Summary
ofminingandmineralprocessing
in NewMexico
operations
Other industrialrock and mineralcommoditiesproducedin New Mexicoinclude
clay,gypsum,sandand gravel,limestone,
mica, salt, stone, sulfur, calcite, and
silica.A more detailedsummaryof New
Mexico's industrial rock and mineral inNM dustry
Socorro,
Industrial
Geologist,
NewMexico
ofMines
andMineral
Resources,
Siemers,
Minerals
Bureau
byWm.Terry
appearsin the 1979Annual Report
of the New Mexico Bureauof Mines and
operaHumate
Mining and mineral-processing
Mineral Resources.
tions in New Mexicocomprisea vital part
Lithologically,humateis a brown carof the state's economic strength and bonaceousmudstone.Crushedhumateis
Metals
stability. Before 1960, economic geol- marketedas a soil conditioner,although
Of the 1l metal-producingoperations
ogistsfocusedtheir attentionprimarily on the effectsof its use have not beencom- currentlyactivein the state,five are near
fuels and metallic minerals. while the pletelydocumentedor determined.Some Silver City, in Grant County. Two of
geologyand use of industrial rocks and of the claimed potential benefits of these,the Chino mine (KennecottCopper
mineralswasgenerallyoverlooked.In the humate application to soils include: in- Corporation) and the Tyrone mine
1960's,increasedawareness
of the signif- creasedretentionof waterand solublefer- (Phelps Dodge Corporation) produce
icanceof suchmineralsand their process- tilizer additives,and increasedacidity.
morethan 300,000tons of ore, Ieach,and
ing wasreflectedby increasedproduction
Productionof humatein the statefluc- waste material daily. Three companies,
figuresin the state.New Mexico's entire tuates widely, reflecting an irregular Kennecott Copper Corporation, Phelps
mineral wealth is reflectedin the 1977 marketfor the product.Of the four active DodgeCorporation,and U V Industries,
preliminarygrossproductionvalueof in- humateminesin New Mexico (all located also operate metal-processing
plants in
dustrialrocksand minerals,metallicores, in SandovalCounty), the largest is the the Silver City area. Important products
and mineral fuels, which total more than Alpha mine operated by Alpha NOH of the districtincludecopper,gold, silver,
$2.8billion.
Company,with a daily capacityof about lead,zinc,molybdenum,and iron.
Currently, active mining operationsin 200tons. The 1978StateMine Inspector's The third-largestmetal producerin the
New Mexico include 8 coal mines, 4 report indicatesthat the Tenorio Plant in state is Molybdenum Corporation of
humate mines, 59 industrial rock and southernSandovalCounty, operatedby America, which operatesa molybdenum
mineral operations,ll metal mines, and Humus OrganicProducts,is the only ac- mine and plant near Questa, in Taos
37 uraniummines.Sandand gravelindus- tive humate-processing
operationin New County, with a daily capacityof about
tries are not included in these figures Mexico.
65,000tons. C.A.C. Mining ComPanY
becauseof the intermittent, short-term
producescopper-gold-silver
ore from the
natureof many suchenterprises.
The l19
Industrial rocks and minerals
SanHummingbirdmine in southwestern
mining operationsprovide the raw matetona
50
and
also
operates
includes
Fe
County
ta
minerals
Industrial rocks and
rials for 41 processingplants,including I any rocks,mineral,or other naturallyoc- per-dayprocessing
plant in Albuquerque.
humate plan|, 22 industrial rock and curring mineral substanceof economic Alpha Minerals ProcessingCorporation
mineral plants, 13 metal plants, and 5 value, exclusiveof metallicores, mineral producesand processes
severalmetalores
uraniumplants.
County; H. N.
in
Lincoln
whose
gemstones.
industry
near
Carrizozo
Any
fuels,and
operationsconsistof extractionand pro- Larne & Sonsoperatesa 350ton-per-day
Coal
cessing(but not manufacturing)belongs iron mine near Capitan, in Lincoln
About 12 percentof New Mexico'ssur- to the industrial mineralsfield. As with County. Total value of metalsproduced
produc- in New Mexicoin 1978amountedto more
face area is underlainby coal. A sudden any other product, the successful
resurgence
of interestin coal beganin the tion of industrial rocks and minerals than$192.0million.
1960'swith the openingof two largestrip dependson the law of supply and deUranium
minesin the San Juan Basin.Today, the mand.Pricesmay be temporarilyelevated
Thirty-two of New Mexico's 37 urastate'scoal-miningindustry is comprised or depressed,but if a commodity is in
prices
will
nium
mines are in McKinley County;
mines
in
Colfax,
McKinley,
and
San scarcesupply or in demand,
of six
Juan Counties with a combined capacity rise; if a commodity is abundant or of six activeoperationsare in Valencia,Sanof approximately15.5 million tons per limited use, prices will fall. Availability doval, and San Juan Counties. United
year.The largestof theseoperationsis the and quality of material, production and Nuclear and Kerr-McGeeNuclear CorUtah International, Inc. Navajo strip transportationcosts,and market sizeand porations operate uranium-processing
mine in SanJuan County, with an annual location are important factors in New plants in McKinley County; the Anacapacityof approximately7 million tons. Mexico's mining and mineral-processingconda Company, SOHIO Petroleum
Company, and United Nuclear-HomeThe Carbon Coal Company strip mine operations.
(Mentmore mine) under developmentin
The 59 industrial rock and mineral stake Partners have active uraniumplantsin ValenciaCounty.The
westernMcKinley County will have an operationsin the stateare mainly in the processing
estimatedcapacityof about 1.2 million southwest,north-central, and Carlsbad latestNew MexicoStateMine Inspector's
tons per year. KaiserSteelCorporationis areas.Industrial rocks and mineralspro- Report showsthat in 1978the stateproalso developingthe York Canyon Pros- ducedin New Mexicoin 1978werevalued duced 16 million pounds of uranium
pect near VermejoPark in northern Col- in excessof $227.1 million. The state valuedat about$278.4million.
The data submitted here appears in
fax County. Other coal producersin the ranksfirst in the nation in the production
state include Amcoal, Incorporatedand of perlite(548,000tons) and potash(2.14 Resource Map 9, published bY
Pittsburg and Midway Coal Companyin million tons), and continues to rank NMBM&MR in 1979, a more detailed
McKinley County; and Western Coal among the leadingproducersof pumice publication consistingof two maps and
n
eightdirectories.
(475,000tons).
Companyin SanJuanCounty.
November 1979
New Mexico Geology