Houston Thomas Mine

Past Producer in Grant county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Gold, Bismuth
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10009941
MRDS ID D003239
Record type Site
Current site name Houston Thomas Mine
Alternate or previous names Alpha Group of Claims Patented In 1908, Alpha, Omega, Lafayette, Manilla, Florida, Atlas, Caribou
Related records 10296231

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.25145, 32.87344 (WGS84)
Elevation 2210
Relative position ABOUT 6.5 MILES N 12 E OF SILVER CITY.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Grant(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Silver City(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silver City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Silver City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Gila-Mangas(hydrologic unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New Mexico Grant

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 016S 014W 35,36 SE (35); SW (36) New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • ACCURATE LOCATION IS FOR THE PORTAL OF THE MAIN ADIT LOCATED ON THE OMEGA CLAIM.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Lead Primary
Silver Primary
Copper Secondary
Gold Secondary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Marmatite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Clay Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Oswaldo Formation;Lake Valley Limestone
    Rock description Oswaldo Formation;Lake Valley Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.25145, 32.87344

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralized Solutions Replaced Favorable Host Rock Along Faults And At The Contact With Porphyry.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1867
Year of first production 1895
Year of last production 1961

Mining district

District name Pinos Altos District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner D. D. Osmer
    Home office Silver City, N.M.
    First year 1961
  • Type Owner
    Owner Houston-Thomas Mines Co.
    First year 1950

Comments on the production information

  • ABOUT 6,500 METRIC TONS OF OXIDE ORE MINED UP TO 1943. FROM 1943 TO 1947, 3,400 METRIC TONS OF SULFIDE ORE CONTAINING 6-10% ZN, 1-3% PB, 0.1-0.5% CU, AND 103-206 G/T AG.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 137.16M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS REPORTED IN THE 1940'S CONSISTED OF TWO ADITS CONTAINING ABOUT 400 FT. OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS, AN INCLINED SHAFT WITH 50 FT. OF DRIFTS, TWO SHALLOW WINZES, NUMEROUS SMALL PITS AND SEVERAL OPEN STOPES.

Comments on development

  • OXIDE ORE MINED UP TO 1943. FROM 1943 TO 1947 SULFIDE ORE MINED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HERNON, R. E., 1949 . GEOL. AND ORE DEP., SILVER CITY REGION, NM GUIDEBOOK, FIELD TRIP NO. 3 , WEST TEXAS GEOL. SOCIETY.

  • Deposit

    LINDGREN, W., GRATON, L.C., AND GORDON, C.H., 1910 USGS PP 68, P. 301

  • Deposit

    PAIGE, S., 1911 USGS BULL 470, P. 122-125

  • Deposit

    PAIGE, S., 1916 USGS GEOLOGIC ATLAS OF U.S., FOLIO 199

  • Deposit

    ANDERSON, E.C., 1957 NMBMMR BULL 39, P. 70-71

  • Deposit

    CUNNINGHAM, J.E., 1974 NMBMMR GEOLOGIC MAP, GM-30

  • Deposit

    NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

  • Deposit

    SOULE, J.H., 1948 USBM RI-4237, 5 PAGES

  • Deposit

    MCKNIGHT, J. F., AND FELLOWS, M. L., 1978, ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIGEST, V. 11, P. 1-8.

  • Deposit

    DMEA 1549

  • Production

    SOULE, J. H., 1948B, U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 4237, P. 5.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE BODIES ARE PARALLEL TO THE BEDDING OF THE MAGDALENA GROUP LIMESTONES. SITE CONSISTS OF SEVEN PATENTED CLAIMS MINERAL SURVEY NUMBER 1211 COVERING 130.112 ACRES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-78 Hasler, J. William New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-OCT-82 Menzie, David New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references