GEOLOGICAL AND EXPLORATION CHARACTERISTICS OF PRECIOUS-METAL MINERALIZATION AT THE VOLCANO MINE AND VICINITY, PELONCILLO MOUNTAINS, HIDALGO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO. Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Young, Thomas Henry. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 15:07:07 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/274619 INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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Universl^ Micrallms Internationa! 300 N.Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 1319471 YOUNG, THOMAS HENRY GEOLOGICAL AND EXPLORATION CHARACTERISTICS OF PRECIOUS-METAL MINERALIZATION AT THE VOLCANO MINE AND VICINITY, PELONCILLO MOUNTAINS, HIDALGO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO rhe University of Arizona M.S. 1982 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. MI 48106 PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print 3. Photographs with dark background ^ 4. Illustrations are poor copy 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages ^ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine 10. 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GEOLOGICAL AND EXPLORATION CHARACTERISTICS OF PRECIOUS-METAL MINERALIZATION AT THE VOLCANO MINE AND VICINITY, PELONCILLO MOUNTAINS, HIDALGO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO by Thomas Henry Young A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF MINING AND GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCES WITH A MAJOR IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 198 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of require­ ments for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotations from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate School when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED : , APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: W. C. Peters Professor of Mining and Geological Engineering PREFACE In view of recent rises in precious-metal prices, Continental Materials Corporation initiated an exploration and evaluation program in the Kimball mining district of southwestern New Mexico in October 1980. Because of the lack of a comprehensive geological study that would provide an understanding of the mineralization in a regional context, they decided to fund two master's theses to obtain a better understand­ ing of the exploration characteristics of the precious-metal lodes. My goals were to identify the characteristics of mineralization in the Volcano mine area. M. Stephen Enders, also of the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering of The University of Arizona, inves­ tigated an adjacent area to the south in the vicinity of the Beck mine. The interpretations and conclusions made in this study, as in any Investigation, are based on the availability of information gathered for the study or reported by various sources. A relatively large area was examined, and refinements in the interpretations and conclusions are expected as more detailed work is accomplished. The ideas and conclusions presented in this thesis are based on my interpretations and do not necessarily reflect those of Continental Materials Corporation. Many individuals have offered assistance in this study and de­ serve special recognition. One group whose labors must not be over­ looked are the prospectors and fortune seekers who years ago toiled with persistence under harsh conditions, leaving a wealth of exposed bedrock in their adits, shafts, drifts, and prospects. My hat comes off iii iv to those who by either luck or skill unearthed a means of living and to those who were not as fortunate in their diggings; they all were will­ ing to take a chance. I am especially grateful to Continental Materials Corporation for logistical and financial support in this Project. Dr. Henry (Hank) T. Eyrich provided the initial opportunity for the study, and Mr. Robert J. Pulfrey provided field assistance, supplied me with much of the assay data presented in the study, spent countless hours discussing geological relationships, and offered assistance in some of the sub­ surface mapping and sampling responsibilities. The current operators at the Volcano mine, Messrs. Dolan Campbell, Jack Hales, and Jim Williams, went out of their way to pro­ vide access and to provide assistance in underground mapping and sam­ pling at the Volcano mine. They also related historic information concerning mining in the district. I have great respect for these gentlemen; they used sound judgment and were willing to assume the risks involved in reopening an abandoned mine. I trust that they have been justly rewarded for their efforts. Mr. Don McGhee, the owner of the Sixty-six, Coyle, and Wyman claims, kindly granted access and provided me with production and his­ toric information of the mining district. His son Chuck aided in the clearing and sampling of several of the abandoned shafts on the properties. I am especially indebted to Mr. M. Stephen Enders, who assisted in much of the underground mapping. We spent countless hours discussing the geologic relationships and mineralization in the V Kimball mining district, and without his work, the current understand­ ing of the nature of the ore deposits and geology would be far below its present level. I would also like to thank the members of my thesis committee, Drs. William C. Peters and Charles E. Glass of the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering and Dr. Arend Meijer of the Depart­ ment of Geosciences for their careful review of the manuscript and assistance during the preparation of this thesis. Dr. Peters, my thesis advisor, provided assistance both in the field and in the office. Dr. Glass offered valuable suggestion concerning the interpretation of remote-sensing information. Dr. Meijer assisted me in understanding some of the implications of the volcanic sequence and was especially helpful in the analysis and interpretation of trace-element distributions in the volcanic suite. Mr. Mark K. Reagan of The University of Arizona assisted me in the operation of the x-ray fluorescence equipment and in interpre­ tation of the data. Mr. Mike Williams, also of The University of Arizona, was especially helpful with his assistance in obtaining x-ray diffraction patterns. Dr. Muhammad Shafiqullah of the Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, The University of Arizona, kindly provided unpublished isotopic age information on several of the volcanic rocks of the area. I am very grateful to Dr. Don H. Richter of the U.S. Geolog­ ical Survey, Denver, for his careful review of the manuscript, his assistance in interpretation of field relationships, and his many written and verbal discussions concerning the geology and ore deposits of the vi area.