BULLETIN 67 Mineral Deposits of Lincoln County, New Mexico by GEORGE B. GRISWOLD 1959 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY E. J. Workman, President STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES Alvin J. Thompson, Director THE REGENTS MEMBERS Ex OFFICIO The Honorable John Burroughs ............................ Governor of New Mexico Tom Wiley .................................................. Superintendent of Public Instruction APPOINTED MEMBERS Holm 0. Bursum, Jr. ........................................................................ Socorro Thomas M. Cramer ......................................................................... Carlsbad Frank C. DiLuzio .................................................................... Albuquerque John N. Mathews, Jr. ....................................................................... Socorro Richard A. Matuszeski ............................................................ Albuquerque For sale by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources Campus Station, Socorro, N. Mex. — Price $2.50 Contents Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 2 Purpose and scope ....................................................................................... 2 Method of investigation .............................................................................. 2 Previous work ............................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................ 3 GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 4 Location ......................................................................................................... 4 Topography ................................................................................................... 4 Climate and vegetation ................................................................................ 4 GEOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................. 6 Stratigraphy ................................................................................................... 6 Precambrian rocks .................................................................................... 6 Sedimentary rocks ..................................................................................... 6 Ordovician ............................................................................................. 6 Silurian and Devonian ......................................................................... 9 Pennsylvanian ........................................................................................ 9 Permian .................................................................................................. 9 Triassic ................................................................................................. 11 Jurassic .................................................................................................. 11 Cretaceous ........................................................................................... 11 Tertiary ................................................................................................. 12 Quaternary ........................................................................................... 12 Igneous rocks ........................................................................................... 13 Tertiary volcanic rocks ....................................................................... 13 Tertiary intrusive rocks ...................................................................... 13 Quaternary basalt ................................................................................ 14 Structural features ...................................................................................... 14 MINING IN LINCOLN COUNTY........................................................... 16 History ......................................................................................................... 16 Production ................................................................................................... 17 Page MINERAL DEPOSITS ................................................................................ 23 Geographic distribution ............................................................................ 23 Classification ............................................................................................... 23 Mineralogy ................................................................................................... 23 Future possibilities ..................................................................................... 24 DESCRIPTIONS OF DEPOSITS ............................................................. 26 White Oaks district .................................................................................... 26 General ..................................................................................................... 26 Geology .................................................................................................... 26 Descriptions of mines ............................................................................ 30 Old Abe mine ...................................................................................... 30 South Homestake mine ..................................................................... 34 Little Mack and Henry Clay mines .................................................. 38 North Homestake mine ..................................................................... 39 Other mines ......................................................................................... 40 Tungsten ................................................................................................... 40 Placer gold deposits ................................................................................ 41 Nogal district .............................................................................................. 41 General ..................................................................................................... 41 Geology .................................................................................................... 41 Descriptions of mines and prospects .................................................. 43 Parsons mine ....................................................................................... 43 Helen Rae and American mines ....................................................... 45 Vera Cruz mine ................................................................................... 50 Renowned mine .................................................................................. 53 Mayberry mine .................................................................................... 54 Rialto prospect .................................................................................... 57 Other mines and prospects ............................................................... 60 Gallinas district ........................................................................................... 64 General ..................................................................................................... 64 Geology .................................................................................................... 64 Descriptions of mines and prospects .................................................. 65 Old Hickory mine ............................................................................... 66 Conqueror (Rio Tinto) mine ............................................................. 66 All American mine ............................................................................. 68 Red Cloud and Conqueror No. 9 claims ........................................ 68 Other deposits .................................................................................... 71 Origin of breccia zones ..................................................................... 71 iv Page Schelerville (West Bonito) district .............................................................71 General ..................................................................................................... 71 Geology .................................................................................................... 73 Descriptions of mines and prospects ...................................................73 Homestake mine ................................................................................ 73 Commercial mine ............................................................................... 74 Junction mine ...................................................................................... 75 Idaho mine ........................................................................................... 75 New Mexico Copper Corp. claims .................................................. 76 Jicarilla district ..............................................................................................77 General ....................................................................................................