BULLETIN 76 Molybdenum Resources of New Mexico by JOHN H. SCHILLING 1 9 6 5 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING Sc TECHNOLOGY Stirling A. Colgate, President STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES Alvin J. Thompson, Director THE REGENTS MEMBERS Ex OFFICIO The Honorable Jack M. Campbell .................................. Governor of New Mexico Leonard DeLayo ................................................ Superintendent of Public Instruction APPOINTED MEMBERS William G. Abbott ........................................................................................ Hobbs Eugene L. Coulson, M.D. .......................................................................... Socorro Thomas M. Cramer ................................................................................... Carlsbad Eva M. Larrazolo (Mrs. Paul F.) ...................................................... Albuquerque Richard M. Zimmerly ................................................................................. Socorro For sale by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Campus Station, Socorro, N. Mex.—Price $2.00 Contents Page ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 3 Methods of investigation ................................................................................. 3 Previous work .................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ 4 ECONOMICS ....................................................................................................... 5 History ................................................................................................................ 5 Properties and uses ........................................................................................... 7 Mining ................................................................................................................. 8 Concentration .................................................................................................... 8 Processing and marketing ................................................................................ 9 Present production and consumption ........................................................... 9 Future outlook and resources ....................................................................... 11 GEOLOGY OF MOLYBDENUM ................................................................ 13 Mineralogy ........................................................................................................ 13 Molybdenum minerals ................................................................................ 13 Rhenium in molybdenite ............................................................................ 16 Types of deposits ............................................................................................ 17 Porphyry-copper deposits .......................................................................... 18 Porphyry-molybdenum deposits ............................................................... 18 Quartz veins .................................................................................................. 19 Contact-tungsten deposits .......................................................................... 20 Oxidized lead-zinc deposits ....................................................................... 20 Pegmatites and aplites ................................................................................. 21 Bedded uranium deposits ........................................................................... 22 Geographic distribution ................................................................................. 22 New Mexico mineral belt ........................................................................... 22 Texas lineament ........................................................................................... 23 Capitan cluster .............................................................................................. 23 Grants uranium belt .................................................................................... 24 NEW MEXICO MOLYBDENUM OCCURRENCES .............................. 25 Petaca mining district, Rio Arriba County .................................................. 25 Kiawa Mountain ........................................................................................... 25 Russian Ranch .............................................................................................. 25 Poso Spring ................................................................................................... 25 Page Other occurrences, Rio Arriba County .................................................. 26 Near El Rito ........................................................................................... 26 Bromide mining district ........................................................................ 26 Red River belt, Taos County .................................................................... 26 Questa molybdenum mine ................................................................... 28 Questa porphyry deposit ...................................................................... 30 Log Cabin (Fibbs—Nogle, Steve's) prospect .................................... 34 Bear Canyon prospect ........................................................................... 34 BJB (Wilde, Goat Hill Gulch) prospects ........................................... 34 Hercules (Bueno Vista) prospect ........................................................ 35 Bernhardt prospects .............................................................................. 35 Copper King mine ................................................................................. 35 Granite (Munden) prospect ................................................................. 36 Jacks and Sixes prospect ....................................................................... 36 Colfax County ............................................................................................. 36 Baldy tunnel ............................................................................................ 36 Grants uranium belt, McKinley and Valencia counties ....................... 36 Sandstone deposits ................................................................................ 38 Limestone deposits ................................................................................ 39 Pipe deposits ........................................................................................... 40 Bernalillo County ....................................................................................... 40 Hells Canyon mining subdistrict ......................................................... 40 Cerrillos—San Pedro cluster, Santa Fe County .................................... 40 Mina del Tiro .......................................................................................... 40 Cerrillos porphyry-copper deposit ...................................................... 41 Cummington Hill ................................................................................... 41 San Pedro mine ...................................................................................... 41 Other occurrences, Santa Fe County ...................................................... 42 Santa Fe mining district ........................................................................ 42 Las Vegas Range Belt, San Miguel County ............................................ 42 Azure—Rising Sun mine ...................................................................... 42 Romero mine .......................................................................................... 43 Tecolote mining district ........................................................................ 43 Socorro County .......................................................................................... 43 Magdalena mining district .................................................................... 43 Socorro Peak mining district ................................................................ 44 Hansonburg mining district ................................................................. 44 Nogal mining district, Lincoln County ................................................... 45 Rialto prospect ....................................................................................... 45 Water Dog prospect .............................................................................. 45 iv Page Other occurrences, Lincoln County ........................................................ 46 Gallinas Mountains mining district ..................................................... 46 Jicarilla mining district ........................................................................... 46 Catron County ............................................................................................ 46 Schwarz Cabin ........................................................................................ 46 Tyrone cluster, Grant County .................................................................. 46 Eccles Canyon