plants
in NewMexico
Active
minesandprocessing
Map14
Resource
(Geologist),
DC
Project
Regulatory
Washington,
Manager
Commission,
byMarkJ. Logsdon,
U.S.Nuclear
ResourceMap l4 introduces the principal mineral
and energy resourcesof New Mexico and identifies
and locates the active mines and mineral processing
plants in the state. This resource map, a revision of
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral ResourcesResourceMap 9 (Siemersand Austin, 1979),
comprises two maps and a text that includes explanatory material and a set of directories to the active
mines and plants. The data for ResourceMap 14 are
maintained in and manipulated by MINES-CREF, a
PASCAL computer code of the New Mexico Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources,describedby Lloyd
and Logsdon (1982).
2) base metal directory-active copper, iron,
require some mines to produce only from
3) rock products directory-act\ve clay, gypsum, limestone, mica, silica, and stone operations;
mine-dewatering operations and other major
producers to remain on standby, I have chosen
srTyei,
operations;
6) lightweightaggregate
directory-activeperlite,pumice,andscoriaoperations;
active, standby, or developmen l. These ratings
are subject to rapid economic fluctuations,
and users are cautioned to COntactthe com-
potash and salt
7) potash directory-active
operatrons;
8) uranium directory-active uranium operations.
paniesdirectlyif the needarisesfor data more
recentthan the dateof the last updatelistedat
thetop of thedirectory.
The commoditiesproducedor processed
are
4)coar
director
v-activecoar.oT,l:l"Ti,
_, l;,i::l'+ilittJffffift-"tfJx'#"Tr',?T'*
5) preciousmetalsdirectory-active g,old and
Maps
In each directory data are presentedin the folPlate A, reproduced on the facing page, is a
lowing format:
small-scale (approximately 1:3,500,000) map
FORMAT
EXAMPLE
showing New Mexico's principal energy and
Name
of operation
AMAX
mineral resources, exclusive of sand, gravel,
Location (section-townshipand common rocks suitable only for crushedrange)
9-19S-30E
rock aggregate. A list of sand, gravel, and
Name of company
AMAX Chemical
crushed-rock aggregateoperations is given anCorp.
nually in the report of the State Mine InspecMailing address
P.O. Box 279
tor, and a brief description of the geologic ocCity, state, zip code, telephone Carlsbad, NM
currence of sand and gravel is given in Austin
88220
and others (1982). Plate A was compiled from
5 0 5 / 8 8 5 -3 I 5 7
County and plate B code
Eddy #l
information in Arnold and Hill (1980, l98la,
Capacity
9,200 rpd
l98lb); Austin and others (1982); Dane and
Commodities mined or
Bachman (1965); Foster (1980); Kottlowski
processed
Potash
(1962); Lindgren and others (1910); Logsdon
(1982); McAnulty (1978); Mclemore (1981);
U.S. Geological Survey and others (1965;
Processingplants always include a key word
l98l); Williams and others (196a); and from
(plant, mill, refinery, smelter) in the name of
personal communications with numerous colthe operation to distinguish them from the
leagues.The map shows only areas of signifimine with which they are associated.In the excant production or of significant geologic
ample, AMAX is a mine, but AMAX mill
potential.
would be the AMAX Chemical Cornpany's
Plate B (available as a blue-line copy) is a
processingplant that servesthe AMAX mine.
location map of active mines and processing Where an operation does not have an official
plants; locations are plotted on a l:1,000,000
name, it is named for the operating company.
base map that shows counties, major cities,
Locations of operations are given by secand the New Mexico land grid. This base map
tion, township, and range; 9-l9S-30E in the
also will be used for the forthcoming New
examplerepresentssec.9, T. 19 S., R. 30 E. In
Mexico Geological Society state geological plotting locations on plate B, small adjusthighway map, with which plate B could be ments were made to prevent overlap of symused conveniently by those who wish to exam- bols. With the exception of coal mines, for
ine the relationship between mineral deposits those operations that occur in more than one
and geology. Raw material extraction sites, insection, the operation is plotted in the section
cluding all mines, pits, and quarries, are rep- which is of most interest, typically the section
resented on the map by an asterisk (*) at each where the main shafts or administrative oflocation; processingplants are representedby
fices are located. Coal mines are plotted in the
a cross (+). In each casethe site is numbered middle section of the lease.
within each county for easy reference to the
The complete mailing addressand telephone
directories.
number are those of the office to which all inquiries concerning the operation should be adPlate A is designed to be useful with or
without plate B and the directories. Conse- dressed.
quently, plates A and B can be purchased
In each county, mines and processingplants
separatelyfrom one another or from the direc- are numbered to correspond to the numbered
tories. Plate B will be kept updated, and blue- symbols on plate B. For example, the AMAX
line copies will be provided to those who order mine is plotted in Eddy County as (*l), and
a copy.
the AMAX mill is plotted as ( + 2), adjacent to
(*1).
Directories
Mine and plant capacities are reported in
The text includes eight directories, each of
various units of weight or volume per various
which is arranged alphabetically and cross- units of time. The figures represent rated
referencedto plate B:
capacity of operation and do not necessarily
l) county directory-all activeminesand pro- reflect current production or processingrates.
plantsin New Mexico;
cessing
Becauseof the current economic difficutties of
56
November1982
New Mexico Geology
the uranium industry in New Mexico, which
lead, molybdenum, and zinc operations;
cross-referencedbetween directories. For ex-
ample, porphyry copper deposits, such as
Chino, CopperFlat, and Tyrone,typicallyinclude gold and silver, as well as copper and
molybdenum. Consequently,these deposits
are listedin both the basemetaldirectoryand
the preciousmetal directory.Directoriesmay
be orderedsingly or in any desiredcombination.
AcKNowLEDGMnNTS-Thenames of mines, plants,
and owners were acquired from the annual reports
and new-registration lists of the New Mexico Inspector of Mines, the annual report of the Bureau of
Geology of the Mining and Minerals Division of the
New Mexico Energy and Minerals Department, and
through personal communications. MINES-CREF
was written by Paul Lloyd. Drafting, typing, and
other technical support was provided by the staff of
the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.
The following New Mexico Bureau of Mines staff
members provided information about various operations and commodities and helped design plate A:
Frank Campbell and G. H. Roybal, coal; G. S. Austin, industrial rocks and minerals; R. W. Eveleth and
R. M. North. metallic mineralst and Richard Chamberlin and Virginia Mclemore, uranium. W. O.
Hatchell of the New Mexico Energy and Minerals
Department was especiallyhelpful with uranium.
The Bureau gratefully acknowledgesthe cooperation of the owners and operators of New Mexico's
mines and mineral processingplants, without whose
help this compilation would have been impossible.
References
Arnold, E. C., and Hill, J. M., 1980,NewMexico'senergy
'79:
resources New MexicoBureauof Minesand Mineral
Resources,
Circ. 172,55p.
-,
l98la, New Mexico'senergyresources'80: New
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.Circ.
l 8 l , 5 9p .
'81: Annual
-,
l98lb, New Mexico'senergyresources
report of the Bureauof Geologyin the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy and Minerals
Dept.,62p.
Austin,G.S.,Kottlowski,F. E., and Siemers,
W. T.,1982,
Industrial mineralsof New Mexico in 1981,in lndustrial
rocksand mineralsof the Southwest,G. S. Austin, ed.:
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,
C i r c .1 8 2 ,p . 9 - 1 6
Dane,C. H., and Bachman,G. O., 1965,Geologicmap of
NewMexico:U.S.Geological
Survey,scalel:500,000
Foster,R. W., 1980,Carbondioxide-sourcesand usefor
enhanced oil recovery: Petroleum Recovery Research
Center,New Mexico lnstitute of Mining and Technology,
PetroleumResearchand RecoveryCenterRept. 80-4, 73
p.
Kottlowski, F. E., 1962, Reconnaissance
of commercial
high-calcium limestonesin New Mexico: New Mexico
Bureauof MinesandMineralResources,
Circ. 60,77 p.
Lindgren,Waldemar,Graton, L. C., and Gordon,C. H.,
1910,The ore depositsof New Mexico:U.S. Geological
Survey,Prof. Paper68, 361p.
'@
Mo
UNION
SAN
MIGUfI-
CATROT!
Bo,F,Pb
Qc"[a,.2'.l,eu
F6{'-sl'.
o o r.inGila
:
\\
)Pb,
;'"
bo
-''oru
zs'i
reralresorrrcesof New Mexico
Energy
-
Coot fietds
@
oil ondgosfields
@
CO2 fie lds
€
Cn.
Mojor nonmclollic dirtricts ond d.posils
M o r o r ? | l e t o l l i cd i s t r i c t s
€
AS
Silver
Au
Gold
F l u o r i t e( F ) o n d b o r i t e ( B o )
€
O
Perlile
Cu
Copper
O
Scorio ond pumice
Fe
I ron
Uronium
Mn
Mongonese
A
X
Zeolites
Moior district
Mo
Molybdenum
Minot district
Pb
Leod
Ln
4tnc
Lloyd, Paul, and Logsdon, M. J., 1982, MINES-CREF, a
PASCAL computer code to maintain and manipulate the
list of active mines and processingplants in New Mexico:
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,
Open-file Rept. 168, 70 p.
Logsdon, M. J., 1982, Gypsum resourcesof New Mexico,
jn Industrial rocks and minerals of the Southwest, G. S.
Austin, ed.: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral
Resources,Circ. I 82, p. 43-48
Mico
McAnulty, W. N., 1978, Fluorspar in New Mexico: New
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.Mem.
34,61 p.
Mclemore, V. T., 1981, Uranium resources in New Mexico-discussion of the NURE program: New Mexico
Geology, v. 3, no. 4, p. 54-58
Siemers, W. T., and Austin, G. S., 1979, Mines, processing
plants, and power plants in New Mexico: New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.Resource MaD
9,25 p.
O
f,l
ctoy
t | ; g t r -c o t c i u mI i m e s t o n e
G yp s um
O sott
(D Potosh
U.S. GeologicalSurvey and others, 1965, Mineral and
water resourcesof New Mexico: New Mexico Bureauof
MinesandMineralResources,
Bull. 87,437 p.
-,
map of New Mexico:U.S.
1981,Energyresources
Geological Survey, MiscellaneousInvestigationsSeries
Mt-1327
Williams, F. 8., Fillo, P. V., and Bloom, P. A., 1954,
Barite depositsof New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of
tr
Minesand MineralResources,
Circ. 76,46 p.
New Mexico Geology
November1982
51