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Fresno Mine

Past Producer in Presidio county in Texas, United States with commodity Mercury
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Mineral rights holdings
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040393
MRDS ID M055149
MAS/MILS ID 483770008
Record type Site
Mineralized Area Terlingua
Current site name Fresno Mine
Alternate or previous names Buena Suerte, Campo De Los Angeles, Freson Quicksilver Deposit
Related records 10251521

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -103.81194, 29.34373 (WGS84)
Elevation 890
Location accuracy 250(meters)
Relative position 6 MI NNW OF LAJITAS.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Presidio(county)

Texas(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Lajitas(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Chisos Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Emory Peak(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Black Hills-Fresno(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande-Amistad(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Amistad(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Texas Presidio

Comments on the location information

  • SEC 106, BLK 341; CAMPO DE LOS ANGELES IS AN EXTENSION OF FRESNO MINE.
  • POINT OF REFERENCE IS NO. 2 SHAFT. RESERVES IN ADIT ARE COMBINED SURFACE & UNDERGROUND- 3/93

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Natrolite Gangue
Quartz Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Argillic Alteration

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Trachyte
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Santa Elena Limestone;Del Rio Clay
    Rock description Santa Elena Limestone;Del Rio Clay

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -103.81194, 29.34373
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Asymmetric Terlingua Anticline

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N10E
    Dip 00E
    Thickness 3M
    Length 30M
    Width 30M
    Area 1HA
    Depth to top 27M

Comments on the geologic information

  • CRET LIMESTONE AND SHALE IS CUT BY N-W TRENDING NORMAL FAULTS
  • MERCURY IS LOCATED PRIMARILY IN BRECCIAS THAT ARE COLLAPSED CAVE-FILLED DEPRESSIONS THAT CONTAIN BROKEN FRAGMENTS OF CLAY AND LIMESTONE MIXED TOGETHER. MERCURY FOUND ADJACENT TO THESE STRUCTURES AT CLAY (DEL RIO) - LIMESTONE (SANTA ELENA) CONTACT. THIS CONTACT HIGHLY IRREGULAR, ALTHOUGH LIMESTONE BEDS ARE NEARLY FLAT, DIPPING NO MORE THAN 10 DEGREES.
  • SANTA ELENA FORMERLY CALLED DEVILS RIVER.
  • Orebody description from MAS: Type of Orebody #1 : BRECCIA FILL Shape of Orebody #1 : IRREGULAR Type of Orebody #2 : SHEAR ZONE Primary mode of Origin : HYDROTHERMAL Primary Ore Control : FAULTING Secondary Ore Control : BEDDING Degree of Wallrock Alter. : SLIGHT Strike And Dip : N10E:00E Minimum Depth to Top : 6 Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. : 0 Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. : 0 Total Surface Area (HA) : 1 Date of Last Modification : 821202

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1935
Discoverer Harris S. Smith
Year of first production 1940
Year of last production 1956
Production years 1940, 1953, 1955-56

Mining district

District name Terlingua

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Unknown
    Owner Terlingua Mercury Corp. (R.N. Pulliam and associates)
    First year 1956
  • Type Operator
    Owner Harris S. Smith And Homer M. Wilson Amerindex Mining Co. 56) Terlingua Mercury Corp.
    First year 1940
  • Type Owner
    Owner Mr. And Mrs. E. G. Bledsoe
  • Type Unknown
    Owner Dow Chemical Co.
    Year 1965
    First year 1960

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE ADDRESS OF CHARLES SIMMS IS UNKNOWN.

Production statistics

  • Year 1960
    Period To 1960
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4-20 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 5421g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • ACTUAL RECOVERY USED (FOR MASS BALANCE) IS 99.5%.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THIS QUANT-GRADE MATRIX IS CALLED THE NORTH FRESNO PIT OREBODY. THIS QUANT-GRADE MATRIX IS THE UNDERGROUND RESERVES IN THE FRESNO MINE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 243.84M
    Overall depth 30.48M

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO SHAFTS (NO.1 AND NO. 2), EACH LESS THAN 100 FT DEEP. MAIN STOPE IS 300 FT LONG AND AVERAGES 60 FT WIDE. ABOUT 500 FT OF CROSSCUTS, MOSTLY BELOW MAIN STOPE. LARGE OPEN PIT NEAR NO. 1 SHAFT.
  • MAS record had several Workings entries. for proposed operations. Surface of 0.4 Hectares: MAS Development Schedule #: 1 Mining Record # : 1 Status of Mining Method : PROPOSED Mining Method : OPEN PIT Percent Waste Rock : 0 Avg. Overburden Thickness : 0 Hardness of Ore : M-HARD ROCKS Avg. Bench Height (meters): 20 Max. Pit Slope (degrees) : 60 Capacity : 38 Capacity Units : MT ORE/DAY Preprod. Stripping Vol. : 0 Unit Production Cost : 11.5 Units of Production : $/MT ORE Operating Days per Year : 250 Operating Shifts per Day : 1 Year of Information : 1982 Surface of 0.4 Hectares: MAS Development Schedule #: 1 Mining Record # : 2 Status of Mining Method : PROPOSED Mining Method : OPEN PIT Percent Waste Rock : 0 Avg. Overburden Thickness : 0 Hardness of Ore : M-HARD ROCKS Avg. Bench Height (meters): 20 Max. Pit Slope (degrees) : 60 Capacity : 38 Capacity Units : MT ORE/DAY Preprod. Stripping Vol. : 0 Unit Production Cost : 11.5 Units of Production : $/MT ORE Operating Days per Year : 118 Operating Shifts per Day : 1 Year of Information : 1982 Underground at 29 M depth: MAS Development Schedule #: 1 Mining Record # : 1 Status of Mining Method : PROPOSED Mining Method : ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34 Percent Waste Rock : 0 Percent Recovery : 100 Hardness of Rock : HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER Rock Characteristics : NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS Rock Support Chars. : SUPPORTING Mine Support Chars. : POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS Number of Shafts : 2 Length of Inclines (m) : 140 Slope of Inclines : 8 Number of Inclines : 1 1st Condition of Workings : OPEN Capacity : 38 Capacity Units : MT ORE/DAY Unit Production Cost : 23.4 Units of Production : $/MT ORE Operating Days per Year : 132 Operating Shifts per Day : 1 Year of Information : 1982 Underground at 29 M depth: MAS Development Schedule #: 1 Mining Record # : 2 Status of Mining Method : PROPOSED Mining Method : ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34 Percent Recovery : 100 Hardness of Rock : HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER Rock Characteristics : NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS Rock Support Chars. : SUPPORTING Mine Support Chars. : POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS Number of Shafts : 2 Length of Inclines (m) : 140 Slope of Inclines : 8 Number of Inclines : 1 1st Condition of Workings : OPEN Capacity : 38 Capacity Units : MT ORE/DAY Unit Production Cost : 23.4 Units of Production : $/MT ORE Operating Days per Year : 250 Operating Shifts per Day : 1 Year of Information : 1982

Comments on development

  • EXPLORED BY TERLINGUA MERCURY CO. (TRENCHING, DRILLING) 1956-59, AND DOW CHEMICAL CO. (1960). TERLINGUA MERCURY CORP. FOUND 20 FT WIDTH OF GOOD HG GRADES DURING TRENCHING OF CAMPO DE LOS ANGELES. ; ECON.COM: ORE TREATED IN A 35 TPD ROTARY FURNACE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINING WORLD, 1956, VOL. 18., NO. 3., P. 96.

  • Deposit

    CHESTER, J.W., 1965, MERCURY IN TEXAS: USBM IC 8252

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E.H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES

  • Deposit

    USGS PP 312, 114 P.

  • Deposit

    TEX BEG MRC-73, P. 25.

  • Deposit

    1943 DIREXPL USBM, FAILED TO FIND ORE

  • Deposit

    1953 DIREXPL AMERIMEX MINING CO. UNDER DMEA CONTRACT. FOUND SOME ORE

  • Deposit

    EXAMINED BY C.P. ROSS AND OTHERS, 1934.

  • Deposit

    EXAMINED BY R.G. YATES, J.F. MCALLISTER, AND G.A. THOMPSON, 1942-1945.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

  • Production

    BAILEY, E.H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES.

  • Reserve-Resource

    BAILEY

  • Deposit

    SHARPE, ROGER D. DEVELOPMENT OF THE MERCURY MINING INDUSTRY: TRANS-PECOS TEXAS. TEXAS BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY MINERAL RESOURCE CIRCULAR NO. 64, 1980, 32 PP.

  • Deposit

    OMO, GEORGE. REPORT OF BUTTE MINING CORPORATION'S MERCURY PROPERTIES. (UNPUBLISHED REPORT), MARCH 10, 1968, 10 PP.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE REPLACES CLAY. VEINLETS AND MASSES OF CINNABAR OCCUR IN CALCITE VEINS ALONG FAULTS.
General REPLACES DUPLICATE RECORDS M055140, M055146 AND D002534 WHICH HAVE BEEN DELETED.
Deposit POINT OF REFERENCE IS NO. 2 SHAFT MUCH OF THE INFORMATION ON FRESNO MINE PROVIDED BY GEORGE OMO, MINING ENGR, OF EL PASO, TEXAS WHO OPERATED THE FRESNO MINE IN 1968-71.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 1973-09-01 Bergquist, Joel R. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 1992-09-01 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 2012-10-31 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey merged and deleted duplicate record 10251521 (MAS 0483770008)
Reporter 1996-10-15 Hite, Alan G. U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0483770008

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site