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Empire Zinc Mine

Past Producer in Grant county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10013431
MRDS ID D009716
Record type Site
Current site name Empire Zinc Mine
Alternate or previous names Zinc Valley Group, Hanover: Claims Patented In 1907, Zinc Valley, Annie Fox, Robert E. Lee, Black Wolf, Santa Fe No. 1, Metal King, Uncle Sam, Southwestern, Includes U.S. Adit, U.S. Tunnel, Mason Tunnel, Strike Tunnel,, And Republic After 1920

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.09005, 32.81733 (WGS84)
Elevation 1958
Relative position ABOUT 11 MILES N 75 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

Santa Rita Mine(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Silver City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Silver City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Mimbres(hydrologic unit)

Mimbres(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Mimbres(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(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 017S 012W 16;21 SE (16); NE (21) New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • ACCURATE LOCATION IS FOR THE EMPIRE NO. 7 SHAFT AS SHOWN ON THE SANTA RITA TOPOGRAPHIC QUADRANGLE.

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hedenbergite Gangue
Ilvaite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 60
USGS model code 18c
Deposit model name Skarn Zn-Pb
Mark3 model number 22

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Lake Valley Limestone;Fierro-Hanover Stock
    Rock description Lake Valley Limestone;Fierro-Hanover Stock

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, BLANKET, OTHER UPRIGHT TUBULAR MASSES

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization Localized In Fractures And Bedding Planes Replacing Favorable Host.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Year of last production 1970

Mining district

District name Fierro-Hanover District, Central District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Empire Zinc Co.
    Home office New York, N.Y.
    First year 1911
    Last year 1970
  • Type Owner
    Owner The New Jersey Zinc Co., 160 Front Street, New York, N. Y. ; U.S. Smelting, Refining And
    First year 1911
    Last year 1970

Production statistics

  • Year 1970
    Period ?-1970
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^8.67% Zn, 0.21% Pb
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Minor Ore Lead Lead 0wt-pct
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 9wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • MINES WERE IDLE FROM 1932 TO 1936, 1953 TO 1955 AND 1962 TO 1968. CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION INCLUDES ORE FROM THE THUNDERBOLT, THUNDER CLOUD, BLUE BELL, EMMA AND COPPER QUEEN MINES. NOT ALL PRODUCTION ACCOUNTED FOR. NO RECORDS PRIOR TO 1902 AND SOME HIGH GRADE CARBONATE ORE PRIOR TO 1918 IS NOT RECORDED. VALUE ORE (2) = $2,424,216. MINES HAD A LARGE TONNAGE 50-60% FE ORE NEVER EXTRACTED.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 11 wt-pct Zinc Major 1920

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF NUMEROUS SHAFTS, ADITS AND OPEN PITS.

Comments on development

  • ZINC CARBONATE DIRECT SHIPPING ORES MINED FROM METAL KING, SOUTHWESTERN, AND LONE STAR CLAIMS UP TO 1920. IN 1916 EMPIRE ZINC CO. BUILT 250 TPD MAGNETIC SEPARATION MILL FOR TREATING ZN SULFIDE ORES. IN 1920 EMPIRE ZINC ACQUIRED ADJACENT REPUBLIC MINE FROM REPUBLIC MINING AND MILLING CO., INCLUDING THE WELCH GROUP (90 ACRES). IN 1927 EMPIRE ZINC BUILT A 300 TPD FLOTATION MILL AND TREATED TAILINGS THROUGH 1929 WHEN MILLING SWITCHED TO MINE ORES. IN 1940 BEGAN MILLING CUSTOM ORES TO KEEP MILL OPERATING AS FULL CAPACITY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SPENCER, A. C., AND PAIGE, S., 1935 USGS BULL 859, P. 66-69

  • Deposit

    ANDERSON, E. C., 1957 NMBMMR BULL 39, P. 54-55

  • Deposit

    HERNON, R. M., JONES, W. R., AND MOORE, S. L., 1964 USGS GEOLOGIC MAP, GQ-306

  • Deposit

    JONES, W. R., HERNON, R. M., AND MOORE, S. L., 1967 USGS PP 555, 144 PAGES

  • Deposit

    NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

  • Deposit

    JONES, W.R., AND HERNON, R.M., 1973, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE PB 214, P. 14-29.

  • Deposit

    HILLESLAND, L.L., ET. AL., 1994, GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE CONTINENTAL MINE, GRANT COUNTY, NEW MEXICO: COBRE MINING CORP., UNPUBLISHED REPORT, 22 P.

  • Deposit

    FINLAY, J.R., 1922, REPORT OF APPRAISAL OF MINING PROPERTIES OF NEW MEXICO: SANTA FE, CATHOLOC PUBLISHING CO., 154 P.

  • Production

    (1) HILLESLAND ET. AL. (1994) P. 2; (2) FINLAY (1922); (6) AND (7) JONES, W.R., AND HERNON, R.M., 1973, P. 14-29.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BLANKET-LIKE MASSES AS THICK AS 40 M AND UPRIGHT TUBULAR BODIES AS MUCH AS 300 M LONG, 36 M HIGH, AND 9 M IN WIDTH, ALONG GRANODIORITE DIKES, REPLACING LAKE VALLEY LIMESTONE AROUND SOUTHWEST MARGIN OF FIERRO-HANOVER STOCK. EIGHT PATENTED CLAIMS MINERAL SURVEY NUMBER 1185 COVERING 148.678 ACRES.
Deposit THIS RECORD CONTAINS DATA FROM RECORD D011681 BY RON WORL WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM MRDS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1982 Menzie, David New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-JUL-1984 Seanor, Clint E. (Worl, Ron) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 27-OCT-1994 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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