r e e of charge to additional libraries, public institutions,
and
government
agencies.
.
Publicitv
During the past year the Bureau has attempted.to call t h e n a t u r a l
r e s o u r c e s of New Mexico increasingly to the attention of the general
-
public.
At the State Fair at Albuquerque the Bureau maintained an exhibit
of ore specimens and minerals, together with explanatory maps
showing the location of their occurrence, and a .colle.ction of
s p e c h e n s of New Mexico sand fused by the heat
of the first atomic
bomb explosion.. The exhibit was seen by.an estimated
20,000
visitors.
Believing that the youth of New Mexico should be familiar with
t h e r e s o u r c e s of the State, .the Bur.eau prepared a portable exhibit
of the m o r e i m p o r t a n t o r e sof the various metals and.minerals mined
in New Mexico. This display, accompanied
by m e m b e r s of the
teaching staff of the New Mexico School of Mines, who presented an
explanatory lecture to groupsof high-school students and to local.
adult organizations, was examined by approximately 8 , 2 0 0 individuals
in 23 towns throughout the State. The response
was so favorable that
it is intended to improve the exhibit and the method of presentation
during the coming year, and to show it to an even larger-audience.
.
..
Annual Report.1946-47
by. Eugene C. Anderson, Director
.
<
General Statement
At the beginning of the year the Bureau had five projects underway..
. .
.
These included,the Chupadera Mesa-Gran Quiviramap and report
which was nearing completion; the compilation
of s t a t i s t i c s showing
contributions of New Mexico's mineral industry to the war effort;
.
.,
the South Chupadera Mesa quadrangle geological map
and r e p o r t ;
.
.
'
'
the compilation of gas and o i l production statistics f o r the southe a s t e r n New Mexico-€ields; exclusive of L e a County; and the gathering
of statistics covering the clay and other nonmetallic resources of
the State. These.projects, with
the exception of, the clay investiga-
tions, were completed and reports published.
During the y e a r the Bureau continued its s e r v i c e s t o t h e p r o s pectors and small o p e r a t o r s of the State by examining, sampling,
'
and making reports on properties; assaying and analyzing samples;
and identifying rocks and
1
i
minerals sent in
....
.
.
24
25
Appropriations, Budgets, and
New P r o i e c t s
The 18th session of the State Legislature that ended in March
1947 appropriated to the Bureau $50,000 from the "Minerals
Leasing" fund for general services and activities.
' I n
addition to
this, we were also given two special appropriations of $10,000
L
each annually for "Basic Geological Surveys" and "Ground Water
Surveys,
J
the money to be spent in cooperative work with the U. S.
I1
Geological Survey, provided satisfactory agreements could be
a r r a n g e d with that Federal agency.
The,'appropriation bill. carried 'the emergency clause making
the act effective at once. However,
.
.
.
no monies remained in the
.
.
.
..
"Minerals Leasing" fund for the balance of the fiscal year, so
actual activating of t h e s e p r o j e c t s could not be achieved until after
the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1, 1947.
Plans were made and discussions held with the district geologists of the U. S. Geological Survey, also correspondence was
. .
exchanged with Dr. Wrather, the Director in Washington, in anticipation of activating this work e a r l y ii~the new year.
...
.Cooperation with Other Skate Agencies
During the year the Bureaucontributed
a section
,
,
to the New Mexico
Magazine in which the natural resources of the State were discus'sed;
m
26
The minerals exhibited at the State Fair were once again a m a j o r
attraction, and the Bureau received many compliments.
*
-.
9
R e p o r t of the Oil and Gas Division-.-Subsurface Geology
Substantial additions were made to the file of well samples,. which
f o r m the raw material of subsurface geological studies. Samples
were received monthly from theNew Mexico sample cut at Hobbs,
and on May 1, 1947, an arrangement was made through which the
Division receives samples for New Mexico wells distributed by the
sample cut at Amarillo, Texas,
In addition, s&ple
sets from ten
wildcat wells were received direct from the operators, in exchange
for technical information supplied by the Division: on clearance
f r o m the operators, these samples were then taken to Hobbs for cutting
and distribution to companies. At
the end of the fiscal year, samples
f r o m a total of 1,376 w e l l s v e r e on file; this is an i n c r e a s e of 1 0 0
over the preceding year.
'. . .
Microscopic examination of the samples from.47 w e l l s was made
during the y e a r , representing a total drilled footage of over 150,000
feet. Written descriptions were made and plotted
log strips.
in g r a p h i c f o r m o n
At the end of the year 280 of t h e s e s t r i p s w e r e on file.
T h e y a r e f o r w e l l s d i s t r i b u t e d a sfollows:
I
,
e
State
0
27
Number of Logs.
New Mexico
Chaves
. . . . . . . 23
Eddy . . . . . . . . 21
Harding ...... ; . 20
L e a . . . . . . . . 30
. . . . . 24'
Other . . . . . . . 125
San Juan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243.
Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Total
Colorado
.........................
Oklahoma..
Texas
Utah.
11.
.......................
.......................
.
.
.
5
...........................
..........................
GrandTotal
.
14
1
280
The plotted log strips are in constant demand by Bureau and
company geologists, as they form the basis. for interpreting subsurface structure and stratigraphy, which interpretation
is vital
to the finding of oil.
"Electric logs" are a valuable supplementary source of sub'surface information. They record the electrkal resistivity
and
o t h e r p r o p e r t i e s of the ncata penetrated in a well. . A collection of
!'
.
.
.
..
.'
.
'
.
.
28
these electrical logs-was started during the year and is increasing
...
eachmonth.
.
.
Oil and G a s Division--Artesia
Office
.~
The engineering branch of the Oil and Gas Division worked with
oil operators and engineering committees in compiling data on
I
..
F
corrosion, -secondary recovery, and oil and gas production. A
.
discussion of corrosion of oil-field equipment in Eddy County.is
.
.
being prepared for-inclusion in a p r o g r e s s r e p o r t of the corrosion
.
.
. .
subcommittee of the Lea County Operators Committee. Circular
14, on Eddy County production, was compiled
office, and another circular, giving similar data
entire state except Lea County
in the Artesia.
for 1946 for the
is in preparation. These circulars
:.
are prepared'with the cooperation of the New Mexico Oil Conservation
Commission ahd the Lea County Operators Committee.
A statistical.
..
report covering production f o r the entire State in 1947 is to be
p r e p a r e d , in which the Bureau will provide subsurface completion
data arid the Lea County Operators Committee and the New Mexico
Oil Conservation Commission will provide the. production data. The
Artesia office will also prepare a section on secondary recovery of
oil in New Mexico for the report of the secondary recovery study
The exhibit of the Oil and G a s Division at the 1946 State Fair,
p r e p a r e d by the Artesia office, included displays of rotary bits,
well cuttings and cores, electric-logging equipment, rotary
fishing tools, samples of crude oil, a typical well hook-up,
gun1
perforating equipment, and samples
of corroded equipment.
branch,the Bureau
Through its engineering
was
able
to f a m i -l i a r i z e
the operators in the Caprock and Robinson pools with an improved
type of paraffin scr,aper used in other oil-producing areas.
Installation of the scrapers at pumping wells-in these pools has
m a t e r i a l l y d e c r e a s e d t h e c o s tof combating paraffin accumulation.
The New Mexico O S Conservation Commission andMartin Yates
of A r t e s i a a r e p l a n n i n ga long-range program of r e p r e s s u r i n g and
secondary rec0ver.y work in the Art esia pool. This program, which
should get under way by late 1947, is to be aided by the Bureau's
engineering branch which will a c t
' i n
an advisory capacity.
The Bureau is represented, through the Artesia office, on
a
number of operating and engineering groups, among them the
L e a County Operators Committee, the American Petroleum
In-
s t i t u t e , t h e h t e r s t a t e Oil Compact Commission, and the New Mexico
Nomenclature, Co-ittee.
.
..
'
e
30
Report of the Mining Division--Services
The functions of the Mining Division may be presented by. the
-
following outline of services performed.
1. Investigations and reports covering mining districts and
a r e a s , and mineral deposits; reports published as bulletins a n d
circulars
.
I
. .
2. Collection and:"distribution of s t a t i s t i c s relating to the
,mineral industry.
..
3. Identificationrand analyses (qualitative, quantitative; and
spectrographic) of m h e r a l s p e c i m e n s a n d s a m p l e s s e n t to the
Bureau.
4. P r e l i m i n a r y exaxniriations of, and
r e p o r t s on, p r o p e r t i e s
and prospects.for small operators.
5. Miscellaneous services, .such as th,e collection of samples
of clay, perlite, pumice, and gypsum from deposits
of c o m m e r c i a l
possibilities; field conferences with small operators; and the
showing of New Mexico depo'sits to out-of-state investors.
...
Projects
A report on the contributionof New Mexico's mineral industry to
t h e w a r e f f o r t w a s completed and issued as-Bulletin.27.
Compilation of data on pumice aggregate' of New Mexico, together
e
with laboratory tests on parnice-concrete
31
mix designs, . w a s
com.pleted.Theresultingbulletinonusesandpotentialities
of New Mexico's pumice aggregate resources
at the end of the fiscal year.
a s 'Bulletin 28.
This willbeceleksed
in the State a r e being
Clay samples' from various deposits
for thepurpose
gathered,analyzed,andclassified
economicvalue
w a s beingedited
of possible
and ultimateexploitation..Arrangementshave
for the cooperation of the U.S. Bureau of Minesin
beenmade
the physical tests to be made
of the most
promising samples
.
.
I.
obtained.
. .
of t h e m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s .
A survey
of ColfaxCounty- is under-
way to be published as a bulletin.
Duringtheyear
two circulars were released
a compilation o f State tax lawsrelating
ution:
properties. in-New Mexico, and
for f r e e d i s t r i b -
to m i n e r a l
a set of tables of fluorescent
and radioactive minerals.
Mineral exhibits were made
up and distributed. to 73 high
schools in theState.Theschoolsheartilyacceptedtheminerals
for study in sc.ience classes and for permanent library
o r hall-
wayexhibits.Eachexhibitconsists
of 40 specimens of economic
m i n e r a l sa n dr o c k s
...
.
.
. -
ofNew
.. . . .-
.
Mexico.
-
Assays and Ana1ySe.s ., : . '..
Atotal
of 443 samples. werereceivedduringtheyear.Identi-
fications,analyses,andassaysperformedtotaled
867 andwere
classified as follows:
Paid Assays and Analyses:'.
Description
.
.
Number
Assay
..
Quafitative
..
Total
___ -_ _ __ -_ _ -_ _ ___ _ _ -_ _ _____ -__ _ _ _ _ _ 52
....................................
93
I
32
Report of the Editor of Publications
Introduction
Issuance of more publications was announced this year than
in anypreviousyearsincetheBureauwasorganized,.
Four
bulletinsandthreecircularswerepublished,makingatotal
of 27 bulletins and- 15 c i r c u l a r s p r i n t e d by the Bureau.
Editorial work was -done. by the' chief of the Oil and
Division until, F e b r u a r y 1, 1947, a t which time. this work
taken over by the manager
of the Business
Office.
Gas.
was
ar.
33
.
.
.
AnnualReport1947-48
by Eugene C. Anderson,Director
General Statement
The Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources eatered the
36th
fiscal year with total appropriations by the.legislature amounting
to :$70;000,
000 f r o m t h e s a l e
and anticipated. an income of'$4,
of
the during
services
publications
and
a
Of the monies appropriated,
$10,000 w a s e a r m a r k e d
ground water investigationsandgeologicalsurveys,and
for
$10,000
in-
was for basic geological surveys and mapping in the igneous,
trusive,andvolcanicareas
$50, 000
of thestate.Theremaining
was for general 'use by the Bureau in carrying through projects
and work already underway and the activating
The Bureau budgets
nance called for
salaries, and
as approvedby
of new work.
the State Board
of Fi-
the expenditure of approximately $40, 000.for
$30,000
for printing andpublishing,officerental.
andsupplies,fieldexpenses,andothermiscellaneousitems
n e c e s s a r y to theoperation
Atthe
of the Bureau.
'
begixining of the y e a r t h e r e w e r e f i v e p r o j e c t s u n d e r -
way,. two projectsplannedandready
to activateassoonasfunds
becameavailable,andthreeprojectsintheprocess
planned.
The'projects underway were:
of being
e
34
e
1. Thereportonpumice
in New Mexicoand
'
its u s e s a s a
lightweightconcreteaggregate.Thisreportwascompleted.and
r e l e a s e d as Bulletin 28 earlyinOctober
2.
Tbeso-called"ClayProject"
1947.
- anexaminationandstudy
and
of the.'State to'determine their. suitability
of the clay deposits
availability for the ceramics industry, the petroleum industry,
the building and other industries using clay.. This project has
developed into a. job of unexpected magnitude.
.-
3.
the en-
The New Mexico oil andgasproductionreportfor
tire State,exclusive
our
of Lea County, wasbeingcompiledby
Artesia 'office personnel
in cooperation with the' Conservation
and r e l e a s e d a s Circu-
Commission.Thisreportwascompleted
lar 16 in September.
~
4.
The"CaprockPoolStatisticalReport,
dataonwelldrillings,wellcompletions,
CaprockPoolarea
It
andproduction
Oil ConservationCommis.-.
sion.ThisreportwasreleasedinJanuary
5.
Thecorrosionstudieswhichwere
beingcontinued.
in the
of LeaandChavescounties,wasalsobeing
p r e p a r e d in cooperationwiththeState
'
giving.statistical
The B u r e a u ' sp a r t
l y ' that of a serviceagencydevoted
as Circular 17.
begun in 1946 w e r e
in thesestudies
is principal-
to collecting,compiling,-and
releasing information regarding corrosion problems and what
bking done to overcome them
in the oil fields.
The two projects ready for activating were:
is
.
35
(1) TheGroundWaterSurvey
the U.S.
cooperativeprojectwith
( 2 ) theBasicGeologicalSur-
GeologicalSurvey,and
vey" also
Survey.
"a
U. S. Geological
a cooperativeundertakingwiththe
...
Both these projects were activated last summer
as scheduled.
the
The ground water investigations are being carried out under
directsupervision
C. V., Theis,RegionalGeologist,Ground
of Dr:
of the U. S. Geological Survey,
Water Division
tunate in securingtheservices
of Dr.
'
and we w e r e f o r -
Charles F. P a r k , Jr.,
'
Pro-
fes,sor of Geology at Stanford, and former.
Chief of the Metals
. .
Section, U. S. GeologicalSurvey,inhelpingplan'thebasicgeolog-
ical project and
son.Dr.
P a r k has agreed tocontinue
and will give
in the field the first sea-
in supervising the work
as consultantonthisproject
in actual' field work.
us whatever time he can spare
In the ground water survey, field work has been completed. in
San MiguelCountyand
A ColfaxCounty
is nearingcompletion
report,prepared
and the State Engineer's.
by the U. S. Geological.Survey
Officei a t the r e q u e s t of the City
w i l l bepublished
andtheColfaxCountyCommissioners,
Bureau.The
San MiguelCounty
will be published
in Eddy County.
report
at a ea'rly d a t e .
brief report on the Red River
andTwining
releasedfollowing
in a
d i s t r i c t s which h a s
as Circular18.Thisreport
andwillbeincluded
by the
is beingcompletedand
The first field season in the basic geology work-resulted
beenreleased
of Raton
is s t r i c t l yp r e l i m i n a r y
in a broader and more detailed report
a second season in the field.
...
to be
I
3b
~
Report of the Oil and Gas Section
SubsurfaceGeology
The Bureau's files
of wellcuttingsandplottedsamplelogswereconOn July 1, 1948,cuttings
siderablyincreasedduringtheyear.
1,539wellswere
on hand,representinganincrease
theprecedingyear.
from
of 163 wellsover
On thesamedate,423plottedsamplelogswere
available,ascomparedto
280on
The cuttings, mostly from wildcat
July 1, 1947, a ni n c r e a s e
-
of 143.
tests, were examined under
ocdlarmicroscopeandthenplottedin'graphicformon
a bin-
drilled:,
was made to obtain samples from all wildcat tests drilled in
icoduringtheyearand,withonlytwo
t i n g sw e r er e c e i v e df r o m
Themajority
all.
An.effort
NewMex-
No important tests. w e r e - m i s s e d .
.
.all importantwellsdrilled
..
the
of the samples receivedreachtheBureauthrough
Inaddition,
I
or threeminorexceptions,cut-
HobbsSampleCut,whichcovers
New Mexico.'
They
log strips.
r e p r e s e n t a total of morethan370,000feetinfootage
'
in southwestern
a fewwildcatsincentralandnortheasternNew
Mexico are handled by theAmarilloSampleCutService.Duringthe
this agency.
pastyear,samplesfromsevenwildcatswereobtainedthrough
A fewoperatorsforwardsamplesdirectlyfromthewells
f o r this consideration,theBureau
beingdrilled.Inreturn
furnish the operator with
a copy of the sample description
Upon completion of thewell,thesamples
generaldistribution.
i s gladto
at nocost.
a r e forwardedtoHobbsfor
Due to thegrowinginterestintheSanJuanBasin
andtheincreaseinwildcatactivitythere,
C o r n e r sa r e aw a ss t a r t e di nF a r m i n g t o ni nJ u n e
beingsponsored
a s they a r e
a newsample
cut f o r t h e F o u r
1948. A tp r e s e n t
it is
by nineteenindependentandmajoroilcompanies,in
additiontotheStateBureau
a non-profitorganization
of Minesand
....
i s affordingexcellentservice
as
,
"
37
Report of the Mining Section
Services .
Thefunctions
ingoutline
1.
'
of theminingsecttonmay
of servicesperformed.
Investigations and reports covering mining districts and areas,
and mineral deposits:reportspublished
2.
Collectionanddistribution
try.
3.
be presented by thefollow-
a s bulletinsandcirculars.
of statisticsrelating
to themineralindus*
.-
Identificationsandanalyses
( qualitative, qualititative,
andspectro-
A lab-
g r a p h i c ) , of mineralspecimensandsamplessenttotheBureau.
oratory flash-type perlite expanding furnace
has been setup and expansion
..
tests onperlites a r e made. With thecooperation of thepetroleumdepart;
..
tests
m e n t of t h e New Mexi-do School ,of Mines, rotary drill mud analyses and
a r e now performed.
4.
Preliminaryexaminations
of, andreports
on, propertiesandpro-
.
spects .for small o p e r a t o r s .
5.
Miscellaneousservices,such
a s thecollection
perlite, pumice, and gypsum from deposits
fieldconferences
of samples of clay,
of commercial possibilities;
with small operators;. and the
showing of New Mexico
depositstoout-of-stateinvestors.
Projects
A repoktonpumiceaggregatein
New Mexicowascompletedandissued.
. .
a s Bulletin 28.
W o r k onclays
of the Statewascontinuedthroughout
the year.Samples
are beinggatheredandtheirphysicalpropertiesdetermined.Chemi.cal
analyses a r e beingmade
in o r d e r t o ctitalog them for various ceramic and
n o n - c e r a m i cu s e s .R o t a r yd r i l l
being run onbehtonitic
mud a n a l y s e sa n dp e r f o r m a n c et e s t sa r e
clays to determine their suitability
Mineral exhibits were distributed..early in
thathadnotreceivedthemduringthespring
as drillingmuds.
the fall t o 40 highschools
of thepreviousyear.Inad-
.is.-
;;>
e
38
dition, 28 sma.11 mineralcollectionsweresenttoschoolchildrenrequesting such materialforsciencestudy.Most
of thesecollectionsweresent
toout-of-statestudentsinterestedintheminerals
BasicGeology
...
of New Mexico.
.
'
,
-
The f i r s t basicgeologicprojectwasstartedonJuly
.Red R i v e r andTwiningdistricts
27,
of theSangredeCristoMountains,Tam
at various periods
County. A total .of. six men worked on the project
throughouttheyear.
1947, i n the
p a b t y spentthreemonthsdoing
A two-manfield
.
.
I
detailed mapping and studying the mineralization around the town
River.Thegeologicalworkincludedmapping
..
of Red
Sxamination of all prospectsandminesencountered,andthegiving
.
.
in developmant
.
The following tabulation shows
fieldwork.
thin
.
.
examined.'
'
/ '
Mining properties and
.
'
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____ -_. _ -_
-__
8
:
',
'
2
,
-----------
Interestedindividualsandprospectorscontacted
A s s a y sm a d e
'
.the accomplishments
,of. the first season's
. ,
Mining corporations contacted
Mapsmade
8
in theSangredeCristoMonntains.Over50
sections of r o c k s f r o m ' t h e ' a r e a w e r e m a d e a n d
.
of
generalassistancetoindividualsandcorporationsinterested
of m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
.
of thevariousrockunits,
25
claims examined - - - - - - - - : 48
----------
--------------
of openprospectsandoldmines,
i
'
8
. I
<
&.
-----------------------------L-"------------
DuringthewintermonthstheBureaugeologistirepared
forpublication.Descriptions
the field'azita
of the.miningpropertieswerewrittenand.
a map.preparedshowingthelocation
of theprospects.
On A p r i l 29,
theBureaureleasedCircular
18,"Geologyand
O r eD e p o s i t s
RiverandTwiningDistricts,
Taos County, New Mexico.
'I.
'
1948,
of Red
Thiis circular
i s only a preliminaryreport.Correctionsandadditionswill
be, included
in reports to be, issued in subsequent years. . .
. . ,
A s o n e of the main purposes of the.geological'mapping is tooutline
a r e a sw h e r eo r ed e p o s i t sm a y . o c c u r ,p l a n sa r e
moredetailedexamination
of themostencouraging
n o w i np r o g r e s sf o r
1b;cations.
. ..
+.
a
.
39
Report of the Editor
'
'
of Publications
Onebulletin.andthreecircularswerepublishedduringtheyear,
making a 'total of 28 bulletinsand18circularsprinted
t o date.
by theBureau
40
AnnualReport1948-49
byEugene
C. Anderson,, Director
The Report of the Director coverinv the 37th fiscal year
TheBureau
of MinesandMineralResourcesbeganthe37th
fiscal year with the assurance
ward all projectsunderway
of sufficient. money to carry fora s of J u l y 1, 1948.
AppropriaXions
by the State Legislature totaled $70,000 and an additional $4,000
was anticipated from the sale
of publications and services for
.
' i ,:,
which charges could .be made.
Of the monies available,
$20, 000 wascommittedto
the Ground
Water and Basic Geological Surveys that had been .activated the
previousyear.
Of the 50 odd.thousanddollarsremaining,$31,900
of personnel, $3,000 forpublishingand
wasapprovedforsalaries
printing,andtheremainderforgeneraloveralloperatingexpenses,
which,includedtravel,officesupplies,automobileoperation,postage,
express, 'publicity o r educational work, service and rental charges.
of theSchool
of Mines,etc.
Projects underway
a t the beginning of the year included the ground
41
watersurveysinSanMiguelandEddycounties,theColfaxCounty
w a t e rr e p o r t
which wasinthefinalstages
of editingandprepara-'
tionfortheprinters,thegeologicstudiesandmappingintheSangre
d eC r i s t o
Mountainsregion,theSacramentoMountainssurvey,the
7, "The MetaU Resouraes of New Mexico,
revision of ourBulletin
theclaydepositsstudies,andtherevision
of ourBulletin
"Stratigraphy a,nd Oil-producingZones
ations of Southeastern New Mexico
It
.
23,'
of the P r e - S a n A n d r e s F o r m -
....
Of these projects the Colfax County report has been released.as
.
..
"Ground Water" Bulletin 1, theSanMiguelCountyreporthasbeen
completed but i s beingheldup
.
inthe
U.S.
GeologicalSurveyoffices
forfinalreviewandapproval,thefieldworkfortheEddyCounty
.
reporthasbeencompletedandthefinaldraft
of t h e r e p o r t
is being
prepared.
Geologicalmapping
of theSangredeCristoMountainsregion
has beencarriedforwardverysatisfactorily,and-thecurrent
field season will see
'
the a r e a n o r t h
of Arroyo Hondo and the
TwiningdistricttotheColoradostatelineandfrom
tarycontacts
on t h e e a s t
the sedimen-
to the Rio Grande on the west, an area
of s o m e 650 square.miles,completelycovered.Thereportand'
m a p of the regionmay
be expectedforrelease.in
wascarriedonunderthesupervision
1950.
of Dr.Charles'
Thiswork
F. Park, J r . ,
42
of StanfordUniversity,as
Fieldwork
a consultantuntil.October
1948.
on theSacramentoMountainsprojecthasbeencom-
pleted, and thereportandmapsareinthefinalstages
tion.
. W o r k on the
revision
p r o g r e s sh a s
jecthas
of comple-
of Bulletin 7 has
been
extremely
been veryunsatisfactory,andthework
slow,
. .
on this'pro-
been temporarilydiscontinued.
Theclayreport
h a s beenmade,
is still intheformativestage.
Much p r o g r e s s
but manyheretoforeunreportedoccurrences
our attention,' some
claydepositshavebeenbrought'to
of ,which
A greatamount
havewarrantedexaminationandsampling.
field work has interrupted
of
anddelayedthecompletion
of other
of this pro.
ject.
It i s hopedthe:reportwill
1950.
Generalwork
as of July 1, 1949.
.
be completedandreleasedin
on the .revision of Bulletin 23 wascompleted
However,someminordetailsremainedto
be
workedoutandthefinalmanuscriptpreparedfortheprinter.At
t h et i m e
of thecompilation
at press
and will be releasedaboutOctobez
No. 29, inourseries
of thisreport,revisedBulletin
of publications.
be one of theout~staqdingpublications
A t pressareoilandgasproduction
reportsforthecalendaryear
23 i s
15 as a newBulletin,
'It is thoughtthisreportwill
of theBureauinrecentyears.
and engineeringstatistical
1948, and a revisedtotalproduction.
...
'
43
..
r e p o r tf o rt h e
San JuanBasin.Thesereportswerepreparedin
O i l Conservation Commission
cooperation with the State
and the
of both o r -
LeaCountyOperatorsCommittee.Theassistance
ganizations i s gratefullyacknowledgedandappreciated.
In releasing these reports
viouspractice
'
a definite departure from the pre-
of 'thisBureauwill
it h a s been o u r practice
be madeforthepublications.Heretofore,
to compileandreleasethe.sedata
a charge will
be made in that
as a f r e e s e r v i c e
to thepetroleum
industry.-However,theworkinvolvedinaccumulatingandpreparing
the material included
andthecost
in these reports has increased tremendously,
of printinghaspracticallydoubledsince
this s e r v i c e
was first started. . The Lea County Operators committee, the
.Oil
ConservationCommission,andmanyoperatorsandgeologists
who
u s et h er e p o r t sa g r e e d
a chargeshould
be made by theBureaufor
theservicesrendered..Anotherreasonforhaving
p o r t s is that it eliminatesthedemand
on the part
a price on t h e r e of individuals who
arealwaysonthealertforsomethingfornothing,Thereportswill
be r e l e a s e d as I'Oii andGasReports
4-A, 4-B, 4-C,
of a newbulletinseries.Thethreepreviousreports
productionandstatisticaldatahave
'I
thebeginning
of oilandgas
been issued as c i r c u l a r s .
...
44
CooperationwithotherStateagencies
Cooperation with otherStateagencieshasbeencloseandmost
cordial.TheBureauhas
been of servicetotheState
Land Office,
.the O i l ConservationCommission,theStatePlanningBoard,the
TouristBureau,theSecretary
of State,the
T.ax Commission, and
theGovernor'soffice.Allhaverequestedandreceived.information
fromtheBureau.Theseagencies
andofficeshavebeenmostco-
operativeingivingtheBureauinformation
when requested.Several
r e p o r t s and considerablestatisticalinformationhavebeenprepared
fortransmittal
by theGovernor
t o our representatives in the nat-
ionalcongress.
TheStateInspector
of MinesDepartmenthascontinuedto
verycloselyassociated
with theBureau.Thisarrangement,webe-
lieve,hasbeenmutuallybeneficialtotheorganizations
mining industry as
and tothe
a whole.
Federal agencies
withwhich
Geolo.gica1Survey,withwhich
groundwater
be
we have worked closely are the
we have'cooperativeagreements
and basicigeologicalsurveys,theBureau
on
of Mines,
'bt
theSoilConservationCommission,theArmyEngineers,andthe
AtomicEnergyCommission.
. In additiontothese;
ionalGuardandthe
we havebeencalled
U.S.
upon by theState
Armyformapsandotherinformation.
Nat-
...
45
Miscellaneous Activities
The,Bureaucontinues
NomenclatureCommittee,
t o . be representedontheNewMexico
'.
.
but themembershipontheInterstate
Compact Commission Engineering Committee was discontinued.
t e r .Mr. Lamb'sresignation.Bureaupersonnelattended
af-
all Lea
County Operators Committee meetings, Oil and Gas Commission
...
hearingsand.usuallyLandOfficeleaseauctions.
ArtesiaOffice
1949, withsuper-
TheArtesiaofficewasreactivatedinJanuary,
visory personnel after several months .of inactivity following the
resignation of Mr.' N. RaymondLamb.
Theengineeringbranch
of theOilandGasSectioncooperated
with the LeaCountyOperatorsinpreparingtheproductionstatistical
andengineeringreportfor1948coveringoilandgasinthe
State.Thisreport
is beingpublishedin
entire
two:sections.
A supplemental report covering additional data. on the San 'Juan
B a s i n . a r e a i s beingprepared.
A study of well remedial work
phasison
em-
is beingmadewithespecial
(a) oldwellsdrilleddeeper,(b)oldwellspluggedback
tonewpays,and(c)plug-offsto.'decreasetheoil-gasratio
waterproduction.Atpresentthesedata
permanentfile.Thedataareveryimportant
r e c o v e r y of oilandindeterminingfield
o r the
a r e notkepttogetherinsany
for u s e -inultimate
limits.
Thedatashould
.
e
46
be available- to all operators .to aid in eliminating duplication
of
effort.
A filehasbeensetup
in the A r t e s i a office of all available
..:',,!I
duplicatewellsampledescriptionsasanaidtotheindustry.
TheBureau
is represented,throughtheArtesiaoffice,onthe
following petNleumindustryoperatingandengineeringgroups:
TheLeaCountyOperatorsCommittee,theAmericanPetroleum
..
Institute,andthe
New MexicoNomenclatureCommittee.
In s e r v -
ingwiththesevariousgroups,theBureaurepresentativehasbeen
able to 'be
of much-assistance to the industry.
Report of the Mining Se.ction --Servic'es.s
. .
''
Theservices
greaterdemand
of the MiningSection
of theBureauhavebeen
in
by prospectorsandsmalloperatorsthaneverbefore.
The high price for metals, the search for radioactive 'ores,
and the
growing interest in nonmetallics caused more than the -usual number
of prospectorstotaketothehills.Theiractivitieswerereflected
i nt h el a r g en u m b e r
of specimensandsamplessentin
f o r identi-
fication
and therequestsforexaminations
of prospects.
01::analysis,
Personnel
P e r s o n n e l of this section during the year consisted
regularfull-timeemployees.Thechief
of only two
of sectionfunctioned
as
pector..visitors.Themetallurgist
and a s s a y e ra s s i s t e d
in the
field work when timepermitted.Studenthelpwasemployed
Duringtheyearthe
on a
Mining Sectioncontinuedtheexaminationand
mercial quality.
brought..orsent
givenowners
in from deposits in the State,
and a s s i s t a n c e . w a s
of qualitydepositsincontactingprospectivepurchas-'
e r s of 'the material.Somedepositshavebeenbroughtintoproduction,andnegotiationsareinprogress
f o r developingothers.
... .
A s s a y s and Analyses
condition was remediedinthelate
fall, and this s e r v i c e i s g r a d u -
~
i
.:
.,
48
In addition, 577 qualitativeanalyses
wasmade.
150 testsforuranium
tificationsweremade.Thisincludedover
andotherradioactiveminerals.
and specimeniden-,
...
.
Report of the Geological Section--Basic Geology
Basic geology mapping and the study
of the northern- Sangre de
C r i s t o Mountains was continuedintheperiodcovered
by t h i s r e -
port.Duringthefiscalyear,fivemonthswerespentinthefield
A total of 225 square
by,tlie:geologistassignedto.theproject.
m i l e s was mappedwhichincludedtheexpansion
mappedarea
alongthe
of thepreviously
t o thewestandnorth.Theintenselyaltered
Red Riverwasoutlined
I'and inplacesstudied.indetail.
F o r the.workdoneinJulythroughOctober
quarterswasmaintainedatthe
zone
of 1948, 'afieldhead-
town of Red River.
In June 1949,
a mobilefieldcampwasestablishedandduringthatmonthwasloc-
atednearthejunctions
.totheBureaugeologist,
of theLatir
and Costillacreeks.
In addition
two fieldassistants,consisting'ofone
entgeologistandonestudenthelper,wereemployedin
onestudentgeologistandcampcookwereemployed,
stud.
1948, and
in. June of 1949.
Thestudent.helperswereemployedduringthewintermonths,
onetogrindandpreparerocEthinsections,andtheother
withthedraftingwork.
...
,
t o help
.
.
49
Report of the Editor of Publications
Onlyoneballetinwasissuedduringtheyear,thefirstreport
of theGround-Waterserieswhichwasreleasedin
circularswereprinted,
wasrevised.
.' . .
.
and theOil.andGas
May.
Four
Map of NewMexico
i
50
AnnualReport
1949-50
by EugeneCallaghan,Director
:.,~ , , ( i . ! >;
~
:
'I;,.
DutiesandObjectives
:
I
ill
:
of theBureau
Basically,, the purpose
of MinesandMineralResources
of the Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Re-
s o u r c e s , which w a s established by the New MexicoLegislaturein
1927, is toeecureaccurateinformation
sourcesintheState
on a l l t y p e s
of m i n e r a l r e -
to
and on all phases of theirutilization,and
.
.
makethisinformationavailabletoallinterestedcitizens,compan.
ies,organizations,andtoState
acity,theBureauhasanimportant
and Federalagencies.
.
.
In thiscap-
role toplayinnationaldefense
because it supplementsthedefense.workof.Federa1agenciesin,
themineralfieldTheBureauistheonlyStateagencycharged
theduty-,ofinvestigating,studying,andreporting
s o u r c e ss u c ha s
on m i n e r a l . r e -
oi.1 and gas,coal,groundwater,andmetallic
mentfunctions.TheBureau'neverhashadsufficientfundstoperformfullythedutiesassignedto
it by law.
In general, it m a y be said .that' most
that can
and
no regulatory or law-enforce-.
nonmetallicminerals.TheBureauhas
.
with
of the mineral deposits
be found easilyonthesurfacehavebeendiscovered.
51
It is recognizedthatalltheknowledgeandtoolswhichgeologic
be brought t o . bear
andengineeringscienceshavedevelopedmust
upontheproblem
of findingnew
o r additionaldeposits.Further,
it is .realized widely that the development
of basic information,
suchasregionalandlocalgeologicmapsandmineralstudies,
a legitimatefunction
of theStateand
New M'exico t h e m i n e r a l i n d u s t r y i s
a dutyto
take.: the
place
ly'necessary.
In
to the
of new ,.and additional
of those
that
are
depleted
Thecontinuedflow
is absolute-
of t h e s em i n e r a lr e s o u r c e s
a l s o a necessitytothedefenseandwell-being'
singleinstance,thepotash
its citizens.
of suchvitalimportance
State that its maintenance through the finding
deposits
to
is
..
is
of our nation.As
of New Mexico;theprincipalsource
a
in
the Western Hemisphere, is absolutely necessary to the maintenance
of the intensive agriculture that has made America the best-fed.
nationand
a source of foodstuffsforthe
world..
TheBureauhasrecognizedthedutiesoutlinedherewith
performingthemtothelimits
that the vsry small technical staff
mit theperformance
It is apparent
and r e s o u r c e s nom available per-
of but a s m a l l p a r t
quatemanner.TheStateBureau
should:
of itscapacities.
and i s
of thesedutiesinanade-
of MinesandMineralResources
1. Pr.epare a geologicmap
of New Mexico.
2. Prepareandhavefordistributiongeologicmaps
:of:theStateat
5,
of a l l p a r t s
a scale of oneinch'tothemileorlarger.
3. 'Preparedetailedmaps
of individualmineraldepositsor
areas recommended for prospecting
of
on appropriate,, scales.
4..P r e p a r e m a p s and r e p o r t s on school. 3r other State lands. for
administrativeuseandforguidanceinformulatinglandsales
andleasing
polic$r:;:
5 . . P r e p a r e m a p s .and r e p o r t s on a regional'inventory of ground.r.,'l.water.iresour~es;.
as.iwellaa,,.reports on inte.nsive.,ground+water
.
,
. . ..'
.-'tu s>tudias!ahd.!tee&niques -o5swater-fin$ing.
6 . P r e p a r e o i l , , gas,andcoalmaps
.
3.
:,
reports that
and pertinentdiagramsand
will aid in exploration for these minerals.
7. Compilereportsonindividualmineralcommoditiesorgroups
' : of com.modities:.far.th$:iState.
8:
With theaid
of paleontologicandothertechniquesestablish
stratigraphicsequencesandcorrelationsthroughouttheState.
9. Provideassay,chemical,mineralogical,
and metallurgicallab-
oratories for :besting.:materials foCcitizens ,af.the State.
10. Provideinformationrequested
. :',: ;plating
'
by personsorfirmscontem-
establishment 'of.iindusErbcs in ith'e.State.
11. P r e p a r eb a s i cr e p o r t sf o r' s p e c i f i ca r e a s
.
.
as i r r i g a t i o n d i s t r i c t s o r r e c r e a t i o n a l a r e a s .
of landutilizationsuch
,
e
-..
w.
53
..
State andFederalorganizationscarryingon'work
12. Cooperatewith
.
of theState.
h a v i n g ' t o do w i t h m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
13. Preparebooklets
.
on S t a t e p a r k s o r . o t h e r r e c r e a t i o n a l a r e a s f o r
use by t o u r i s t s o r o t h e r c i t i z e n s .
'
on m i n e r a lr e s o u r c e sa n d
14. Prepareeducational'bookletsandmaps
.
their conservation
.15. Keep up-to-date files
.
.
of information and p i c t u r e s f o r a c c u r a t e l y an-
swering
letters
and
requests.'
17. Preparebibliographies
on m i n e r a l ' r e s o u r c e s ,
.
.. .
.~
.of NewMexicoand
.
literature
of geologicandmineralresource
conceraizg the .State.
18. Investigate the seismicity
. .
' '
..
16. P r e p a r e statistical and economic reports
..
. . .
f o r u s e by the schoo1.s.
.
.
.
'
.
otherfactorsaffecting
~
,.
engineering
.
19. Studyapplication of geophysicaltechniquesto
.
geo1ogicandengineering
~.
problems..
.._.
20. P u b l i c i z e t h e . m i n e r a l i n d u s t r y
.
21.
'
samplesandcoresfrom
.' .
23.
'
.
,
and r a w ' m a t e r i a l s t h a t
as a basisforexhibitsforStateandother
fairs.
Provideadulteducationforminers,prospectors,.andotherinterested
citizens.
.
oil well tests and others.
Maintain a m u s e u m of New Mexico minerals
w i l ls e r v e
'
a s minemaps,productionrecords,borehole
.
22.
.
of slew Mexico through talks before
engineeringandscientificsocietiesandbeforelaygroups,
P r e s e r v er e c o r d ss u c h
"
.,
.
.
54
24.
. .
Providein-servicetrainingformineralindustrystudents.
.
. .
. .
Services
. . . For the benefit
of those interested in the discovery
of m o r e o i l
..
and'gas,
a 'rapidlygrowingsamplelibraryrepresenhg
1 , 7 3 1 oil and
g a s well tests, as of June 30, is maintainedatSocorro.Thesesamples represent more than 400,000 feet
l y f r o m - w i l d c a t tests drilledoutside
of boreholedrilledand
are l a r g e -
of established,fields.Log
strips .
..
.. -
. .
f o r 631 wellshavebeenplottedand
Socorro.More
e s i am a i n t a i n s
are available.forconsultation
than 6 , 2 0 0 ' d r i l l e r sl' o g sa r e
a duplicateset
m a p s ,r e p o r t sa n d
.
at.
'
.I
as w e l l as e l e c t r i c a l l o g s ,
of d r i l l e r s ' l o g s ,
most
statistics which a r e i m m e d i a t e l y a v a i l a b l e i n t h e
-.h
product,ive a r e a of the State.
'
at Art-
on file.
The
office
rat-
the
. The petroleum geologist mailitains
ilitiesinSocorro.ThepetroleumengineermaintainstheofficeatArtesia and represents
ings; Oil and
the
Bureau at LeaCounty
actions, and meetings
petroleumengineeralsocooperates
mittee in compiling the annual
Thecompilation
available to thepublic.
lease..
of the New MexicoNomenclatureCommittee.
knowledgethusgainedmakestheBureaumoreuseful
State.
Operators,Committeemeet-
G a s ConservationCommissionhearings,Land.Office
.
withtheLeaCounty'Operators
statistics of eachproducingwell
is publishedeachyear
The:
t o all citizens..
b y theBureau
The
Corn:
in t h e
and thus made
. . .
..
. .
55
T h ee n g i n e e r s
pectorsand
and geologists of theBureauare.called
small operatorsforadvice
upon by p r o s -
and assistance, as well as by
or tooperate..
t h o s e looking forlikelyprospectsandminestoexplore
These requests are handled
by actual visits and examinations.
consultationsintheoffice,or
.
.
in thefield,
by letterortelephone.Briefreports,pre-
paredonfieldexaminations,arefiledforpublicreference.Numerous
Pros-
s a m p l e s of clay,perlite.andlimestonewerecollectedandtested..
p e c t o r sa n do t h e r sm a k eu s e
of t h e c h e m i c d a n d a s s a y l a b o r a t o r i e s j
.
,
as 1,000 quali;
m o r e . t h a n 550 a s s a y s a n d a n a l y s e s w e r e m a d e , a s w e l l
tative determinations.. Prevailing fees are charged for assays and analyses
I
. .
.
:
are free of charge.
through qualitative tests, and mineral determinations
?
...
.
- .,.
.
-_
Research Activities- -Nonmetallic or 1ndustri.al Minerals
...
ClayFieldandlaboratorystudies
ico werecontinued,thoughhampered
of t h e c l a y r e s o u r c e s
of Ne& Mex-
by lack of laboratoryspaceandequip-
ment.
r o r t l a n dc e m e n tP
: reliminary
Raw materials f o p
field e x a m b a t i o n s
..
were made and laboratory work was started
on limestones' and shales for
possibleuseinportlandcement,
P e r l i t e :V o l c a n i cg l a s sc o m m e r c i a l l y
known as p e r l i t e is finding a
and
rapi'dlygrowingmarket,especiallyinthebuildingtrades,Aisthesubject
of an intensive study
of geology of its occurrence, its. c h e m i c a l a n d . m i c r o -
scopic .characteristics, and
.-..
its behavior under thermal
.
.;
:
;
. .
o r "popping" .treat.
1
:
. a:
".
< .;
.
....
.
of a deposit.nearMagdalenainSocorroCounty.
ment.Detailedmapping
.
.
wasstartedandmappingandsampling
of o t h e r p r o p e r t i e s w a s
Preliminarylaboratorystudiesweremade.
planned.
...
Basic Geology
1. ,Costillaand
Latir Peakquadrangles
..
,2.
QuestaandEagleNestquadrangles
3. ManzanoMountains
.
4.
_ .
Capitanquadrangle
5 . BlackRange
NW quadrangle
6 . ’ BlackRange
NE
7. Geologicsection
..
I..
.
-
.
.
and SE quadrangle
..
of theBlackRange
8; Shermanquadrangle
9. LakeValleyquadrangle
IO. SacramentoMountains
11. El PasoGapquadrangle
.
~.
..
.
.
. .
._
.
GroundWater
In cooperation with .the Ground Water Branch
Surveytheprogram
of county-widesurveys
beencontinued.Thiswork
o f - t h e . U. S. Geological
of g r o u n d - w a t e r r e s o u r c e s h a s
is underthedirection
of theFederaIagency.
In addition ‘to this work a number o f b r i e f r e p o r t s ’ w e r e p r e p a r e d
of studies of ground-waterconditionsadjacent
Mexico.
County.
to s e v e r a l t o w n s
.Sari MiguelCounty,EddyCounty,Torrance-County,andSocorro
...
as results
in New.
57
SpecialProjectinSocorroCounty:
appropriationtheBureaustarted
With funds from
its r e g u l a r
a projectincooperationwith
theResearchandDevelopmentDivision,
N e w MexicoSchool
Re-
of techniques of water-finding..The
Mines,forthestudy
search Division supplied
of
a geophysical party and equipment for
the- Bureausupplied
study of geophysicalprocedureswhile
a geo-
logist, M r . John H. Waldron, of StanfordUniversity,tomeasure
andsamplewellsandascertaingeologicalconditions
of ground-
For
wateraccumulationtocheckwiththegeophysicalresults.
.
.
r e a s o n s of economy the area selected was that in the vicinity
of
SocorroandextendingwestwardtoMagdalena.
Personnel
. . . Dr.
EugeneCallaghan,formanyyearsgeologistwiththe
of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey,and
metalsandnonmetalssections
for three and
a half years professor
of economicgeology
diana University and economic geologist for the Division
logy,IndianaDepartment
at In-
of Geo-
of Conservation,wasappointedD.irector,
a s of September 1949.
Plant
1949 the offices of the Bureau were moved from
In October
.. .
,,.-...!
i . I ,
, I
'
ceedingly cramped quarters in the basement
of BrownHall
temporaryresidenceinthenewResearchLaboratory.Thismove
, .
8 '
.
.
'
. .
.
,
ex-
to
,
.'
e
58
permittedtheestablishment
of a businessoffice,publications
room,petroleumsamplelibraryroom,draftingandmap
room,
mineralogical laboratory,
two
A s m a l lc h e m i x a ll a b o r a t o r yh a s
engineers'offices.
upin
two geological laboratories .and
a t e m p o r a r y buildingon
thecampus
been s e t
and to this was added
somespaceforsamplepreparaXionandtesting
of claysandother
is done by theBureauassayer
nonmetallicmaterials.Assaying
intheCollegeDivisionassaylaboratory.Otherfacilities
CollegeDivisionand
of the
of'b.the Research and Development, Division
a r e kindlymadeavailable'
to theBureau.
Equipmentforfieldsurveying
andmapping,
as w e l l a s f o r
laboratory work,was almost wholly lacking earlier in the year.
Insofar as fundspermitted,alidades,planetables,
ti:
a transit, a
4
level,petrographicmicroscopes,X-raydiffractionequipment,
new trucks,
and many other items
and accesory equipment have
beenadded.Draftingtablesandequipment,plotterforaerial
'
photographs,andothermap-makingaidsweresecured.The
ultimateaimis
to be equippedsufficientlywellthatanyproblem
can be handled.
A design for
a newbuilding
tohousetheminimumstaffand
activities of theBureauwassubmittedtothePre.sident
NewMexicoSchool
of Mines.The
. School
.
of t h e
of Mineshasbeen
authorized to i s s u e bonds forthis.construction.TheBureauis
most urgently in need
.of integrated laboratory facilities that will,
o f functionshandledcurrently,
not only permit the proper exercise
but will permit the establishment
of a testing laboratory
metallicorindustrialmineralmaterials
f o r non-
and m e t a l l u r g i c a l . t e s t s .
60
BiennialReport,1950-51and1951-52
byEugeneCallaghan,Director
. . . Theassayingservicefor
which' s t a n d a r dc h a r g e sw e r e
madewasdiscontinuedinApril
1951owing
~
The mineralogist makes identification
toincrease
of demand.'
of rocks and minerals
for
t h e public.Hiseffectivenesshasbeenincreasedbythebuilding
equipped
laboratory.
up of a well
.
.
Field and Research Activities
is c a r r i e d on by both the permaneht
Field and laboratory work
andtemporarypersonnel.
Much of the time of the permanent
staff must be devotedtoserviceactivitiessuchasmeetingswith
of samplesand
visitors,responsestoinquiries,determinations
, r e l a t e d . a c t i v i t i e s .T h et e m p o r a r y
staff devotes its entire. time t o
fieldwork.Laboratoryworkandpreparation
onpersonal
time.
Thisappliesalso
who, forthemostpart,arecandidatesfor
of r e p o r t s is done
to thefieldassistancefellows
the Ph.D.degree
majoruniversitiesthroughoutthecountry.Theyreceive
in
a salary
I
of only a dollar a monthand
field.
...
.a per diem allowance while in
the.
'
61
. .
Field projects and projects which are concerned with the
wholeState
o r with.investigationsthathave
application are assigned
.
.
numerically below.
1. Costillaand
a widerange
a permanentnumberand
of
a r e listed
.. . :
Latir Peakquadrangles
2. QuestaandEagleNestquadrangles
3.
Big Rockandotherkyanitedeposits
.4. El Ritoquadrangle
5. SantaFe
area (incooperationwithGroundwaterand
Water Branches and the Topographic Division
Surface
of the U. S.
Geological Survey,' and with the Research. and Development
i .iiDivision'of
the New iMeaico ;Institute. of :Mining and'Techn0;logy)
6 . Cerrillosarea
7. Thoreau quadrangle
8. SouthManzanoMountains
9. Puertecitoquadrangle
10. Magdalenaperlitedeposit
11. Socorroperlitedeposit
12. A r e a east of Socorro
13. Carrizozoquadrangle
14. Capitanquadrangle
15. 'SacramentoMountainsarea,
p a r t of Escondidoquadrangle
o r Alamogordoquadrangleand
62
.16. LookoutMountainquadrangle
19. Shermanquadrangle
20.
LakeValleyquadrangle
2 5 . . P i c u r i s Range
'27. T h r 6 w R i v e r sa r e a
28.
La Luz a r e a
31. Tohatchi N W . and25th-Tusayan
NE quadrangles
32. Pelona NE and N W quadrangles
33. Hansonburgminingdistrict
34.
LasTablasquadrangle
35. F o s t e r Canyonquadrangle
36.
Bland miningdistrict
.37. Socorromanganesedistrict
38. C o n t a c t m e t a m o r p h i s m i n S i e r r a R i c a a n d o t h e r a r e a s
63
39. Oil'andgasmap
of NewMexico
40.
Geologicmap
41.
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of petroleuminNew
42.
Tertiaryvolcanicrocks
of New Mexico
Mexico (projectinactive)
of New .Mexico
43. T e r t i a r yi n t r u s i v er o c k s
of New Mexico
44.
Stratigraphy of NewMexico
45.
Stratigraphyandpaleontology
46.
Coaldeposits
of t h e E l Pa'solimestone
ini theCapitanquadrangle'
47. OjoCaliente
48. IronMountaintungsten
GroundWater
In view of the extreme importance
citizenandtoallphases
of ground water to every
of theeconomy
of the State, whether it
becity-dwelling,manufacturing,mining,stock
petroleumproduction,
Bureauhasturned
or crop-raising,
or almostanyconceivableactivity,the
a largepart
of thelocationandevaluation
of its efforttoward
the problems
of ground-waterreservoirs,whether
l a r g e of small.Administratively,theBureaushareswithother
organizationsintheinvestigation
thesum
of ground-waterresources.
Of
of $20,000 appropriatedannuallytotheBureauforcoop-
erativebasicgeology.and.ground-watersurveys,'
anticipated publication costs
$ 1 0 , 0 0 0 less
i s turned over to the Ground Water
Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey to. be matched by F e d e r a l
.
64
funds.
With thissumtheFederalorganizationcarries
wideinventorystudies
of groundwaterresources.Sincetheincep-
tion of t h i s p r o g r a m . r e p o r t s on Eastern Colfax
countieshavebeenpublished
county is inpress.Fieldwork
plete and thestudy
Inview
by theBureau
and the report
of T o r r a n c e County is well
of the serious water shortage at
Survey a very intensive study
andSanMiguel
on Eddy
on p a r t of Socorro County. is comalong.
S&ta Fe ;in' 1951, the
of the U.S.
BureauinitiatedwiththeGroundWaterBranch
Geological
of the ground-water'conditions and
iri . g r e a t . d e t a i l by
supply in that area. The geology was mapped
theBureaustaffusingfundsfrom
U.S.
on county-
its generalappropriation.The
GeologicalSurvey,usingthecooperativefunds,undertook
of theground-waterstudy.Thegeophysical
theengineeringphases
section of the Research
Instituteon
Miningand
and DevelopmentDivision
Technology carried
survey using several techniques aimed
areas.TheTopographicDivision
s p e c i a l p r i o r i t y to the preparation
The: maps and text are.
At Tucumcari in
of New Mexico
out a detailed geophysical
at outliningground-water
of theGeologicalSurveygave
of a large-scale topographic base.
being prepared .for publication
QuayCountyanothertype
by the Bureau.
of cooperation de-
signed to a i dt h a tc i t y . i si np r o g r e s s .T h ec i t ya p p r o p r i a t e d
to be matched by theFederalagency.Thehydrologicengineer.
:the Bureauhascooperatedinsupplyingtheengineeringdirection.
a sum
of
A special project in water-finding in the vicinity
of Socorro
hasbeencarriedoutincooperationwiththeResearchandDevelopmentDivision.Thegeologicandengineeringphaseshavelargely
J. F. Waldron, a Ph. D. candidate at Stanford
beencarriedoutby
.
University.Thefieldstudieshavebeencompleted.
BureauCooperation
..
iyith Arkansas-White-Red River Basins Inter-
Agency Committee
The81stCongress,in
and agencies to set up
1950, d i r e c t e dc e r t a i nF e d e r a lb u r e a u s
a committeetodevelopinformationand
p r e p a r e a report for the Congress covering the Arkansas-WhiteRedRiverdrainagebasins
as hadpreviouslybeendoneforthe
MissouriRiverdrainagearea.Thenortheasterncorner
of New
Mexicolieswithinthisdesignatedbasin.
B k . ,authorized committee was to
be made up of p e r s o n n e l f r o m
Federalagenciesthathavetodowith,
o r a r ei n t e r e s t e di n ,
control,waterdevelopment,mineralandotherresources,and
overalleconomy
of theregion,togetherwith
each of the states that lie wholly
flood
the
a r e p r e s e n t a t i v ef r o m
o r p a r t l y within the drainage basin.
Sub-comrilltteesatstatelevelwereauthorizedtoassembleinformationandpreparereportsforeachstate.
Thesub-committeefor
andtheBureau
NewMexico
was.organizedAugust
of Mineswasinvitedtosend
1950,
a representative to
theorganizationmeeting.TheBureaurepresentativewasnamed
to the State Committee
committees or
andwas
also named
.to s e v e r a l of thesub-
"work groups" that were assigned tasks 'developing
informationregardingmineral
and waterresources,industry,
and
populationtrendsintheregionunderstudy.
Bureau personnel has participated continuously in the activities
and is currently assisting with the
of theassignedworkgroups,
.
.
. .. . .
Theexperience
andcompetence
has enabled this State organization to make
tribution to !his
~
..:
..._.. ,.
which is to be completed
preparation of.'the overall
. . Statereport
J a n u a r y 1953.
-. . .
.
. .
.. ...-".,,.,, ..,.-.-~.~..._- -.
:
- .. :.~>.
- ~ *
of the'Bureaustaff
.-.
a v e r y ' m a t e r i a l con-
regional study which may eventually have conside'r-
ablesignificancefor
New Mexico.
...
Personnel
Duringthetwo-yearperiodseveneconomicgeologists,
logicengineer,
a stratigraphicgeologist,
fourgeologicaltechnologists,
a hydro-
a mineralogicalpetrographer,
a .draftsman,and
a stenographerwere
On a t e m p o r a r y . b a s i s ,t h es e r v i c e s
addedtotheBureaustaff.
twoadditionalgeologistswereobtainedforspeciarprojects,andten
additionalstudentswereassignedprojectsundertheStudentAssistance
Fellowshipprogram.
...
of
- -.. ~
~
e
67
BiennialReport,1952-53and1953-54
by 'EugeneCallaghan,Director
. . . Tke.Bureauwashostt6
a large group
contributedtheirknowledge
of thebasement
of geologists who
o r oldestr'ocks
of
&
w Mexicoandadjoiningregionsin
a ConferenceonthePrecam-
brianinJune
of American.StateGeologists
1954.
TheAssociation
voted tohavetheirannualmeetinginSocorroinMarch1955,
veryfinerecognition
of thisBureau.
.
a
. . ~.
Paleontology and Stratigraphy
The. last three years have been devoted primarily to the beginning of a collection of paleontological materials
Thus far, workhasbeenconcentratedprimarily
of New Mexico.. .
of theolder
strata,
involvingstratigraphicallymadecollections,preparation,.illustration,
anddescription,foreasilytwo-thirds
undescribed.As
of theformsarepreviously
a result,detailedcorrelationisbecomingpossible,
notonlyamongthe
New Mexico sections, but bringingourknowlkdge
of the New Mexicosuccessionintolinewiththesuccessions
inotherparts
.ofNorthAmerica.'
known
A paper is welladvanceddescribing
68
the first fossilsdiagnosticastoage,
found intheBlisssand-
stone,withimplications
a s to theage
its depositionalhistory,
and interpretation.
beingobtainedforthe
of theBlisssandstone,
ElPasblimestone,
SimiYar r e s u l t s a r e
thoughtheamount
of
\
new f o r m s still being found indicates that the material thus
far
collected is only a smallportionof'thecompletefaunas.The
s a m e is t r u e f o r t h e
Montoya andDevonian.Workonotherform-
ations is lessadvanced,
but a l r e a d y a largePermiancollection
hasbeenaccumulated,andillustra&nsand.de'scriptions
,
of P e r m i a n .
..
andsomeyoungerformsare
.
.
with U.S. Bureau of IndianAffairs
ResearchContracts
Publicationduring
Balk (192 p.,
by JohnEliotAllenandRobert
"completedthecontractundertaken
of Indian .Affairs inJune
in McKinley
County,
2 1 figures, 16 plates)
1952, forthemapping
surveylocatedlargereserves
U. S. :Bureau
of 484squaremiles
and
Apache
County,
Arieon:.
This
of coal andbentoniticshales,and
a s s e s s e dt h eg r o u n d - w a t e r .r e s o u r c e s
of thearea.Thegeologic
maps
,
and detailed stratigraphic data will
&nd oil andgas
.
of
New Mexico",
by theBureauwiththe
New Mex:co,
I
;
1954 of Bulletin 36, ,"Mineralresources
F o r t DefianceandTohatchiquadrangles,Arizonaand
.
. .. .
now completedforpublication.
in t h i s p a r t
be of value in search for =radium ,(i
of the San JuanBasin.Deposits
ingstone,sand,ornamentalstone,gravelandcrushedrock,and
semipreciousstoneswerelocated
and described.
of build-
'
e
a
A secondcontractbetweentheBoard
MexicoInstitute
..
6 9.
of Regents 0.f the New
of MiningandTechnologyandtheBureau
. .
.
of
U. S. DepaStment,:of theInterior,underauthority
IndianAffairs,
of the NavajoRehabilitationAct
of 1950, requires,.theBureau
MinesandMineralResourcestoconduct
a mineral'survey,ex-
clusive of uranium,gas,oil,coal,andwater,
NavajoreservationwithintheState
the area covered
of
of thatpart
of the
of New Mexico,excludingonly
by thepreviouscontract;
to locate as many
de.
posits of m i n e r a l s o r rocks of p,resent o'r 'futurevaluetotheNavajo
.
people as is possible to fin% to prepare detailed, maps
.
of .the deposits
. .
that appear to have the greatest value, to test therocks
bylatestscientificmethods;
economicanalysis..
andto
.
.
.
. .
dminerals
p r e p a r e a report,including
an
...
BureauCooperationwithArkansas-White-R.edRiverBasinsInterAgencyCommittee
Active participation
of Bureau personnel
in the Arkansas-White.,
Red'RiverBasinsinvestigationswasconcludedearly-
.
1954.
The t a s k of the "Sub-Work"grouptowhichBureaupersonneldevoted' its efforts was
a study of the mineral resources and the needs
f o r a geologic mapping program
NewMexico.
1954.
i n that portion
Thisworkwasnearlycompleted
A r e p o rht a s
of the basins within
at thebeginning
been
prepared,
'reviewed,
and
approved
by the New MexicoCommitteeandpresentedtothe
.
of
i..
AWRBIA Commitkee
..
,
a
0
atTulsa,Oklahoma,tobecomethe
New
Mexico
ident and theCongress
not laterthan
r e p o r t is comprehensive andwill,
prising the Congress
70,
section of the
o v e r a l l AWR Basinsreport,whichisscheduledto
.
.
go. t o t h e P r e s -
June 1955.
The--New Mexico
we believe, be effectiveinap-
of theeconomicpossibilities
.
of that'portion
. .
. .
of the State
and the feasibility 'of
developing 'it.
. . .
..
. .
..
. .
Uranium
..
.
.
Uranium is fast becoming a major element. of the mineral industry
..
i n NewMexicoand
..
.
..
.
interest in prospecting has increased enormously.
. . ...
Duringthepasteighteenmonths,
no lessthan
1500 personshave
.
visited the. Bureau Offices' or have written requesting information
I
'
.
.
regardingthisfabulousmaterial.Most
know where to.go
.
.
to look f o r it, how to.recognize
.
. .
'it if they found it,
it.
and 'then what to do with
TheBureau
of thepeople'havewantedto
Staff has assisted these people in every
M a p s of t'rie State showing thelocation
waypossible.
of proven discoveries are
. .
ava:l-
able. 'A :free circular has been prepared'that gives the actual location
..
.of known deposits by sections,township,andrange,the.geologic
. .
ation in which 'the mineral occurs; the status-of the discovery as
certaindate,that
a producingmine,or
.
f0r.m-
of a
is,, ,whether it i s a rawprospect,underdevelopment,
a mined-outproperty.
Also s a m p l e so f ' o r ef r o m
thevariousdistrictsareavailableforinspection'andstudy
pectant-prospector.
.
0:Lr
staffalsohastried
1
by theex-
to be of assistancetothe
.
a
71
prospector in his relations with the State
Land Office, the 'U. S.
Bureau of LandManagement,andtheowners
such as
of blocks of lands--
oldSpanishandMexicangrants.
In a l l its efforts to assist in the discovery and production
of
uraniumoreintheState,theBureauhasalwayshadthecordial
cooperation of the U. S. Atomic Energy. Commission personnel
Albuquerque,Grants,
o r ep r o d u c e r s .
and GrandJunction,and
at
of the established
1955-56
BiennialReport,1954-55and
by EugeneCallaghan,Director
. .
. . . .Anevent
.
.
of great importance
dur'ing thebienniumwasthe
.
completion of a newwing
,
at the south side of' the Research -Lab-
.
o r a t o r y on the:,campus. of the.NewMexico,Institute
..
Technology,designedfunctionallyforuse
of Miningand
.
by theBureau.This
-.
structure provides
laboratories adequate for the present
,
.
theBureau,althoughadditionalspace
staff of
is needed now for. t h e o i l -
which is growingrapidlywiththegreatly
well-samplelibrary
augmenteddrillingactivity.inthe.State.
.
. .
I
...
.
Ii ordertobringgeologicand.resourceknowledgetostudents,
tourists,members
of rockhound!andmine.ra1clubs,andother.cit-
izens, a s e r i e s of guidebookstointerestingareas
of theStatehas
beeninitiated.Thesearedesignedtokeeptouristsin.theState
"tliat extra day" which the Tourist Bureau points out
totheState's
economy. 'Severalthousand
is so' important
of these books havebeen
distributedalready,andmanymorearedemanded.Notablescientific
.
71
andresourcestudies
by theBureauwererequested,
o r whollypaidfor,byoutsideagencies,
and largely
so immediate and nec-
36 and 44,
e s s a r y wa.s thedemandforsuchinformation.Bulletins
"Mineral Resources
of Fort Defiance and
Arizona and New Mexico,
Reservationin
theBureau
I'
.Tohavtchi Quadrangles,
and "Mineral Resources
of theNavajo
New Mexico,werepreparedundercontractwith
of Indian A f f a i r s undertheNavajo-HopiRehabilitation
Act.Memoir
1, "StratigraphicStudies
New Mexico,
isanunusuallyfine'publication
of theSanAndresMountains,
of particular ,interest
totheoilindustry,resultingfromdataacquired
by Bureaustaff
undercontractwiththreemajoroilcompanies.Theawarding
these contracts.was
of
a finecomplimenttothecompetenceandrep-
utation of theBureaustaff.
AnotherfinecomplimenttotheBureauwas
for the
its s e l e c t i o n a s h o s t
1955 meeting of3"the :Association of AmericanStateGeologists,
A l l who
of which t h e D i r e c t o r i s c u r r e n t l y s ' e c r e t a r y - t r e a s u r e r .
attendedthismeeting,includingthedirectingheads
of t h e F e d e r a l
Bureau of MinesandtheGeologicalSurvey,werewarmintheir
p r a i s e s of theBureau
of MinesandMineralResources.
Stillanotherindication
of confidenceintheBureauwastheappoint-
ment of two m e m b e r s of thestaff
serveintheWesternGovernors
Mr.Thomas
by the Governor'of
New Mexicoto
Mining AdvisoryCouncil,alongwith
M. Cramer,president
of theBoard
of Regents of the
74
NewMexicoInstitute
of Miningand
Technology,andMr.
James
K. Richardson, of theKennecottCopperCorporation.These
to theWesternGovernorsMineral
cil members were delegates
PoliciesConferenceinNovember
TheDirectoralsoserved
Coun-
1955 inSacramento,California.
on theresearchcommittee
of thatcon-
ference.
Research
Activities
andField
..
Fieldandlaboratorystudies,as
pertinentdata,coverparts
w e l l as compilationandfiling
of
of everycountyintheStateexpept
Alamos,whichisessentially
a F e d e r a la r e a .
,
Los
..
..
Stratigraphy and Paleontology
A primary function
of a'State Bureau
o r GeologicalSurvey
the determination .of the proper succession
is
of rock units through-
out theState,theirregionalvariationfromplacetoplace,and
their fossil
content, the latter serving
intelligentcorrelation
t o fix. the age and permit
of unitswhosecontinuity
is interrupted
erosion o r by cover o f otherformations.Thepracticalvalue
thiswork
by
of
is axiomatic.Certainformationsaremorefavorable
aslocationsforpetroleum
foruranium,and
o r naturalgasaccumulations,others
still o t h e r s for variousmetals
and nonmetals.
Exploration. f o r m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s , a l m o s t a l l o f , w h i c h a r e
musttakeintoaccountthethicknessandsuccession
hidden,
of rockunits
75
interveningbetweentheunitsoughtandthesurface,aswell
as
the structural discontinuities that affect the situation.
in New Mexico, f r o m t h e
Units of theentiregeologiccolumn
oldesttotheyoungest,areembracedin.thevariousfieldandresearchprojectslistedpreviously.Theoldestbasement,or'Prec a m b r i a n ,r o c k sa r e
...
being studiedthroughouttheState.
Samples from the "granite" reached in oil tests also are recorded
andstudied.
TheverydifficultLowerPaleozoicsection(Cambrian,Ordovician,
. . , with
Silurian,andDevonian)hasbeengivenspecialattention.
theresultthatalmostalltheexposureshavebeenstudied,and
has gone far toward
fossil collections made.. Alreasy this work
unravelingthecomplexities,
and regionalcorrelationscan
accurately.Severalreportshave
beenpublished
be made
inappropriate
journals o r . in Bureau publications.
TheUpperPaleozoic(Mississippian,Pennsylvanian,.andPermian)
h a s been thesubject
. . and
of intensivefieldstudies.
tologicwork,particularlyonthefusulines
Many fossil collections from this section
somepaleon-
of the SanAndxesMountains.
await paleontologicwork.
Mesozoicrocks(Triassic,Jurassic,'andCretaceous)areincluded
in manyintensivefieldstudies.
present,remains
. . . Theirfossilcontent,where
to be studiedthroughly,someprogress,however,.
having been made on Lower. Cretaceous paleontology.
The Tertiary and' Quaternary. sections contain
no, known-..
76.
marinefossils,
andonly
sparse collections
fresh-water invertabrates; and vert+rates
of fossil.plants,
have been made.
Nevertheless,theTertiaryandQuaternary,.particularlythe
volcanicsuccessionandtherelation
deposition.
of certain units
. . , havebeenstudiedin
to o r e
all p a r t s of theState
wheretheserocksoccur.Thesuccessionof.volcanic
is for the
rocks
first .time well known. .Mapping of the volcanic
to light windows of Paleo-
a r e a s in CatronCountyhasbrought
zoicrocks.Thismayhave
a profoundeffectuponattitudes
...
towardpetroleumexplorationinthisarea.
The new -.paleontology laboratory in the. Research
permitted propdr housing
'ic:\:.;
Building h a s
of collectionsforstudyand.forcomis wellequipped,
parativepurposes.Thelaboratory
modernapproachestopaleontologicstudycan
A sedimentary petrology laboratory also
s o t h a ta l l
be used.
has beenestablished,
enablingtheundertaking
of stratigraphic studies based on mineral
content.Thislabortory
is operatedinconjunctionwiththeX-ray
laboratory, andnewappraaches
havebeendevised
t o thestudy
by -theBureau.personnel.
of Mesozoicrocks
...
MiningandMetallurgy
Thesevices
of theBureau'sminingengineerweredirected
principally to the many prospectors
findinguranium.Morethan
who were interedted in
500 personscalledattheoffice
e.
B
IF
77
'e
seelcing informationonprospectingprocedure,claim-location
requirements, and thestatus
j
A s radioactivematerialshavebeen
tions of theState.
found, scarcelyany
found to
in which no othermetalshavebeen
be widespread in formations
.
of ownership of landsinallsec-
limits can be placedon
areasforprospecting.
Prospectsandmineswereexaminedinmanyparts
of theState,
of in-
andrequestedadvicewasgivenontheground;Hundreds
quiri.es by letter concerning uranium and thorium were answered.
Close cooperation and exchange
of information 'were' maintained
FederalandStateagenciesconcernedwithuraniumprospecting
with
and
'
miningactivity,notablytheAtomicEnergyCommission,Geological
Survey,Bureau
of Mines,Bureau
of Land.Management,
vice,StateLandOffice,StateInspector
DevelopmentCommission.
StateGeologic
F o r e s tS e r - '
of Mines,andStateEconomic
...
..
Map
A s a m a j o r part of i t s p r o g r a m
GeologicalSurveyinstudies
of cooperation with the U.S.
of basicgeology,
as provided by law,
theBureau
i s mapping large areas for the 'new State geologic map
whichwill
be published by theSurvey.Four
ing a q u a r t e r of the State
maps, eachrepresent-
will be published in preliminary form in
blacklinewithsymbolsfortheunitsrepresented..Thenorthwest
quarterhasbeencompiled,,
e a r l y i n 1957.
and it is expectedthat
Thesouthwestquarter
'
it will. be published
is largelycompiled.Field
e-
,@'
o n the other-two quarters, and compilation.
work is .nearlycompleted
is under way.
.
.
.
78
. .
.
..
.
.
.
.
.. P e r s o n n e l
Theonlychangesintheprofessionalstaff
sulted from the tragic. death
.
.
.. .
of Dr.
of the Bureau re-
Robert Balk'in
t h e c r a s h .. of
..
.
'
, .
a commercialairlineronSandia
.. .. . . Mountain,nearAlbuquerque,
..
.
.
.
.
.
: F e b r u a r y 1955. .
. .
'
. .
. Robert Balk,
'
was one
ogists.
.
..(1.
who was 5 6 year.s old
,.
.
~
.
,
Yn
..
.
.
.
,.
at the time'of his death,
..
. .
I
of America's most distinguished
and highly respected. geol. .
his s u p e r i o r a b i l i t i e s a n d .
Not onlywas.herespectedfor
,
-
experiences. as .a geologist, but 'for unique 'qualities- of* personality..
that established him among all
' .
He wasdedicatedtotheprofession
lover .of n a t u r e t h a t h e w a s
.
who knew him as a t r u l y g r e a t man.
so fully a
of geologyandwas
a naturalist in the best sense
With such unusual comprehension
of t h e term.
. .
of the natural. world was combined
. .
a love of 'people that lives
they have lost the best,
on i n the h e a r t s of a s s o c i a t e s who. f e e l
and most devoted friend they will
e v e r have.
Though h i s own struggles with adversitywereLincolnesque,henever
shrank from personal sacrifices to help others.
When D r . Bdkjoinedthestaff
h e so enhancedthestature
of the Bureau in January
of this organization that
. .
usualrespectandattentionthroughoutthenation.
1952,
it received un-
...
79
BiennialReport,1956-57and1957-58
by A. J. Thompson,Director
DepartmentalActivities,PetroleumIndustry
...
Probablythemostimportantserviceperformedbythe
Bureauinthepetroleumfield
is themaintenance
samplelibrary.Representativesamples
penetrated during the drilling
of a well-
of the variousrocks
of a t e s t w e l l a r e s t o r e d i n
library,providinganextremelyvaluablesource
of subsurface
of sample
geologicalinformation.Fromthemicroscopicstudy
cuttings,thedepth
r e s e r v o i rc a n
of producinghorizonsand
this
the type of o i l
bedetermined.Informationfromwell.cuttings
is
usedincorrelatinggeologicformations,constructingcross-sections,
anddeterminingsubsurfaceconditionsingeneral.Thecharting
of subsurface information on maps helps to indicate the location
of s t r u c t u r a l a n d s t r a t i g r a p h i c t r a p s
gaspools.
With thecontinuedadvance
which m a y be future oil and
of t h e s c i e n c e of petroleum
geology,thesamplelibrarywillbecomeevenmorevaluable
as 'a
s o u r c e of information on abandoned areas which. are and will
be
80
capable of future production under
newandimprovedtechniques.
Presentstoragefacilitiesforthewell-samplelibraryare
grosslyinadequate:samplesarestoredin
of theResearch
Buildingand
two separaterooms
i n a temporarywarehousesome
4 , 6 0 0 testwells
distancefromtheBureau'soffices.Morethan
a r er e p r e s e n t e d
'
by samplesinthelibrary,
and s a m p l e sf r o m
n e a r l y 300 newtestsareaddedeachyear.Theaverageoiltest
$50,000 t o d r i l l , a n d i n m o s t c a s e s t h e s a m p l e s a r e
costsabout
theonlytangibleresult.TheBureauisableto-,obtainwithout
cost
samples
of all
tests
drilled
in
the
State:
However,
the
Bureau
requests samples only
of wellsthatarelocated
awayfromwellsalreadyrepresented.Even
1 wellin
8, storagefacilitiesareovertaxed
ultimatesolutionshould
jacent to
thematerial,andadjacenttothe
petroleumdepartment.
Industry Buildingbeing
a mile o r m o r e
with thisselectivity
andinconvenient.The
be t o s t o r e a l l s a m p l e s i n
a smalllaboratoryinAichthe
. .
one roomad-
staffandvisitorscanstudy
d%ficzes and files of theBureau's
Such facilitiesareincludedintheMinerals
:proposed by theBureau.
...
Metallurgy
of the New MexicoBureau
The primary need
MineralResources
!is forspace
of Minesand
andequipmentfortestingand
r e s e a r c h on New Mexico o r e s and mineralproducts.Currently
it i s n e c e s s a r y f o r t h o s e
engagedinminingintheStatetosolicit.
of
81
the aid
of outside agencies for research
and testing on ,newly
discoveredorrefractoryores,eventhough
production is considerably in excess
boringStates
New Mexico m i n e r a l
of that of any of theneigh-
of Arizona,Colorado,and
r e s e a r c h and testingon
Utah, where.much of the
NewMexicoore,s
.
.
h a s beenperformed.
In addition to providing facilities whereby testing and research
be contracted, it i s believedthattheBureau
onspecificareaxcan
of Minesshould
e r a lp r o b l e m s
be activelyengagedinstudiesrelatingtothegenof theindustry.This
that at p r e s e n t a r e t o o
would inc1ude:research:onores
low grade or too refractory to
be considered
commercial.
of 1956, plansweredrawn
Inthefall
of Minesbuildingtohouse
up f o r a $400,000 Bureau
a metallurgicallaboratoryandtoprovide
space for other Bureau activitites for which the present accommodations are inadequate.Fundsforthis
building wererequested
as p a r t
of a generalschool-bond-issuebillwhichwasproposedinthe
Legislature butnot,
enacted.TheBureauexpectstoproposethat
funds be madeavailableforthisurgentlyneeded
Legislature,
1957
buiIding bythenext
...
Inthesummer
potashcompany
of 1957,the.
Bureaucooperated
in thktreatment
t h e first t i m e that theBureau
with a New Mexico
was
of a refractorypotashore.This
has enteredinto
a cooperativeprogram
with a mining company, in metallurgical testing or .research.
'
This
.
82
activity was withoutexpense
staff t i m e ,w e r e
t o theState,
asallcosts,including
paid by thecooperatingcompany.Considerable
wasaccumulated.
Inthesummer
of 1958, theBureauexperimentedwiththeuse
o f newlydevelopedorganiccompounds
various New Mexico o r e s .
inimprovedmethods
It i s hoped thatthis
for treating some
in theState.
zinc,andmanganeseores
.
a s flotation collectors
.
on
work will r e s u l t
of the refractory copper,
. ..
83
BiennialReport,1958-59and1959-60
by A. J. Thompson,Director
Metallurgy
Inviewof
the growing importance
of the field
metallurgy in the mineral industries, the services
metallurgist,Dr.Roshan
of extractive
of a full-time
B. Bhappu; w e r e engaged by theBureau:
1959.-
inMarch
Under D r .
Bhappu'ssupervision
a metallurgydepartment
'was
organized t o c a r r y out testing and research in this field, and
providetechnicalassistance
t o those operators
A temporarychemicallaboratoryhas
beenestablishedinthebuild-
is c a r r i e d out in the metallurgical laboratory
whenclassesare
to
who request aid..
ingoccupied. by the .Bureau, whereas the experimental test
work
of theCollegeDivision,
not insession.
Duringthefiscalyearsending
$15,000
,.
30 June 1959 and 1960, about
worth of metallurgical equipment was .purchased by..the-
Bureau andput
.tu good useonvariousprojects.Thisequipment
was also made available
.
... .
to theCollegeDivision'
on request.
84
Additionalmetallurgicalequipment
'
and laboratory supplies were
acquiredduringthisperiodthroughdonationsandgifts.TheAtomicEnergyCommissiondonatedcrushing,grinding,andsampling
equipmentworth
Go.,
$2,500,
andtheHaystackMountainDevelopment
a subsidiary of theAtchison,Topeka,
furnishedsampling
& Santa F e .Railway Co.,
and chemicalequipmentandsupplieswbrth
A 4-inchcycloneunitworth
$4,000.
$350 wasdonated.tothedepartmentby
EquipmentEngineers,Inc.,PaloAlto,California.TheBureau
gratefullyacknowledgesthesegenerouscontributions.
Since the establishment
i nM a r c h
of the Bureau's. metallurgical program
1959, 60 differentoreshavebeenexaminedandtested
f o r therecovery
of valuablemetalsandminerals.Theseinclude
refractoryandlow-gradeores
..
of copper,lead,zinc,.lyon,gold,
silver,
manganese,
rmlybdenum,
selenium,
uranium,
tungsten,
titanium,
zirconium,fluorspar,barite,mica,beryl,perlite,
metalsandmine.rals,allfrom
and m a n ym i n o r
NewMexico.
...
In addition t o providing these services to the mineral industries
-ofNewMexico,themetallurgydepartmentconductedthefollowing
long-rangeinvestigations
of possibleeconomicimportancetothe
State:
1. Studiespertainingtothenature
copper-silicate minerals
from.
of chrysocollaandother
and the recovery
of copper there-
..
..
.85
2. Development of an effective procedure' for the' separation
0:'
<'..
galena,
barite,
and
fluorite
from
complex
'ores
'contain-
ingtheseminerals..
3. Recovery of '.titanium and other -rare metals. from' the' Gallup
..
.Sandstone.
4. Recovery of seleniumfromlow-gradeores
I
,,I
localitiesintheState.
::ii1
. .
found i n . s o m e
. , .~
.
. ...,
~
5 , . Recovery of .metal values. remaining. in. old. mine
'dumps and
.. :
..
.
.
. .
. .
tailing ponds throughout the State,
'
..
6 . Upgrading. of low-grade manganese ore to produce
ableproduct.
..
The plans drawn.up
a market..
. ..
.
iin the fall of 1956 f o r a $400;000
.,
.'
Mineral
.
.
Industries Building to house a metallurgical laboratory and to provide
space for other Bureau activities
.d?d not m a t e r i a l i z e d u r i n g t h i s
fiscal
.period.In.recentInstituteannouncements,however,somementionhas
beenmadeof..theprovision
of suchabuilding.It
that funds. will be made available for
Until a separate laboratory for the .Bureau
the important field
greatly.
...
is e a r n e s t l y hoped
this ,urgently needed facility.
is provided, ' i t s activities in
of metallurgical research will have
t o be curtailed
BiennialReport,
1960-62
by A. J. Thompson,Director
.
. . Of
specialsignificanceintheBureauoperationduringthe
biennium has been the greatly increased activity in the metallurgicalsection,
A number of additionstothestaffinthissection
.
were made, allowing the Bureau to increase the depth and. breadth
of studiesinbenefici&oa
ores.Construction
ofa
of theState'slow-gradeandrefractory
largemetallurgicallaboratory
of m o d e r n
designwascompletedduringthebiennium,whichwillfurtheraid
theBureau'smetallurgicalworkinthecomingbiennium.Geologicalstudiesandmineralsurveys,inprogressandcontemplated,
will be c o r r e l a t e d with the metallurgical program to provide
better understanding
a
of the -State's mineral potential and augment
its futuredevelopment.
...
Mining
TheBureau'sminingengineerhasbeenengagedin
m e c h a n i c sr e s e a r c hp r o g r a m .T h eb a s i ca i m
a rockof this project. is to
'87
studystressesinminerock.This
is a fundamentalresearch
..
projectwhich,
if successful, will promotethedesign
...
andmoreefficientundergroundopenings.
.In accordance with the provisions
theDirector
.of t h e NewMexicoStatukes,
of theBureauservesaschairman
Boardestablished
of s a f e r
by theStateLegislaturein
of the Mine Safety
1961.
...
Metallurgy
...
.
.
Thebuilding
.
programinthe
additionwhichwascompleted
fall of 1961 calledfor
at the end of the.bienniumandthe
metallurgical'department madeplans
quarters.
a new
to moveinto
its expanded
I
The new facilities provide
4000' s q u a r e f e e t
of working a r e a
for the metallurgical section and house the sample preparation,
mineralbeneficiation,hydrometallurgical,andpyrometallurgical
laboratories.
A l s o provided is sufficientspaceforconducting
pilot-plantstudies,
the older
if required.Thevacatedlaboratoryspace
p a r t of the buildingnow
in
m a y be usedforchemical,ana-
lytical,andadditionalmetallurgicallaboratoriesfordry-.l'dineral
beneficiationprocesses,studies
traction, and basicresearch
on ion-exchangeandsolventex-
on variousphases
of extractivemetal-
lurgy.
About $20,000 worth of metallurgicalequipment
and supplies
.
were purchased
a..
88
by theBureauinthe
useonvariousprojects.This,equipment
CollegeDivision,and
two years and
put .to good
is alsoavailabletothe
i s being installedpermanentlyinthe
new
...
metallurgicallaboratories.
Paleontology and St'itigraphy
fl
. . .A
study of thecolonialcorals
completed..This
of the Montoya groupwas
is the first extensivestudy
inNorthAmericasince
of fauna of t h i s s o r t
1929. Somefourhundredthinsectionswere
preparedandcomparisonsmade.Threeweekswererequiredfor
comparison with the .collections
of the United States National
s e u ma t
is the first on western Ordo+idi-an
Washington.Thework
coral faunas based
willserve
as a basis of c o m p a r i s o n f o r s i m i l a r . , f u t a r e : s t u d i & s , . i ~ .
beforenoted,were
foundand
Thoughthestudycould
of18
'differsdtkinds,not
describedinanaccompanyingpaper.
not be extendedtoincludethematerial,
related forms previously ignored were
found in ,comparative study
NationalMuseumspecimensoncoralsinNorway,Anticosti
Island, andUtah.
...
GroundWater
. . . As
a:'
upon specimen$ of precisely'known origin and
otherregions.Tinyforeignorganisms
of U.S.
Mu-
a specialstudytheBureauhydrologistis.collectingwater
samples to determine the correlation
of change. in the amount
and
.
composition of dissolvedsolids
withpumping.
Thisstudywill
requireanotherseasonor
two of datacollection,sincetheprim-
arycorrelationappearsto
be one of changeversusquantitypumped.
Watersampleshavebeenobtainedfromtheselectedwellsatthe
.
. e n d of each pumping season and estimates of pumping t i m e sw e r e
madeanddischargesmeasured.
90
BiennialReport,1962-63and1963-64
by A. J. Thompson,Director
General Statement
...
be undertaken o r expanded i n
Majorprojectsthatshould
additiontopresentactivitiesrelatetocoal,ceramics,mineral
economics,andoilandgasexploration.
Most of the 'coal in
in the past most
NewMexico
occurs on Federal :lands and
of the coal exploration. and research work' has
beenconducted
by th'e Federalagencies,the
Surveyandthe
U.S.
of Mines to date has
notengaged
of oil and
in-anycoalresearch
but it now
With i t st r e m e n d o u sr e s e r v e s
and itsrecognizedimportance
g a s , Nem Mexicoshould
r e s e a r c h anddevelopmentand
be a c t i v e i n
of
as a producer
all phases of fuels
a leader in this field.
C o a l r e s e a r c h by theBureaushouldconsist
the various types
'
of a - g e n e r a l s t u d y of fuels, particularly
be forthcoming.
coaland,uranium,
Geological
Bureau of Mines.TheNew'MexicoBureau
appears that state support
coals,should
U.S.
first of studies of
of coalintheStatetoobtaintheconventionaldata
91
onchemical
and physicalcharacteristics.
consist of an evaluation
aremostsuitableforuse
NewMexico.
of the processes
A secondphase
would
of .coal conversion which
on thevariouskinds
of coal found in
. T h i s would takeintoaccounttheeconomicfactors
associated with theState'sindustrialdevelopment,andeconomic
.
studies 'in r e k t i o nt o
be utilized.
how thefuels
found in New Mexico canbest
With thecurrentanticipateddevelopment
coals for use in power generation to supply
roundingareas,anotherline
of New Mexico
New Mexicoand
of ' r e s e a r c h is indicated.This
surwould
consist of engineering evaluations and exploratory research on
methods for control of atmosphericcontaminantsinfluegases
g e n e r a l air pollutionstudies.
...
and
92
AnnualReport,1964-65
by A. J. Thompson, Director
TO:
President
Stirling
A. Colgate
Members of theBoard of Regents
Members of t h e New MexicoLegislature
I am pleased to transmit to
NewMexicoBureau
c a ly e a r
of t h e
of MinesandMineralResourcesforthe
ending.June
30, 1965.
of theBureauhavebeenfor
biennialsessions
you the: annual report
Previousreports
a biennialperiod
of theLegislature.
which i s f o r t h e f i r H y e a r
to conformwiththe
Beginningwiththisreport,
s e s s i o n s of the' Legislature, yearly reports
30,1964
toJune
appropriated $365,000 totheStateBureau
Resources, an amount
by theDirector
followingtheestablishment
FortheperiodJune
fis-
of annual
will be. made.
30, 1965, theLegislature
of MinesandMineral
which hasbeenapproximatelythesamefor
thelastfewyears.DuringthisperiodtheBureauspent$389,093,
drawing on income
fxfom the sale of. publications and
fund tooffsetthedeficit.This
,its.r e s e r v e
is a r e p o r t of how thefundswere
93
used and whatwasaccomplishedwiththem.
For the 1965-1966 fiscalyear,in
operating,theLegislatureappropriated
which theBureau
i s now
$400,000 which hashadto
beaugmented,againfromsurplus,to$428,700totakecare
of
a thesurplushasessentially
anticipatedneeds.Thiswithdra71from
exhaustedthereserve
fund.
a substantial increase
yeartheBureauwillhavetodependupon
to m e e t i t s g o a l
State appropriations in order
of serviceinsupport
1966-1961 f i s c a l
Intheforthcoming
in
of an' annual increase
...
of mineralindustrydevelopment.
Respectfullysubmitted,
Alvin J. Thompson
Director
StateBureau of Minesand
Mineral Resources
Introduction and Summary
...
S e v e r a ln e wo r
p e r i o da r e
expandedactivitiesduringthe.
of specialinterest.
ogy and mfileral 'resources
A projectwas
andthermal
begunon
of Rio A r r i b a County.
investigations were initiated in the areas
powerdevelopmentin
1964-1965
thegeol-
Preliminary
of c e r a m i c r e s o u r c e s
New Mexico.
Research in the
field-oforeprocessingwas.greatlyexpanded.Inconnectionwith
theseactivities,theBureaubegantheacquisition
of newand
mark-
94
edlyimprovedanalyticalequipmentfordeterminingthecomponents
'of the extremely
wide variety of mineral products
withwhich.the.
that t h e s e
State is so unusually endowed. . I t is confidentlyexpected
new endeavors
w-ill provide an increased return. to the State.. all
out
...
of proportiontothefundsinvested.
Activities,BasicandAppliedResearch
of theBureau
Basicandappliedinvestigations
of Minesand
MineralResourcesare.conductedingeology,mining,metallurgy,
...
petroleum,hydrology,andceramics.
Studiesandprojectsthathavebeeninitiatedorhavereceived
special attention in the past year are:!
Geology and Mineral Resources
8,
of Rio A r r i b a County.
1%
December
1964, theGovernor's-AdvisoryCommitteeonMineralDevelop-
ment submitted
a report recommending
c a r r y out an accelerated program
a special appropriation to
of studies of t h e m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
of Rio A r r i b a County.Althoughthespecialfundswerenotprovided
by the legislature, the Bureau used its regular staff
to take the
initial
s t e p s i n this project.
Clay Resources
Survey. A fieldinvestigationwaspursuedduringthe
year to delineate the potentially. valuable clay deposits
ico.Initialdatawereaccumulated
on New MexicoInstitute
oratorywasset
of New Mex-
andadequatespacewasobtained
of MiningandTechnologycampus.
up withtestingequipment
A lab-
to determine the suit-
tt '
95
in-
ability of theclaysforuseinmakingbricks,piping,electrical
s u l a t o r s , , and otherceramicproducts.Thisproject,alreadystarted
at theBureau,wasalso
one recommended by theGovernor's.AdDecember 8, 1964.
visoryCommitteeonMineralDevelopmenton
LiketheRioArribaproject,fundshave
notyet
beenprovided
by the
an accelerated program.
legislature for
GeothermalStudies.Geothermalstudies
of h e a ts o u r c e sw e r ei n -
itiated with reference
to
their
possible
use
for
supplying,
industrial
..
electricity,forchangingcrop-growing>seasons,andfor.heating
of
homes.
OreProcessing.Studiesweremadetodeterminebetterways
tracting metal from ores
-
nowbeing
of ex..
minedinthestate,includingthe
.
possible use
of bacteriainmining
and theimprovement
designs.Pyrometallurgical,hydrometallurgical,
of equipment
and m i n e r a ld r e s s -
ing methods were used to an increasing extent in. the Bureau's longrangeprogram
of r e s e a r c h on the recovery
of valuableproducts,from
New Mexico low-grade and refractory ores.
MineralIdentification.
In 1964and
1965 theBureauinitiatedthe'use
of atomic absorption testing equipment. .When
veloped, it is expectedthatthespeedandaccuracy
workwill
be i n c r e a s e ds e v e r a l
fold.
sis is important to almost every field
its utility is- fully deof theanalytical
Mineralidentificationandanalyof m i n e r a l r e s e a r c h .
, ,
a
96
1.965-66
AnnualReport,
.
.
by A. J. Thompson,Director
. . . Offices of theBureau
NewMexico
of Mines a r e on thecampus
of the
Institute of Mining .andTechnology.TheBureau
is
org3:nized a s a branch of theInstitute
and doesnotmaintain
sub-
offices.
19 professional,
Thestaffincludedduringtheyear
professional, and 74 part-timeemployees,including
studentemployees,
26 co-opstudentemployees,and
15 .non,+
12 graduate
33 other
studentemployees.Therewerealsofourgeologistsandengineers
on:specialprojects.
...
.
BureauActivities,Administration
The New MexicoBureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources is
charged withinvestigating,studying,andreportingthetechnology
of t h e S t a t e ' s m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s .
' r e s e a r c h on all types
theproduction
It is responsiblefor.conducting
of ore deposits for the purpose
and use of t h e S t a t e ' s m i n e r a l s r e s o u r c e s ,
regardtoproperconservation.Immediate
of increasing
withdue
and futureneeds.,indus-
e
e
trytrends,andtheprobableby-productaspects
97
of mineralpro-
duction a r e important;:..kctorsguidingtheBureau'sresearch.
Activities of theBureaucoverbasic
ineightmajor
andappliedinvestigations
.'fields:. Ceramics, Geology,Hydrology,Metallurgy,
...
Mining,,Mineralogy,Paleontology,andPetroleum.
Petroleum
. . . Mr.RobertBieberman,petroleumgeologist,
of the Petroleum section's activities,
is responsible. f o r maintaining
thesamplelibraryandthepetroleummaps....
New Mexicoduring
Index to Samples From
at Socorro,July
.
;
72 (1966), . P e t r o l e u m
Mr.
Bieberman
has
published
Circular
Developmentsin
who .has.charge
1960, and Circular 8 8 (1966),
O i l and Gas Well Tests in Library Tests
1, 1966.
. . .'
A s a contributortotheBureau'sco-operativeprojects,Mr.
Biebermanalsocompletedthe
New Mexico section of the directory,
SampleandCoreRepositories
of the United States,Alaska,and
Canada, f o r , the Committee on Preservation
of the American Association
of Samples and Cores
of Petroleum Geologists.
M r . Roy Foster,associatepetfieleumgeologist,.hasbeen
os".
cupied with research in petroleum geology and nonmetallics and has
madesignificantcontributionstothepetroleum
work of theBureau.
His petroleum projects initiated during the year have been the
.
e
1. Preliminary investigations
98
of theshaleoilpotentialin
New
Mexico.
2. O i l and gase'xplorationinColfax
3. , ' P o s t Queens'tratigr'aphy
of southeastern New Mexico.
4. Analysis of the stratigraphy
Plains.
I.
County.
of the Sun wellintheSanAgustin
..
D r . FrankKottlowski,economicgeologistandassrstantdirector
of theBureau,contributedtotheBureau'sactivitiesinpetroleum
research.
He is theauthor
Basins is South-Central
of an.article,entitled"Sedimentary
andSouthwest
Bulletin of the American Association
New Mexico,
I'
of PetroleumGeologists, Nov-
e m b e r 1965. He alsoeditedarticlesforpublication
in co-operation with personnel from the
of Mines, U.S.
by the AAPG
United States Geological
,. .
Survey,NevadaBureau
printed in the
.
SOP1 ConservationService,
. ,
University of New Mexico,andvariouspetroleumcompanies.
Geology
Geology is a n e c e s s a r y backgroundfordevelopment
.
of mineral
resources.Reconnaissancegeologicmaps,detailedgeologicmaps,
stratigraphicstudies,investigations.:aforeminerals--these-and
other types
of geologic research aid in finding and extracting
Mexko"sminerals.Most
of there.portspublishedduringtheyear
weregeologicinnature.
What m a y s e e m t o
todaymayturnoutto
New
be p u r e l y r e s e a r c h
be economicallyimportantinthefuture.
...
,
.
99
. .
Inthefield
of technicalgeology,
made.Tenstudieswerecompleted
alsohave
andpublished,some
a bearingonceramics
SevenBureau
a wide range of studies w a s
and petroleum.
of which
...
.I
staff members contributed the major part
.
of t h e
geologic s.t-itdies duringthecurrentyear::Dr.RobertBieberman,
'.
petroleumgeologist;Mr.RoyFoster,associatepetroleumgeologist;
D r . FrankKottlowski,economic
geo1ogist:and a s s i s t a n td i r e c t b r
Dr. Edward
the.Bureau;Dr.JacquesRenault,associategeologist:
Bingler,associategeologist;Dr.
-
of
RobertWeber,economicgeologist;
and Mr. Ke.lly Summers,groundwatergeologist.
.' . .
P r o j e c t s on which D r . . Kottlowski is continuing r e s e a r c h a n d
. .
which were started during the year are the geology
of the Las
Cruces quadrangle, the Pennsylvanian and. early Permian rocks
of theJoyitaHills,andthedating
Peak.
of igneousrocks
of P a r a j i t o
...
Metallurgy
The
metallurgical
section.
conducts
studies
in
various
aspects
of e x t r a z c t i v e m e t a l l u r g y and provides technical assistance to
those who request it. A g r e a tm a n yp r o s p e c t o r sa n d - s m a l l - m i n e
operators and most
of the major
m'ining companieshaveavailed
themselves of thisservice.
Dr.Roshan
Bhappu, seniormetallurgistand.researchprofessor,
. .
1
100
0
andDr.DexterReynolds,researchchemist,initiated
numerous projects
arily, in:
'
o r completed
and work assignmentsb.1. They
a r e :engaged prim-
.
(1) Base. and applied .research in extracting metals and minerals
..
from ores;
( 2 ) Service work'in the form
of a s s i s t a n c e o r consultationwith
individualsandminingcompaniesinsolvingoperatingprobl e m s and inmetallurgicalevaluation
of oresamplessubmitted:
( 3 ) Long-range studies involving surface chemistry of. silicate
..minerals, sorption processes
.:1,!1
. . (I
in hydrometallurgy, and studies
:
of in-place
and
dump-leaching
ores:
and
.a,:
(4) supervisfngthetraining
.:
J
of severalco-operativestudents
at
*,various,levels; :pr.ovidlng in the'labo,ratory,. a p r a c t i c a l a p -
'
i
'
.'
plication of thestudents'collegetraining.
' D r . Bhappu gives
speciallecturesinchemistryandmetallurgytoclassesin
the College Division and supervises graduate theses work.
He supervises the undergraduate work
,
.
. .
,.
of NationalScience
Foundationstudents.
. . . Alsoinitiated
or completedand
of interesttothemining
i n d u s t r y at largewerethefollowingprojects:
.
'
Evaluation .of potassium permanganate in mining and metallurgical
..
applications
Recovery of beryllium from Winston mine ore
Studies of tungsten-ironcomplexes
Recovery of valuableby-productsfromSocorro
Countyman.-
ganese opes
Sulfonateflotation
of olivine group minerals
Use of chelatingcompounds
a s selectiveflotation.reagentsfor
copperandzincminerals
A geochemical model
of ground-water in contact with'a solid
media.
Ceramics
The Governor!s Advisory Committee on Mineral Development on
December 8,
1964, recommended a clayresourcessurveytodelineate
..
potentiallyvalukbleclaydepositsin
Clay uses are numerous and
New Mexico.
among::, otherapplicationsincludethe
.manufacture of tableware,bricks,electricalinsulators,andsoiland
is incharge
sewerpipes.Mr.WilliamHawks,ceramicengineer,
of the Bureau's studies in ceramics and directs
the work i n t h e c l a y
testing laboratory that was
i s maintained by the
set up last yearand
Bureau.Clayandshalesamplesaresubmitted
b y individualsand
byindustryandarecollectedbyBureaupersonnelinthefield.Mr.
Hawksalsoteaches
a courseinceramicengineeringin
the College
Division- of New Mexico Tech.
Current projects under his supervision
of buildingadditionalceramicplantsin
ization of New Mexico clays.
a r e a study of the feasibility
New Mexicoandpossibleutil-
102
Mineralogy
Identification of m i n e r a l s ,r o c k s ,o r e s ,a n dc l a y s
New Mexicoresidentsfree
i s offered
of charge.Dr.EdwardBingler,asso-
ciategeo.logistiDr.RobertWeber,economicgeologist;Dr.Dexter
Reynolds,researchchemist;andDr.JacquesRenault,associate
geologist,arethefourpersons
of service.Toaid
who a r e c a l l e d
upon forthistype
in identification,themineralogylaboratory
facilities include X-ray diffraction apparatus, :.petrographic microscopes,X-rayfluoressenceunit,radiometricapparatus,spectrophotometersandanemissionspectograph.
...
Dr.Renaultinitiatedfourmineralogyprojects.
this year:statistical
a n a l y s i s of rocktextures,crystalperfectionstudies,leadmineralogy
of Que-sta molybdenumconcentrates,andtheDucktowniteproject,
a
determination of thenatureandtreatment'ofDucktowniteore,
a com-
plexcopper-ironbearingorefromKennecottCompany'sChino'
mine.
Mining
New Mexico hoists more metallic and nonmetallic ore from undergroundthananyotherStatein
the Union.
TheBureau'srockphysics
r e s e a r c h , its studiesinbetterwaystoextractminerals
t o r yo r e ,a n d
from r e f r a c -
its researchingeochemicalprospectingcontinuetobe
majoreffortsdirectedtowardaidingtheminingindustry.
TheentireBureau
staff served as consultantstonumerousprospect-
o r s andexplorationpersonnel
of miningandpetroleumcompanieson
103
problemspertainingtoeconomicmineral.depositsduring
1965and
1966.
Mr.
George
Griswold,
mining
engineer,
whose
primary
research
for the Bureau during the past year
has been in
.
r0c.k mechanics,
taugMengineeringdrawing,directedstudyinmining,rockmechanics,
andmechanics
of materialscoursesintheCollegeDivision.
Mr.Griswolddidconsiderableworkonthefollowingprojects:
P r o j e c t Mohole
ExplosiveHydrofracing
)I
.
<
f
Lead.-Xire.s
-Open-Pit Sldpe Stability
RaiseBoringDevice
UndergroundNuclearExplosionsProject
GeothermalStudyWithin
Index of Literatureon
...
.
Dr.
Woods TunnelinSocorro,Peak
Mining EngineeringforthePeriod
.
,
1950-1966
FazlollahMissaghi,miningengineer,hasbeenworking
on three projects: biogeochemistry and geochemical survey
a geochemicalsurvey
RedRiverquadrangle,
in. Philmont country, and
miningdistrict,
iments.
of the
of s t r e a m s e d i m e n t s
a geochemical survey
New Mexico,the
.
of theMagdalena
mercurycontent
of s t r e a m sed-
. .
Mining R e c o r d s
Mr.LucienFile,
staff researcher,coauthored
a listing ofcounty,
0
0
104
..
township, andrangelocations
of New Mexicomining
with D r . Stuart A. Noythrop of theUniversity
Thepurpose
of thestudy
andtooffer
a m e a s u r e of standardizationas
futuredesignation
of NewMexico.
';A
was
.
of LandManagement
of Minesandcontains
New Mexico from
.
'
a guidelinefor
of miningdistricts.Theinformation.
andtheStateInspector
'
is toclarifyminingdistrictlocations
compiled in co-operatton with the Bureau
of mfningin
districts
a completehistory
1535 to 1966, a s w e l l a s
- a table
of dates of establishments of New Mexicocounties.
Alsopublished
by Mr.
Fileduringtheyearwas
a compilation
. .
most of t h e known mines in the State,
. . . .
alongwithsomehistoricminingcompaniesnames.
of a mining directory listing
Mr.Fileinitiated
a programfortheexchange
by microfilmandothermethodsamongtheBureau
of information
of LandMan-
1
agement,theStateArchivesDivision,and'theStateBureauof'Mines.
Theinformation,notheretoforeavailable,willprovide
research information
idualmines,particularly
on the history
a source of
andeconomicaspects
of indiv-
of those no longer in production.
...
Strip MiningStudy
The Federal Appalachian Regional Development .Act provides
f o r a study of recommendationsforreclaimingandrehabilitating
I
s t r i p and surfaceminesthroughthenation.Attherequest
of the
AppalachianRegionalCommission,the
of Mines
New MexicoBureau
..
1.05
a s s i s t e d in preparing a preliminary report
6f theextent
a meeting of 'allState
miningintheState.Italsoco-ordinates
f r o m the
departmentheadsconcernedandazworkingcommittee
Department of the Interior
and several national agericies.
meeting was held in MabryHall,StateCapitolBuilding,
27,
'
of s t r i p
1966, with preparatory work completed
,
The
July
in the year
by this
..
. .
report.
.
.
..
Hydrology
..
The Bureau as
a State agency: charged with the responsibility
of investigating underground resourcesrmaintained
F o r several'years,theactivity
theground-waterresourcesfield.
; of the agency
in t h i s a r e a w a s
its i n t e r e s t i n
in the location and evaluation of.
waterwells.andinstudyingground-waterproblems.Theseactivities
have continued. .
Recently,.however,emphasisshiftedtothestudy
resources.
Theeconomicimplications.
are enormous, with possibilities
for furnishingheat
for h o m e s , a s
steamenergyproduction,
of geothermal
of heatandhotwatersources
'of use. for generating electricity,
a s o u r c e of preheatedwaterfor
and for cropgrowing,especiallyingreen-
houses.
Mr. KellySummers,'groundwatergeologist,
is engagedinthe
study .of t h e r m a l w a t e r s 'and the prospects' of developing. geothermal
106
power in
New Mexico.
Mr.Summers
is preparing a bibliography of geothermal
1965 h a s beenworkingunder
phenomena.andsinceSeptember
a matching fund grantfromthe
'
terior,Office
Department of theIn-
U.S.
of WaterResourcesResearch,
entitled,"Appraisal
Adding ' t o o r
of Some of t h e F a c t o r s
Detracting From the Socio-Economic Use
Thermal Waters.
on a project.
of New Mexico's
. . .. .
Paleontology
Knowledge of .the fossil content
and to p'ermit ihtelligent correlation
interruptedbyerosion
of r o c k s s e r v e s t o
fix the age
of unitswhosecontinuity
is
o r coverwithotherformations.Certain
formationsaremorefavorable
as locationsforpetroleum
natural ' gasaccumulations;.others.
and
aremorefavorableforlocations
...
of uranium: and stillothersforvariousothermetalsandnonmetals.
D r . RousseauFlower,stratigraphicgeologist'incharge
section, is primarilyconcernedwiththefossils
concentrating largely
of this
of New Mexico,
on those of the older formations. .However,
..
his services have been in demand from
sultation for identification and description
all overtheworldincon-
of cephalopods.
e
107
.
.
e .
AnnualReport,
1966-67
by A. J. Thompson,Director
..
ObjectivesandDuties
In 1927 theEighthStateLegislatureestablishedtheBureau
'
of Mines a s a division (department) of the Scliool of Mines,
..
whichwaschanged
by later statute to ,the
New MexicoInstitute
of MiningandTechnology.Theobjectivesandduties
of
the
Bureauweresetforthin.twelveparagraphs,whicharesumm a r i z e d in thefollowingheadings.Undertheseheadingssome
:
of theBureauactivities,fulfillingthesedirectivesduringthe
. .
periodcovered
by t h i s r e p o r t , a r e ' s e t f o r t h b r i e f l y :
(1) "Collect,compile,andpublishstatistics.
'I
(a. Statistics on mines and miningcompaniesarekeptand
'
d i r e c t o r i e s of mines, and mining districts were published.
b. ' T h e c o n t e n t s of the petkoleum sample library were indexed
andtheindexpublished,
a s a perpetualactivity.
(2) lldollect typical geological
a.Samples
of wellcuttings
Bureaupetroleumsection.
.
.
and mineral specimens.
arestored
'I
f o r publicuseinthe
.
108
b.
A
.
is maintainedfor
m u s e u m of geologicalspecimens
studentandpublicuse
in theR&DBuilding,
( 3 ) "Collect a library 'and bibliography
:
:
by theBureau.
,
..
of l i t e r a t u r e p e r t a i n - .
..
ing to the p r o g r e s s of geology,mining,milling,andsmelting.
a. Indexestominingrecordsaremaintained.
i s being researched.
b. ruining historyandbibliography
c. A f i l e of geographicplacenamesforcartographicpurposes
is maintained.
d. Microfilms of Bureau of LandManagementminingrecords
'. ,':
a r e maintained and kept up
t o date through cooperation with
of State
e. A project in cooperation with the Archives Division
Government provides for
a copy of all mining data
courthouses,whenfurnishedtotheArchives,to
microfilm for Bureau filing and use
f.
Bulletin 90 published,
...
BLM:
in county
be m a d ei n
of thepublic.
a completeBibliography
of New
'MexicoGeologyandMineralTechnology.
g. TheAtomicEnergyCommission
with microfilms
has furnishedtheBureau
of r e c o r d s of uranium deposits in the state
t o be usedbythe:industry,scientificworkers,andstudents.
Copies of t h e s e a r e f u r n i s h e d o n r e q u e s t . ,
(4) "To studygeologicalformations
reference to the economy
a. Memoir 17,Geology
of thestatewithspecial
of mineral resources.
.
.
It
of Pennsylvanian,Wolfcambrian,
in Southeastern New Mexico,published.
Rocks
I,
0
b.
LO9
0
Memoir 18, GeomorphicSurfac,esandSurficialDeposits
in Southern Xew Mexico,published.
C.
C i r c u l a r 85,GeochemicalSurvey
MercuryContent
of MagdalenaDistrict.
of S t r e a m s , published.
d. Groundwater 8 Bulletin, A Study of Groundwaterin
Union
County,
published.
e. Groundwater 9 Bulletin,Study
of Groundwaterin'Quay
County,
published.
(5) "To examine the topography and physical features
of the
..
state with reference to their'practicar. bearing upon the
. .
occupation of the people."
a. . Topog'raphic.:mapping assibtaricki has .beerr given tlie:USGS.
b. Memoir 18 by Ruhe,listedunder
(4) i s c a r r y i n g . out this
objective as well fulfilling item four above.
c.
Bulletin81,
a summary of theMineralResources
aillo,Sandoval,andSanta
of Bern-
F e ' Counties,andtheseveralother
areasurveyslistedindepartmentactivitiesandinabstracts
.,of','publications in. this report fulfill this directive and directive
(4) above.
d. Many of thestudies
and . r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t s t h a t a r e o n - g o i n g ,
studyingthepaleontology,mineralogy,..).
in fulfillment of this directive.
a r e a s of t h e s t a t e a r e
(6) "To studymining,
m d geology of selected
I
milling,smeltingoperations
special reference to their improvement.
'I
...
with
.
110
a. P r a c t i c a l l y a l l of thework
of the Metallurgy section report-
ed herein. is directed toward finding better methods
oreor
.of refining
obtaining-valuesfrommining,milling,andsmelting
operations.
b. Thefollowingpublicat.ions,
directive: Circular
f i l l this
and others,specifically
86, Study of Precipitation of Copper on
89, ChemicalInterpretation
IronfromAcid:Solutions.Circular
$0, C o r r -
of'surfacePhenomenainSilicateMinerals.Circular
elationbetweensurfacephenomenaandflotationsilicates.
(7) 'tlTo prepareandpublishbulletins
necessaryillustrations
and reports with the
and maps which shall embrace
general and detailed descriptions
both
of n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s ,
geology,
an3mines,mineraldeposits,etc.
a.Practicallyallpublications
thisdirective.
by theBureau
arecarrying
out
...
(8) "To makequalitativeexaminations
of rocksandmineral
samples and specimens.
D r . Edward C. Bingler, a s s i s t e d by graduatestudents,hadthis
pkase of theBureauworkassigned
a s m e of his major under-
takings. X - r a y andspectrographicanalysisarerun,
('in'the:various'sectionsconcerned.
Dr.
Binglerresigned
geology a t SouthDakotaSchoolonMinesinApgust
work is now underthedirection
of D r .
if n e c e s s a r y ,
to t e a c h
1967; the
Robert H. Weber.
.
(9) "TO assist in theeducation
continuing i n t h e f o r m
of m i n e r s and prospectors through
of assistance' to mining companies, pro-
Qeologists,.ConsultingGeologistsand
Mining Engineers.These
( I O ) "'To consider such other kindred scientific .and economic
Regents shall be deemed of valuetothepeople
Mining,etc.
. . andto
s e r v ea s
of theState.
I'
a bureau of exchangeandin-
formationinthemineral,oil,andnaturalgasresources.
W o r k underthisdirectiveisexemplifiedbysuchactivities.?as
described for thepetroleumsection,microfilming
A E C uraniumlocationrecords
andhaving
..
andcopying
themavailable
for
,
112
rockfragmentation
andtheeffects
of thunderstorms on
detonation of explosives.Thisinformationistransmitted
tointerestedcompaniessuchasSandiaCorporation
..
for
specificapplication.TheBureaufurnishesspeakerswheneverrequestedtocommunicateinformation
r>.&
on geology,
mining,etc.tointerestedgroups.
(12) "To cooperate withtheUniversity
Mine Inspectors andwith
of New Mexico,State'
other departments
(of Stateand
.
Federal Government).
..
as may
be mutuallybeneficial.
.
'I
Manystudieshavebeenundertakenandreportspublishedin
cooperationwithState
In thearea
.
and Federalgovernmentagencies.
of cooperation with variousorganizations,the
Bureauhasfurnishedspeakers,editingservice;andresearch
s e r v i c e .T h e s e . i n s t a n c e s
67 are listed in the section
Activities.
1966-
of cooperationduringtheyear
of this .report on, Cooperative
...
. .
Ceramics
of the
WilliamHawks,CeramicsEngineer,wasincharge
studies of clayandshale,theceramicslaboratoryandtheloc-
. .
ation of possiblesitesforobtainingceramicmaterialsin
Mexico,forsuchproductsastableware,bricks,electrical
insulators,soilandsewerpipes,etc.
Mr. Hawks'resigned
New
'
in
113
September 1966, toaccept
a jobwithindustryandhasnot
beenreplaced.Someworkhasbeendoneonceramicsby.
. ..
Mr.RoyFoster,AssociatePetroleumGeologist.
A Supnested Program to
Industriesin
AidDevelopment
New Mexico,by
of the Mineral
A. J. Thompson
Mineral resources are a.major factor contributing to the
economicgrowth
tion.in
of NewMexico.
TheState's
mineral produc-
1966 had a' value of 8 4 4 ' m i l l i o n d o l l a r s .
mineralproducers
i ne x c e s s
OE this amount
paid directly fnto the state and county
of 70 milliondo.llars.Indirectrevenues
tre;suries
would a&i
significantlytothistotal.Thesefunds
now provide a' l a r g e s h a r e
of therevenuederiiredforthesupport
of the state's schooland
governmentalactivities.
...
.
.
P r e s e n t Status of State-Supported Mineral Industry Field Activities
.With Recommendations
TheStateBureau
is bystatute
of MinesandMineralResources
responsible for such studies and programs in
the mineral industry
field as will serve best to develop the state's mineral potential,
as this inturn.wil1bestservetheinterest
the Bureau of Mines also
is charged with
of its people.Slowever,
a wide variety of.
ser-
viceworkwhich,undertheappropriationsnormallyprovided,
g r e a t l y limits othereffortsthatshouldbeexerted
to extendand
114
improve the development and utilization
of the state's minerhl
wealth.
TheStateBureau
of Mineswithwhatfunds
term r e s e a r c h i n miningand
supportedbothlongrangeandshort
metallurgy.Because
a r ea v a i l a b l eh a s
of thelargeexpendituresthatarerequired
the state mightnotbejustifiedinextensiveexplorationwork.
Nevertheless,thestatecandothingsthat
'
would encourageothers
activelyandextensivelytoexploreformineraldeposits.The
BuTeau has endeavored to create interest in mineral development
in New Mexicobythepublication
mineralized areas and
of geologic reports
of bulletinscoveringthe
of potentially
known m i n e r a l r e -
s o u r c e s of the counties which appear to offer the best prospects
forfuturemineraldevelopment,Because
agetodate
of limitedfundsthecover-
is f a rf r o mc o m p l e t e .
fundsshould
It is suggestedthatadequate
be providedtoaccomplishthefollowingactivitiesover
thenextfive-yearperiod.
TheBureau
sevencounties,
has publishedbulletinsonthemineralresources
A surveyshould
of
be undertakenandreportsissued
ontheremainingtwenty-five.
Reports have been prepared on
a number of mineral commodities
but a g r e a td e a lm o r es u c hr e p o r t ss h o k l d
specialinterest,
a s seeninthelight
studiesonuranium,silver,gold,rareearths,,
be forthcoming.
of presentknowledge;
Of
are
mica, strippable-
coal,andbuildingmaterials(includingclays,silicia,'andsand
.
andgravel).
Geologyandgroundwaterreportshavebeencompletedfor
tencounties.There
is aneverincreasingneedforsuchre-
portsthatcoverthe.
whole 'state. The
expandedtoincludeinformation
new studiesshould
be
on thegeologicunderground
s t r u c t u r e as it r e l a t e s both t o r e s e r v o i r s ' a n d r e s e r v e s .of liquid
f u e l s as wellaswater.Reports
' .of eachcounty would beof
on thepetroleumpossibilities
aid to .petroleum exploration.
'
.
.
art and,science
Therehave.beentremendousadvancesin'the
.
of geophysicalprospectinginrecentyears.Importantfinds'being
made with the aid
of 'geophysical methods attest to the increasing
.
. .
.effectiveness of the methods.., It
geophysical surveys
the most promise
is proposed that the State support
of t h e a r e a s
in the State that appear to offer
of havingsubsurfacemineralemplacements..
T h e ' p r o g r a m shouldcompriseairborneelectromagnetic,magnetic,
andradiometricsurveys.In'somecasesgeochemicalgroundsurveysshould
I t is' suggested
be madetosupplementthe,records,
that the initial work
be i n . a r e a s w h e r e t h e
bulk of the land
owned by theState,sincethegreatestfinancialgain
would be forthcomingfrbm
These studies
to theState
new discoveriesmadeontheselands.
of the water and mineral resources
t i e s and of commoditiesavailableintheState
withthegeophysicalsurveys,
for mineral information.
is
of thecoun-
a s a whole,together
would helptosatisfyexistingdemands
By providing an 'account
'of the quality
and
.
~
e
1 li.
e
extent df the known and' estimated mineral occurewes in the
v a r i o u sa r e a s
of New Mexico,and
geologicguidestopotentially
b y pro.viding scientificand
new deposits,thesestudies
would
this state.
be a greatstimulanttofurthermineraldevelopmentin
It is anticipated that to complete this program
inthecourse
i nt h eo r d e r
onlyabout
of a five-year period
of fieldstudies
would require an expenditure
of $ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e r year.This
0. 06 percent of thevalue
is anamountequalto
of, s t a t e ' s a n n u a l m i n e r a l
production.Itseemsreasonabletobelievethatappropriations
so provided would yield r e t u r n s far ,out of proportion to the. amount
.
,
invested.
A relatively short period is proposed for studies to reveal the
natureandextent
of the state's mineral wealth because much
be gained by havingsuchinformationavailable.
soon.
k e t s a r e often a determiningfactorintheexploitation
is to
Because marof some
commodities,mineraldevelopmentsinoneareaoftenpreclude
delaydevelopmentsinadjoiningareas.This
thatcanapply,on
lostmarkets
a
statewidebasis.
or
is a consideration
NewMexico
in the past has
which it mighthavehad,bothwithinandwithoutthe
state, because other ,areas have been ahead
of supplies t o m e e t commoditydemands
of 'it in the development
as they occur.
117
PresentStatus
of Laboratory Research
In the past as potentially fruitful areas
uncovered,eitheras
of r e s e a r c h havebeen
a result of theBureau's
o r a s a r e s u l t of fieldstudies
own fieldstudies.
by others,appropriatelaboratory
.investigationshavebeeninitiated.Theextentandbreadth
.
of t h em a j o ra r e a s
of the
by the staff andfunds
researchcovered,however,hasbeenlimited
available.Some
in which theystateBureau
,Mines now is supportinglongrangeandshortterm.studiesare
follows.
'
of
as
. .
(1) theuse
of conventionalbeneficationprocessesforthere-
':. covery of variousmetallicandnonmetallicminerals
found inthe
State;
(2) the application
of new chemical and metallurgical techniques
+o' m i n e r a l r e c o v e r y
( 3 ) the possibility
pro,ce;ss.esi now in u s e o r under..cohsid&ation;
of economic recovery
of r a r e r m e t a l s
mineralconstituentsfromundevelopeddeposits
o r minor
known tocontain
them, o r from dumps and tailings that have .resulted:from past
miningoperations;
(4)methodsandtechnologythatmight
be applicable to'the ex-
. t r a c t i o n of m e t a l s by chemical-mining of oresinplace,including
a study of theapplication
of nucle.ar energy to prepare tlie ore
for in-place leaching; and
(5) an overall' evaluation
dustry development.
of the State's potential for ceramic in-
P r o p e a l f o r . Expanded Research in the Mineral Industry Field
A major area
of r e s e a r c h i n whichwork
todateisinthefield
of fuels.
ha.s not b,een done
NewMexico
top. s t a t e s in thenationinfuelresources
ranksamongthe
andshould
be actively
engaged i nr e s e a r c hr e l a t i n gt ot h e i ru t i l i z a t i o n .V a r i o u sp h a s e s
of f u e l r e s e a r c h in which the Bureau should undertake studies are:.
.
( 1 ) carbonizationanddecomposition
of the kinds and quantities
'Mexicocoalsareheated
(2) theutilization
of coal,including
o f ' products.'that are formed
.
a study
whenNew
by variousmeans;
of low-gradefuels
in t h e ' m i n e~.r a l .p r o c e s s i n g
.
of New Mexico o r e s : o r intthe manufacture' of such products as,
paper
cement,
pulp, o r glass;
( 3 ) in-place production
(4.) theupg,rading
. ...
of g a s . f r o m coal;
of low-gradecoals;
, .
(5) the upgrading. of low-grade uranium. ores;
( 6 ) t h e low temperature carbonization
i n a fluidized bed, to produceusefulyields
powdered c'aar' whichcould
.. . .
of sub-bitumin'ous.y:coals
of tars alongwith
a
be useful in large-scale furnaces and
powerplants;
(tT),%hesynthesis of organiccompoundsfromnaturalgas;
(8) the formation
of water soluable . humic-:acids by the oxidation
of . c o a l s a n d c h a r s ; .
(9) the recovery
from natural gas;
...
of 'by2products such
as helium adcarbon
dioxide
enoughdevelopmentworkhasbeendonetoindicatesomecommercial possibilities.
Nonmetallic
(1) production of high purity silica
for glass manufacture;.
(2) production of high purity feldspar for
(3) theexpanding
buildingblock
glass manufacture;
oi. bloating c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of New Mexico
m a t e r i a l i n New Mexico;
(5) methods of improvingroadaggregatematerial;
(8) theoccurrenceandutilization
and landscape rock
(1) basic study
of roof rock,shinglinggranules,
in New b e x i c o .
on t h e ' g e n e s i s of o r e deposits;'
120
(4) upgrading of taconiteandotherlow-gradeironores;
(5) beneficiation of low-grademanganeseores;
(6) the recovery
of titanium andcolumbiumfromsandstone
deposits in northern
(7) therecovery
New Mexico;
of copperfromlow-gradecoppersilicate
o r e s ; and
(8) theupgrading
of submarginal uranium ores to bring them
into a commercialrange.
PromisingFields
( 1 ) the use
of P r o c e s s R e s e a r c h
of :ultrasonic or electrical vibration for jigging
or
,dispersion;
( 2 ) theuse
of bacteria in the concentration
of o r e s ;
(3) application of flotation to problems in other industries;
t o metalrecovery;
(4) electrodialysisasapplied
( 5 ) theuse
of dutchcyclone
a s a means of concentratingfine
o r e s ; and
(6) theapplication
of vacuum magnetic levitation to metal re-
fining.
.
Thesuccessfulconc.lusion
of an investigation in any
,of laboratory research could make
.
.
S t a t e ' s economy.Otherareas
doubtwill
marketchanges.
of these lines
a significantcontributiontothe
of investigationnotnoted
be forthcoming a s m o r e b e c o m e s
mineralpotential,
.
h e r e no
known of: the State's
and a s technologyadvancesandtheneeds
of the
..
,
121
A r e a s of Joint Field and Lab'okatory Research
Inthefield
of ore-reserve development the Bureau has con-
templated a .research program directed towards improving explorationtechniques.Althoughactualfield-drillingandexploration
workprobablycouldnot
be justified,someexpenditure
of State
funds on drilling and geophysics researah for the purpose
lowering exploration costs
would appear to
be a worthwhileand
a whole is emin-
pxoperstate-supportedactivity.TheInstituteas
a studywithitsstaffcomposed
entlyqualifiedtoundertakesuch
of a widevariety
of
.
of specialistsinphysics,geophysics,mathematics,
andmineraltechnology.Thetheoreticalandpracticalaspects
of
t h e . p r o b l e m could be jointlyandeffectivelypursued.Theeffort
would be directed toward the phases
of drilling-and other exploration
techniques that have the greatest bearing on
New .Mexico'sspecial
problems
..
and terrain.
. .
Inthefield
I
at t h e
of mining, theorgtical studies. have been made
Instituteontheapplication
techniques to the treatment
of hydrofractingandin-placeleaching
of deeply buried mineral deposits.
These studies offer promise
of greatly reducing the .overall-
c o s t s of e x t r a c t i n gm e t a l sf r o mc e r t a i nt y p e s
of ores.Theprin-
ciplesandtechniquesdevelopedshouldhaveapplicationalsoto
t r e a t m e n t of worked-outmines,wastedumps,andtailingpiles.
From the
standpoint of mineral conservation alone this line
investigationshould
be continued,and
on anexpanding
of
scale.
. ..
_"
I
e
a
Appropriations
In t h e . f i r s t p a r t of this r e p o r t it was proposed that
yearprogram
be initiatedtomake
a five-
a survey of thecommodity
r e s o u r c e s . of New:sMekico and complete county reports on mineral
andwaterresources.Anannualappropriation
'
.
y e a r was,
sugge,sted.
Theotherphases
.
.
of $500,000 p e r
of state-financed activities in support
mineraldevelopmentin
New Mexicoshould
basis, as ' p a r t of the normal work
NewMexicoBureau
be on a continued
now being performed
by t h e
of ,MinesandMineralResources.Thepurely
informational and service activities
of Bureau appropriations to
.would require an expenditure
It is believedthattheaugmentation
of around $300,000 annually.
a level on t h e o r d e r . of one million
dollarsperyeartoincorporateactivitiesin
id this r e p o r t is morethanjustified.
which the surveys were
for the -Bureau
,of
all the phases mention&
F o r thefiveyearsduring
beingconductedthetotalappropriations
would be around oneandone-halfmilliondollars
annually.
Toc aid in the proper. expenditure
t h a t a committee'composed
andthestategovernment
of representatives of t h e m i n e r a l i n d u s t r i e s
all p r o g r a m s p,ropoeed by t h e
o r a r e a s of activity that
Bureau and consider any other programs
m a y be suggestedtothem.Such
,
, ;.
,
.
. ! ,.
,
.
This com-
be appointed by thegovernor.
m i t t e e would review and approve
L%.
it is recommended
of such funds
..
,
?
a committeeshouldservethepur..
.
>
.<.:!
.
.. ..
.
. ..
. I
:i I
I
:.
.
123
pose of insuring maximum economy and effectiveness in carryingoutthisstate-supportedwork.
In conclusion it should be pointedoutthatthestatehas
special'interestin
minerallandsin
its m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s . O n e - s i x t h
NewMexico
of the
a r e owned by thestate.
.
.' ? ?
virtue of this ownership the state recjejes
a
By
.
dollars each year in revenue in the form
around 30 million
of bonuses,royaLties,
A few
andrentalsfromthosewho,leasethestate-owned'lands.
percent increase in revenue .from
this source alone
than .justify the expenditures proposed in
,.
"
would m o r e
this report.
124
AnnualReport,1967-68
by Frank E. Kottlowski,ActingDirector
' B u r e a u of MinesandMineralResources
Althoughestablishedin
activeuntilthelate
1927, theBureauwasonlyspcradica1j.y
E. CarterAndersonbecamedirector
in 1945.
a n effective
During his four-year term, Mr.Andersonbeganbuilding
Bureau of Mines.
His s u c e s s o ri n
1949, Eugene,Callaghan,contin-
ued this expansion, initiating many geological and mineral' resosrces
projectsandincreasingtheprofessionalstaffto17earthscientists.
Alvin J. Thompsonwasappointeddirectbrin
1957.He
-diversified
,
theactivities
of theBureau,instituting
chemicalanalysissection,
.
a largemetallurgicaland
a s well a s continuing a b r o a dm i n e r a l
resourcesandgeologicprogram.
By 1957, theBureauhadpublished41bulletins
reflecting the results
and 42circulars,
of its first 29 y e a r s of scientific work.
Thompsonencouragedcompletion
of pendingandpublication
~
Mr.
of additional.
mineralresources,geological,andmetallurgicalreports.During
his t e r m a s d i r e c t o r , 49bulletins,
p o r t s ,5 1
20 m e m o i r s , 5 ground-water re-
circulars, 5 scenictripsguidebooks,and
. .4
r e s o u r c e sa n d
I25
.'
Brigham Young University
Continuedstudy
of theOrdoviciancephalopods
in p a r t by a NSF granttothatinstitution.
of Utah,.supported
Thecephalopods
of theIbexregion
a r e being describedhere(Flower).
CarcusChemicalCompany
Evaluation of potassium permanganate
.
in flotation of sulfide-'minerals
(Met. section),
Federal Bar Association
Preparedthe
1968 AnnualMeeting
of 'iheCommittee
11160acrelimitationonwateruseinFederal
NationalDeputyChairman,Committee
on the topic of
Land Law",
on Mines,Minerals,
served as
and.
Natural.Resources.(Bertholf).
Review of variouspubliclands
laws.
Review of Commission matters.
Con+ersion of property data to uniform digitized law descriptions
(with W. K. Summers).
' .
Digitization of thegeography-geologyfor
New Mexico(Eertholf
and graduatestudents).
..
. .
Application of the doctrine
of waste and the 'duty
of the sovereign
t o manage resources efficiently and effectively (Bertholf).
NationalDeputyChairman(Eertholf).Termcompleted
Nov.1967.
New MexicoChapterinco-operationwithStateBureau
of Mines
published'Zater
Law Atlas.(Bertholf).
Geological Society of American
Cochairmancoalgeologydivision.TechnicalsessionsatNovember
land-statusreportswereissued..TheseBureaureportsserve
standardreferencematerialson
as
New Mexico'smineralresources
and are widelyusedbythemineralindustry.
Duringhisdistinguishedcareer
metallurgicalindustries,
of s e r v i c e t o
the miningand
a s chairman of NewMexico:. Techls depart. .
a s d i r e c t o r of theBureau,Mr.
ment of miningandmetallurgy,and
Thompsonpersonnallywrotesome17publishedreports,including
threeonsilver,lead,andzincdeposits
Mr.. Thompson has served on
MexicoMiningAssociation
o f that organization.
theCentral
the Board of Directors of the New
f o r twentyyearsandwas
He helpedestablishand
New MexicoSection
he has been chairman
of NewMexico.
of AIME.
a past president
i s a p a s t chairman of
For the pasteight'years,
of t h e New Mexico Mining Safety Advisory Com-
mittee.
Administration
.Besidesprojectplanningandguidance,thedirector
of theBureau
i s responsible f o r supervisingtechnicalwork,budgetarymanagement
of funds,andsupervisingpersonnel.
formationtothepublic
He acted in
.
by phoneand
Thedirectoralsoprovidedinl e t t e r andpersonalconferences..
an advisory capacity to the metallurgy. section in projects.
involvingextractivemetallurgy.
.Specialactivitiesduringthe
ontheBoard
~.
repok't periodincluded
of Directors of the NewMexicoMining
a directorship .
Associationand
127
chairmanship of the New Mexico Mining SafetyAdvisoryCouncil,
Association of theStateGeologists,
of t h e New Mexico1nstitut.e
Theassistantdirector
and theExecutiveCommittee
of Miningand
Technology.
of theBureau,inadditiontohisduties
. a s economicgeologist,servedasadviserforgeologic.projects,
supervisedtechnicalediting
relations,answeringmail
,
.
'
of publications,andassistedinpublic
and personalinquiries.
...
Museum
The Bmreau maintains a museum of geologicalandmineralogical
specimens f o r general use, consisting
of m o r e , t h a n 10,000 specimens
fTom all overtheworld.Recentexhibitgifts
haveallowed
us tosetup
Themuseum
is intheBureau
tothe'public,and
by Standard Oil; Company
a display of petroleumgeology
wing of theResearchBuilding,
is maintainedby
D r . RobertWeberand
A travellingdisplay
shown atthestatemeeting
of GemClubsatDemingin'May
b y LornaGoebel,
i s 'open
Dr.
Jacques
of t h e s e m i n e r a l s w a s
Renault withstudenthelp.
Theexhibitdesigned
andrefining.
1968.
a graduatestudent,
won t h i r d
p r i z e in thecompetition.RonaldRiese,anothergraduatestudent,
supervises the permanent displays.
Bureau Projects
One half to one t h i r d of theBureau'sworkconsists
thevariousparts
of s e r v i c e t o
of New Mexico'smineralexplorationanddevelopment
128
industry.Scientificinvestigations
by theBureau'sprofessionalstaff
of rocks o r of metallurgical
membersrangefromfundamentalstudies
and chemical properties
of ores through direct applied. projects that
aid in finding new mineral deposits.
.
'
to contract work for individual
developmentandproducingcompanies.
Theprojectsaredividedintothreegroupsaccordingtotheirmajor
.
.
emphases: (1) geologyand
istry,and
m i n e r a lr e s o u r c e s ,
(2) metallurgy 'and-chem-
( 3 ) miningandeconomics.Bureaufunds
a r e dividedamong
.
42:46:12,
t h e s et h r e eg r o u p s ' i nt h ea p p r o p r i a t er a t i o
.
respectively.The
m a j o r i t y of published reports made available to the general public conc e r n s geologyandmineralresources.
Many of t h er e s u l t s
pr'ojectsinmetallurgy,chemistry,mining,
a . specificore
and economics
of r e s e a r c h
apply
only
. to
.
o r minestudied;therefore,thesereportsaresubmitted
onlytothecompany
...
o r individualinvolved.
Go-operativeProjects
The Bureau is required
by law toco-operatewithtlib:University
NewMexico,theStateMineInspector,andotherdepartments
stateandfederalgovernments,"asmay
Following i s a {partiaglisting,
of
.of the
be mutuallybeneficial.."
by agency, of theactivities
Bureau in. co-operation with other organizations:
American Association for the Advancement
of Science
Chairman of the symposium on border stratigraphy in El Paso late
of the
.
129
April
(Kottlowski),
American Association of Petrqleum Geologists
Service on the
HighwayGeoIogical
Reviewed paperssubmitted
Map Committee (Foster).
f o r bulletin(Foster).
for Central New Mexico,
AssociateEditor,DistrictRepresentatike
StandardStratigraphicComputer
Coding Committee,Stratigraphic
. DistrictRepresentative;
CorrelationsCommittee(Kottlowski).
June 1968-70 (Bieberman).
Ame'rican Chemical Society
Chairman-elect of the c e n t r a l New Mexico ,section of.t h e A m e r i c a n
Chemical Society (Reynolds).
American CommisBion on Stratigraphic Nomenclature
V i c e - c h a i r m a n and Secretary:(Kottlowski).
American Institute
of Mining Engineers
Chairman,Council
of SectionDelegates(Bhappu).
Chairman,WasteDisposalCommittee(Bhappu).
P r o g r a mC h a i r m a n ,
SolQtionMiningCommittee(Bhappu).
Vice-chairman,.HydrometallurgyCommittee(Bhappu).
Studentpaperawardscommittee(member)(Bhappu).
American Institute
of Professional Geologists
(New MexicoSection)
Service as president.(Kottlowski),
Atomic Energy Commission
.
.
P r o p o s a l f o r control of radonintheundergroundenvironment.(Foster).
\
130
.
1967 ~ e e t i n g . Cochairman,proparationforsymposium
on coal
be held at GSA 1968 meetingin
r e s o u r c e s of theAmericasto
MexicoCity.(Kottlowski),
Geological Survey
of Canada
Cephalopodidentificationanddescription,withattendanceageindication.
o n cephalopods of theSilurian
A largework
is finished,and.to
Baylowland
thecephalopods
be publishedthis
fall.
Another,on
Head formation L. Winnipeg was com-
of theCat
pleted last November.Similarwork
of LakeTimiskaming
of t h e . J a m e s
on theOrdbvicianCephalopods
is inprogress.(Flower),
Geological Survey of Indiana
Identification and description
of Silurian .cephalopods
of Noirthern
Indiana
(Flower),
Governor'sOffice
Member of Governor'Cargo's Committee
(Kottlowski).
.
..
3
.
> -
.,
I
I
~
.:. . .
Assisted with the interium report
I
.
,
on EconomicDevelopment
L
of the Governor's 'Committee
reorganization o f . stategovernment.CompletedDecember.
on
1967. (Bertholf),
IdeaConference.
On mineral resources and development held at
May 2 and 3,
'
1968.
Sponsored by theBureauand
New MexicoTech,
New MexicoTech
Research
Foundation
(Foster,
Kottlowski,
File,
Willard),
Jemez Valley
HighSchool
Workedwithhighschoolscience
retation of water chemistry data for
chss in the collection and interphot s p r i n g s . ( S u m m e r s ) ,
131
Museum of NewMexico
Identification of minerals in archeological materials and determination of probablesources.(Weber),
Molybdenum Corporation
of A m e r i c a
Recovery $f barium and strontium from bastnaesite ore.
Determination of molydenumand
rare e a r t h s byX-rayfluarescene&
sponsored by Molycorp.(Renault),
. .
By-'fJroductsrecoveryfromQuestatailings.(Met.section).
Narodni.Museum
v Praze .
Attherequest
the revision
'
of this institution, cooperative work was initiated on
of the Paleozoic cephalopods
of the Bohemian,basin.
An extensive conference and discussion on this matter was interrup.t$d
by the Russianinvasion
of CzekoslovakiaonAugust
resumed unless workers
in that country
sivecorrespondencewith
a capitalist.
NewMexicoInstitute
. .. .
21; it willbe
do not 'dare enter into exten-
of Mining andTechnology
Pr.oposa1forstudy
of radoncontrolintheunderground
environment(AEC)(Foster).
. . . Geologicalinformationforgeophysicalstudiesin
'
the San
Agustin Plains (Foster).
Review of various proposals and papers' (Foster).
New Mexico Tech Research Foundation-Shell Project on hydrocarbon
oils as flotationreagentsandpreparation
asphaltinesandcarbonblacks.(Bhappu),
of a c t i v a t e d p r o d u c t s f r o m
e
.
132
e
Moroccancopperoreproject(Bhappu).
Nickel anklysis and extraction from lateretic ores from Guatemala
(.Bhappu).
. . . SupervisingthreePh.D.theses
Chairman,Off-campus
andone
M. S. theAi$. (Bhappu).
)
Coop EducationCommittee;graduatecouncil
(Bhappu).
...
Go-chairman of MayIdeaConference
on IiAineral Resources
(Kottlowski),
Teaching of electricalengineering
andsurveyingcourses.,(Misaqi),
Teaching of graduatemining,geology,andground-waterhydrology
courses. !Se'rviceon
doctoral committee; proctoring, one master's
thesis:ex
thedoctoralcommittee
officio'on
.
McLeroy,
.
LehighUniversity;
New MexicoTechResearchFoundation,trustee,
CorporateSecretary,
andon
theexecutivecommittee;Vice-president
forFinance(Bertholf).
ExhibitforState
of D.F;
NMEA Convention.
. .
Assistpublicrelationsdepartment
(File).
. .
New Mexico .Academy of Science
EditingandpublishingtheAcademy
I'
of Science.Bulletin,two
issues
annually(File);PublicRelationsCommitteeChairman(File).
NewMexico
Mining Association
'
P r e p a r a t i o n of a handboot< for high school. counselors
oriented jobs in
Science(File).
on science-
New Mexico in co2operation with the Academy
of
'.
.
_.
133
NewMexicoGeologicalSocietq
RegistrationChairman,Fall.FieldTripOctober,
Society-Tresurer,startingMay
1967 (Bieberman).
1968 (Bieberman).
Cochairman of CaravanCommittee(Summers).
FallFieldConference(Summers).
Cochairman of SpringMeetingandSanAndresSyinposium(Summers
.
.
New Mexico Mapping Advisory Committee
P r e p a r a t i o n of 'annual.-reportsforrecommendationsfortopographic
mapping. ,(Weber).,
NewMexicoWaterResourcesInstitute
.
Evaluation project started on the role
thedevelopment
of thehydrologiccycle'in
of the
of the WhiteSandsandthedetermination
..
origin of thegypsumthere.(Summers),
Paleo-IndianInstitute,Eastern
New MexicoUniversity
Co-operative project on'geology
.
and archeology of theMockingbird
.
GapSite(Weber).Pleistocenegeology
Muerto.
A fieldstudysupported
Pleistocene history
P i m a MiningCompany
of NorthernJornadodel
by laboratoryinvestigations
of northern Jornado -(Weber)..
'
Removal of copperfrom'molybdeniteconcentrates.(Met.section).
Rocky Mountain Mineral
Law 'Foundation
Editingservices(Bertholf).
SandiaCorporation
P y r o m e t r i c coneequivalenttestsonselectedsoils
(Foster).
of late
'i34
e
TeachingengineeringgeologyCourseforTechResearchFoundation
(Foster').Kottlowski,Weber).
Geologicconsultation
on theNevadaTestSite(Kottlowski,withWeber
andFoster).
Shell Chemical Company
P r e p a r a t i o n of activated products from asphaltenes and carbon
State Department
black.
of Development
Revision of Ghost Town maps(Arnold,File).
Publicmeetingsandconferenceswork(Bertholf).
StateEngineer'sOffice
Variouswater-qualitymatters,includingSteveReynold'sparticipation
inthe
FBANationalWaterQualitySeminar.(Berthoif).
State Department
of Finance and Administration
to reorganize, the state computer center
Several working meetings
and to selectthesenior
staff forsame(Bertholf).
State LandOffice
PublicHearingstodeveloprulesandregulationsfordevelopment
.
of 1966 (Bertholf).
landsunderthegeothermalact
of
StatePlanningOffice
Continuingparticipationinthestate-resourcesdevelopmentplan(Bertholf).
StateScienceFair
I
A s s i s t a n cien
1,
.
judging,
1'
I.:
8 , .
..
8
'.
. .
. :.
,
,
1
.
. ..,'I;
..
Academy of Sciencearrangements(File)
and registrationsupervision
(Reynolds).
:
..~
V
i
, .
UnitedNations
Organization of a seminar on .hydrometallurgjr.(Bhappu).
UniversityCouncilonWaterResources
.
De,legatetothecouncil,representing
New MexicoInstitute
ofMining
and
Technology.
(Bertholf),
University of NewMexico
P r e p a r a t i o n of r e f e r e n c e s e t s
types for use
and descriptivedefinition
of lithic
of students in thedepartmentoofanthropology(Weber).
University of Texas at- El P a s o
Review of proposal (Foster). Paper on Precambrian'
in Franklin
..
Mountains ( F o s t e r ) .
U.S. F o r e s tS e r v i c e
Assisted in training project
.. .
f o r engineers on wells'and geology
of
w-ells (Summers).
Identificationandinterpretation
andevaluation
of minerals, rocks,
andores(Weber).
U. S. Geological Survey
Interpretation of infrared .imagery of the Anima's Valley HotSpot,
HidalgoCounty,NewMexico
(Summers).
Co-operative work with geologists on geologic problems in
New
Mexico(Weber).
Cephalopodidentification,withresulting.indications
.
collections in process
Seaward Peninsula
of age.Significant
.
of study a r e f r o m s e v e r a l h o r i z o n s i n ' t h e
of Alaska (two finished), extensive material from
135
..
136
Utah,Nevada,
New Mexico,and
a largecollectionfromthe
Ordovician of Kentucky,withnumerousminorcollections.(Flower).
U.S.
GeologicalSurveyand
U.S.
Bureau of Mines
Consultationservices.(Bertholf).
U. S. D e a r t m e n t of Health,Education,,andWelfare
PublicHealthService,Studiesinfluoridecontent
U.S.
of water.
Bureau of Health,Education,andWelfare(PublicHealth),
Co-operation on testing methods for water qualities
and analysis(Reynolds).
U.S. Department of theInterior
Supervision of work of t r a n s f e r r i n g of m i n e r e c o r d s f r o m m i c r o f i l m
t oc a r d s( F i l e ) .
U.:S.
Bureau of Land Management
Continuation o f ,miningrecordsproject.
Workonmininglawcompilation
(File).
U.S. Bureau of Mines
Identificationandinterpretationandvaluation
of minerals,.rocks,
and
ores(Weber).
U. S. National. Museum
Identification, study,. and description
'
of cephalopods as requested (Flower);
U. S. RegionalSolicitor'sOffice
Requestsansweredforinformation
on mineraljurisprudence(Bertholf).
VolunteersforInternationalTechnicalAssistanceInc.
(VITA),
Solutionsfor-varioustechnicalproblemssubmittedthroughVITA
(Bhappu).
WaterConference
Advisory
committee
(Bertholf),
. .
Water ResourcesInstitute
New MexicoWaterResourcesInstitute,
New MexicoStateUniversity,
Univ.. of N. M., and NMIMT R e s e a r c h andDevelopment.Division.
.
.,
.of.waterresour+k..bf
thk. ~ e & s R.iv.iver Valley::.' ( S u ~ m G r s ) ,
\:
Weather-Control Commission
Chairman.
(Bertholf),
.
Study
138
AnnualReport,1968-69
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,ActingDirector
TO:
Board of Regents
HonorableStirling
.
'
30 June 1969
A. Colgate,President
Members of t h e New MexicoLegislature
Board of Educational Finance
Taxpayers of New- Mexico
'I havethehonor
of transmittin
:o you t kL
e
annual r e p o r t of
the New Mexico Bureau of MinesandMineralResourcesforthe
yearJuly
1, 1968 t oJ u n e
30, 1969 a s required by Section 3, Chap-
t e r 115, of theEighthStateLegislaturesessionlaws,approved
M a r c h 4, 1927.
Duringtheyear,39projectswerecompleted,
reports published including revisions
16 projectswereinitiated,modernization
24 technical
of thoseinpopulardemand,
of ourfieldvehiclefleet
w a s begunandadditionallaboratoryequipmentwasprocured,
technical talks werepresented
at scientificmeetings,and
11.
10 tech-
nicalpaperswerepublishedinoutsidescientificjournals.Information
I
concerningexplorationanddevelopment
resourceswasgivenduring
sonnel,in
of New Mexico's mineral
3235 visits by outsidetechnicalper-
4740 l e t t e r s , a n d
by 2790 phone calls.
'
.
Sales of o u r
technicalpublications,pricedatonlypublicationcosts,totaled
about $16,500.
Morethan
officials,libraries,
7700 copieswerealsosent
and otherscientificagencies.
A s e a r c h by the President for
a new d i r e c t o r f r o m o u t s i d e
New Mexico,thatlastedfromthelast
thefirst
half o f . F Y 1967-68 through
10 months. of F Y 1968-69, .culminatedwiththeappointment,
effectiveJuly
1, 1969, of Prof. Don H. B a k e r , . Jr., an:eminent
metallurgist from
Wakerloo University and the U.S:
Much.staff time wasspent
and Graduatedivisions,insuperon New Mexico Techcommittees.
visingstudenttheses,and'serving
Bureaustaffmembersalsoservedas0fficer.s
mitteesformanyoutsidescientific
TheBoard
andonnumerouscom-
and professionalorganizations.
of EducationalFinancerecommended
in appropriation f o r the Bureau for
therisingcost
in available funds precluded filling
4.,7'7'~ i n c r e a s ei n
of embloyingstudents,thisdecrease
of 3 professional staff vacancies
f o r a miningengineer,;.?nconomicgeologist,
Despite' some difficulties,
a 3.5% i n c r e a s e
F Y 1969-70;theLegislatureapproved
a 2.3o/c increase.Thiscontrastswiththenational
Alongwith
Bureau of Mines.
on Tech Researeh Foundation projects,
teachingcoursesfortheCollege
costs.
t O state
and a c e r a m i s t .
we haveaccomplished&uchduringthe
”
7
”
and
to you.
Respectfullysubmitted,
F r a n k E. Kottlowski
Acting
Director
. ..., , .
,%
. .
Metallurgy
..
..
. . . Themetallurgicalsection,composed
of Bhappu, Johnson, and!.
in variousaspects
Smithwithnumerousstudents,conductsstudies
extractivemetallurgyandprovidestechnicalassistance
request it.
of
.to those who
.
...
Much emphasis during the year’was
agentsthatmight
on b a s i c r e s e a r c h
be useful in chemical mining, analyses using x-ray
florescence and x-raydiffraction,extraction
strontium and barium,extraction
of rhenium,separation
of nickel,leaching
sulfatesolutions,andtheleaching
projects were partly supported
NewMexico
of copperore.dumps.
of f e r r o u s
Many of the
by contractswithindividualcompanies
TechResearchFoundation.Theseinclude
u s e of potassiumpermanganateinflotation
of by-productvalue
of
of u r a n i u m o r e s ,
testing of alcoholfrothers,oxjdecopperleaching,oxidation
o r throughthe
of leaching
fromQuestatailings,
of sulfideminera.ls,recovery
HannaMining
Co. copperleach
studies,OccidentalMineralsleachtests,Kennecotttailingsleachstudies,
DotsonMineralsCorp.slagtests,
U.S.
Smelting & Refiningthiosulfate
e
141
dumpleachtests,Winstongold-silvertests,Kerr-McGeeCorp.
uraniumdumpleachtests,
CopperRange
Co.
andleaching
of the New Mexico Tech Research
Bhappu spentmuchtimeobtainingcontracts.forthe
Foundation.Most
of theworkdesired
appliedmetallurgicalproblems,to
utilizingBureau
ores for
...
A s Vice-president for Research
Foundation,Dr.
of oxidecopper
is basicscientificstudies
or
be doneintheBureau's.laboratory,
a '25% to 1 0 0 7 ~overhead
andCollegepersonnel,with
...
chargetotheFoundation.
Pers0mre.L. Changes
On the recommendation of thepresident,theBoard
May 5 , 1969, appointed Prof. Don H.
BureaueffectiveJuly
1, 1969.
Baker,
Forthepast
Jr.,
of Regentson
as Director of the
two years,hehasbeen
d i r e c t o r of extractive metallurgy in the chemical engineering depart' m e n t of the-University of Waterloo,Ontario,Canada.Prof.Baker
r e c e i v e dh i s
wellas
B. S. and M.S.
degreesinMetallurgicalEngineering,as
a ProfessionalEngineeringdegree,fromtheUniversity
Arizona,was
a researchmetallurgistforAmericanSmelting
Company at t h e i r Haydenoperations,
physicalscientistforthe
U.S.
of
& Refining
and a research metallurgist and
Bureau of MinesinBoulderCityand
Reno,Nevada,andWashington
D. C.
O u rE d i t o r ,M i s sT e r i
Ray,resignedin
A p r i l '1969, movingto
Phoenix,Arizona.DuringhersixyearswiththeBureau,sheedited
.e
142
andguidedthroughthepressmorethan
A.
100 publications.
LePlatt,ourBusinessOfficesecretaryincharge
of publication
L. Lake; secretaryforthePetroleumGeology
sales,andMrs.Linda
1969.
Section,bothresignedinMay
LindaSueWilksandMrs.
Dr.Roshan
B.
Theywerereplaced
DonnaMae
1969. He willserve
a year'ssab-
UNESCO a t Middle E a s t
Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, helping ,to set
with theBureau
by theTechResearch'Foundation
beginning o f theyear,Mrs.Myrtie
valuedemployeefor
Herexperienceandknowledge
M. Edgar,Director's
15 years,resigned
of theBureau'sactivities
andher'cheerfulattitudeweregreatlyappreciated
staff.Hercompetentreplacement,Mrs.
September ,1968.
...
Roman,Research
1969, hastakenoverRoshan'sduties.
andtheCollegeDivisionsinceMay
S e c r e t a r ya n d
up p r o g r a m s
J.
fortheirmetallurgicaldepartment.Dr.Ronald
Metallurgist,shared
by Mrs.
Peckenpaugh,respectively.
Bhappu, SeniorMetallurgist,began
baticalleaveinJune
Atthe
Mrs. Cheryl
owing todisability.
and personnel,
by the entire Bureau
Jo Drake, began herdutiesin
143
AnnualReport,,1969-70
by Don H.
Baker, Jr.,, Director
. .
SomePublicServicesAvailable
at the Bureau
1. Mineralogicd identification of rock and o r e s a m p l e s f r o m
New
Mexico.
2.
Makeavailableforpublic.usecuttingsfrom
.
oil wells,aswell
.
as electric,radioactive,sonic,
and othertypes
of welllogs.
3 . Make availableup-to-datecountypetroreumexplorationmaps.
4. Assist,throughconferences,geologists,miningengineers,prospectors,landowners,rockhounds,andothers
by providinggeologic
andminingengineeringinformationnecessary
for exploration.
.
5. Provide -speakers for technical
.
andnontechnicaltalkstogroups
interestedinmineralresources,exploration,and.rocksand
mine.rals.
6. MaintainsalesofficeforBureaupublicationsincludingscenic
guidebookstoselectedareas,aswell
otherpublications
that are related to
7.
as topegraphicmapsand
of Federalagenciesandscientificorganizations
New Mexico's mineral resources
and.geology.
P e r f o r m f e a s i b i l i t y and amecnabilitymetallurgicalandbeneficiation
t e s t s of mineralizedsamples.
..
I44
i.
8. Confer
on
and
assist
in
the
development
\
of chemical and metal-
N e w Mexicoininingproperties.
lurgicalflowsheets'.fbr
9. Maintain a public mineral museum that has
botheducational.and
research 'functions.
10. Sponsoroccasionalpublicandprofessionalmeetingstodissemiliate
newinformationabout
New Mexico m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
andgeology.
AnnualReport
one of evaluation,reorientation,'andchange.
This.yearhasbeen
function.:
TheBureauis
a technicalorganizationwhosemission
to servetheminefalsindustry
'
of our
w a s inthephilosophy
The first major reorientation evoked
of theState,toadvise
StateagenciesandFederalagencies,.
themineralsandfuelscommunities
andto
is
and a s s i s t o t h e r
aid.intheeducation
and thepublic
of
by dissemination
of technical and semitechnical information and data.
To accomplish this required that the-
theState,attendsectional
and subsectionalprofessionalmeetings
the industry, and meet with directors
In these activities
staff' travel extensively within
and staffs- of vari.msStateagencies.
to
we haveemphasizedourwillingnessanddesire
assist, without regardforpolitics,
of
in anytechnicalfieldwherethe
5
Bureauhastheexpertise.TheBureauhasaggrensivelysearchedfor
waystoexpand,enhance,anddisseminateknowledgeabout
New Mexico
and its mineral resources.
Because of the diversity
of the Bureau's programs and
of its contacts
.
.
145
it was
with numerous industrial and governmental organizations,
feltthatprivateconsulting
by staffmembers--even
could easilylead.toconflicts
hibits'privateconsulting
outsidev'theState-.-
of interest.Bureaupolicy
now pro-
by thestaffinanyform.Thelegislature
a g r e e d withthispolicyandallowedanextrasalaryincrementfor
the'elimination of privateconsulting,effectiveJuly
1,. 1970.
philosophy of theBureauisthatgeology,treatment
and extraction
techniquesformineralandfuelresources,
are 'not constrained
and environmentalproblems
by politicalboundariesand,therefore,
and its solution that have possible application within
will be examined regardless
The
a' problem
New Mexico
of theirgeographiclocation.
that
ThestaffhasevaluatedtheBureau'spcojectsand,programs
have beenunderinvestigationforsometime
promptcompletion
morerapidly
and hasprovidedfor
of some,redirectedotherstoproduceinformation
andeffectively,andterminatedsomethatlacked
a .potential
forsignificantresults.Also,supportforsomeoutsideprojectshas
. .
beeneliminatedbecausetheyfailedtoproducepublishableresults.
These were 'preliminary steps in the development
program that
of a long-range
will systematically cover the State with geological maps
and resource-potential. studies.
TheBureauhasbeenexpandingitseffortstoadvise
and assist
operators, particulary the smaller ones, in the solution of. chemical
andmetallurgicalproblems.Althoughtherehavebeen;andwill
continuetobe,jointprojects
with themajorcompaniestodevelop
146
new o r improved extraction methods
with minimal ecological. side
.
effects,thesmall-mineoperator
receivethemostdire.ctmetallurgicalhelp.
assistance will
.
is receiving and will continueto
Blendedwith
...
direct
be a p r o g r a m of engineering and theoretical research.
Therestructuringandmodification
has been made possible because
given the Director
ified.budget,and.
of the cooperation and .support
by the President
MiningandTechnology
of theBureau'sphilosophy
of New MexicoInstitute
of
i n presenting a realistic, appropriateiy just-
by the action
of t h e Board of Regents in establishing
a d e g r e e of autonomy for the Bureau in
its dealings with the industry.
In support of theBureau'sphilosophyforthecomingdecade,the
.
emphasis of theprogramsingeology,
minerA1 r e s o u r c e s , and strat-
igraphy has focusedonresource-orientedgeologicmapping,applied
r e s e a r c h , an-d
cooperativeprojectswithState
and F e d e r a l a g e n c i e s
andwithindividuals.
Theproblemsassociatedwithpollution
receivedanincreasingamount
of our environment have
of attention by thestaff.TheBureau
sponsored a symposium on mill-tailingswaste.
Staff m e m b e r sa t -
tendedandparticipatedinseveraleducational.programsaimed
better understanding
Theservices
at
and engineering to offsiit: environmental problems.
of theBureauhavebeenmadeavailabletolocaland
Stategovernmententitiesforadviceconcerninggeologicalproblems
associatedwithwastedisposal,TheDirectorhasbeenmade
b e r of the U.S. SolidWasteLiaisonCommittee.
stabilization techniques is in preparation under
a memA bibliography of
our sponsorship.
,.
147
e
A major cooperative project .initiated this year was the deter-
mination of theSanJuanBasin'slow-sulfurstrippablecoaldeposits
in cooperation with the National
'
.
andtheFederalBureau
A i r Pollution Control Administration
of Mines.
Although
not
a cooperativepro-
gram,theBureaucontractedwiththeState
LandOffice
the minerals
land in e a s t - c e n t r a l New
M.exico.
and fuelpotential
of t h e t r u s t
toevaluate
...
Thebuildingmaterials-resourcesgroup,.reestablishedinJanuary,
has contributed information
on potential clay .resources. to private in-
dustryandgovernment,includingthe
mission andthe
'
Four 'CornersDevelopmentCom-
U. S. ForestService.Theyhaveevaluated.pitchstone
(perlite) deposits and limestones from the southwestern section
State.
of t h e
...
Chemical and metallurgical research has continued in the areas
mineralbeneficiation,
columnleaching),
utions.Development
of
hydrometallurgy,(in-situ leachingandheap
or
and c h e m i s t r y of mineral reactions with leach solof computerprograms
and modelsto
assist in
projection of e n g i n e e r i n g d e s i g n s h a v e a l s o b e e n c a r r i e d f o r w a r d a s '
exemplified by "LargeFlotationCells-Selection
andNumber,
'I
published by RomaninJune
Our laboratorieshavecontinuedtodevelop
of t h e P r o p e r S i z e
1970 Mining.CongressJournal.
new or improvedtechniques
. .
for more rapid and accurate sample analyses and have cooperated with
. .
various company ,laboratories in developing
and ,establishing'analytical
techniquesandprocedures.Thelaboratoriesparticipatedin
a program
...
1.48
of theAnalyticalReferenceServicetoevaluate
oldandnew
of waterandwasteanalysis.Undertheprogram,morethan
metEiods
100
participants run various assays; the data are .then collected and
analyzed,andeachparticipant
is notified of theresults.TheBureau
. participated. in three separate studies during the past year.
Donations of analytical instruments have further expanded
laboratories'capabilities.ChevronResearchCompany
meter that greatly enhanced interpretations
'films.The
probe,which
. .
our
ga.ve a densito-
of emission-spectrograph
New MexicoTechResearch.Foundationdonateaanelectron
now makes possible precise matrix analyses;
the
. .
samples
analyzed
were
historic
copper
slags
from.the
.pre-Roman
era.
first
...
149
AnnualReport,1970-71
by Don H. Baker, J r . , Director
AnnualReport
Mosteveryonein
New Mexicobecameaware
of environmental
problems this year.TheBureaucontinued--evenexpanded--its
attention
€0
environmental problems
in connectioa with the develop-
in
m e n t of our mineralresources.Thisactivitywasexemplified
severalways,rangingfromsponsorship
of meetingstopresenting
testimonyandpublishinginformationonsurfaceminingprocedures.
TheBureausponsored
a meetingbetweenlegislatorsandmineral
i n d u s t r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s t o promote better understanding
lems andthemethodsindustryisusingtosolvethem.
of the prob-
.Staff m e m b e r s
testified at numerous State and Federal agency hearings on various
a s p e c t s of theenvironmentandthepossibleeffects
of suggestedcon-
trolsandregulations.
Technical activities
of the Bureau were directed toward increasing
our knowledge of the earth's structure and the more efficient extraction
of its mineralwealth,
with seriousconcernforeconomicconsiderations
a s weli as maximumprotectionandimprovement
of theenvironment.
150
Theseeffortsarelistedintheprojectsunderway
and projectscom-
pleted.
Early in the fiscal year
a Director's Advisory Committee was
appointed t o assisttheBureauinselectingprogramsbest
needs of theStateandthemineralindustry,
fittcng the
yet retaining impartiality
in dispensing technical information and advice as may
be appropriate
anduponrequest!Thoseselectedtoserveare:Henry
S. Birdseye
(Board of Regents, NewMexico
Technology),
Institute of Miningand
William F. Darmitzel(miningindustries),WalterFamariss,
(petroleumindustry),William
W. Grant(coalindustry),RalphStucky
(WaterResourcesResearchInstitute),
(AmericanInstitute
JJr.
and Sherman A. Wengerd
of PetroleumGeologists).
This committeehas
figured importantly in establishing project priorities and in reviewing
operatingprocedures.
Thelast
of therecommendations
of the 1968 "BlueRibbon"
wereimplemented.Thiswastheminimization
committee
of dualappointments
of
professional staff betweentheCollegeDivisionandtheBureau,,and,
theemployment
of collegestaffforspecificsummerandoff-termpro-
jects.Otherrecommendations,alreadyimplemented,were:
(1) Principal objective
of the Bureau
'the s t a t e ' s m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s
is investigating :and evaluating
withemphasisonaid
to exploration
and.economicevaluation.
( 2 ) Industrialresearchcontractsmustincreaseour
knowledgeand
. .
(
benefitall,,
)
'
with theresultspublished.Consulting,even
staff waseliminatedbecause
outsidethestate,..byBureau
of possibleconflict
of i n t e r e s t and possible detirment
the minerals industry
(3)Thedirection
I
15 1
of
. .
.of New .Mexico.
of gradua'te.'research
programs by Bureau .
. .
staff,andthehiring
of studentstoworkinthelabor,ztories
..
whereverfeasiblewascontinued.
To c r e a t e a n ' a w a r e n e s s
,and understanding.of NewMexicominera-1
r e s o u r c e s , a "Mineralmobile"'wasconstructedfor,
scienceprograms
'
andby
use i ns c h o o e
l arth
variouscivicorganizat.%ons
This3-sidedtrailerexhibitsmorethan
in thestate.
100 mineraland.rockspec-
imens;alongwith-maps,photographs,.andbrochuresillustratingour
miningandfuelindustries,TheBureaufsMineralogicalMuseumalso
aidsconsiderablyin:establishingknowledge,
wereconductedfor
of minerals.Guidedtours
37 schoolandspecialgroups.
In m e m o r y of Tech .
student Wayne Seagriff, Mr. andMrs.Seagriffdonatedtheirson's
mineral collection to the museum.
To provide versatility and to. assure perman$0
availability, all Bureaupublicationsare
Diazo prints
of the microfiche 'can
'
documentation and
now availableonmicrofiche.
. .
be obtained.from the Publications
Office.'Byusingthissystkm,.librariesandcompanies.can
t a i n a completeset
of Bureaupublicationsinlimitedspace.
now main-
...
.
.
, .
152
DistinguishedVisitingLecturer
TheBureauco-sponsored,withtheCollegeDivision,
Dr.JuneRapson-McGugan
a visit by
of theCanadianGeologicalSurvey,to
p r e s e n t a shortintensivecourseinsedimentarypetrology
as consultant to Bureau staff andgraduatestudents.
Metaliwrgi-caland
...
and s e r v e
...
Chemical Research
Tech'sIdeaConferencethis.year,
ExtractionTechnology,"wasattended
industry
and
government
agenbies.
"In PlaceLeachingand
by 70 representatives of
,. ,. ,.
. .
' '
.
.
. .
.
Annual'Report,
.
1971-7.2
..
..
by Don H.
Baker, .Jr., Director
Rapid economic change. imposes
tions, particulary those suppokted
,
upon all instituby the taxpayer,
newfunctionsandresponsibilities,anddiminishes
oi. enhancestheimportance
'
8
of old ones..
Failure
t o respondtosuchchangingprioritiesmakesan
.
institutionlesseffectiveorevenobsolete.The
'
Bureau's first duty is t op e r f o r mi t sm i s s i o n .w i t h
effectiveness.
maximum
.
.
,
--Alex.
.
Introduction
.
. . . Highlights
.
of theyearincludedBureauparticipationwiththe
(EarthResourcesTechnologySatellite)program,
to house the
.in the ERTS-A
and a newbuilding
New Mexico L i b r a r y of Subsurface Data.
A 'm i n e r a lc o l l e c t i o nr e p r e s e n t i n g
wasdonated
.
Nicholson
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
.
.
worldwide. v a r i e t i e s of tourmaline
to the Bureau mineralogical museum
by P a l a P r o p e r t i e s
1:
e
e
International,Fallbrook,California.Thecollection,
than $2,800,
valued a tm o r e
includesspecimensfromAustralia,Mozambique,
Rhod-
esia,California,BajaCalifornia,andBrazil.
The30thStateLegislaturepassed
which
a coalsurfaceminingact
established a seven-man commission to formulate and administer
regulations for reclamation of coal strip-mining areas.
. Members of t h ec o m m i s s i o na r eL a r r y
Don H. Baker, J r . ,
vironmentalImprovementAgency,chairman;
d i r e c t o r , NewMexicoStateBureau
:
J. Gordon,director,En-
of MinesandMineralResources;
Ladd S. Gordon,director,StateDept.
Fish; A.
B.
of Gameand
'
Fleming,
c h a i r m a n of theSoilandWaterConservationCommittee;PhilipLeyend e c k e r ,d i r e c t o r
of theAgriculturalExperimentStation,
StateUniversity;
S.E.
New Mexico
J. Armijo,
Reynolds,stateengineer;andAlex
commissioner of publiclands.
in thecartographiclaboratory,enabling
A vacuumframewasadded
of about 4 0 manhoursperfull-colorgeologic'map,and
thesaving
allowingpreparation
$50 instead of the $300 r a t e
. .. .
previouslypaid.
'
of color procfs at'
I
Industrial Rocks and Mineral (Nonmetals)
. . .A
cooperativeprojecthasbeenestablishedwiththeTuscaloosa,
Alabama,Laboratory
of the Federal Bureau
f r o mn u m e r o u sa r e a si n
of Minestotestclays
New Mexico.Thesetests.
will provideup-to-
..
:
dateclayevaluationswithoutcosttotheState.
'
~.
..
-
~
-
,
~
.
~
~
~
~
~
.-
~
~
. ':-:-"'
.'.
~
155
AnnualReport,1972-73
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,ActingDirector
TO:
16, 1973
Board November
of Regents
HonorableStirling
<,._.I
I:
!.,
A. Golgate,President
.
'..
..'I
.
.
c
,
,.:::*.
Board .of Educational 'Finance
Members of 'the New Mexico Legislature
I have the hdnor
of transmitting to
you' the Annual Report.of
for the.
t h e New Mexico Bureau of MinesandMineralResources
f i s c a ly e a rJ u l y .
1, 1972, toJune30,
1973, as required by Section
3 , Chapter 115, of theEighthStateLegislaturesessionslaws,approvedMarch
4, 1927.
lrhroughout most
theBoard
...
of the fiscal year,
~
all positfans authorized
latter p a r t
of gducationalFinancewerefilled.Duringthe
of the periodandcontinuingintothe
first 2 months of f i s c a l y e a r
74, deathsandresignationsreducedtheprofessional
TheDirector,
fectiveinJuly
1973, tobecomeSupervisingMetallurgistfor
. .
headed by Dr.Robert
1973-
staff by 35 percent.
Mr. Don H. Baker, J r . , resignedinlateJune
Bureau of MinesinBoulderCity,Nevada.
by
1973, eft%e U.S.
A six-membercommittee,
H. Weber, is now processingapplicationsfor
thisvacancy.
TheBoard
of Educational Finance recommended an increase
of 4.65 percentintheBureau'sappropriationfor
74.
fiscal year 1973-
Thiscontrastedwiththenationalincreaseincosts
cent.Annualsalaries
o f 7 . 4p e r -
for Bureauprofessionalstaffwereabout
$1,200 below comparitivecollegesalaries,
and about $4,000 l e s s
than comparative federal salaries.
Overall support
of theBureau.
by theBoard
o f Regentsandthe
P r e s i d e n t of Tech,theLegislature,thetaxpayers,andthemine.ra1
i n d u s t r y is appreciated.Inturn,ourtechnicalserviceandresearch
has helped develop
of New Mexico.
the billion-dollar mineral industry
Respectfully submitted,
FrankE.Kottlowski
Acting Director
A t l a sP r o g r a m
The"Energy
Crisis" will be mostapparentthiswinter
a long,,:coldspell,resultinginshortages
o t h e re n e r g ym a t e r i a l s .
are merely the
and gas
of naturalgas,fueloil,and
But t h ed w h d l i n gr e s e r v e s
of e n e r g yr e s o u r c e s
visible t i p of the iceberg; the present shortage
is the forerunner
of oil
of s c a r c i t y of m a n y m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s .
Highlymechanizedsocietycannotfunction
with'out the many metals and
industrialrocksandminerals,andenergymaterials.Inasmuch
w.
1. ,
i f t h e r e is
as the
e
major 'statutory duty
R e s o u r c e s is toaid
of the New MexicoBureau
.
.
of 'Mines and Mineral
i n findingandwiselydevelopingthestate'smineral
resources,theEureaushouldplay
a keyroleinsolvinganticipated
mineralresourceproblems.
A unifiedapproachsuggestedtotheLegidaturelastyearwasthe
Atlas Program.The'mainthrust
..
of this p r o g r a m is toprovidestatewide
. .
e s t i m a t e s of ' r e s e r v e s of individual mineral resources- including strippablecoal,fluorspar,anduranium.Afterexaminingmajormineral
.
commodities,keyresourceareaswill
the Bureau's
Speedingup
appropriation is deemedurgent.
of
b e studiedindetailsMost
ongoing projects already
the Atias. Program.
.
f i t naturally ,icrithin the scope
of
the program. with a. .special 7-year
When completed,thisprogramwill
provide New Mexico with inventory data
f o r properly managing. its
minerals.
Components of t h e A t l a s P r o g r a m a r e :
,
:Ii;
Energyresources-oil
11.
lv,Vjter ' r e s o u r c e s
and g a s , coal,uranium,geothermal,
111. Metallicores"gold;.silver,copper-lead-zinc,manganese,
molybdenum,iron,andvanadium
!VI. Industrialrocks
and minerals--gypsum-salt,potash,.stone,
cement,
sand-gravel,
clay,
pumice-perlite,
fluorspar,
.
mica,
.
and'gemstones
V.
,
Geophysicalmapping--airbornemagnetometer,gravity,
seismic
.
.
and
.
VI. Mining d i s t r i c t s mapping
VII. Geologic-mineralresourcesmapping
of k e y a r e a s
VIII. Environmental-geologichazardmapping
of u r b a n a r e a s
Most of o u r present geologic-mineral resources projects,, and
those
planned
for f i s c ayl e a r
1973-74, aredesignedto
the
fit.
AtlasProgram.
Metallurgy
...
Currentmetallurgicalprojects:
Brierley--1)Use
of high-temperature,molybdenite-leachingmicro-
organisms, 2 ) effect of ironoxidantonbacteria,3)extraction
.of
copperfromsulfideoresusingthermophilicmicroorganisms,
4)
theoretical study to support practical studies on microbial copper
leaching
Plouf-1) Small-scale characterization
of leachability of copperoxide
o r e s , 2 ) small-scaleCharacterization
.
s.
1 sulfideores,3)sulfideleaching,
vironmentalequilibriumstudy,
Roman--1)Study
of leachability of copper
4) metalion.extraction,
6) claychlorination
. .
of physicalandchemicalvariablesinheapleaching
withemphasisontheireconomicsignificance
and scale-up, 2 )
dissolution of copperconcentrates,alternatives
. .
,5) en-
copper.smelting,
.
to conventional
3) open-pitminingsequence(ProgressReport.
'
S),
4) use 'of dynamic programming for determining mine-mill productionschedules,,
.
5) computerprogram
evaluation of a mineraldeposit(Circular
for Monte Carloeconomic
137), 6) computersim-
159
ulation of fluidflow
i n a leachdump
of heap, 7) optimization
of dumpandheapleaching
. .
Benner-1) Hydrometallurgical
app1icatio.n to NewMexico
o r e s and
concentrates.
AnalyticalTesting
Analyticallaborato2iesattheBureauare
equippedtoperformex-
tensivechemical,mineralogical,andp’etrologicinvestigations.Chemical
analyses, bothqualitativeandqua*tative,
a r ep e r f o r m e d
by t h ec l a s s i c a l
wetchemicalandopticalspectrographicprocedures,aswell
atomic
a s by
absorption,x-ray,andelectronmicroprobespecGmetry.
PrimarilytheiaboratoryservestheBureau,College,
Capabilitiesincludeanalyzing
water, ores,concentrates,geological
ples,andleachliquidsforthecommonelements
or parameters.
methods of a n a l y s i s a n d s o m e b a s i c r e s e a r c h a r e
permits.Mineralogical
and R&D divisions.
samNew
conducted as t i m e
and petrologiCinvestigations arefacilitatedby
x-ray diffraction facilities
and the newly installed Henry Birdseye
petrologiclaboratory.
The x-ray fluorescence facility features
is utilizedfornon-destructiveanalysis
silicates.Morethan
and
of rockmaterials,primari,ly,
1 2 , 0 0 0 analyseswereprovidedincooperation
with New MexicoTech,University
Texas at E l P a s o .
a vacuum spectrograph
of New Mexico,andUniversity
.
of
.
Non-destructivemicroanalysesareprovided
by a n e l e c t r o n m i c r o -
160
0'
0
probe.TheBureau'smicroprobe
chemical analyses
is, capable of securingquanitative
on solid materials over areas
.
as small a s .a, few
.
m i c r o n s in diameter.Composistionalprofilesalsocan
be obtained'
$or study of inhomogeneitieswithspecialresolution
...
of a fewmicrons.
..
. ..
-sa
,...;
~
.;:.
.~,
'
C,,L',,..*
.,..
.I
~
.
I
.
,
~
;
~
-
~
.
~
~
~
~
;
~
~
?
~
,:;;:;fm:F:w
~
~
~
~
:
-
161
e
e
AnnualReport,1973-74
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,Director
.
To:
Governor
The
of New Mexico,
December
and
New MexicoTechBoard
I have the honor
'
f i s c a ly e a rJ u l y
of Regents
of transmitting to
t h e New MexicoBureau
1974
12,
you the Annual Report
.of
of Mines & Mineral' Resources for the
1, '1973toJune
30,
1974, a sr e q u i r e d
by Section
3 , Chapter 115, of t h e Eighth StateLegislaturesessionslaws,approvedMarch
4, 1927;
Duringthefiscalyear,
15 talks werepresented
28 newtechnic21reportswerepublished,
by
at scientificmeetings,and13papers
'.
Bureau staff andconsultantswerepublishedinscientificjournals.
Informationconcerningexploration,development,andconservation
of
New Mexico's mineral resources was disseminated in 5,670 letters,
in 4,210
phone calls, and i n 3 , 120 visitor- conferences in Bureau offices.
Sales of publications, priced'
More than
at about' cost. of printing,, totaled .$27,453.
8, 200 publications w-ere distributed to state 'officials, libraries,
andscientificagencies.
In addition,about45,000brochuresdescribing
,
.
'
.
\
I
.
thegeologyandresources
of theState'sparksweregivenoutin
cooperationwiththeState
park andRecreationCommission.
Resignationsanddeathsduringthe
last fewmonths
of t h e p r e -
,.
vious fiscal yearandthe
reduced the professional
first 2 months of the present fiscal year
staff by35
year the Bureau'wasagain
percent, but 'bv rthe end
of the
..
at authorizedstrength.
Don H.
nation of theBureau'sdirector,
an"actingdirectorwasappointed,while
headedby
Dr.
who hadbeenserving
Upon theresig-
Baker, Jr., in July 1973,
a six-membercommittee
Robert H. Webersearchedfor
4 F e b r u a r y 1974theBoard
TheBoard
<
a new d i r e c t o r . ,0 . n
of Regentsappointedthepresent'Director,
as actingdirector.
of Educational Finance recommended an increase
of 4 . 2
percentintheBureau'sappro.priationfornextfiscalyear.Salaries
forprofessional
staff wereabout
$1,200 below comparativecollege
s a l a r i e s , o r about$4,000lessthancomparativefederal
However,extraraisesgrantedbytheBoard
broughtBureausalaries.evenwithcollegesalaries.
salaries.
of RegentsinOctober
...
Respectfully submitted,
F r a n k E. Kottlowski,Director
'.-
163
NewMexicoLibrary
of SubsurfaceData
Duringtheyear
the totalnumber
226 s e t s of drillingsamples
of s e t s o n
were.electricandothertypes
hand to morethan
w.ereadded,bringing
9,000.
Alsoacquired
of mechanicallogsfrom1,236wells,
in addition to 1,225 well records from drilling operations during the
fiscalyear.
A collection of 138, 179 s c o u t , c a r d s f r o m w e l l s d r i l l e d s i n c e
in southea.stern New MexicoandwestTexaswasdonated
P. Holmes of Hobbs.
In cooperation
by Mr.Howard
'
with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
ResearchCommitteeandthe
informationon
1948
U.S.
GeologicalSurvey,
the Bureauprovided
New Mexico f o r a computerprojectinvolvingextensive
compilation of data and preparation
ingthedistribution
of a wall map
of N o r t h A m e r i c a show-
of all oilandgasfieldsandrelatedtectonicelements.
SymposiumonBaseMetalsandFluorspar,byCharles
Basemetaldistricts
E. Chapin
of New Mexicoandfluorsparhighlighted
3-daysymposiumheldMay
theBureauandtheNew
22-25 oncampus,andcosponsoredby
Mexico GeologicalSociety.Twenty-six
' p a p e r s w i t h 46 a u t h o r s w e r e p r e s e n t e d t o m o r e t h a n
fromthroughouttheUnited
300 attendees
States. Dr.SpencerTitley,University,
Arizona,gavethekeynoteaddressThenatureandsignificance
pyrometasomaticalteration
outstanding*es&se
a
of someCordilleranoredeposits.The
t o thesymposiumwasduetotheboominmineral
of
of
164
explorationbeingexperienced
by New Mextco:
Realization is spread-
with enormous
ing that New Mexico. is a relatively unexplored state
mineral potentizl and
a variety of significant geologic:.and m i n e r a l
r e s e a r c hp r o j e c t si n s t i t u t e ds i n c e
1970(12 papersrepresentedprojects
supported by the Bureau).
TheconferencecommitteewaschairedbyCharles.
McAnulty,
University of T e x a s a t
p a r t of theprogram.
Chapin.
El Paso,organizedthefluorspar.
a day-longfield
The: symposiumconcludedwith
t r i p t o the Magdalena area lead by Chapin.The
to the crest
I80 participantstraveled
a c a r a v a n of 48
of the Magdalena range at North Baldy in
four-wheel-drivevehicles.
W.N.
Two otherstopsweremadetoexaminethe
newly recognized Permian section
at
the nokthern
end of theMagdalena
range and the Cat Mountain mining district.
Onthedaybeforethesymposium,theBureaureleasedopen-file
geologicmapscoveringabout
300 square mi1e.s of theMagdalenaarea
( p r e p a r e d by C i E . Chapin,R.B.Blakestad,
J.E. Bruning, D.M.
R. M.
Chamberlin, D.A.
W.H.
Wilkinson). A compositestratigraphiccolumnand
s t r u c t u r em a p
Krewedl.
Simon,and
a generalized
of the Magdalena areawereincluded,In.addition,open-
file geologicandgeochemicalmaps
inHildagoOounty,preparedby'R.
A.K.
W. T. Sie.mers, D.
B.
Brown,
of theCentralPeloncilloMountains
B. C a r t e r , M.
A r m s t r o n g o f the U. S. GeologicalSurvey(in
withtheBureau),wereavailableforreview.
L. Silberman,and
a cooperativeproject
165
.
.
AnnualReport,1974-75
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,Director
To:
Board of Regents
President
and
October 1, 1975
of
New Mexico Institute of Mining andTechnology
Governor of New Mexico
I have the honor
of transmitting to
July 1, 1974 to June 30,
of theEighth
of ' t h e
of Mines & Mineral Resources for the fiscal year
New MexicoBureau
'
you the Annual Report
1975, a sr e q u i r e d
by Section 3, Chapter 115,
New MexicoLegislaturesessionslaws,approvedMarch
4, 1927.
During the fiscal year
theBureau,
21 newtechnicalreportswerepublished
1 2 talks werepresentedatscientificmeetings,and
by
35
p a p e r s by Bureaustaffandconsultantswerepublishedin.scientificand.
minerklresourcesjournals.Informationconcerningexploration,devel.
opment,andconservation
.
in 6955 letters,in
totaled$32,550.Morethan
.
.-
.
.
4560 telephonecalls,andin
in Bureauoffices.Sales
;. .
.
of New Mexico'smineralresources..wasprovided
of publications,pr;ced
3520 visitorconferences
a t aboutcost
8, 5 0 0 publications, were distributed
of printing,
to state
166.
officials,libraries,
and scientificagencies.
Resignationsanddeathshadreducedprofessionalstaff
by 35 percent
during the previous fiscal year; addition
of 7 new members during
1974-75,however,restoredprofessional
staff tofullstrengtli.The
Board of EducationalFinance
and the New MexicoLegislatureclosely
followedtheRegents'recommendationsfor
a 6-percent increase in the
Bureau's budget for the 1975-76 fiscal year,andallowedsala.ry'adjust-
ments to keep competitive
DuringMay
'
1975, m o s t of theBureau
constructedsouthwest
inthe
wiPi State ,agencib.s..
staff movedintothenewly.
wing of WorkmanResearchCenter.Totalspace
new facility is m o r e .'than 10,000 square feet,
3,500squarefeet
ks theBureaugave
a netgain
up 6 , 5 0 0 s q u a r e f e e t
of
of its p r e -
viousfloorspace.
Respectfullysubmitted,
Frank E. Kottlowski
Director
1.67
a
'
'
AnnualReport,1975-76
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,Director
New MexicoLLibrary of Subsurface Data
Duringtheyear
168 sets of drillings.ampleswere
t h e t o t a l . num'ber of sets on hand
were electric- and other types
addition to
ad,ded,bringing
to m o r e . t h a n 9,400.
of mechanical logs from
1, 159 w e l l r e c o r d s f r o m
Also acquieed
958 wells, .in
It consists of s a m p l ed e s c r i p t i o n sf r o m
from
658 wells,plotted
s t r i p ' l o g s f r o m 2,783wells,3,282mechanicallogs,and19,857well
records--evaluated by theBureau
at $30,663.Mr.
collecEion t o the Bureau upon his retirement from
. .
'
.
dril1ing:)operations.
In October 1975 a specialcollection of recordswasacquired
NeilWills.
..
New Mexico as a geblogistandindependentoiloperator.
W i l l s donatedthis
a 50-year career in
...
AnnualReport,1976-77
by F r a n k E. Kottlowski,Director
TO: Board of Regents, New MexicoInstitute
J e r r y Apodaca,Governor
Secretary,Department
I havethehonor
MexicoBureau
of New Mexico
of Energy and Minerals
of transmitting to
you theAnnualReport
of the New
.
of MinesandMineralResourcesforthefiscalyear
. July 1, 1976 toJune
of theEighth
of Mining & Technology
30, 1977, as'required
by Section 3, Chapter 115,
New MexicoLegislaturesessionslaws,approvedMarch
4, 1927.
OnthatdatemorethanfiftyyearsagoGovernorRichard
.
signed'HouseBill
M i n e r a lR e s o u r c e s
226, "An Actestablishing
of theState
production has increased almost
a hundredfoldto$2.37billionin
475 r e p o r t s and mapsissued,
last 25 years.
a .Bureau of Minesand
of New'Mexico.Sincethen,mineral
The Bureau's role in that increased production
morethan
C. Dillon
1976.
.is suggested by the
85 percentpublishedinthe
e
a
In this golden anniversary year
Bureaudistributedmorethan
..
. .
..
of s e r v i c e and applied research the
18,000 technicalreports,.
andprovided
infarmationconcerningexploration,development,andconservation
7,700 l e t t e r s ,i n
t h es t a t e ' sm i n e r a lr e s o u r c e si n
inquiries,and.in
4,200 visitorconferences.Sales
priced at cost of printing, totaled
of
4 , 7 0 0 telephone
of publications,
$41,086. . More than
8 , 0 0 0 public.
.
.
ationsweredistributedwithoutchargetostateofficials,libraries,
andscientificagencies.
Professional staff wasatauthorizedstrength,with
a blend of new
employeesandseasonedveterans.Almosta.'fourth
of the staff h a s
s e r v e d New Mexico for more than
20 years: W i l l i a m Arnold,Robert
Bieberman,RichardChavez,Rousseau'Flower,RoyFoster,Frank
Kottlowski,andRobertWeber.
Today, as New Mexico surgesforwardtotheincreasedextraction
of
its m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e s - - p a r t i c u l a r l y e n e r g y m a t e r i a l s - - t h e t r e n d
of t h e
pastbecomestheprologue
is dedicatedto
of thefuture.Ourprogram
aid the State in wisely husbanding those resources.
..
Respectfullysubmitted,
F r a n k E. Kottlowski,
Director
170
RECOLLECTIONS
OF THE 1940’s AT THE NEWMEXICO
BUREAUOF
MINESAND MINERALRESOURCES
by Robert L. Bntes. ProfessarojGeo/ogy. Ohio Stale University
I was hired by C. E. Needhamandmoved
fromMidland to Socorro on
January I , 1941. At first I served halftime in the Department of Geology of the
School of Mines (as it was then called), but enrollment diminished during the
war, and on January 1 , 1944, I became a fulltime employee of the Bureau. I
served until July 31, 1947, under Needham,J. M. Kelly, R. H. Reece, A.D. Hahn,
and E. C. Anderson.
My recollections of the .Bureau center first around the job thatI was brought
there to do, namely build up the files of well logs and other subsurface data, thus
making the,Bureau of maximum use to the oil industry. This task turned out to
be altogether fascinating and rewarding. We established and maintained good
relations with all aspects of the industry-oil-company personnel, the
State Oil
and Gas Conservation Commission, the regulatory branch
of the U S . Geological
Survey, and numerous consultants and independent operators. The period was
one of intense activity in the industry, andvisitors were numerous. My diary says
as as
that on one day we had callers from Shell, Pure, and Standard of Texaswell
the American Smelting and Refining Company. Possibly the Standard of Texas
I remember, used to show up with his
man was the late John Emery Adams, who,
file of log strips neatly coiledon edge in an angel-food-cake pan. The exchange of
information was reciprocal; we received much cooperation from companies. An
expedition that I recall was made to Hobbs, where Cities Service gave us files of
cuttings on many Permian Basin wells. Among the more pleasant aspects of this
phase of the work were the stimulating discussions and arguments
we used to
have on all aspects of the regional geology.
Shortly after I arrived. Dr. Needham walked inta my officein Brown Hall with
a copy of Bulletin 9, The Oil and Gas Resources of New Mexico (Winchester,
1933). Placing this before me, he said “This isout of date and out ofprint. Revise
it.” This assignment resulted in the second edition of The Oil and Gas Resources
of New Mexico, Bulletin 18, 1942. Though my name is on the cover as compiler,
most of the field reports were written by others, chiefly from the oil industry. It
was a great experience to work with these people and to “get it all together” into
a 320-page report with a fat envelope of maps and sections. Probably there were
hangups and problems. butif so I don’t remember them; all22 contributors came
through as scheduled. and I’ve always been proud of the resulting bulletin. Those
were the days, I might point out, when we had a war to win, and the national
attitude was expressed in the words “Can
do!” (as contrasted with the present
day, when the watchword seems to be “No way”).
Preparation of Bulletin 18 introducedme to an activity that I recallwith
pleasure and gratitude: editorial work, which eventually involved Bulletins
la
through 29 and Circulars 8 through 14. In this work I came under the influence of
two excellent tutors. Sterling B. Talmage, professor of geology in the School of
Mines. had an eagle eye for jargon and lack of clarity in geological writing and
made clear to me many of the mysteries of expository prose; in addition, he
taughtme
how to use
howtoprepareamanuscriptfortheprinterand
171
0
.
..
proofreaders' marks: Fred Harvey, longtime manager of the University
of New
Mexico. Press, was a patient explainerof the publishing process and how you get
a typescript. into print a.nd a map into the pocket of a bulletin. Besides working
with these'gentlemec I collaborated with many authors and learned much about
subjects other than subsurface geology. Though editors and authors are supposed
to be natural enemies, I don't remember any hard feelings. Indeed, one grateful
author even presentedme with a nice lettering set, which
I still have.
Of course we also got into the field. Especially I recall working with Claude
Needham in trying to locate and describe usable type sectionsfor the Abo, Yeso,
Glorieta,andSanAndres,
and mappingtheGranQuiviraquadranglewith
Georges Vorbe of the School of Mines and Archie MacAlpin and Ralph Wilpolt
of the US. Geological Survey. When World War
I1 was over, we organized a
1945field trip to the Chupadera Mesa country and a 1946 trip to the Barker
Dome and Aztec Ruins region. Each of these had about 125 geologists, in more
than40cars,andrequired
a bit of organization.Mymemoryofthe
1946
expedition is vivid. I was in the lead on agravel road north of Farmington when
the battery fell out of my car and disintegrated in the dust. But the show went-on
and.a good timewas had by all.
Perhaps most clearly I remember the years 1941-47 in terms.of people: my
colleagues in the Bureau, especially E. C. Anderson, Donn Clippinger, Marian
Burks, and Dick Northup; U.S. Geological Survey personnel, including not only
MacAIpin andWilpoltbut
also Charles. B. Read, ErnestDobrovolny,John
Barnett, and Jack Frost; colleagues from Albuquerque, particularly Parry Reiche,
Stuart Northrop, and Vincent Kelley; members of the
Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission, especially Glenn Staley. Raymond Lamb, and Bill Macey; and the
scores of oil-industry geologists that helped make the New Mexico scene, and the
Bureau offices in particular, so lively and interesting. It wasa great time.
. .
172
SKETCH OF THE FIRST
FIFTY
YEARSOF THE
NEW MEXICOBUREAUOF MINESAND M I N E R A L RESOURCES
by Candace H. Merillat, Assislanl Editor
The fiftieth anniversary of theNew Mexico Bureau of Mines
and Mineral
Resources is thisyear, 1977. Originally designated a department of the New
MexicoSchoolofMines,theBureauwasestablished
by theNewMexico
Legislature on March 14, 1927. During the first 17 years, the Bureau’s director
was the president of the New Mexico School of Mines. In 1927 the first director,
E. H. Wells. and four other part-time employees comprised the entire Bureau
staff all were also employees of the School of Mines. The positions they filled in
the Bureau were:adirector,twogeologists,
a librarian-statistician,anda
stenographer. Projects that first year included: beginning a bibliography of New
Mexico geologic literature: starting field investigations in Taos, Rio Arriba,
and
SantaFeCounties,andtheMagdalenadistrict
of SocorroCounty;and
completing field investigations on deposits of mica, lithium, and fluorspar.
In July 1928 most of the Bureau’s records and library were destroyed by fire,
including the almost-completed report on mica and lithium. All notes and maps
for that report were lost, also. While insurance covered some
of the property
damage, information on the accomplishments for the Bureau’s first year was
forever lost. Second-year projects included expansion of the Magdalena district
field investigation, resuming workon the New Mexico bibliography (published in
1930 as Bulletin 5), and working with the New Mexico State Tax Commission in
its appraisal of state mining properties. Bulletin 4 was published in 1928-the
first
of the Bureau’s technical reports (Bulletins 1-3 were published-by the School of
of theNewMexicoMineralResourcesSurvey,priortothe
Minesaspart
establishment ofthe Bureau).
During the Bureau’s third year, the first full-time staff member,
S. G. Lasky,
was employed. Projects of the first two years were continued, and more new ones
were initiated. A report of these first three years was made to the Legislature in
the Bureau’s Circular 3, published in1931:
For the1931-46period, annual reportswerenotissued.Consequently,
our
knowledge of these years is limited;In 1939, after the suicide of Mr. Wells, C. E.
Needham became president of the School of Mines and director of the Bureau.
Dr. Needham resigned in 1942 and was replaced as directdr by John.”. Kelly,
then State Geologist (now a member of the Board of Regents governing New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology).Mr. Kelly’s appointment was on a
temporarybasis.
LaterthatyearRichard
H. Reecebecamepresidentand
director. In 1943 the first group of permanent full-timestaff members was hired.
In 1944 President Reece resigned as director of the Bureau, and Mr. Kelly was
reappointed director. Because he was also State Geologist, Mr. Kelly maintained
an office in Santa Fe, while the rest of the Bureau remained in Socorro-the only
time the director lived outside of
Socorro. Prior to this time the directorship of the
of the president of the New Mexico
Bureau had always been a part-time duty
School of Mines.
In January 1945 the Bureau was placed under a part-time acting director,D.A.
Hahn; inJulyofthatyear
a full-timedirector, E. CarterAnderson,was
appointed.During fiscal year 1945-46, thestaffconsistedofelevenfull-time
an oil and gas division and a
employees, and the Bureau was organized into
mining division. A field office was established in Artesia on April 16, 1946, with
N. R. Lamb, petroleum engineer, in charge. The
office aided oil andgas operators
e
particularlyequipmentcorrosionand
withpetroleumengineeringproblems,
secondary recovery of oil. The Anesia office represented the Bureau in such
groups as the New Mexico Nomenclature Committee, the Interstate Oil Compact
Commission, and the Lea County Operators Committee. The Artesia office was'
closed in 1953.
During the 1940's Bureau projects expanded progressively, and the alreadylargecollectionofoil
well samplesincreased.CircularsandBulletinswere
By fiscal year1947-48,
published from timeto time; Circulars were free of charge.
theGround WaterSurveyandthe
BasicGeologicalSurveywerebegunin
cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey. The Ground Water Survey was
U.S.
supervised by C. V. Theis, regional geologist, Ground Water Division of the
Geological Survey. The Basic Geological Survey was supervised by Charles
F.
Park, Jr., Professor of Geology at Stanford and former Chief
of the' Metals
Section, US.Geological Survey.
In 1948 R. N. Lamb resigned as supervisor of the Bureau's Artesiaoffice and
was replaced by E. E. Kinney, petroleum engineer. Also in1948, work continued
on the Ground Water Survey and the Basic Geological
Survey:The first Ground
Water Report was published, in addition to a major revision of the Oil and Gas
Map of New Mexico (originally published in 1942). For the first time, charges
were placed on Circulars.
After the resignation of Mr. Anderson in September 1949, Eugene Callaghan,
economic geologist, was appoinfed director of the Bureau. During October 1949,
the Bureau, having long since outgrown its cramped quarters in the basementof
Brown Hall (the current administration and humanities building of the New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology), moved to the building that housed
the Research and Development Division (this building was later named E.
the3.
WorkmanCenter). In 1950theBureauparticipatedintheArkansas-WhiteRedRiverBasinsInter-AgencyCommittee,setup
by directiveofthe81st
Congress to examine and report upon those drainage basins. This 4-year project
contributed significantly to knowledge of the area.
During 1950-52 the Bureau staff increased substantially, adding
7 economic
geologists, 1 hydrologicengineer,
I stratigraphicgeologist,
1 mineralogical
1 draftsman, 1 stenographer, 10
petrographer;
geological
4
technologists,
students, and the temporary servicesof 2 other geologists. Included in this group
was Frank E. Kottlowski, our present director.
TheBureau'spaleontologicalcollectionswereinitiatedduringtheyears
1952-54; by 1954alargePermiancollectionhadalreadybeenestablished.
During these years much work was continued on the Ground Water Survey. A
in SantaFein
1951 madeexplorationparticularly
severewatershortage
important in that area.
U.S. Bureau of Indian
TheBureauestablishedresearchcontractswiththe
sq mi,a
Affairsin 1954. Thesecontractsincludedgeologicmappingof484
of
mineralsurvey,assessingground-waterresources,preparingdetailedmaps
mineral deposits, mineral testing, and an economic analysis. The area covered
included McKinley County, New bkxico, and Apache County, Arizona.
Withtheintensifiedinterestinuraniumresourcesduringtheearly1950's,
many people wrote or visited the Bureau to find out more about this interesting
source of energy. In cooperation with such organizations as the Atomic Energy
Commission and the US. Bureau of Land Management, Bureau staff members
assisted prospectors whenever possible.
During the period of 1954-56 the Bureau moved into a new wing (south side)
173
of the Research Laboratory that provided much-needed space and laboratory
facilities; by this time, additional space was also needed for the oil well sample
library. In 1955 the Bureau used the new quarters to host the annual meeting of
the Association of American State Geologists.
Projects during this period placed emphasis
on the Ground Water Survey,
paleontologic and stratigraphic projects, detailed studies of volcanic rocks, gas
and petroleum research, and a new state geologic map. The first book in the
series Scenic Trips to the Geologic Past was published in
1955. The first of the
Memoir series was published in 1956, as was the first Geologic Map.
Dr. Callaghan resigned in January 1957. In February Alvin J. Thompson was
appointed the director of the Bureau. He also continued to serve as head of the
Department of Mining and Metallurgy at New Mexico Tech, a position he had
held for the previous ten years,u&$ ~ ’ i S ’ i .
Research in metallurgy was begun in 1957 on a limited basis. In 1959 the.first
full-time metallurgist, Roshan B. Bhappu, was hired, and a metallurgy section
was established within the Bureau. About $22,000
of metallurgical equipment
and laboratory supplies was acquired at
this time, some throogh donations. From
1960-62 another $20,000 of additional equipment and supplies was purchased.
Projects were initiated on sysrematic froth flotation methods, recovery of minerals
frompegmatires,copperrecovery,andmolybdenumleaching.Duringthe
mid-1960’s theBureau’smetallurgysectionincreasedinsizeandactivities.
Students were hired to assistwith the projects. Professional metallurgists were
also hired on a temporary basis for specific projects.
In 1964-65 Bureau projects initiated included geothermal studies and
a clay
resources survey. A clay-testing laboratory was also begun at this time.
Following the resignation of Mr. Thompson in July 1968, Frank E. Kottlowski
served as actingdirector.Aftera16-monthsearchthatbeganwhen
Mr.
Thompson first announced his plans to retire, Don H. Baker, Jr., a metallurgist
previously at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, was appointed director in.
July 1969.
By 1969 the metallurgy section of the Bureau comprised about a third
of the
to playanimportantroleinthe
Bureau’swork.Coalresearchalsobegan
Bureau’s activities at this time, as energy sources other than oil and gas beganto
be intensively,explored.
In 1971 the Hydrologic Report series was initiated. In 1972 the first Progress
Report and first Resource Map were published.
In 1972 the new building for housing the New Mexico Library of Subsurface
Datawasoccupied.Thiscollectionincludes
welllogs, subsurfacemaps,and
nearly 3 million individual well samples, all valued at over $1 million. This same
yeartheBureau
also participatedwiththeNationalAeronauticsandSpace
Administration in the ERTS-A (Earth ResourcesTechnology Satellite) program.
The director of the Bureau also became the director of the New Mexico Coal
Surfacemining Commission from its inception in 1972 to 1977. He served as the
official liaison with coal company officials, the public, and the Commission, The
Reorganization Act of 1977 changes the name of the Commission to the Bureau
of Surfacemining. The director of the Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
continues to bea member, although the chiefof the Bureau of Surfacemining will
not necessarily be the directorof the Bureauof Mines and Mineral Resources.,
Mr. Baker resignedas director inJuly 1973, and Dr. Kottlowski again served.as
acting director until February1974, when the Regents appointed him director.
The Atlas Program was initiated-in 1972 to investigate allLforms of energy to
175
cope with theemerging“Energy
Crisis.” The Bureau’spartof.this7-year
of statereservesofstrippablecoal,
programwasassisting.withestimates
fluorspar, uranium, water resources, oil and gas, metallic ores, and other mineral
resources.
Of the 41 current full-time staff members, 25 arrived between 1.973 and 1977.
To accommodate the expanded functions and staff, new offices were built in an
added wing to Workman Center and were occupied in May 1975 by most of the
Bureau staff. ln late June 1977 the second Boor addition over this south wing of
the building was completed.
In December 1976 George S. Austin was appointed the Bureau’s first full-time
permanentdeputydirector.Dr.Austinwaspreviouslyindustrialminerals
geologist with the Bureau.
ThegrowthoftheNewMexicoBureauofMinesandMineralResources
refiects the growth of the mineral industry in the state. In the Bureau’s first year,
1927, the value of New Mexico’s mineral production was $26.4 million. By 1976
mineral production was $2.37 billion. The Bureau’s first field work was carried
out by School of Mines faculty during the summers, with reports written during
the winters; all personnel were part time, and the Bureau didnot have a separate
budget. T h e present organization (including full-time and part-time staff and
80 employees.TheBureausharessomeresearch
students)totalsmorethan
facilities with other divisions of Tech and
also has the cooperation of faculty and
staffintheotherdivisions,thusincreasingboththe.quantityandquality
of
Bureau projects.
Since
1927
morethan
475
technical
reports
have
been
published, with more than 400
of these published in the past 25 years. The
anBureali’s annual budget is approximately $1,041,000 from State funds, with
additional $200,000 from grants, contracts, and service commissions. All indicarions are that the second fifty years of service will be even more productive than
the first!
ACX~OWLEDGMEh.TS-~nfO~maliOnfor this article was obtained primarily from the New Mexico
Bureau of ,Mines and Mineral Resources Annual Report series. Conversations with Mn. Marian
Burks and Robert A. Rieberman were also very helpful, and I wish to thank them for their time.
A Bureau Open-file Report will be made available laterthis fiscal year containing this article.
Bureau statutory authority and relevant legislation. legislative appropriations. excerpts from all
Bureau annual repons. andother notes.
I
Directors of New Mexico Bureauof Mines
and MineralResources . . ,
Nnme
Titles
Tenure
E. H.Wells
President. School of Mines
DirectorofBureau
State Geologist
President of faculty
July'27-Jan'39
Acting president. School
of Mines
Acting director of Bureau
President. School of Mines
Director of Bureau
Jan '39-May '39
C. E. Needham
J. M. Kelly
Mar'34-Jan '39
May'39-Apr'42
(full-time StateGeologist)
Director of Bureau. pro tern
Apr '42-Aug '42
R. H. Reece
President. School of Mines
DirectorofBureau
Aug'42-June'46
Aug'42-Mar'44
J . M. Kelly
(full-time State Geologist)
Director of Bureau
Mar.44-Jan '45
A. D. Hahn
Acting director of Bureau
Jan '45-July'45
E. C. Anderson
DirectorofBureau
July '45-Sept.49
E. CaIlagLan
DirectorofBureau
Sept '49-Jan '57
A. J. Thompson
Director of Bureau
Chairman. Dept. of
Mining & Metallurgy.
School of meslNew MexicoTech
Feb '57July'65
1947-July '65
F. E. Kottlowski
Assistant director
Acting director
July'6SJuly'68
July'68July'69
D. H. Baker. Jr.
Director of Bureau
Iuly'69-July'73
F. E. Kottlowski
Assistant director
Associale director
Acting director
Director of Bureau
July '69-Feb '73
Mar'73June '73
July '73-Feb '74
Feb '74-present
Deputy director
Dec "76-present
c
t
i SjSSY'
G. S.Austin
177
ACTS OF THE NEWMEXICOLEGISLATURE
1927-71 RELATING TO
NEW &fEXICO BUREAUOF MINESAND MINERAL
RESOURCES
compiled by Candace H. Merillat. Assislanr Ediror
INTRODUCTION
This year, the fiftieth anniversary of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources, is an appropriate time for publishing the first compilation of
New Mexico statutes relating specifically to the Bureau, its director,
or other staff
members. The act that created the Bureau is published completely asit originally
wasapproved. I haveexcerptedmostotherlegislationratherfreely,but
all
omissions are so indicated by ellipses. Compiler’s comments, paraphrasing,
and
additionsforclarification. are in italics, and, in somecases, are indicated by
brackets. Specific references to the Bureau, its director,
or other staff members are
printed in boldface type, except in organic acts. In a few cases amendments are
given without the original laws. This is because only the amendments applied to
theBureau specifically.Difficulties intheresearchwereencounteredbecause
indexing to the New Mexico statutesis not consistently adequate.
Additionally, key words vary from year to year. The search for relevant laws
wasmadeundermanyheadings,including:BureauofMinesandMineral
Resources; Director, Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources; Mines, Mining;
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources; New Mexico Institute of
Mining and Technology; New Mexico School of Mines; State Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources; and others. Some legislation was discovered virtually by
In
accident, because of the inadequacies and the inconsistencies of indexing.
general, the Bureau is not a regulatory agency; consequently, it is not mentioned
frequently in New Mexico legislation,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS-The librarians of the New Mexico Supreme Court (Santa
Fe), the University ofNew Mexico (Albuquerque), and the New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology (Socorro), and the New Mexico Legislative Council
Service (Santa Fe) were consulted.
All or portions of the following lawsare included:
~ a w of
s 1927. Chapter I I5
Laws of 1935. Chapter 19
Lawsof 1947. Chapter218
Laws of 1961. Chapter 136
Laws of 1967. Chapter 128
Laws of 1967. Chapter 143
Laws of 1967. Chapter 158
L a w of 1967. Chepter 171
Laws of 1967. Chapter
254
Laws o f 1972. Chapter 68
Laws of 1973. Chapter326
Laws of 1975. Chapter 289
Laws o f 1977. Chapter255
LAWS OF NEW MEXICO 1927, Chapter 115, approved March.14.1927
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES
THE OBJECTS, DUTIES AND P U R ~ ~ S EOF
S SAID BUREAU OF MINES
ANDMINERALRESOURCES
AND PROVIDING.FOR. THE MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT OF SAID BUREAU OF MINESAND MINERAL
RESOURCES OF THE STATEOF NEW MEXICO.
Sec. 1. There is hereby established a Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
of the State OF New Mexico which shall be a department of the New Mexico School of
Mines and under the direction of its Board of Regents. The said Board shall appoint as
a director a suitable person to be known as
the Director of the Bureau of Mines and
,Mineral Resources and upon his nomination such assistants and employees as the said
Board shall deem necessary. Said Board may also determine the compensation of all
persons employed by the Bureau of Mines.and Mineral Resources including the director
and may remove them at will.
Sec. 2. The objects and duties of said Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
shall be as follows:.
(1) T o collect, to compile and to publish statistics relative to New Mexico, geology. mining, milling, metallurgy and oil and natural gas and the refining thereof.
(2) T o collect typical geological and mineral specimens and samples of products;
to collect photographs, models and drawings of appliances usedinthemines,mills,
smelters, oil wells, natural gas wells and the refineries of oil and natural gas in New
Mexico.
(3) T o collect a library and bibliography of literature pertaining to the progress
of geology, mining, milling, smelting and the production of oil and naturalgas and refining the same in New Mexico.
(4) T o study the geological formations of theState with special reference to
their economic mineral resources, both metallic and non-metallic.
( 5 ) To examine the topography and physical features of the State with reference
to their practical bearing upon theoccupation of the people.
( 6 ) To study the mining,milling, smelting operations and oil and natural gas
production and the refining of the same carried on in the State with special reference to
their improvement.
(7) To prepare and publish bulletins and reports with the necessary illustrations
and maps, which shall embrace both a general and detailed description.of the natural
resources and geology. mines, mineral deposits, both metallic and non-metallic, oil wells,
natural gas wells,reduction plants, smellers, mills, oil refineries and naturalgas refineries.
(8) T o make qualitative examination of rocks and mineral samples and specimens.
(9) To assist in the education of miners and prospectorsthrough lectures and
publications.
(IO) To consider such otherkindred, scientific and economic problemsand
questions as in the judgment of the Board shall be deemed of value to the people of the
State.
( I I ) To communicate special information on New Mexico geology,mining,
both metallic and non-metallic, oil and natural gas and to serve as a Bureau of Exchange
and Information on the mineral,oil and natural gas resources ofNew Mexico,
(12) To co-operate with the University of NewMexico,with
the StateMine
lnspector and with other departments of State Government as may be mutually beneficia1 and to co-operate with the United States Geological Survey and with the United
States Bureau of Mines in accordance with the regulations of those institutions.
Note: Two uddirionai duties are specified in Lows of 1977, Chapter 255. Section 17,
purugrophs M and N.'
Sec. 3. The Board shall cause to be prepared an annual report showing the progr e s and condition of the Bureau, together with such other information as they may deem
necessary or useful, or as the board may requirc.
Sec. 4. The regular and special reports oftheBureauof
MinesandMinerals
shall be printed as the Board may direct and the reports may be distributed or sold by'
the board as the interest of the State or science may demand and themoney obtained by
the sale of said reports shall be paid into the State's Treasury. Nore: Amended by LOWS
of
1935, Chupter 19.
Sec. 5. All materials collected after having served the purpose of the Bureau
shall be distributed by the Board to such educational institutions of the Stateasthe Board
may direct.
Sec. 6. The Board may useof the funds appropriated for themaintenance of
the New Mexico School of Mines such sums as may be necessary for the maintenance
of the Bureau hereby created, not to exceed, however, such sums as may be appropriated
for the New Mexico School of Mines from the fund provided by Section 35 of Senate
Bill No. 2775 United States Congress, (Public-No. 146-66th Congress.)
Sec.7.AllActs
and parts ofActs in conflict with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed.
LAWS OF 1935, Chapter 19, approved February 11, 1935
A N ACT AMENDING SECTION 4, CHAPTER 115 OF THE LAWS OF 1927 (SECTION 88-504 OF THE NEW MEXICO STATUTES ANNOTATED, 1929 COMPILATION) RELATING TO THE PRINTING OF REGULAR AND SPECIAL
REPORTS OFTHE BUREAU OF MINESANDMIKERALRESOURCES
AND PROVIDINGFORTHE
DISPOSAL OF THE MONIESOBTAINED
FROM THE SALE THEREOF.
Sec. 1. There is hereby appropriated for the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources twenty thousand dollars (S20.000.00) annually of the moneys received
to read as follows:
The regular and special reports of the Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
shall be printed as the Board may direct and the reports may be distributed or sold by
the Board as the interests of the State or science may demand. The monies now in the
possession of the Bureau, which have been obtained and those which are hereafter obtained from the sale ofsaid reports. shall be used in such manner as the Board of Regents
of the New Mexico School of Mines may direct.
LAWS OF 1947. C h a ~ t e r 2 1 8 . A a1 m r o v e d M a r c~,
h t.1947
l..
AN ACT APPROPRIATING TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARSOF THEMINERAL
LEASING LAND ACT FUND ANNUALLY FOR THE USE OF THE NEW
MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES ANDMINERALRESOURCESAND
DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
~
Sec. 1. There is hereby ,appropriated for the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and
. Mineral Resources twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00) annually of the moneys received
by the state from the Mineral Leasing Land Act fund created by section 35 of the Act of
Congress approved February 25th.1920,being- Public Act No. 146, 66th Congress (30
U. S. C.. section 191). The moneys appropriatedhereunder shall beused to pay the
expenses incurred in matching federal funds in connection with a co-operative geologic
and ground water survey of the state. . . .
..
LAWS OF 1961, Chapter 136, approved March 29. 1961
AN ACT RELATINGTOMINING SAFETY;CREATING A MINING SAFETY
ADVISORY BOARD; AND PROVIDING FOR ADOPTION OF RULES AND
REGULATIONS PROPOSEDBY SUCH BOARD.
'
. . . SeC. 3.
'
hllNING SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD,-
There ishereby created a mining safety advisory board, hereinafter
referred to as "the board." consisting of'seven members of whom three shall represent
industry, three shall be non-supervisory production or maintenance employees, and one,
who shall serve as chairman and vote on all motions, shall represent the public, and
shall be the director of the state Bureau of Mines and Mineral-Resources. The members
of the board shall be appointed by the governor for a term of six years or until their
successors areappointedandqualified;
provided, that in theinitialappointment of
members of the board one member representing industry and one employee member
representing the same type of mining activity shall be appointed for a.term oftwo years
and another industry and a corresponding employee member shall be appointed for a
term of four years. The pairs of appointed members shall be appointed, one pair each,
from the three current major types of mining activity in terms of total employment within the state. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term by the govA.
. ..
.
180
.. .
, ..
,
.
ernor in the same manner as.the original appointments. The state mine inspector and
the director of public health shall be ex officio members of the board but.shal1 have no.
vote and receive no additional compensation for duties performed in connection therewith.
N o w This acr was amended by the Laws of 1971. Chapter 62. Theamendmentprqvided
,for two addirional board members, both t o be represenrarives o
f mo(ybdenum mining.
.. ..
,
.
..
B. Members of the board shall receive no salary but shall receive compensa!ion of fifteen dollars ($15.00) for each day or part thereof necessarily spent in the
discharge of !heir official duties and shall in addition be reimbursed for their necessary,
travel at the rate of eight cents ($.08)a mile as approved by the state mine inspector.
The inspector is hereby authorized and directed to provide the board with such clerical,
technicdl. legal and other assistance as shall be necessary to permit the board to perform
its duties as provided in the "Mining Safety Act."
Sec. 4. DUTIES OF THE MINING SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD-ASSISTANCE TO BE GIVEN
BO,\Ro.--In addition to such other duties as may be conferred upon it by laws, the board
shall meet upon the request of the mine inspector and shall formulate and propose to
the inspector of mines such reasonable general rules and regulations, or modifications,
amendments or repeals of rules and regulations, for the prevention of accidents in every
mining occupation or pursuit or such place of employment. and for reporting of such'
accidents as the board shall find, upon the basis of substantial evidence presented at a
public hearing held in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of the "Mining Safety
Act." to be necessary for the protection of the life and safety of employees.
The board shall refer the proposed rules or regulations, or modifications, amendments or rep.eals of existing rules and regulations to the inspector of mines for consideration. It shall submit therewith a report, indicating the need for the proposals and summarizing the testimony presented at the public hearing and any other information or
technical data available to the board. A quorum for final approval of any such report
shall consist of the chairman. two industry members and two employee members.
ln the development of such proposed rules and regulations, or of modifications,
amendments or repeal of rules and regulations, the, board may appoint special committees composed of employees, employers, and experts lo make recommendations as to
proposed rules and regulations or to assist the board in developing such rules and regnlalions. It may call.upon the inspector for technical assistance and advice. In addition, the
board may utilize the advice and assistance of individuals or organizations,.~~
of other
agencies having special knowledge of the proposals being considered by it.
The inspector and the director of public health shall make available to the board
any information or technical data that will aid the board in determining the need for
and in formulating rules and regulations for the protection of the life and safety of employees. . .
'
.
..
.
.*
LAWS OF 1967, Chauter 128, auuroved March 27, 1967
RELATING TO MINING DISCOVERY AND MINE DRILL HOLES; REQUIRING
SUBMISSION OF REPORTS; AND AIMENDING SECTION 63-2-3.3 NEW
MEXICO STATUTESANNOTATED, 1953 COMPILATION(BEINGLAWS
1957. CHAPTER 108. SECTION 1).
. .
Sec. 1. Section 63-2-3.3 NewMexico
Statutes Annotated 1953 Compilation
(being Laws 1957, Chapter 108,SectiOn 1) is amended to read:
63-2-3.3. PENETRATIONOF WATER STRATUM BY MINE DISCOVERY OF DRILL HOLE-.
'
PLUGGING-REPORT TO STATE ENGINEER AND TO DIRECTOR OF
THE
STATE BUREAU OF
MINES AND.MINERALRESOURCES.-Any
person drilling a mine lode discovery or mine-
drill hole to a depth of ten feet or more, who shall encounter or whose drill shall cut
intoa water body or water-bearing stratum shall:
A. plug at a horizon and in the manner provided in the rules and regulations of the state engineer; and
..
.
.
. .
18 1
B. within ninety days from the date of the discovery. report in writing the
depth. location and manner of plugging the water body or water-bearing stratum to the
State engineer at the State capitol and to the director of the state Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources at Socorro, New Mexico.
.
LAWS OF 1967. Chapter 143, approved March 28, 1967
SUBAN ACT RELATING TO GEOTHERMALENERGY:ANDREQUIRING
MISSION OF REPORTS RELATING TO GEOTHERMALENERGY.
Sec. I . GEOTHERMALE N E R G Y SOURCE-REPORTS.A. Any person drilling a hole on state lands to a depth of ten feet or more
who encounters, or whose drill cuts into a geothermal energy source of one hundred
degrees centigrade or more shall, within ninety days from the date of the penetration,
report in writing to the director lhe depth, location and nature of the geothermal energy
source.
B. Asused in this section:
( I ) “geothermal energy” means the natural heat of the earth, or the energy,
in whatever form. below the surface of the earth present in, resulting from, or created
by. or which may be extracted from, this naturalheat;
(2) “state lands” includes alllandownedby
the state, all land owned by
school districts. beds of navigable rivers and lakes, submerged lands and lands in which
mineral rights or geothermal resources have been reserved to the state; and
(3) “director” means thedirector of theBureau of Mines and Mineral
Resources.
, .
LAWS OF 1961, Chapter 158, approved March 27, 1967
AN ACT.RELATlNG TO GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES; AND PROVIDING FOR
LANDS
THE LEASING OF GEOTHERMALRESOURCESONSTATE
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
. . , , . Sec. 3. ADMINISTRAT1ON OF ACT.-Administration of the Geothermal Resources Act shall be based on the principle of multiple use of state land and resources,
and shall allow coexistence of other leases on the same lands for deposits of other minerals. and the existence of leases issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources Act shall
not preclude other uses of the land covered thereby. However, operations under other
leases. or for other uses shall not unreasonably interfere with or endanger operations
under any lease issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources.Act. nor shall operations
under leases issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources Act unreasonably interefere
with or endanger operations under any lease issued pursuant to any other law. The Geothermal Resources Act shall not be construed to supersede the authority which any state
department or agency has with respect to the management, protection, and utilization
of the state lands and resources under itsjurisdiction.
Sec. 4. GEOTHERMAL RESOGRCES OF.COMMBRCIAL VALUE.-Where it is determined
by the commissioner that the production or use of geothermal energy is also susceptible
of economically producing other oithe geothermal resources in commercially valuable
quantities. and a market therefor exists, production of the other geothermal resources
may be required by the commissioner. , . .
Sec. 6. KNOWNGEOTHERMAL RESOURCES FIELD.A. The commissioner shall after consultation with thedirector of the
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, make a classification of geothermal areas which
hehas determined may be capableof producing geothermal resourcesin commercial
quantities.. These geothermal areas shall be classified as “known geothermal resources
fields.”. , .
LAWS OF 1967, C h p r e r 171. approved March 27, 1967
AN ACT RELATING TO MINISG; ENACTING A NEW SECTION 63-1-3.1NEW
MEXICO STATUTES ANXOTATED. 1953 COMPILATION: AND AUTHOR-
182
IZING PUBLICATION O F MINING LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
STATE.
Sec. I . A new Section 63-1-3.1 New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation. is enacted to read:
63.1-3.1. PUBLICATION OF M l N l N O LAWS AND REGULATIONS.-The board [New
Mexico lnsrirure of Mining and Technology Board of Regents] may, in its discretion,
cause to be prepared and published a compilation of the mining laws and regulations
of the gtate and is authorized to update and reprint the same at such intervals as it deems
advisable to reflect any substantial changes in the law or regulations. The book shall
be sold at such price as the board may determine.
LAWS OF 1967, Chapter 254, approved April 5,1967
AN ACT RELATING TO THE ACCELERATING OF NEW MEXICO’S MINERAL
”
RESOURCES.
. .
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE.-This act may be citedas the Mineral Resources Development Act.
Sec. 2. PUBLIC porlcY.-The IegisIature finds and declares that:
A. the exploitation of
New
Mexico’s
mineral resources. provides an
opportunity for highly paidjobs forNew Mexicans;
B. the successful exploitation of minerals shall be encouraged by the state
ofNew Mexico;
C. New Mexico
has been very successful in the past in exploiting minerals
with visual observational methods applied to the surface of the ground; and
D.NewMexico
has nowreachedthestage
where future exploitation of
minerals must proceed on the basis of the intensive application of modem technology.
The immediate need is for the assembly of known data on mineral resonrces by minerd
resource economists in order to make it possible to point to the areas offering ihe highest
probability of successful exploitation of these resources.
Sec. 3. TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES-ECONOMIST.-~ew Mexico institute of mining
and technology is directed to use its [Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources] mineral
resource economist toundertake studies aimed at developing technologywhichwill
make possible the profitable exploitation of New Mexico’s mineral resources. This effort
should be aimed initially at those minerals development opportunities which offer the
best hope of successful exploitation and the creation of the greatest numbers of jobs.
When a profitable opportunity has been developed, the mineral resource economist shall
make this information available to the state planning office and to the department of
development. . . .
LAWS OF 1972, Chapter 68, approved February 29, 1972
AN ACTRELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT; PROVIDING FOR THE CONTROL AND REGULATION O F COAL STRIPMINING;PROVIDING FOR
THE RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT O F THE COAL SURFACEMINING ACT; INCLUDING PENALTY PROVISIONS FOR VIOLATIONS;
ESTABLISHING FEES AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF THEM;
AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
. . . Sec. 2. DEFINITIONS.“AS used in the Coal Surfacemining Act:
A. “affected area” means the area from which overburden is removed and
on which it is deposited;
8. “stripmining” meansmining coalby removing.overburden above the
coal and removing the natural depositdirectly;
C. “commission” means the coal surfacemining commission;
D. “director,” when used without further qualification, means the director
of the Bureau of Mines.and MineralResources;
E. “mining year” means the twelve-month’period on whichan operator’s
mining plan is based;
!
183
F: “operator” means any person engaged in stripmining;
G . “overburden” means earthandother materials above a coal deposit
before and afterremoval: and
M. . “person” means any individ.ual, estate, ttust,.receiver, cooperative association. club, corporation, company, firm, partnership joint venture, syndicate, or other
entity or association.
SeC. 3. COAL SURFACEMINING COMMISSION.A. The coal surfacemining commission is created. The commission shall
consist of:
( I ) the director of the Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources or a
member of his staff designatedby him;
( 2 ) the director of the department of game and fish or a member of
his staff designated by him;
(3) the director of the environmental improvement agency or a
member of his staffdesignated by him;
(4) the chairman of the soil and water conservation committee or a
member of his staffdesignated by him:
( 5 ) the director of the agriculture experimental station of New Mexico state university or a member of his staff designatedby him;
( 6 ) the state engineer or a member of hisstaffdesignated byhim:
and
(7) the commissioner of public lands or a member of his staff designated by him. . . .
SeC. 4. DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE co!,lMlssloN.-The commission shall:
A. administer the Coal Surfacemining Act;
B.
receive and expend funds appropriated or allocated to the commission
for purposes consistent withthe Coal Surfacemining Act;
C. develop .facts andmake studies on the effectsof stripmining inNew
Mexico;
D. make every reasonable effort toobtain voluntary cooperation for reclaimingstripmined land:
E. approve or disapprove mining plans; and
F. havesuch other powers as are necessary to carry out the commission’s
responsibilities.
Sec. 5. DIRECTOR-DUTIES-REVIEW OF DECISIONS OF DIRECTOR-APPEAL OF DE:
CISIONS OFCOMMISSION.-
A. The director shall execute and administer the commission’s regulations
and perform other duties specified in the Coal Surfacemining Act. .. . .
Sec. 8. RECLAMATION
REQUIRED.A. Affected areas must be graded and revegetated in the manner provided
for by commission regulation.
B.
Reclamation shall be an integral part of the mining operation and shall
be completed within reasonably prescribed time limits. . ...
Sec. 10. REGULATIONS.A. The commission shalladopt reasonable regulations concerning the
productive reclamation of stripmined land. These regulations shall govern the requirements for:
( I ) grading the affected area:
(2) revegetating the affected area;
(3) revegetation and grading time schedules; and
(4) other mining plan provisions. . . .
. .
C. In approving mining plans and in adopting regulations concerning
the reclamation ofstripmined land, the commission shall take into account:
(1)
the natural condition and vegetation of the land prior to the
stripmining operations;
( 2 ) the technical and economical practicability of eachparticular
revegetation and grading requirement:
184
(3) the future productivity of theaffected area for domestic, commercial. pastoral. agriculture. wildlife, recreation and otheruses;
(4) the aesthetic appearance of the affected area; and
(5) the peculiar condition of the geographical area inwhich the
stripmine is located. . , .
Sec. 13 INFORMATION REPORTS.”The director may as prescribed
by
comm w o n regulation require periodic information reports on the progress of an operator’s
reclamation effurts.
Sec. 14. suPERvtsr0N.-The director -shallinvestigatethe
reclamation status of
stripmined lands to insure that the grading and revegetation requirements of the mining
plan and the commission’s regulations are being adhered Lo. The director or his authorized representatives may enter upon the operator’s lands at all reasonable times to determinecompliance with the Coal SurfaceminingAct. . , .
LAWS OF 1973. Chaoter326. annroved Anril3. 1973
Sec. I. Section 75-39-2 NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1967, Chapter 190, Section 2,
as amended) is amended to read:
75-39-2. DEFIE;ITIONS.”AS used in the Water Quality Act:
. . .J. “constituent agency” means, as the context may require, any or all
of thz followi,ng agencies of the state:
.
( I ) the environmental improvement agency;
(2) the state engineer and the interstate stream commission;
(3) the New Mexico department of game and fish;
( 4 ) the oil conservation commission;
( 5 ) the state park and recreation commission;
( 6 ) the New Mexico department of agriculture;
(7) the state natural resource conservation commission; and
(8) the New Mexico Bureau ofMines;
.
. . . Sec. 2. Section 75-39-3NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1967, Chapter 190, Section
3. as amended) is amended to read:
75-39-3. WATER QUALITY CONTROL COMMISSION CREATED,A.
There is created the “water quality control commission” consisting oT:
(I)
ihedirector of the environmental improvement agency or a
member of hisstaff designated by him;
(2) the director of the New Mexico department of game and fish or
a.member of his staff designated by him;
(3) the state engineer or a member of his staffdesignated by him;
(4) the secretary of the oilconservationcommission
or a member
of his staffdesignated by him:
( 5 ) the director of state park and recreation commission or a member
ofhis staffdesignatedby him;
(6) the director of the NewMexico department of agriculture or a
member of his staffdesignated by him;
(7) theexecutive secretary of the statenatural resource conservalion commission or a member of his staff drsignated by him; .
(8) the director of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines or a member of
his staff designated hy him; and
( 9 ) a representative of the public to be appointed by the governor
for a term of four years and who shall be compensated from the budgeted funds of the
environmental improvement agency in accordance with the provisions.of the Per Diem
and Mileage Act. , , ,
..
..
,
..
.
Sec. 3. Section 75-39-4 NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1967, Chapter 190, Section.4.
as amended) is amended to read:
75-39.4. DUTIES AND POWERS OF coMMrssION.-The commission:
A.: may accept and supervise the administration of loans and grmtS'f1Om
the federal government and from other sources, public or private, which loans and grants
shall not be expended for otherthan the purposes for which provided:
B. shall adopt a comprehensive water quality programanddevelop
a
continuing planningprocess;
C. shall adopt water quality standards as a guide to water pollution con,
trol:
D. shall adopt,promulgateand publish regulations to prevent orabate
water pollution in the state or in any specific geographic area orwatershed of the state or
in any part thereof, or forany class of waters.Regulations shall not specify the method to
be used to prevent or abate water pollution, but may specify a standard ofperformance
for new sources which refiects the greatest degree of effluentreduction which the commission determines to be achievable through application of the best available demonstrated
control technology, processes. operating methods, or other alternatives, including, where
practicable, a standard permitting no discharge of pollutants. In making its regulations,
the commission shall give weight it deems appropriate toall facts and circumstances. . . .
E. shall assign responsibility for administering its regulations to conntituent agencies so as to assure adequate coverage and prevent duplication of effort: To
this end, the commission may make such classification of waters and sonrces of water
contaminants as will facilitate the assignment of administrative responsibilities to constituent agencies. The commission shall also hear and decide disputes between.constituent agencies as to jurisdiction concerning any matters within the purpose of the Water
Quality Act. rn assigning responsibilities to constituent agencies, the commission shall
give priority to theprimary interests of the constituent agencies. The environmental
improvement agency shall provide testing and other technical services; . . .
1.
may adopt regulations requiring notice to it or a constituent agency of
intent to introduce or allow the introduction of water contaminants into waters of the
state; and
J.
may adopt regulations establishing pretreatmentstandardsthat
prohibit or control the introduction into publicly-owned sewerage systems of water contaminants which are not susceptible to treatment by the treatment works or which would
interfere with the operationof the treatment works. . . .
Sec. 5. Section 75-39-8 NMSA 1953 (being Laws1967, Chapter 190, Section 8)
is amended to read:
75-39-8. POWERS OF CONSTITUENT AGENCIES.-Each constituent agency may:
A. receive andexpend funds appropriated,donatedor allocated to.the
constituent agency for purposes consistent with the Water QualityAct;
B. develop facts and make studies and investigations andrequire the
production of documents necessary to carry out the responsibilitiesassigned to the
constituent agency. The result of any investigation shall be reduced to writing and a copy
thereof furnished to the commission andtothe owner or occupantof the premises
investigated;
C. recommend regulations for adoption by the.commission;
D. report to the commission.and to other constituent agencies water pollution conditions'that are believed lo require action where the circumstances are such
that the responsibility.appears to be outside the responsibilityassignedto the agency
making thereport; '
E. make every reasonable effort fo obtain voluntary cooperation in the
prevention of abatement of water pollution; and.
F . . upon presentation of proper credentials, enter at reasonable times
upon or through any premises in which an effluent source is located or .in which are
located any,records requiredto be maintained by regulations of thecommission; . . .
Sec. 6. Section 75-39-1.1 NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1967, Chapter 190, Section 11)
is amended to read:
'
186
75-39-1 I .
A.
'
LIMITATIOXS.-
The Water Quality Act doesnotgrant to the commission or to any
other entity the power to take away or modify property rights in water, nor is it the intention of the Water Quality Act to take away or modify such rights.
B. Effluent data obtained by the commission or a constituent agency shall
be available to the public. Other records, reports or information obtained by the commission or a constituent agency shall be available to the public, except upon a showing
satisfactory to the commission or a constituent agency that the records, reports-or information or a particular part thereof. if made public, would divulge methods or processes
entitled to protection as trade secrets.
C. The
Water Quality ACI does not authorize the commission toadopt
any regulation with respect to any condition or quality of water if the water pollution
and its effects are confined entirely within the boundaries of property within which the
water pollution occurs when the water does not combine with other waters. . . .
i
'
LAWS OF 1975, Chapter
289,
approved
April 10,1975
RESOURCES
BOARD: PROVIDING FOR ITS POWERS AND DUTIES; TRANSFERRING
THEOIL CONSERVATION COMMISSION, ITS POWERS, DUTIES, EMPLOYEES, RECORDS ANDAPPROPRIATIONS TOTHEENERGY
RESOURCES BOARD; MAKINGCERTAINDECISIONS OF THE OIL CONSERVATION COMMISSIONSUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THEENERGY
RESOURCES BOARD; CREATING THE OFFICE O F STATE PETROLEUM
ENGINEER: MAKING THE SECRETARY-DIRECTOR OF THE OIL CONSERVATION
COMMISSION
THE STATE
PETROLEUM
ENGINEER;
OF STATE GEOLOGIST:INCREASING
THE
CREATINGTHEOFFICE
RATE OF OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION TAX AND EXTENDINGITS
APPLICATION T O ALL OTHERFORMS OF ENERGY SEVERED FROM
THE SOIL OF NEW MEXICO: AMENDING AND REPEALING CERTAIN
SECTIONS OF THE NMSA 1953: PROVIDING A PENALTY; MAKING AN
APPROPRIATION.
. . .Sec. 2. PURPOSE OF ACT.-^^ is the purpose of the Energy Resources Act:
A. to provide additional regulation of the production, transportation and
distribution ofenergy resources within thisstate;
B.
to guarantee, insofar asis practicable to the citizens of this state that
fuel and power produced in this state, sufficient to the needs of its current and prospective citizens. governments and industries, will be available;
C . to provide Cor the citizens of this state, consistent with their health,
welfare and safety. the lowest reasonable utility rates that are consistent with sound
growth of the energy resources industry in the state, and to encourage the establishment
of a distribution system sufficient to provide utility services not only to large population
centers. but those small isolated communities whose continued existence and growth
are necessary to this state:
D.to
ensure that the state and its political subdivisionsreceive, from the
severance of irreplaceable energyresourcesfrom
the soil of this state. themaximum
economic return, consistent with the good of the entire state;
E. to developand administer a statewide plan for energy resources, including energy resourcesresearch and development; energy facility management program: energy conservation: fuel allocation; and administration of grants;
F. to enact energy resource conservation and,control legislation under
the police power of the state, the residuum of thestate's power not delegated to the
federal government by the constitution. of the United States and the authority of the
legislature under the constitution ofNew Mexico:
G. to provide Cor an economic climate in the state to foster the energy
. .
resource extractive industry:
H. to provide for anenergyresource administration that willwork for a
.
.
AN. ACT RELATING TOENERGY:CREATINGTHEENERGY
.
.
187
national energy policy which will benefit the energy resource industry and the people in
this state; and
1.
to provide that theseobjectives should be accomplished in a way that
is primarily in the best interest gf the state bur also tothe benefit of the rest of thenation.
SeC. 4. BOARD CREATED-APPOINTMENT-TERhlS.A. The “energy resources board” is created.
B. The hoard shall consist of seven members and shall include:
(1) the NewMexico
“energy resource administrator,” a position
within the staff of the governor, hereby created, who shall be the chief administrative
officer of the board;
(2) the commissioner of public lands;
(3) the directorof the New Mexico Bureau of Mines;
(4) the slate petroleum engineer;
( 5 ) the state geologist;
( 6 ) a resident of the state.who by virtue of education and experience
has expertise in one of the fields of nuclear. geothermal, solar or coal energy, and is
highly knowledgeable in at least two others ofsaid fields: and
(7) a resident of the state who is not directly involved in the production, transportation or regulation of energy fuels.
C . The term of office, as a member of the board. of the energy Tesources
administrator, cornmissioner of public lands, director of the Bureau of Mines, st& petroleum engineer and state geologist. shall be concurrent with the other office held by him.
...
See. 8.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD.-
.
.
The board shall:
( 1 ) insofar as is practicable, maintain complete records of all fuel
and power produced in this state and a complete inventory of all reserves and potential
sources of fuel and power in this state, and keepa complete record of the wholesale and
quantity sales of fuel and power consumed within the state andexported out of the state;
(2) insofar as is practicable, maintain complete records of the prices
paid for and taxes paid on fuel and power produced in this state, and maintain a constant comparison with similar prices and taxes paid for and on similar fuel and power
in other states;
(3) formulate a general statewide plan forthe siting, production
and refining of fuel and power in whatever form in this state, and’for wholesale and
quantity sales of fuel and power where the sale involves fuel or power produced or refined in this state. regardless of the jurisdiction in which the contract for, such sale is
consummated;
(4) adopt and,publish rules to govern its proceedings:
( 5 ) establish by regulation uniform procedures andmethods
by
which matters under its jurisdiction are reported to it;
( 6 ) consider applications for hearing de novo of any matter contra. vening the board‘s statewide plan or the public interest. determined by an order of the
oil conservation commission;
(7) cooperate with other energy, producing states in the furtherance
of the statewide plan:
(8) administer any state fuel allocation program;
(9) administer any state energy conservation program;
(10) prepare and administer the state energy management program;
(1.1) receive and use funds from federal or other government agencies
and grants andgifts from any other source; and
(12) administer any state funded energy resources research and developmentgrantsprogram. . . .
SeC.10.
OFFICE OF STATE’GEOLOGIST
CREATED-APPOINTMENT-QUALlFlCAnONS.
-The “office of the state geologist” is hereby created. The governor shall appoint a state
geologist who by virtue of education and experience has expertise in the field of geology
A.
188
relating to the natural sources of energy which may be found inthis state, including
fossil fuels. radioactive minerals and geothermal energy. . . .
Sec. 12. DUTIES OF THE STATE GEOL0GtST.-The state geologist shall take care
to avoid wasteful duplications of effort of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral
Resources and,
A. conduct geological studies of known supplies of natural sources of
energy in this state. including fossil fuels. radioactive minerals and geothermal energy
with the aim of determining reserves and life expectancy thereof; ,
9. conduct neolonical studies of Drobable and Dotential sumlies
ofnatural
.>
sources ofenergy;
C. cooperate with the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources in the preparstion and publication ofmaps. brochures and pamphlets describing
known. probable and potential sources of natural energy in this state;
D.cooperate
withprivate. state and federal- agencies in the gathering of
geological data concerning energy supplies in this state and immediately offsetting states:
and
E. cooperate with. the energy resourcesboard in the performance of its
duty to maintain an inventory of a l l reserves and potential sources of fuel and power
in thisstate. . , .
I
LAWS
1
OF 1977, Chapter 255, approved April 7, 1977
A N ACT RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENERGY AND MIN-
ERALS DEPARTMENT; ABOLISHING CERTAIN AGENCIES; AMENDING,
REPEALING AND ENACTING CERTAIN SECTIONSOF NMSA 1953.
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE.-This act may becited asthe "Energy and Minerals Department Act.". . .
Sec. 3. ' PURPOSE.-The purpose of the Energy and Minerals Department Act is
to establish a single. unified department to administer all laws and exercise all functions
formerly administered and exercised by the energ resources board, coal surface-mining
commission, Bnreau of Mining [Mines] and &i ineral Resources, oil conservation
commission, state mine inspector, state geologist, and by doing so:
A. protect and preserve the extractive resources of the state of New M e x ico for present and future generations;
B. utilize, promote and develop extractiveresources in a manner compatible with ecological considerations;
C. assume responsibility for research, comprehensive long-range planning.
and conservation of extractive resources;
D. design andimplement statewide programs and policies directed toward the best useof limited supplies of non-renewable energy sources;
E. ensure thatthe consumers within the state of NewMexicoreceive.
optimum benefits from extractiveresource development through coordinated policy
development by state and federalenergy-related agencies; , , ,
K. develop and administer a statewide plan for energy resources, including energy resources research and development; energy facility management program;
energy conservation; fuel allocation; and administration of grants; . . .
Sec. 12. BUREAU OF..[FUEL] GEOLOGY-CREATION-duties.A. There is hereby created a bureau of [ . / i d ] geologywithin the mining
and minerals division of the energy and minerals department,
B. The bureau shall:
( I ) conduct geological studies of known supplies of natural sources
of energy in this state, including fossil fuels, radioactive minerals and geothermal energy
with the aim of determining reserves and life expectancy thereof;
(2) conduct geological studies ofprobableand
potential supplies
of natural sources of energy;
(3) cooperate with the Bureau ofMines and Mineral Resources in.the
0
preparation and publication of maps, brochures and pamphlets describing known, probable and potrntialsources of natural energy in this state: . . .
Sec. 17. Section63-1-2NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1927, Chapter 115, Section 2)
is amended to read:
63-1-2. PURPOSES A N D &cTtONs.-The
objects and duties of said Bureau of
Mines and MineralResources shall be as follows:
A. to collect. to compile and to publish statistics relative to New'Mexico,
geplogy. mining. milling. metallurgy and oil and natural gas arid the refining thereof;
B. to collect typicalgeological and mineral specimens and samples of
products:tocollect
photographs. modelsanddrawings of appliances used in mines,
mills. smelters. nil wells, natural gas wells and the refineries of oil and natural gas in
New Mexico:
C. to collect a library and bibliography of literaturepertainingtothe
progress of geology. mining, milling. smelting and the production of oil and natural gas
and refining the samein New Mexico:
D. to study the geological formations of the state with special reference
to theireconomic mineral resources. both metallic and nonmetallic:
E. to examine the topography and physical featuresofthestate
with
reference to their practical bearing upon the occupation of the people;
F. to study the mining.milling, smelting operations and oil and natural
gas production and the refining of the same carried on in the state with special reference
to their improvement:
G . toprepareand publish bulletins and reports with the necessaryillustrations and maps, which shall embrace both a general and detailed description.of the
natural resources and geology. mines, mineral deposits, both metallic and nonmetallic, oil
wells. natural gas wells. reduction plants, smelters, mills, oil refineries and natural gas
refineries:
H. to make qualitative examinations of rocks and mineral samples and
specimens:
I.
to assist in the educationofminers and prospectors through lectures
'and publications:
J.
to consider such other kindred. scientific and economic problems and
questions as in the judgment or the board shall be deemed of value to the people of the
state:
K: to communicate special information an New Mexico geology, mining,
both metallic and nonmstallic, oil and natural gas and to serve as a bureau of exchange
and informatior.on the mineral, oil and natural gas resources of New Mexico:
L. to co-operate with the University of New Mexico,with the state mine
inspector and with other departments of state government as may be mutually beneficial and to co-operate with the United States geologicalsurvey and with the United
States bureau of mines in accordance with the regulations of those institutions:
M. to coordinate with the mining and minerals division and the secretary
of the energy and minerals department in the formulation of overall policy in the area
ormining and minerals: and:
N.to
assist the secretary of the energy and minerals department with
those projects which came within the expertise and jurisdiction of the Bureau.
Sec. 18. Section63-1-3NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1927, Chapter 115. Section 3)
is amended to read:
63-1-3. A N N U A L REPORTS OF PROGRESSAND CONDITIOXA. The board shall cause tobeprepared an annualreport showing the
progress and condition of the Bureau, together with such other information as they may
deem necessary or useful, or as the board may require.
B. The board shall provide the secretary of the energy and minerals.department with a copy of such annual report. . . ,
Sec. 26. A new Section 63-34-1.1 NMSA 1953 is enacted to read:
63-34-1.1. BUREAU OF sURFACEMtNINC.-Thereis hereby created a "bureau of
189
190
e
11s
Set. 27. Section 63-34-2 NMSA 1953 (being Laws 1972, Chapter 68, Section 2)
is amended to read:
63-34-2. DEFINITIONS.-AS used in the Coal Surfacemining Act:
A. “affected ‘area” means the area from which overburden is removed
and on which it is deposited;
B. “stripmining” meansmining coal by removing overburden above the
coal and removing the natural deposit directly;
c. “commission” means the coal surfacemining commission;
D. “chief” means the chief of the bureau of surfacemining; , . .
Note: I n ail cases in [he Coal Surfacemining Act, the word ‘thief” replaces ‘Virertor.” The
dimror of the COO[ Surfacemining Commission was also the director of the Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources: the chief will not necessarih be the direcror of the Bureau of ~i~~~
and Mineral Resources.
i
i
191
I
a s l a t i v e Apprbpriations for
,
.N&v MexicoBureau
of M i n e s . a n d - M i n e r a l R e s o u r c e s
Hq s p e c i f i ca p p r o p r i a t i o n sf r o mL e g i s l a t u r eu n t i l
Laws of ,1933,Chap.
@t
1933:
186'
To apply o n salariesand
wages
To apply
office
on expense
. . . . . . . . . '$6,500.00.,
: '. . . . . i
500.00
. . . . . . . . . . . .I, 000,OO ..
;
. . .
. . . . , .. . . . .
T o a p p lo
yrne p a i r s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..
To apply
on
equipment
. . . . . i .... . .
To applyoncontingentandotherexpenses
. ,.
To apply on operating expenses
500.00
*'
25.0.00
a
250.00
1,000.00
;
I
Provided that the foregoing appropriation shall be in lieu
.
'
I
To applyontravelingexpenses
.
.
.
..
:
of that
.
s t a t e d in Chapter "134, Laws of 1929 andshallbe
,
derivedundertheMineralLeasing
2775--'Public No.
p i d f r o m funds
Act (Section 35, 'SenateBill
146, 66thCongress.)
Laws of 1935,Chap.
No.
.
,.
X51
.. .
(1) To applyonsalariesandwages
e
e
..
e
$6,500.00
.
..........
500.00
(3) ' I o a p p l y . o n . t r a v e l i n ge x p e n s e s
..........
I, 000,'OO
(4) To apply
on
operating
expenses
.........
( 2 ) T o apply on office expense
(5) T o , a p p l y on r e p a i r s
(6) To
apply
on
equipment
.
. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .
.............
(7) To applyoncontingentandotherexpenses
...
500.00
250.00
250.00
1,000.00
.
e
192
shall be in lieu of that
Provided, that the foregoing appropriations
of 1929 and shall b e paid .fromfunds
stated in Chapter134,Laws
A c t (Section35,SenateBill
derivedundertheMineralLeasing
No.
146, 66th Congress.
2775--Public No.
Laws of 1937,
Chap.
232
. . . . . . . . $7,500.00
7. To applyonsalariesandwages
8. To applyonofficecontingentandother
expenses
9. To
..................
applyontravelingexpense
.........
- '
10. To applyonrepairs,equipmentandoperating
expenses
.................
I, 300.00
250.00
2,950..00
items 7,8,
Providedthattheforegoingappropriationfor
9
and 10. s h a l l be in 1ieu:ofthat'tstated- in Chapter. 134,. Laws'of 1929,
and shall
be paid from funds derived under the Mineral Leasing Act
(Sec.
35,
SenateBill
No.
2775--F'ublic No.
146, 66thCongress;)
Laws of 1939,Chap.238
7.
To applyon
salaries andwages
. . . . . . . . . $7,500.00
8. To applyonofficecontingentandother
expenses
9. To
.................
a p p l yo nt r a v e l i n ge x p e n s e s .
........
10. To applyonrepairs,equipmentandoperating
expenses
......................
P r o v i d e d ' t h a t the foregoingappropriation
250.00
5,950.00
for i t e m s7 ,8 ,9 ' a n d
10 s h a l l be in lieu of that statedinChapter
andshall
1,300.00
134,Laws
of 1929,
be paidfromfundsderivedundertheMineralLeasing
Act(See.35-SenateBill
No.
2775-Public No.
146, 66th C o n g r e s s . )
':
e
193
Laws of 1941, Chap. '212
7. To applyon
salaries a n dw a g e s . .
. . . . . . . $7,500.00
8. To applyonofficecontingentandother
expenses
9.
.................
To apply
ontraveling
expenses
.........
1,300.00
250.00
10. To applyonrepairs,equipmentandoperating
expenses
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . !,5,950.00
7, 8, 9
Pr,ovided that theforegoingappropriationforitems
and 10 shall be in lieu of that stated in Chapter
134; . Laws of
1929, and shall be paid fromfundsderivedundertheMineral
LeasingAct
(Sec. 35-Senate Bill No.
66th Congress. )
2775"Public No.
146,
194
Laws of 1943, Chap. 127
7. For
. . . . . . . $18,600.00.
salaries and wages
...........
9. Conbingent expenses . . . . . . . . . .
8. Travel expenses
4,000.00
3,100.00
.
TOTAL 25,700.00
Items 7 to 9 inclusive shall be appropriated in the, amount
of $25,000.00 from funds derived under .the Mineral Leasing
Act in accordance with Senate Bill
No. 54 of the Sixteenth
'
Legislature and $700.00 shall be provided from proceeds of
the sale .of bulletins.
Laws of 1943,Chap.
i2
..
CHAPTER 12
A n act relating to the "state public school equalization fund"
and appropriating all funds annually received under the Mineral
Leasing Land' Act for the support of public schools except the
annual appropriation for the "free textbook fund, and except
twenty five thousand dollars ($25, 000. 00) annually, which
is hereby appropriated to t h e B e p a r b e n tof the Bureau of
Mines of the New Mexico School of Mines, and declaring
an emergency.
S.
B. No. 54; Approved April 2, 1943
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of New Mexico:
Section 1. That all moneys annually received by the State under
the Frovisions of the Act of Congress approved February 25, 1920,
(41 Stat. 437) entitled "An Act to Promote the Mining of Coal,
Phosphate, Oil, Oil Shale, G a s and Sodium on
the Public Domain,
as amended, be, and the same are hereby appropriated for the use
..
'I
and benefit of the Public Schools of the State of New Mexico
for instructional service, except the annual appropriation out
of said fund for free textbooks, as provided by Section 3,
Chapter 7 6 of the New Mexico Session Laws of 1941 (55-1705
New Mexico Statutes 1941 Annotated), and TwentpFive Thou-
sand Dollars ($25,000.00) which is hereby appropriated
annually to the Department of t h e B u r e a u of Mines of the New
Mexico School of Mines, and the State Treasurer is hereby
authorized and directed to place all such funds annually, as
received, to the c r e d i t of the “State Public School Equalization
Fund.
Section 2.
.
. .
*
That it is necessary for the, preservation of the public
.
.
peace, h,ealth and safety of the inhabitants of the state of New
Mexico that the provisions of this Act shall become effective at
the earliest possible time and,therefore,an emergency is
hereby declared to exist,and this Act shall take effect and be in
f u l l f o r c e and effect f r o m a n d a f t e r i t s p a s s a g eand approval..
-
Laws of 1945, Chap. 139
.
. . . . . . . $40,400.00
( 8 ) F o r travelexpenses . . . . . . . . . 3,500.00
( 9 ) F o r contingentexpenses . . . . . . . 7,700.00
(7) For salaries and wages
,.
..
196
e
'
Items ( 7 ) to (9) inclusive shall be appropriated in the amount
of $50, 000.00 f r o m funds derived under the Mineral Leasing
Act in accordance with Senate Bill No. 54 of the Sixteenth
Legislature, and $1,600.00 shall be provided from proceeds
of the sale of bulletins and well logs.
Laws of 1947,Chap.221
. . . . . . . $40,400.00
(10) F o r travelexpense- , . . . . . . . .
3,500.00
(11)For contingentexpense . . . . . . : 7,700.00
(9) For salariesandwages
Items (9) to (11) inclusive shall be appropriated in the amount
of $50,000.00
f r o m funds derived under the Mineral LeasingAct in
accordance with Senate Bill No. 54 of the Sixteenth Legislature,
and $1,600.00 shall be provided from proceeds of the sale of
Bulletins and well ~logs.
Laws of 1949,Chap.
179
. . . . . . . $63,000.00
(10) F o r travelexpense
. . . . . . . . 5,000.00
(11)For contingentexpense . . . . .. . . 23,600. 00
(9) For salaries and wages
Provided. that items (9) to (11) inclusive shall be appropriated
in the amount of $50,000.00 from funds derived under the Mineral
Leasing Act in accordance with Senate Bill No. 54 of the
Sixteenth Legislature, and $1, 600.00 shall be provided from
p r o c e e d s of the s a l e of bulletins and well logs.
.
Laws of 1951.Chap. '.
227
( 3 ) F o r Bureau of Mines and Mineral
40th F i s c a l
Year
'
'
. .............
( 4 ) For w a t e r r e s e a r c h . . . . . . . . . .
Resources
$170,000.00
75,000.00
. .
41st Fiscal
Year
170,000.00
75,000.00
Act and t h a t re
and sale o f b u l l e t i n s
'are hereby appropriated annually.
a
and o t h e rp u b l i c a t i o n s
4F6its4F
hc7iatslhc a l
Geophysical Year
water
and.
survey
,
Year
.
......
.......
. . . . . . . . .
$72,748
$71,286
climato1o:gicalprogram
10,000
10,000
Basic geologicalsurvey
Ground water suirvey
10,000
10 > 000
These surveys were conducted by the New Mexico Bureau of
Mines and Mineral Resources.
.
Laws of1953,Chap.'156
..
.
42nd F i s4cF3airsldc a l
2. Bureau o f Mines and Mineral
Year
Year
$200,000
$200,000,
Resources
Provided t h a t $75,000.00of Item 2 sha'll b e t r a n s f e r r e d
from t h e Mineral Lands Leasing Act for each
fiscal y e a r f o r t h e
use of the Bureau of Mines and further provided t h a t there i s
a p p r o p r i a t e d t o Item 2 the proceeds from the sale'
o f booksand
publications.
..........
Laws of1955,
Chap. 287
4F4i ts4F
hc5iatslhc a l
of
Bureau2.
Mines and Mineral
Year
Year
Resources
$224,091.00
224,091.00
Provided t h a t $75,000.00 of Item
2 shall be transferred
f r o m . t h e M i n e r a l Lands Leasing Act €or each
fiscal y e a r f o r t h e
use of the Bureau of Mines a n d f u r t h e r p r o v i . d e d t h a t t h e r e
is
a p p r o p r i a t e d t o Item 2 the proceeds from the saie of books and
publications.
..........
Laws of1957,
'
Chap. 235
4F6its4hFc7iatslhc a l
2. of
Bureau
Year
Mineral
and
Mines
Year
Resources . . . . . . . . . . .
$249,503.00
254,628.00
Provided t h a t $75,000.00of I t e m 2 s h a l l be t r a n s f e r r e d
from t h e Mineral Lands L e a s i n g A c t f o r e a c h f i s c a l y e a r f o r t h e
u s e o f the Bureauof Mines a n d f u r t h e r p r o v i d e d t h a t
there i s
a p p r o p r i a t e d t o Item 2 the proceeds from the sale- of books and
publications.
'1
198
Laws of1959,Che.
288
4F
8 it sh4cF
9a itl shc a l
Year
Year
3; Bureau o f MinesandMPneral
Resources
206,000
$206,000
10,000
10,000
4 . Basic geologicalsurvey
10,000
10 * 000
5 . ,Ground water survey
P r o v i d e d t h a t i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e t.bove one hundred thousand
d o l l a r s ($100,00) f o r e a c h f i s c a l y e a r
is appropriatedtothe
Bureau o f Mines and Mineral Resources from funds of the federal
Mineral Lands Leasing Act (64 S t a t . 402, as amended) and t h a t
r e c e i p t s f r o m - s a l e o f bulletins and. o t h e r . p u b l i c a t i o n s are hereby
appropriated annually.
. . . . . . . . . .
....
......
Laws of1961,
Chap.254
5F
0 ti h
s5cF1aislstc a l
2. Bureau of Mines
Mineral
and
Year
Year
Resources
,.
. .
.
.
,
$228,210
.
$244,621
10,000
10,000
3 . Basic geologicalsurvey
10,000
10,000
4. Groutid water survey
P r o v i d e d t h a t i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n t o New Mexico
I n s t i t u t e o f MiningandTechnology,onehundredthousand
dollars
($100,000) f o r e a c h f i s c a l y e a r
i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e Bureauof
Mines and' Mineral Resources from funds of the federal Mineral
Lands
Leasing Act (64Stat.402,as
amended) and t h a t r e c e i p t s from s a l e
of bulletins and other publications
are hereby appropriated annually
'
.I
Laws of1963,
Chap. 287
3 . Bureauof Mines andMineralResources
-general . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$265,000
4 . Basic
geological
survey
. . . . . . . . . . . .
10,000
5 . Ground water survey
10,000
6: S t a t e resources
development
plan
. . . . . . . . . 6,125
Provided that in addition to the appropriation to .the
New
Mexico I n s t i t u t e o f MiningandTechnology,onehundredthousand
d o l l a r s ($100,000) i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e BureauofMinesand
Mineral Resources f r o m funds o f , t h e f e d e r a l M i n e r a l Lands L e a s i n g .
Act (30 USCA: 181-214)and t h a t r e c e i p t s from sales o f b u l l e t i n s
and o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s a r e a p p r o p r i a t e d . ,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-,
199
Laws of1964,
3.Bureauof
a p . 2
Mines andMineralResources
--
...................
. . . . . . . . . . . .
..............
........
$265,000
general
LO, 000
4 . .Basic geologicalsurvey
5. Ground water survey
10,000
6. S t a t er e s o u r c e s development p l a n
6,125
Provided that i n a d d i t i o n t o . t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n t o the' New
Mexi,co I n s t i t u t e o f MiningandTechnology,onehundredthousand
d o l l a r s ($100,000) i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e Bureauof Mines and
Mineral Resources from funds of the federal.
Mineral, Lands Leasing
Act (30 USCA: 181-214) and t h a t r e c e i p t s from sales o f b u l l e t i n s
and o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s are a p p r o p r i a t e d .
Laws of1965,
Chap. 313
3. Bureau o f Mines andMineralResources
general
4. B a s i cg e o l o g i c a sl u h e y .
. 5.
Ground water survey . . . . . . . .
.....................
.............
........
$300,000
10,000
10,000
Laws of 1966, Chap. 66
3.Bureau.of
Mines andMineralResources
-.....................
$355,000
general
4 . Basic geological
survey
10,000
5 ; Ground water survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10,000.
Providedthatinadditiontotheappropriation-tothe
New
Mexico I n s t i t u t e ofMiningandTechnology,onehundredthousand
d o l l a r s ($lOO;OOO> i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t o t h e Bureauof Mines a n d '
Mineral Resources fromfundsof
t h e f e d e r a l Mineral Lands Leasing
Act (30' USCA: 181-214).
.............
Laws o f ' 1967, Chap. 2
56th
F i s c a5l 7 t h
Fiscal
Bureau
of
Mines and Mineral Resources -Year
Year
general
$373,000 .
$383,000
Provided,that in addition to:the appropriation to the
New,
Mexico I n s t i t u t e o f MiningandTechnology,onehundredthous2n.d
d o l l a r s ($100,000) i s a p p r o p r i a t e d a n n u a l l y t o t h e Bureauof Mines
and Mineral Resources from funds of the federal Mineral
Lands
Leasing Act(30
USCA: 181-214) .,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
200
Laws of 1968,Chap.
71
......$383,000
Basicgeologicalsurvey.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,000
Groundwatersurvey.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,000
3. Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
4.
5.
Provided. that
in addition to the appropriations to the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology, one hundred thousand dollars
($100, 000) is appropriated annually to the Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources from fundsof the federal Mineral Lands
Leasing Act (30 USCA 181-214).
Laws of 1969, Chap. 282
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology:
. . . . $1,037,000
1. Currentgeneralpurpose
(58th f. y. )
2. R e s e a r c h
.............
274,000
274;OOO
(59th f.y. )
. . 414, 000
414,000
(58th f.y. )
Total
(59th f. y. )
)
(58thf.y.
3. Mining
and
geologic
activities.
LO37,OOO
(59th f . y . )
. . $1,725,000$1,725000
Provided that in addition to the'appropriation b the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology, one hundred thousand dollars
($100,000) is appropriated annually to the Bureau of Mines and
M i n e r a l R e s o u r c e s from funds of the Mineral Lands Leasing
Act (30 USCA 181-214).
Note: The amount given to the Bureau from the appropriation to
t h e New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology i s not otherwise
specified.
. .
201
L a w s of 1970, Chap. 89
New Mexico Gstitute of Mining and Technolo.gy:.
(1) Current
general
purposes
general
fund,
$1,160,000
other state funds
365,000
federal funds
56,000
297, fund
000
Rgeesneear(ra2cl)h
:
other
state
funds
45,000
federal
funds.
1,444;'500
( 3 ) Miningandgeologicactivities--generalfund.
'
(4) Other
626, 000
ather
state
funds
20,746
836,010
funds,
state
other
.
'
federal
funds,
217,700
Provided that included in the general fund appropriation
to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology one hundred
thousand dollars ($100,000) is appropriated annually to the Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources from funds
of the federal Mineral
Lands
Leasing
(30
Act
USCA 181-214).
..
,
Note: The amount given to the Bureau from the appropriation
. . to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is not
otherwise specified.
Laws of 1971, Chap.327
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology:'
( 1) Currentgeneralpurposes
..
generalfund.$1,205,961
other
state
funds
. .
.
54,000
federal
funds
fund.
general
Research
(2)
305; 000
other
state
funds
23, 750
fedexal funds,
,
I, 797,750
fund
656, 000
other state funds,
12,000
( 3 ) Ivining andgeologicactivities--general
(4) Other
505,000
other state funds
873,370
federal funds
147,800
202
Provided that included in the general fund appropriation to the
New Mexico Institute of Mining and.Technology $100, 000 is
appropriated annualxy to the Bureau of Mines and Mineral
R e s o u r c e s f r o m f u n d sof the federal Mineral Lands Leasing Act
(30 USCA 181-214).
Note: The amount given to the Bureau from the appropriation'
to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is not
otherwise specif.ied.
L a w s , o f 1972, Chap. 98
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology:
(1) Current
general
purposes'
general
fund,
$1,295,000
other state funds
g e( 2n e
) rRael s e a r c h
628,000
federal funds
20,000
fund
320,000
23,800
other state funds.
federal funds
1,847,700
( 3 ) Mining and geologic activities- -general fund,,
other state funds
688,000
9,000
(4) New Mexico Academy of
Science Project
(5) Other
general fund
25,000
other state funds.
964,400
federal funds
'
116,400
Provided that included in the general fund appropriation to the
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology $100, 000 is
appropriated annually to the Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
from funds of the federal Mineral Lands Leasing, Act(30 USCA .
181-214).
203
L a w s of 1973,Chap.
403
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology:
(1) Current
general
purposes
general
fund
$1,504,500
442, 000
other state funds
federal funds
fund
17, 000
general
(2.) Research
332, 000
131,500
otherstatefunds.
federal funds.
1,780,000
(3) Mining and geologic activites"genera1 fund
720,000
19,000
other state funds
(4) College opportunity program--general fund,
tate other Other
(5)
1,052,500
federal funds
'
'
21,000
Included in the general fund appropriation
'
123,400
to the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology is the amount of $100, 000
which is appropriated t o the Bureau of Mines and Mineral
Resources from funds of the federal Mineral Lands Leasing
Act (30 USCA 181-214).
Laws of 1974, Chap. 3
New Mexico h s t i t u t e of Mining and Technology:
(1)Current
general
purposes
general
funds
$1,646,000
other state funds
fetleral funds
(2) R e s e a r c h
fund
general
'
other state funds
federal funds.
(3) Mining an d geologic activities--general fund
L.
other state funds
423,500
21; 500
345,000
130,000
1,736,500
750, 000
45,000
:
e
2 04
(4) Collegeopportunityprogramgeneral
f w d $4, 000
other state funds
(5) Scanning electron microscope- -general fund
other state funds.
( funds.
6 )state
other
Other
11, 500
60,000
60, 000
1, 008, 800
federal
funds.
191,900
Included in the general fund appropriation in i t e m ( 3 ) is the
amount of $100, 000 which is appropriated to the Bureauof Mines
and Mineral Resources from fundsof the federal Mineral Lands
Leasing Act (30 USCA 181-214).
Note: The amount given to the Bureau from the appropriation
to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is not
otherwise specified.
Laws of 1975, Chap. 17
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology:
(1)Current
general
purposes
general
fund
$2,006,700
other
state
funds.
878,000
federal.funds
g
( 2e )nR
e reas le a r c h
fund.
99,000
398,000
other
state
funds.
313,000
'
,
federal
funds.
1,242,100
(3) Mining
and
geologic
activities-general
fund
885,000
other
state
funds
35,000
1,296,000
fundsstate other
(4) Other
funds
federal
30,000
Included in the general fund appropriation in i t e m ( 3 ) is the
amount of $100, 000 which is a p p m p r i a t e d to the Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources from fundsof the federal Mineral Lands
205
Leasing Act (30 USCA 181-214).
.
Note: The amount given
to the Bureau from the appropriation
to the New M e x i a I n s t i t u t e
of Mining and Technology is not
otherwise specified.
Laws of 1976,Chap.58
(5) Bureau of flines
general
$1,006,000
fund
other
state
funds,
35,000
Included in the general f>ad appropriation in item(5) i s
j_
the amount of one hundred thousand dollars($100,000) which
is appropriated from federal Mineral Lands Leasing Act
(30 USCA 181, et seq. ) receipts.
Laws of 1976, Chap. 45
AN ACT--Relating to the issuance of severance tax bonds; providing
for the financing of certain buildings at New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology; declaring an
emergency.
Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of New Mexico:
Section 1. Severance tax bonds--New Mexico Institute of Mining
and Technology. --In addition to all other severance tax bonds
i s s u e d p r i o r to the effective date of this act, the state board
of
finance may issue and sell severancetax bonds in compliance
with the Severance Tax Bonding Act in an a m o u n t not exceeding
two million thirteen thousand dollars ($2, 013, 000) when the board
of regents of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
certifies that the need exists for the issuanceof the bonds in the
following amounts and for the following purposes:
206
A, Contruction of a buildixg f o r a petroleum recovery
r e s e a r c h c e n t e r a t t h e New Mexico Institute of Mining,and
Technology.
. . $L,905,000.
B. Addition to the New Mexico Bureau of Mines building
at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
...
.
$108,000.
Section 2.
Emergency. --It is necessary for the public peace, health
and safety that this act take effect immediately.
.
.
e
Index
This index includes basic topics and
a l l names o f
individuals mentioned i n t h e annual report excerpts and
in
the Bates and Merillat h i s t o r y a r t i c l e s . It doesnotinclude
t h e a r t i c l e on New Mexico l e g i s l a t i o n o r t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n s
section.
Pages
Adam, J . E . 170
Allen, J . E .
68
Anderson, E. C . 13,24; 33,40,124,170,171,172,173,1~6. .
Apodaca,' J . 168
Armijo, A . J . 154
Armstrong; A . K . 164
Arnold, W.A. 134,169
Artesia o f f i c e 1 7 , 1 8 , 2 8 , 3 4 , 4 5 , 4 6 , 5 4 , 1 7 2 , 1 7 3
Atlas Program156,157,174,175
Austin, G.S. 175,176 . '
Baker, D.H., J r . 139,141,143,149,153,154,155,162,174,176
Balk, R . 68,78
Barnett, J . 1 7 1
Bates, FLL. 170
Benner, BIR. 159
Bertholf,.W.'E. .129,13O,I,32,133,134,135,136,137
Bhappu, R . B . 83,9.9,100,128,131,132,135,u6,140,141,142,174
Bieberman, R.A. 97,99,128,133,169,175
B i n g l e r , E . C . 99,102,110
Birdseye, H.S. 150,159
Black, M.W. 6 , 7
Blakestad, R.B. 164
B r i e r l e y , C . L . 158
Brown, D.M. 164
. Bruning, J . E .
164
Burks,. M.. 171,175
Callaghan, E . 5 0 , 5 7 , 6 0 , 6 7 , 7 2 , 1 2 4 , 1 7 3 , , 1 7 4 , 1 7 6
Carter, R.B. 164.
ceramics 101,112,113
Chamberlin, R.M. 164
..'
e.
Chapin, C.E. 163,164
Chavez, R. 169
Clippinger, D. 171
c o a l 90,91,104;105,118,147,'154,157,174
Colgate, S.A. 92,138,155
Cramer, T.A. 73
*
Darmitzel, W.F. 150
D i l l o n , R.C. 168
Dobrovolny, E. 171
Drake,. J 142
.
Earth Resources Technology Satellite 153,174
Edgar, M.M. '142
Famariss, W . , .Jr. 150.
F i l e , L. 103,104,130,132,134,136
f i r e 4,5,172
.Fleming, A . B . -154
Flower, R. 106,129,130 ;136,169
F o s t e r , R. 9~7,99,113,128,130,131,133,134,135,169~
Fowler, C . H . 9,11,12
F r o s t , J. 171
geologic mapping 3 , 5 , 1 0 , 1 5 , 2 4 , 3 8 , 4 1 , 4 8 , 5 6 , 6 1 , 6 2 , 6 3 , 6 8 , 6 9 , 7 7 , 7 8 , 9 4 ,
158,164,173
geophysics64,157
geothermalresources95,105,106,157
Gordon, L. J. 154
Gordon, L . S. 154
Grant, W.W. 150
Griswold, G. 103
.
Hahn, A.D. 170,172,176
Harvey, F. 171
Hawks, W. 101,112
Herkenhoff, H. .2
Holmes, H . P . 163
H o l t s , C.L. 172,177
hydrology 3 5 , 4 1 , 4 9 , 5 6 , 5 7 , 6 3 , 6 4 , 6 5 , 8 8 , 8 9 , 1 0 5 ~ 1 0 6 , 1 1 5 , 1 5 7 , 1 7 3
'
209
industrial minerals 3,4,15,19,20,24,30,31,34,37,42,47,51,55,81,94~~~,
101,119,147,154,157,159,163,164
Johnson,P.H, 1 4 0
Johnston, W . D . , Jr. 2 , 3 , 4 , 6
Kelley, V . C . 171
K e l l y , J.M. 1 7 0 , 1 7 2 , 1 7 6
Kinney, E.E. 1 7 3
Koschmann, A . H . 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 1 2
Kottlowski, F.E. 98,99,124,128,130,132,134,138,14.0,'155,156,161,162,
165,166,167,168,169,173,174,176
Krewedl, D.A. 1 6 4
..
Lake, L . L . 1 4 2
Lamb, N.R. 1 7 , 4 5 , 1 7 1 , 1 7 2 , 1 7 3
Lasky, S.G. 7 , 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 7 2
LePlatt, C. 142
Leyendecker, P . 1 5 4
Loughlin,G.F.
3,5,7,8,9,10,12
MacAlpin, A. 171'
Macey, W. 1 7 1
NcAnul ty,, W .N . 1 6 4
McLeroy, D.F. 1 3 2
M e r i l l a t , C.H. see H o l t s , C.L.
mine.ralogy 9,22,95,102,126,152,153,154
c7,70,71,
mining and metallurgy 8 , 9 , 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 5 , 1 8 , IL9,20, 3 0 , 3 7 , 4 1 , 4
76,77,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,95,99,100,101,102,103,104,107,
118,119,120,140,141,147,152,157,158,159,163,164,174
Misaqi, F. see Missaghi, F .
Missaghi, F. 1 0 3 , 1 3 2
Needham, C . E . 170,17l,172,176
.'
Nicholson, A. 1 5 3 .
Northrop, S . A . 104,171
Northup, D. 171
/ '
paleontology 6 7 , 6 8 , 7 4 , 7 5 , 7 6 , 8 8 , 1 0 6 , 1 7 3
Park,C.F.,
Jr. 3 5 , 4 1 , 1 7 3
Peckenpaugh, D.M. 1 4 2
.petroleum 1 5 , 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 8 , 2 7 , 2 8 , 2 9 , 3 4 , 3 6 , 4 2 , 4 3 , 4 5 , 5 4 , 7 9 , 8 0 , 9 7 , 9 8 , 1 0 7 ,
153,157,163,167,17o,i71,~72,173
.'
....
P l o u f , T . 158
.Rapson-McGugan, J . 152
Ray, T . 1 4 1
Read, C . B . 1 7 1
Reece, R.H. 170,172,176
Reiche, P. 1 7 1
Renault, 3. 99,102,131
Reynolds, D. 100, 102,128,134,136
Reynolds, S.E. 154
Richardson, J . K . 74
Roman, R . J . 142,147,158
S e a g r i f f , W. 1 5 1
Siemers, N.T. 164
Silberman, M.L. 164
Simon, D. B. 164
Smith, J . H . 140
Somers, G.B. 2 , 3 , 4
Spencer, A.C. 2 , 3
Staley, G. 171
S t r i n g f i e l d , V.T. 5 , 8 , 1 2
stucky, R. i s 0
s u b s u r f a c e l i b r a r y 16,17,26,27,36,54,80,107,153,163,167,174
Summers, W.K. 99,105,106,129,130,133,135,137
'
Talmadge, S.B. 170
Theis, C.V. 35,172
Thompson, A . J . 79,83,86,90.,92,93,96,107,113,124,125,174,176
T i t l e y , S. 163
uranium 70,71,76,77,118,157,173
Vorbe, G. 1 7 1
Waldron, J . H . 57,65
Walter, A . S . 6 , 8
Weber, R.H. 99,102,110,130,133,134,135,136,155,162,169
Weir, J . A . 8
Wells, E.H. 1 , 2 , 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 7 2 , 1 7 6
Wengerd, S.A.
150
'Wilkinson, W.H. 164
Wilks , L . S . 142
210
,
1/1
<~
e
/-
"'
W i l l a r d , 130 .+
Wills, N . 167 "
Wilpolt, R. 1 7 1
Winchester, D.E. 11,12
Wootton, T . P . 2 , 4 , 6 , 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 2
Workman, E . J . 173
Wrather, W.E. 25
Yates, 14. 29
HISTORICAL DIRECTORY
OF
STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS
bY
George F. Hanson
Historian, Association of American State Geologists
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICANSTATEGEOLOGISTS
E. A. Noble, Editor
University Station, Grand Forks, North Dakota
1972
Professor George F. Hanson
State Geologist and Director
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Geological and Natural History Survey
1953-1972
Historian, Association of American State Geologists
1961-1972
PREFACE
I
As an undergraduate I was blessed with a Professor who had a keen interest
in the historical development of geology in the United States, hence soon became
acquainted with the outstanding accomplishments of the early state surveys and
their directors. Upon becoming a state geologist myself it was apparent that many
changes had taken place in state surveys since their beginning years.
The early state surveys were usually formed for a specific task, such as to
“complete a study of the geology of the state.” Once thetask was completed, and
indeed often before, the surveys were disbanded. Around the turn of the century
the need for continuing geological work became evident and geological surveys
became permanent units of state overnment, but over the years not only their
missions chan ed to reflect the dif ering resources and needs of the various states,
but also so di their affiliation in the governmental framework.
?
!
Uponbeingelected
the Historian of the Association of American State
Geologists in 1961 I thought it would be of interest to my fellow state geologists
to attempt to tabulate the changes in the titles of the organizations over the years,
as well as the names, titles and periods of tenure, of their directors; but although
much had been written on the history of state surveys, and their contribution to
American geology, it soon became apparent that not only was there inadequate
published information to make the proposed tabulation, but also some of it was
contradict0
Trying to use thepublications of the state surveys as aprimary
source of in ormation only magnified the confusion. I therefore cook the easy way
out and appealed to my fellow state geologists for help. Much corresondence
flowed back and forth as it was found that the task was not as simp e as first
imagined. In 1962a report was given to theAssociation at its annualmeeting, and
a revised report was presented in 1969. In 1972 a second revision was presented
to the Association at which time the members voted that it be printed.
7.
P
’
I am therefore entire1 indebted to my many colleagues for the information
contained herein, and apo ogize for the inconsistencies in format and for some
informational gaps that still persist. I trust that it will nonetheless serve as a useful
reference for those interested in the growth and vicissitudes of state surveys.
P
George A. Hanson
May 5,1972
Alabama -Alaska -Arizona
2
ALABAMA
Geological Surveyof Alabama
Michael Tuomey
Eugene Allen Smith
Walter Bryan Jones
Philip E. LaMoreaux
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1848-1857
1873-1927
1927-1961
1961-
Note: Although Tuomey was appointed State Geologist in 1848 no funds were a propriated for the
Geological Survey until 1854. During this period Prof. Tuomey conducted his wo& at the expense of
the University.
ALASKA
Territorial Departmentof Mines
B. D. Stewart
Leo Saarela
Phil R. Holdsworth
Commissioner of Mines
Commissioner of Mines
Commissioner of Mines
1935-1950
1950-1952
1952-1959
Division of Mines and Minerals, Dept. of Natural Resources
James A. Williams
Director
1959-1970
Division of Geological Survey, Dept.of Natural Resources
James A. Williams
William C. Fackler
State Geologist
State Geologist
1970-1971
1971-
Note: when Alaska attained statehood,Phil R. Holdsworth was appointed Commissionerof the newly
created Dept. of Natural Resources.
ARIZONA
John Blandy
Theodore Bryant Comstock
William Phipps Blake
Cyrus Fischer Tolman
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
? -1891
1891-1895
1898-1910
1910-1312
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
1915-1918
1918-1940
1940-1956
1956-1970
1970-1971
1971-
Arizona Bureauof Mines
Charles Francis Willis
Gurdon Montugue Butler
Thomas Garfield Chapman
James Donald Forrester
Richard M. Edwards
William H. Dresher
Arizona -Arkansas
3
Note: J. D. Forrener @en. comm.) notes “The office of TerritorialGeologist appears to have been an
honorary one, and funds were seldom a propriated for its operation. With the establishment of the
Arizona School o!Mines, in 1891, the of&,, when ffied, was held by a member of the faculty of that
school. Thls practlce was followed until Arizona attained Statehood
in 1912. Between 1912 and 1915
ho clear policy is discernable.”
ARKANSAS
“First Survey” (Owen Survey)
David Dale Owen
State Geologist
1857-1860
“Second Survey’’ (Reconstruction Surveys)
W. F. Roberts, SI.
George Haddock
William Hazeldine
h State
o l d Syberg
-- -
1871
.
- . .-1 871
.
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
Geologist
1873-1874
Jan. 1874-June 1874
June 1874 to end of year
State Geologist
1887-1893
State Geologist
Acting State Geologist
State Geologist
1923-1942?
1942-1943
1943-1945
“Branner Survey”
John C. Branner
Geological Surveyof Arkansas
George C. Branner
Richard J. Anderson
Joe W. Kinzey
Division of Geology, Arkansas Resources& Development Comm.
Harold B. Foxhall
Norman F. Williams
Director (& State Geologist?)
Director (& State Geologist?)
1945-1951?
1951?
Arkansas Geological and Conservation Commission
Norman F. Williams
(State?) Geologist &Director
?
Note: Roberts was appointed in 1871 but in 1873 Governor Hadley reported to the Assembly that
Roberts returnedto Pennsylvania “last July and I have not heard from him since.”
From 1907-1923 the Professor of Geology, University of Arkanras, acted ex officio paa-time
as
State Geologist. Office holders wereA. &due, N. H. Drake, and G. H. Cady.
Nat. Research Council Bull. 88,1932, gives name as ‘The Office of State Geologist” as opposed
to Geol. Survey ofArkansas.
€I.
California
4
CALIFORNIA
“Trask Survey’’ or “First Geological Survey”
John B. Trask
1853-1856
State Geologist
State Geological Surveyof California
Josiah D. Whitney
State Geologist
1860-1873
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
1880-1886
1886-1892
1892-1896
1896-1901
1901-1911
1911-1913
1913-1923
1923-1927
California State Mining Bureau
Henry G.Hanks
William Irelan, Jr.
J. J. Crawford
Augustus S. Cooper
Lewis E. Aubury
William H. Storms
Fletcher Hamilton
Lloyd Root
Division of Mines & Mining, Dept. of Natural Resources
Lloyd Root
Walter H. Bradley
1927-1928
1928-1929
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
Division of Mines, Departmentof Natural Resources
Walter H. Bradley
W. Burling Tucker
Olaf P. Jenkins
Gordon B. Oakeshott
Ian Campbell
State Mineralogist
Acting State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist &Chief,
Division of Mines
State Mineralogist & Chief
State Mineralogist & Chief,
Division of Mines
1929-1946
1946-1947
1947-1958
1958-1959
1959-1961
Division of Mines and Geology, Departmentof Conservation
Ian Campbell
State Geolosist & Chief,
Division of Mines& Geolow
State Geologist &Chief,
Division
Mines
of
& Geology
”
Wesley G. Bruer
1961-1969
1970-
Note: Tucker was last State Mineralogist to be appointed by Governor. Jenkins and successors,
appointed from eligible lists of Civil Service determined by competitive examinations.
The tenure dates given for helan, Crawford and Cooper are those letteredon their pprtIaits apd
are used as o f i i d dates by the Division of Mines. However,
S. G. S. Bull. 465 lists then respectlve
tenures as 188643,1893-97,and 1897-1901. (F’ers.
Mary Hill 1967).
Corn. U.
California - Colorado - Connecticut
5
From 1867-1870 there were no appropriations and Whitney -ed
on some work at his own
-,.=-.-.
DUIiW. the period from Campbell’s retirement in .October, 1969, and ,Bruer’s temporary
e”“Q0
appointment rn December of 1969, the Division operated wthout a State Geologst. Direction ofthe
Division at this time w a s assigned t o John Mayfield, Deputy Director of theDepartment of
Corntion.
Bruer’s permanent appointmentas State Gealogist was madein Sept., 1970.
COLORADO
J. Alden Smith
Ernest LeNeve Foster
J. Alden Smith
Fred J. Bulkley
George E. Kedzie
Thomas A. Rickard
John W. Finch
B. A. h g i d g e
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1874-1883
1883-1885
1885-1887
1887-1889
1889-1895
1895-1901
1901-1906
1906-1907?
State Geologist
1907-1929
State Geological Survey
R. D. George
Geological SurveyDivision, Department of Natural Resources
John W. Rold
State Geologist &Director
1969-
Note: The appointment of a State Geologist wasauthorized by the Tenitorial
Legislature in 1872 but
‘No compensation for services, no? for any expense whatever, shall be paid by thestate to orfor said
State Geologist.” It w a s not until the State Geological Surveywas organized that funds beeame
available and then notuntil 1908.
In 1929 the Colorado Geological Survey was reorganized with offices in the State Mureurn
Building at Denver, and underthe wnaolof a Board consistin of the Governor, the Commjssioner of
Mines, the F’reddent of the Colorado Mining Association and fresident of the University of Colorado,
the Colorado School of Mines and the College of &culture. This board dealtwith cooperative U. S.
G. S., prpams, other ologic matters were handled by free cooperative servicesof otherstate
orgamzahons. (NRC B 3 8 8 ) . In 1968 the Colorado Geological Surveyw a s reestablished as a division
of the Department ofNatural Resources, and in Feb. 1969 John Rold was appointed StateGeologist
and Director.
CONNECTICUT
“Geological and Mineralogical Survey’’
J. G.Percival
C. U. Shepard
Geologist
Mineralogist
1835-1841
1835-1841
Connecticut -Delaware
6
State Geological and Natural History Survey
William North Rice
Herbert ErnestGregoIy
Henry
Hollister
Robinson
Wilton Everett Britton
Edward Leffingwell Troxell
John Becker Lucke
Superintendent
Superintendent
Superintendent
Superintendent
Superintendent
Director
1903-1916
1916-1921
1921-1925
1925-1939
1939-1954
In 1959 the G W S was placed in new Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Director
Joe Webb Peoples
1960-1971
Geological and Natural History Survey, Connecticut Dept.of Environmental
Protection
1971-
Director
Joe Webb Peoples
Note: The survey was located during the various tenures as follows: Rice at Wesleyan University;
Gregory and Robinsonat Yale; Britton at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; Troxell at
Trinity College; Luckeat University of Connecticut; Peoples at Wesleyan. Percival and Shepardhad no
titleshut were appointed as a committeeto cam,out the survey.
DELAWARE
Geological and Mineralogical Survey
James C. Booth
State Geologist
1837-1841
State Geologist
State Geologist
1951-1969
1969-
Delaware Geological Survey
Johan J. Groot
Robert R. Jordan
.
commission and its appointee. BootWs-appointmeit was to run “,as lo@ aihe is in the service of the
State.” Presumably, this terminated in January, 1841, when he submitted his report to the
commission.
The Present organization was established by State law in 1951 as the DelawareGeological
Survey. Jordan served as Acting State Geologist from July, 1965 through June, 1966, duringa
Year-long leave of absencetaken by Johan J. Groot.
~
~
~~~~
~~~~
7
Florida - Georgia
FLORIDA
Florida State Geological Survey
Elias H. Sellards
Heman Gunter
Robert 0. Vernon
State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1907-1919
1919-1958
1958-1961
Division of Geology, State Boardof Conservation
Robert 0.
Director
Vernon
&State Geologist
1961-1969
Bureau of Geology, Florida Departmentof Natural Resources
Robert 0. Vernon
Charles W. Hendry, Jr.
Chief & State Geologist
Chief & State Geologist
1969-1971
1971-
Note: J. Kosl made repoits for the state published in 1883 and 1886 but was never designated as
ation the Florida Geological Surveywas subordinated to the
State Geologist. W~ththe 1961 reo
Divison of Geology, State Board o%nmtion.
The Division w a s organized into two sections for
administrative purposes, (1) the Geological Survey, and (2) the Oil and Gas Section of which Vernon
was Administrator.
In 1969 the Florida State Government was reorganized under a newConstitution. The Division
of Gwio became the Bureau of Geology under the Department of Natural Resources and the name
Florida C%ological Survey was no longer used. On December 3, 1971 Hendry was ap ointed. Chief,
Bureau of Geolow and State Geolo&t and reolaced Dr. Vernon who was amointefthe Dlrector.
Division of Interi6i Resources, Depaainent of Nitural Resources.
_.
GEORGIA
Geological Survey of Georgia
Cotting
John R.
State Geologist
1836-1840
Geological, Mineralogicaland Physical Survey
George Little
State Geologist
1874-1879
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1890-1893
1893-1908
1908-1932
Geological Survey
J. W. Spencer
W. S.Yeats
S. W. McCallie
Georgia Geological Survey, Departmentof Forestry & Geological Development
S. W. McCallie
Richard W. Smith
State Geologist
State Geologist
1932-1933
1933-1937
Georgia -Hawaii - Idaho - Rlinios
8
Division of Mines, Mining and Geology, Departmentof Natural Resources
Richard W. Smith
Garland Peyton
Director
Director
1937-1938
1938-1943
Department of Mines, Mining andGeology, State Divisionof Conservation
Garland Peyton
A. S. Furcron
A. S.Furcron
Jesse H. Auvil, Jr.
Director
Acting Direct01
Director
Director
1943-1964
1964-1965
1965-1969
1969-1972
Department of Natural Resources, Earth &Water Division, Geological
Section
Sam M. Pickering, Jr.
Division Director &
State Geologist
1972-
HAWAII
NO SURVEY
IDAHO
Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology
A.Francis Thomson
Ernest W. Ellis
A. W. Fahrenwald
John W. Finch
A. W. Fahrenwald
Director
J. D. Forrester
E. F. Cook
Rolland R. Reid
Reid
Rolland R.
Secretary
Acting Secretary
Secretary
Director
Director
Director
Acting Director
mrecibr
1919-1928
~~.
~.
-~
1928
1929-1930
-~
~. ~.
..
1930-1934
1934-1954
1954-1956
1956-1964
1963-1965
1965"
Note: Cook was on leave of absence 196364.
ILLINOIS
Geological Survey of Illinois
J. G . Nonvood
A. H. Worthen
State Geologist
Director
1851-1858
1858-1875
Rlinois -Indiana
9
State HistoricalLibrary and Natural History Museum
A. H. Worthen
Joshua Lindahl
W.F. E. Gurley
Curator
Curator
Curator
1877-1888
1888-1893
1893-1897
State Geological Survey, State Geological Commission
H. Foster Bain
Frank W. DeWolf
Director
Director
1905-1909
1909-1917
I
State Geological Survey, Boardof Natural Resources& Conservation
Frank W. DeWolf
M. M. Leighton
John C. Frye
Chief
Chief
Chief
1917-1923
1923-1954
1954-
Note: AU provision for Worthen’s Survey ended in 1875; however, an Act was assed in 1885 that
Volume VI11 of the Geological Survey of Illinois be prepared by “the Curator o?the State Historical
and Natural HistoryMuseum, who is required to perform such duties as may be by law re uired of the
State Geologist.” L i n d a who completed this task in 1890 following Worthen’s death in1888,was in
fact listed as State Geologist on the title page.
INDIANA
David
Dale
Owen,
M.D.
Ryland Thomas Brown
David
Dale
Owen,
M.D.
Richard
Owen
Brother
of
Appointed
Geologist
of
the
State of Indiana
Served as Geological Agentfor
the State Board of Agriculture
Recommissioned to make second
Died
survey.
1859-1860
1860. in
D.
Owen
D.
Principal
and
Asst. with the Survey 1859-1860.
State Geologist
1837-1839
1851-1853
1860-1861
Geological Surveyof Indiana
Cox
Travers Edward
State Geologist
1869-1879
Indiana Departmentof Statistics and Geology
John Collett
Bureau
of
Chief
1879-1881
Indiana -Iowa
10
Indiana Departmentof Geology and Natural History
John Collett
James Maurice Thompson
Sylvester Scott Gorby
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1881-1885
1885-1888
1888-1889
Indiana Departmentof Geology and Natural Resources
Sylvester Scott Gorbv
Geoloeist
State
Willis Stanley Blatchiey
Edward Barrett
State Geoloht
State Geologist
1889-1894
1895-1910
1911-1919
Division of Geology, Indiana Departmentof Conservation
William Newton Logan
Ralph Emerson Esarey
Charles Frederick Deiss
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1919-1936
1936-1945
1945-1951
Geological Survey, Indiana Department
of Conservation
Charles Frederick Deiss
John Barratt Patton
State Geologist
State Geologist
1951-1959
1959-1965
Geological Survey, Indiana Department
of Natural Resources
John Barratt Patton
State Geologist
1965-
IOWA
The Geological Surveyof Iowa
James Hall
State Geologist
1855-1859
State Geologist
1866-1869
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist & Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist & Director
1892-1904
1904-1906
1906-1911
1911.1934
1934-1947
1947-1969
1969-
State Geological Survey
Charles A. White, M.D.
Iowa Geological Survey
Samuel Calvin
Frank A. Wilder
Samuel Calvin
George F. Kay
Arthur C. Trowbridge
H. Garland Hershey
Samuel J. Tuthill
11
Kansas
KANSAS
(First) State Geological Surveyof Kansas
Benjamin F. Mudge
State Geologist
1864-1865
(Second) State GeologicalSurvey of Kansas
George C. Swallow
State Geologist
1865-1866
University Geological Surveyof Kansas
Haworth
Erasmus
State Geologist
1895-1907
State Geologist & Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist & Director
State Geologist
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
of Research
Asst. State Geologist
Co-State Geologist& Asst. Director
Asst. State Geologist & Asst.
Director, incharge
Executive Director
State Geologist &Executive Director
State Geologist &Director
Asst. State Geologist & Asst.
Director
Assoc. State Geologist & Assoc.
Director
State Geologist &Director
Acting Assoc. State Geologist &
Acting Assoc. Director
Asst. Director & Asst. State
Geologist
Assoc. State Geologist
- & Assoc.
Director
Assoc. State Geologist & Assoc.
Director
1907-1915
1915-1916
1916
1917-1937
1937-1945
State Geological Surveyof Kansas
Erasmus Haworth
William H. Twenhofel
Raymond C. Moore
Kenneth K. Landes
John C. Frye
Frank C. Foley
William W. Hambleton
Paul C. Franks
Paul L. Hilpman
Ernest E. Angino
Charles K. Bayne
1945-1954
1927-1937
1937-1941
1941-1945
1945-1952
1952-1954
1954-1970
1955-1956
1956-1970
19701959-1960
1964-1965
1970-1972
1972-
Note: The third Survey w a s formally established in 1889 by the State Legislature as +e University
Geological Survey of Kansas. No appropriation was made and no personnel named untd 1895 when
the University of Kansas Board of Regents dec@ed the Survey to be organized. AIt!Iou@ Hawonhh
listed as State Geologistof the Univer$ty Geoloscal Survey from 1895-1907, reflecting h1s leaderslup,
no formal appointmentw a s made untd 1903.
Kansas - Kentucky
12
Landes and Frye at times heldthe title of State Geologist concurrently with Moore. Landes was
Co-State Geologist from 1937 to 1941. Moore was on military leave from 194245 at which time Frye
was in charge of the Survey. After Moore's return, Frye was Executive Director, and Moore was State
Geologist and Director of Research.
In 1945, Frye gained the additional title of State Geologist.
Franks w a s Acting Associate State Geologist and Acting Associate Director while Hambleton
was on sabbatical leave. Hilpman served as Assistant Director and Assistant State Geologistwhile
Foley was on leave.
KENTUCKY
Wiuiam W.Mather
State Geologist
1838
State Geologist
State Geologist &Director
1854-1857
1873-1880
Kentucky Geological Survey
David Dale Owen
Nathaniel S. Shaler
Kentucky Geological Surveyand Bureau of Immigration
John R. Proctor
State Geologist &Director
1880-1892
Director
State Geologist
1904-1912
1912-1918
Kentucky Geological Survey
Charles J. Nonvood
Joseph B. Hoeing
Department of Geology and Forestry
J. E. Barton
Willard R. Jison
Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner and
State Geologist
1'318-1919
Director & State Geologist
1920-1932
L
1919-1920
Kentucky Geological Survey
Willard R. Jibon
Bureau of Mineral & Topographic Survey, Universityof Kentucky
Arthur C. McFarlan
Director &State Geologist
1932-1934
Division of Geology, Department of Mines & Minerals
Daniel J. Jones
State Geologist
1934-1948
Kentucky - Louisiana -Maine
13
Kentucky Geological Survey, University
of Kentucky
McFarlan
Arthur C.
Daniel J. Jones
Wallace W. Hagan
1948-1958
Director
State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1948-1958
1958-
Note: D. D. Owen left Kentucky to become State Geologist of Arkan~as.Robert Peter, State Chemist,
brought manuscripts to completion and saw them through press. Thn survey was therefore probably
active until about 1860.
LOUISIANA
Geological Survey of Louisiana
Frederick
Vincent
Hopldns
1869-1872
State Geologist
Geological and Agricultural Surveyof Louisiana
1892-1893
1893-1899
1899-1909
Geologist in Charge
Geologist
Geologist in Charge
Otto Lerch
W. W. Clendenin
Gilbert D. Hams
Louisiana Soil and Geological Survey
1914-1919
Frederick E. Emerson
Louisiana Geological Survey
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1946-Dec.
April
State Geologist
1946-July
Dec.
Acting Director
State Geologist
Cyril K. Moresi
John Huner
Montgomery
PaulActing
James M. Cunningham
Acting
G . 0. Coignet
Leo W. Hough
1934-1941
1941-1946
1946
1947
July 1947-Oct. 1947
Oct. 1947-
Clendenin w a s Professor of Mineralow at Louisiana State University and served halftime as
geologist for the sufvey. Dr. Emason w a s s!f,of
Geology at, Louisiana State University and diedin
1919; The Universltywas wthout a geologist,until the amval ofHenry
Howe m 1922. All
geological matters were handledby Dr. Howe u n a the present survey wasestabhhed m 1934.
Note:
.
."
~~~
~~~
~~~~
~
~~~
V.
MAINE
Geological Survey, Massachusetts Bay Colony and State
of Maine
Charles T.
Geologist
Jackson, M.D.
1837-1839
Ducatel
Maine -Maryland
14
Maine Board of Agriculture
GeologistC. H. Hitchcock
1860-1862
Geological Survey
Lucius H. M e d l
Joseph Conrad Twinem
State Geologist
State Geologist
1929-1930
1930-1932
Maine Geological Survey, Maine Development Commission
Joseph M. Trefethen
State Geologist
1942-1952
Maine Geological Survey, Dept.of Development of Industry & Commerce
Joseph M. Trefethen
John R. Rand
State Geologist
State Geologist
1953-1956
1956-1957
Maine Geological Survey, Dept.of Economic Development
John R. Rand
Robert G. Doyle
1957-1959State Geologist
State Geologist
1959-1971
Maine Geological Survey, Maine Forest Service
Robert G. Doyle
State Geologist
1971-
MARYLAND
J. T.
James Higins
Philip T. Tyson
1848-1858
Chemist
State Agr'l
Chemist
State Agr'l
1858-1862
Maryland Geological Survey" (Geological and Economic Survey)
William Bullock Clark
Edward BennettMathews
State Geologist
State Geologist
1896-1917
1917-1941
Department of Geology, Mmes and Water Resources
Edward
Bennett
Mathews
Joseph T. Sigewald, Jr.
DirectorActing
Emst Cloos
Kenneth N. Weaver
Director
Director
Director
1941-1943
1962-1963
Maryland -Massachusetts
-Michigan
15
Maryland Geological Survey
Kenneth N. Weaver 1964-
Director
*Nofe: The Maryland Geological Survey operated under that name although it was established by the
Legislature as the Geological and Economic Survey.
MASSACHUSETTS
“Survey of the Geology and Natural History of Massachusetts”
Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock
“Geological SUNeyOI”
“Geological Surveyor”
1830-1833
1837-1839
State Geologist
1971-
Department of Public Works
Joseph Sinnot
Note: The dates of Hitchcock’s official tenue are somewhat in doubt.
MICHIGAN
“First Survey”
Douglas Houghton
State Geologist
1837-1845
State Geologist
1859-1862
“Second Survey”
Alexander
Winchell
Michigan Geological and Biological Survey
Alexander Winchell
Carl L. Rominger
Charles E. Wright
M. E. Wadworth
Lucius L. Hubbard
Alfred C. Lane
Rolan C. Allen
Richard A. Smith
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1869-1871
1871-1885
1885-1888
1888-1893
1893-1899
1899-1909
1909-1919
1919-1920
~~~
~~~~
Michigan -Mississippi
-Minnesota
16
Geological Survey Division, Departmentof Conservation
Richard A. Smith
Gerald E. Eddy
G . Pardee
Fr&
William L. Daoust
William L. Daoust
Division Chief and State Geologist
Division Chief andState Geologist
Division Chief andState Geoloeist
1920-1946
1946-1951
1951-1952
1952-1954
1954-1964
Geological Survey Divisonand Dept. of Natural Resources
Gerald E. Eddy
Arthur E. Slaughter
State Geologist
State Geologist
1964-1971
1971-
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey
Newton
Horace
Winchell
State Geologist
1872-1900
Director
Director
Director
Director
1911-1944
1944-1946
1946-1961
1961-
Minnesota Geological Survey
William Harvey Emmons
Frank Fitch Grout
George Melvin Schwartz
Sims
Kibler Paul
MISSISSIPPI
Agricultural and Geological Survey of the State
John N. Millington
Geologist
Chief
Keeney
John C.
Hamer Lewis
Eugene H:Hilgard
George Little
Hilgard
H.
Eugene
!
1
State Geologist
State Geolodst
State Geolo3st
State Geologist
State Geolosst
1850-1853
1853-1854
1854-1857
1858-1866
1866-1870
1871-1872
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1906-1909
1909-1933
1934-1958
Mississippi Geological Survey
A. F. Crider
E. N. Lowe
W.C. Morse
Mississippi -Missouri
17
Mississippi Geological, Economic and Topographical Survey
Tracy W. Lusk
Frederic F. Mellen
WilliaMoore
m H.
State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1958-1962
1962.1965
1965-
MISSOURI
Geological Surveyof Miasouri
G . C. Swallow
1853-1861
State Geologist
Missouri Bureau of Geology and Mines
A. D. Hager1870-1871Geoloeist
J. G.Noiivood
Raphael Pumpelly
G.C. Broadhead
c. P. williams
State
Temporary State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
.kg..
NOV. 1871
1871-1873
1873-1875
1875-1878
Missouri Bureau of Geology and Mines
Arthur Winslow
C. R. Keyes
J. A. Gallaher
Leo Gallaher
E. R. Buckley
H. A. Buehler
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist & Director
1898-1900
Acting State Geologist &
Acting Director
State Geologist & Director
State Geologist &Director
1889-1893
1893-1897
1900-1901
1901-1908
1908-1933
Miasouri Geological Surveyand Water Resources
H.A. Buehler
E. L. Clark
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
1933-1944
1944-1945
Missouri Division of Geological Survey& Water Resources, Dept.of
Busineas and Administration
E. L. Clark
T. R. Bevendge
William C. Hayes
Wallace B. Howe
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
1945-1955
1955-1964
1964-1971
1971-
Montana -Nebraska
18
MONTANA
Montana Bureauof Mines and Metallurgy
Charles H. Clapp (Geol.)
George W. Craven (Math)
1919-1921
1921-1928
Director
Director
Montana Bureauof Mines and Geology
Francis A. Thomson (E.M.)
Arthur E. Adami (E.M.)
J. Robert Van Pelt (E.M.)
Walter S. March. Jr.
(P.E. in I&. Engr.)
Edwin G. Koch (Chem.) :
Uuno M. Sahinen
(F’.E. in Min. Engr.)
Uuno M. Sahinen
Sid Groff (Ph.D. Geol.) Acting
~~~~
~~
Director
Director
Director
Associate Director
1928-1950
1950-1951
1951-1956
1956-1962
Director
Associate Director
1957-1969
1962-1969
-
Director & State Geoloeist
Director
Director & State Geologist
1969-1971
1971-1972
1972-
Note: This Bureau was established as a depaament in the Montana State School of Mines(Now
Montana Colleae of Mineral Science and Technolow). Customarily the vresident of the Schcmlof
Mines w a s d e h a t e d as the director of the BureaG-however, his iesponiibilities did not necessarily
coincide with those of a “State Geologist.“ Thus, during the period 1957 to 1969 the associate
director was in effect the “State Geoloeist.” Durine the 1969 Ledslaturee. a bill was enacted which
made the director of the BuIeau the State Geoloijst and ieq&ed thai said director be either a
certSed professional geologistor a registered mining engineer.
NEBRASKA
Nebraska Geological Survey
Samuel Aughey
Lewis E. Hicks
Erwin H. Barbour
George E. Condra
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1871-1883
1884-1890
1891-1918
1919-1921
Conservation and SurveyDivision, University of Nebraska
George E. Condra
1921-1953
Geologist
Eugene C. Reed
V. H. Dreeszen
State
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist &Director
1954-1967
1968-
Note: Samuel Au ey w a s Chairman of the Department of Natural Sciences at the Universityof
Nebraska 1871-18 5 and acted as unofficial “state geolowt.”
Byron P. Russell w a s hired as a “geologist“ by thestate during the drilling of a wellat Lincoln,
1885-1889.
In the National Research Council Bull. 88,1932,Condra r e p s Bkbo? was appp’?fed Acting
State Geologist in 1891,that the Survey w a s aeated in 1893 an o r g m e d mto Its emtmg form in
1919.
P
Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey
19
NEVADA
R. H.Stretch
A. F. White
H.R. Whitehill
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
State Mineralogist
1866
1867-1870
1871-1878
Director
Director
Director
1929.1939
1939.1951
1951-1971
Nevada Bureau of Mines
John A. Fulton
Jay A. Carpenter
Vernon E. Scheid
Nevada Bureauof Mines & Geology
VernonDirector
E. Scheid
1971-1972
NEWHAMPSHIRE
“Geological and Mineralogical Survey of the State”
Charles T. Jaclcson
C. H.
Geologist
Hitchcock
State
State Geologist
1839-1844
1868-1878
New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development,
Division of Economic Development
T. R. Meyers
Glenn W. Stewart
Glenn W. Stewart
Geologist
Geologist
State Geologist
1942-1963
1963-1967
1967-
Note: From 1917-1942 Rof. JamesWalter Goldthwaite of Dartmouth College was consultant and
geologist for the N. H. State Highway Dept. and contributed much to the knowledge of the basic
geology of the state. The formalOffice of State Geologist was created May 9,1967.
“Rogers Survey”
Henry
Geologist
D.State
Rogers
1835-1840
“Kitchell Survey”
Geologist
WilliState
am Kitchell
1854-1856
New Jersey - N e w Mexico
20
Geological Surveyof New Jersey
George H.Cook
John C. Smock
H. B. Kummel
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1864-1889
1889-1901
1901-1915
Division of Geology and Waters, Department of Conservation & Development
~
I
~
H. B. Kummel
State Geologist
1915-1925
Division of Geology & Topography, Dept. of Conservation & Development
H. B. Kummel
Meredith E. Johnson
State Geologist
State Geologist
and
Chief
of
Division of Geology &Topography
1925-1937
1937-1947
Bureau of Geology & Topography, Division of Planning & Development,
Dept. of Conservation andEconomic Development
I
Meredith E. Johnson
Kemble Widmer
State Geologist &Chief, Bureau
of Geology &Topography
State Geologist& Chief, Bureau
of Geology &Topography
1947-1958
1958-1961
Bureau of Geology & Topography, Division of Resource Development,
Department of Conservation and Economic Development
Widmer
Kemble
Geologist
State
&Chief,
Bureau of Geology &Topography
1961-1971
Bureau of Geology & Topography, Division of Water Resources,
Department of Environmental Protection
Kemble Widmer
State Geologist & chief,
Bureau of Geology &Topography
1971-
Note: For the sake of simplicity “New Jermy Geological Survey” is still used on outside cover Of
some publications.
i
NEW MEXICO
School of Mines
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico
E. H.Wells
C. E.Needham
R. H. Reece
President &Director
President & Director
President &Director
1927-1939
1939-1942
1942-1944
New Mexico -New York
John M.Kelly
A. D. Hahn
E. C. Anderson
Eugene Callahan
Director (part-time)
Director (part-time)
Director
Director
21
1944.1945
Feb. July 1945
1945-1949
1949-1951
~
Bureau of Mmes and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining
and Technology
. Eugene Callahan
Alvin J. Thompson
Frank E. Kottlowski
*Don H. Baker, 31.
Director
Director
Acting Director
Director
1951-1957
1957-1968
1968-1969
1969-
Note: From 1927-1943 the president of the School of Mines sewed as director of theBureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources. Staff of the school sewed as part-time personnel. First fuU-time director was
appointed in 1945. The term “New Mexico School of Mines” was retained for f~cal
purposes only
until 1960.
*Responsibility established directly to Board of Regents instead of through school Resident.
NEW YORK
“State Geological and Natural History Survey”
W.W.Mather
Ebenezer Emmons
Lardner Vanuxem
Timothy A. Conrad
James Hall
James Hall
Geologist. First District
Geologist. Second District
Geologist. Third District
Geologist. Fourth District
Geologist. Fourth District
State Geologist
1836-1843
1836-1843
1836-1843
1836-1837
1837-1843
1843-1865
curator
1865-1870
State Cabinet of Natural History
James Hall
New York State Museum of Natural History
James Hall
Director
1870-1883
Office of Geology & Office of Paleontology (in N.Y. State Museum)
James Hall
F. J. H. Merrill
(James Hall)
F. J. H. Menill
John Clarke
State Geologist, State Paleontologist
&Director
State Geologist
(State Paleontolonist &Director)
State Geologist &-Director
State Geologist, State Paleontologist
&Director
1883-1894
1894-1898
(1894-1898)
1898-1904
1904-1926
New York -North Carolina
22
Newland
H.David
C. A. Hartnagel
John G. Broughton
State Geologist
State Geologist
In Charge
1927-1941
1941-1944
1944-1945
New York State Museum and Science Service
John G. Broughton
John G. Broughton
Davis
James F.Acting
James F. Davis
Acting State Geologist
State Geologist
Geologist
State
State Geologist
1945-1949
1949-1968
1968-1970
1970-
Note: When Hall, who had been an assistant to Emmons, became Geologist of the Fourth District in
1837 Conrad continued as State Paleontologist ?
t
i
l1843. The offices of geology and paleontology
were not merged until 1955. State Paleontologsts prior to the merger, and not noted above, were:
John Clarke 1898 until 1904 when he also became State Geologirt; Rudolph Ruedernann, 1926-1937;
WlnifredGolddng, 1937-1954.
NORTH CAROLINA
Board of Agriculture
Denison Olmaed
Elisha Mitchell
Chemistrv
&Miner:
Prof.
dogY
Univ. of North-Carolina
Prof. Chemistry &Mineralogy
Univ. of North Carolina
1824-1825
Geological Surveyof North Carolina
Ebenezer Emmons
C. Kerr)
(W.
State Geologist
(State Geologist)
1851-1863
(1864-1866)
Geological, Mineralogical, Agricultural and Botanical Survey
Vi. C. Ken
J. A. Holmes
State Geologist
State Geologist
1866-1885
1891-1905
Geological and Economic Surveyof North Carolina
Joseph Hyde Pratt
Joseph Hyde Pratt
Brent S. Drane
Acting State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1905-1906
1906-1924
1924-1925
Division of Mineral Resources, Departmentof Conservation & Development
Jasper L. Stuckey
Herman J. Bryson
State Geologist
State Geologist
1925-1926
1926-1940
North Carolina -North Dakota - Ohio
Jasper L. Stuckey
Stephen Conrad
State Geologist
State Geologist
23
1940-1964
1964-
Note: Although K a r wasappointedState Geologist in 1864 following thedeath of Emmons the
survey was inactive duringthe last two years of war.
NORTH DAKOTA
North DakotaGeological Survey
E. J. Babcock
Frank A. Wilder
A. G. Leonard
Howard E. S i p s o n
Frank C. Foley
Wilson M. Laird
E. A. Noble
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1895-1900
1901-1902
1903-1932
1933-1938
1939-1941
1941-1969
1969-
OHIO
“First Geological Survey of Ohio”
W.
W.
Mather
State Geologist
1837-1838
“Second Geological Surveyof Ohio”
J. S. Newbeny
Edward Orton, SI.
State Geologist
State Geologist
1869-1879
1882-1888
State Geologist
1889-1899
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1900-1906
1906-1928
1928-1946
1946-1941
1947-1949
Third Geological Survey of Ohio
Edward Orton, Sr.
Fourth Geological Survey of Ohio
Edward Orton, Jr.
J. A. Bownocker
Wilbur Stout
George W. White
John H. Melvin
8-1907Director
Ohio - Oklahoma - Oregon
24
Division of Geological Survey,Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
JohnChief
H.
Division
Melvin
Division
Ralph J. Bemhagen
Horace R. Collins
Chief
Division Chief
1949-1957
1957-1968
1968-
Note: The present surveyis mnsidered essentiallyas a cantinuationof the “Fourth Survey.“
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Territory Departmentof Geology & Natural History Survey
VleetAlbert H. Van
Oklahoma Geological Survey
Charles N. Gould
Daniel W. Ohem
Charles W. Shannon
Charles N. Gould
Robert H. Dott
William E. Ham
Carl C. Branson
Charles J. Mankin
Director & State Geologist
1911-1914
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Director &State Geologist
1924-1931
Director &State Geologist
1935-1952
Acting Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1908-1911
1914-1923
1952-1954
1954-1967
1967-
Note: TheSurvey w a s inactive from July 1, 1923 to June 30,1924 andfrom 1931 to 1935 with
Charles E.Decker as Custodian duringboth periods.
OREGON
Oregon Bureauof Mines and Geology
Henry M. Parks
1913-1923
Director
State of Oregon Departmentof Geology and Mineral Industries
Earl K. Niion
Fay W. fibbey
Hollis M. Dole
R. E. Corcoran
Director
Director
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1937-1944
1955-1969
1969-
Note: Both Libey and Dole wereappointed Aaing Director for a short eriodprior to their
a pointment as Director. (Hollis Dole was appointedAssistant Seuetaw of &tenor on March 20,
8-59).
ley
Pennsylvania
25
PENNSYLVANIA
“Geological and Mineralogical Surveyof the State”
Henry Darwin Rogers 1836-1842State Geologist
Henry Darwin Rogers 1851-1858State Geologist
“Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania”
J. Peter Lesley
State Geologist
1874-1887
Topographic and Geologic Survey Commission
Hice
Richard R.
State Geologist
1909-1918
Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, Departmentof Internal Affairs
H.
George
Ralph W.Stone
Stanley H.Cathcart
Ralph W. Stone
Carlyle Gray
Carlyle Gray
Alan R.Acting
Geyer
Arthur
Socolow
A.
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
Acting State Geologist
Acting State Geolorjst
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
-
1919-1946
~.
Aug. - Dec. 1946
1947-1953
April Oct. 1953
1953-1955
1955-1961
Oct. - Dec. 1961
1961-1969
~
~~
~~
-
Bureau of Topographic and Geological Survey,State Planning Board
1969-1971
GeologistArthur
StateA. Socolow
Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, Dept. of Environmental Resources
Arthur A. Socolow
State Geologist
1971-
Note: The ‘“l‘hird Survey” was established to cooperate with the U. S. Geological Survey. Three
citizens of the State were a pointed as Commissioners. Supenision of the geologic work was by M. R.
Ashley fro,m 1905-1908. In 1909 the Comdssion
Campbell from 1900 to 1%04,and by George
was authdrized to appoint a state geolomst and Hice wasappomted in 1909.
From 1923 to 1927 the Survey w a s temporarily transferred to the Department of Forests and
Waters. Dudng the recent transfers of the statesurvey, its basic organization has remained unchanged.
€I.
26
Puerto Rico - Rhode Island - South Carolina
PUERTO RICO
Mineralogy and Geology Section of the Department of Industrial Researchof
the Economic Development Administration of h e r t o Rico
Mort D. Turner
John Q. St. Clair
Jose F. Cadilla
Eduardo Aguilar-Cortes
Chief Geologist
Chief Geologist
Chief Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Geology &Mineral Resources
1954-1958
1959-1960
1961-1969
1969-
Note: Prior to 1957 the Section w a s d e d the Division of Mineralogy and Geology.
RHODE ISLAND
“Jackson Survey”
Charles T. Jackson
Geological & Agr’l. SurveyoI
1839-1840
Natural Resources Survey of Rhode Island
Charles Wilson Brown
Superintendent
1909-1913
SOUTH CAROLINA
“Geological and Mineralogical Surveyof South Carolina”
Lardner Vanuxem
Prof. Geol. & Min. Univ. of S.C.
1824-1826
“Agricultural Surveyof South Carolina”
Edmund Ruffm
Agr’l. Surveyor of the State
1842-1843
“Geological and Agricultural Surveyof the State of South Carolina”
M. Tuomey
Oscar M. Lieber
State Geological Surveyor
Mineralogical, Geologicaland
Agricultural SUNeyOr
1843-1846
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1901-1911
1911-1912
1912-1947
1947-1961
1856-1860
South Carolina Geological Survey
Earle Sloan
M. W. Twitchell
stephen Taber
L. L. Smith
South Carolina - South Dakota - Tennessee
27
Division of Geology, State Development Board
Henry S. Johnson, Jr.
Henry S. Johnson, Jr.
Norman K. Olson
Geology
Division
Chief,
of
State Geologist
State Geologist
1957-1961
1961-1969
1969-
Note: From 1912 until the formation of the StateDevelopment Boardtherewereno
funds
appropriated for geological investigations, and the State Geologist served principally in an advisory
capacity on a part-time basis. The report of Vanuxem's survey was publishedin the newspapers of the
State in 1826 and w a s the Jirst geological report issued by any statein America.
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Geological and Natural History Survey
J. E. Todd
Elwood C. Perisho
Freeman Ward
E. P. Rothrock
State
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
Geologist
1893-1907
1907-1915
1915-1926
1926-1932
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1932-1957
1957-1963
1963-
State Geological Survey
E. P. Rothrock
Allen F. Agnew
Duncan J. McGregor
TENNESSEE
Gerard Troost
James M. Safford
State Geologist
State Geologist
1831-1850
1854-1869
State Geologist
State Geologist
Acting State Geologist
State Geologist
1910-1912
1912-1917
1918
1918-1923
Tennessee State Geological Survey
George H. Ashley
A. H.Purdue
L. C. Glenn
Wilbur Nelson
Division of Geology of the Department of Education
Wilbur Nelson
Hugh D. Miser
Walter F. Pond
1
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1923-1925
1926
1927-1937
Tennessee - Texas
28
Division of Geology, Department of Conservation
Walter F. Pond
H. B: Burwell
Herman W. Ferguson
William D. Hardeman
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
1937-1945
1945-1951
1951-1952
1952-1959
Division of Geology, Department of Conservation and Commerce
William D. Hardeman
State Geologist
1959-1963
Division of Geology, Department of Conservation
Winiam D. Hardeman
Robert E. Hershey
State Geologist
Director &State Geologist
1963-1969
1969-
TEXAS
“Geological and Agricultural Survey of Texas” (First Texas Geological
Survey-“Shumard Survey”)
Shumard
Benjamin
F.
Jr.
Moore,
Francis
Benjamin F. Shumard
Geologist
State
State Geologist
State Geologist
1858-1860
1860-1861
1861 (brief)
Note: Samuel B. Buckley w a s placed in charge of the above survey when it was briefly reactivated in
1866 foUowingthe Civil War.
Geological and Agricultural Survey of Texas (Second Texas Geological Survey“Buckley Survey”)
John W. Glenn
Samuel B. Buckley
State Geologist
State Geologist
1873-1874
1874-1875
Geological Surveyof Texas (of the Dept. of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and
History of the Stateof Texas--ThirdTexas Geological Survey “DumbleSurvey”)
Edwin T. Dumble
1888-1894
State Geologist
The University of Texas Mineral Survey
William B:PhilIips
1901-1905
Director
Texas - Utah - Vermont
29
Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology, University of Texas
--name changedin 1925 to:
Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas
William B. Phillips
Johan A. Udden
Elias H. Sellards
John T. Lonsdale
Peter T. Flawn
William L. Fisher
William L. Fisher
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Acting Director
Director
1909-1915
1915-1932
1932-1945
19451960
1960-1970
1970-1971
1971-
UTAH
Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey, Departmentof Publicity
and IndustrialDevelopment
Arthur L. Crawford
Arthur L. Crawford
Senior Investigator
Director & Commissioner
1941-1944
1946-1949
Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey, Collegeof Mines and Mineral
Industries, Universityof Utah
Arthur L. Crawford
William P. Hewitt
Director
Director
1949-1961
1961-
Note: The Geological and Minedogical Survey was authorized by legislature in 1931 but not
these ten yeas and indeed vrior to this time. several eealaeists
formally activated until 1941. D&
acted as WnSultants to various stateagencies as occasion demandid and were somitimes unofficially
referred to as "State Geologist." Among these were J. E. Talmage, F. J. Pack, W. Peterson, E. H.
Burdick, F. GunneU, J. A. Mach, H. H. Iliggs,and A. M. Buranek.
~
I~
~~~I~~
VERMONT
Office of State Geologist (Vermont Geological Survey)
Charles Baker Adams
Zadock Thompson
Judge Agustus Young
Edward Hitchcock
Albert D. Hagar
H. A. Cutting
George W. Perry
George Henry Perkins
Elbridge C. Jacobs
Charles G . Doll
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist & Curator
State Geologist & Curator
State Geologist &Curator
State Geologist & Curator
State Geologist &Curator
State Geologist
1844-1847
1849-1856
1856
1856-1864
1864-1870
1870-1886
1886-1898
1898-1933
1933-1947
1947-
Director
Vermont - Virginia
30
Note: The fnst reference to the Termont Geological Survey” is in the 1913-14 report of Perkins.
The term has apparently been m general use since then ,and appears on recent publications but the
“OfEce of State Geologist” is still the o f f i d organizabonal name. The position of Curator of the
Cabinet is still held by the State Geologist but the title is obsolete. The Cabinet is,a natural *tory
collection and display at Montpelier, and from 1864-1898 the curatorship was the primary functlon of
the State Geologist.
VIRGINIA
Geological Surveyof Virginia, Board of public Works
Rogers William Barton
Geological Surveyof Vilginia, Departmentof Agriculture and Immigration
in Charge
Thomas
Geologist
Watson
Leonard
1904-1907
Virginia Geological Survey,University of Virginia
Thomas Leonard Watson
Albert William Giles
Wilbur A. Nelson
Director
Acting Director
State Geologist
1908-1924
1924
1925-1928
Virginia Geological Survey, State Departmentof Conservation & Development
Head
Linwood H.Warwick
Arthur Bevan
William M. McGill
Acting
1929-1947State Geologist
1947-1954State Geologist
1928-1929
Division of Geology, Department of Conservation & Development
William M. McGill
State Geologist
1954-1957
Division of Mineral Resources, Departmentof Conservation & Development
James L. Calve1
Commissioner of Mineral
Resources &State Geologist
1957-1958
Division of Mineral Resources, Dept.of Conservation & Economic Development
James L. Calver
Commissioner of Mineral Resources
1958- &State Geologist
Note: In 1956 the W o n of Mineral Resources vias aeated within the Dept. of Conservation and
Dwe10 ment. In 1957 all functions of the W o n of Geology were isansferred to the Division of
MinerafResouIces.
er
Washington - West Virginia
33
WASHINGTON
State Mining Bureau
George A. Bethune
State Geologist
1890-1892
State Geological Survey of the State of Washington
Landes
Henry
State Geologist
1901-1921
Division of Geology, Department of Conservation & Development
Solon Shedd
Harold E. Culver
Supervisor
Supewisor
Division of Mines and Geology, Dept. of Conservation & Development
Sheldon
1945-1957
Division of Mines and Geology, Department of Conservation
Supervisor
Marshall T. Huntting
1957-1967
Division of Mines and Geology, Dept. of Natural Resources
Marshall T. Huntting
Vaughn E. Livingston, Jr.
Supervisor
Supervisor &State Geologist
1967-1971
1971-
Note: The State Mining Bureau was legally in existence until 1901 but was inactive from 1893 due to
lack of appropriations.
WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey
I. C. White
David Reger
James D. Sisler
Paul H. Price
Robert B. Erwin
Asst. Geologist
Asst. State Geologist (
i
ncharge)
State Geologist
Director & State Geolozist
Director &State GeoIo&t
1897-1927
1921-1929
1930-1934
1934-1969
~.~
~.
1969-
Wisconsin - Wyoming
32
WISCONSIN
State Geological Survey
Edward Daniels
J. G. Percival
State Geologist
State Geologist
1853-1854
1854-1856
“Geological and Agricultural Survey”
JamesHall
)
Ezra Can
EdwardDaniels j
Joint Commissioners
1857-1862
“Survey of the Lead District”
1870-1872
Commissioner
John Murrish
“Complete Geological Survey”
Increase A. Lapham
0. W. Wight
T. C. Chamberlin
State Geologist
State Geologist
Chief Geologist
1873-1874
1875
1876-1882
Geological and Natural History Survey
Birge A.
E. A. Birge
E.
William 0. Hotchkiss
William 0. Hotchkiss
Ernest
F.
Bean
Ernest F. Bean
Ernest F. Bean
George F. Hanson
Meredith E. Ostrom
Superintendent
Director & Superintendent
State Geologist
State Geologist, Director
& Superintendent
Acting State Geologist, Director
&Superintendent
State Geologist, Director
&Superintendent
State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
Director & State Geologist
1897-1900
1900-1919
1908-1919
1919-1925
1925-1926
1926-1931
1931-1953
1953-1972
1972-
Nore: The Geol. and Nat. History S w e y had an ex officio governing board until 1931 when it was
pkced under the Board of Regents of the University of Wsconsin. In 1966 it became a part of the
reorganized University Extension.
WYOMING
Y. G. Murphy
Fred J. Stanton
Territorial Assayer
Territorial Geologist
1878
1881-1882
Wyoming
Samuel Aughey
Gilbert Bailey
Samuel Aughey
Louis D. Ricketts
Henry C. Beeler
Edwin Hall
C. E. Jamison
Loyal W.Trumbull
G. B. Morgan
Albert B. Bartlett
John G. Marzel
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
Territorial Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
State Geologist
33
April. Aug. 1882
1882-1885
1885-1887
1889-1890
1903-1909
1909-1911
1911-1913
1913-1919
1919-1923
1923-1927
1927-1933
Geological Survey of Wyoming
S. H. Knight
Horace D. Thomas
D. L. Blackstone, Jr.
Dan Miller, Jr.
State Geologist
State Geologist &Director
State Geologist & Director
State Geologist &Director
1933-1941
1941-1967
1967-1969
1969-
Nore: prior to 1933 there was simply the office of the Territorial or State Geologist. In 1933
legislation w a s passed creating the Geological Survey of Wyoming. In 1969 the status of the Wyoming
Survey was changed to include a full-time state geologist. (See AASG Journal Oct. 1969.)