Groundhog Mine

Past Producer in Grant county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold, Vanadium, Molybdenum
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. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Workings at the site
  21. Links to other databases
  22. Bibliographic references
  23. General comments
  24. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10073175
MRDS ID W019036
Record type Site
Current site name Groundhog Mine
Alternate or previous names Includes: Lucky Bill, Denver, C.G. Bell,, And San Jose: Groundhog Unit: Patented Claims, Groundhog, Lucky Bill, San Jose, Ivanhoe
Related records 10150623

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -108.10644, 32.77094 (WGS84)
Elevation 1859
Relative position ABOUT 10 MILES DUE EAST 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)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NM)

Bureau of Land Management NM BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New Mexico Grant

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 018S 012W 05 N2 New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • ACCURATE LOCATION IS FOR THE GROUNDHOG NORTH SHAFT AS SHOWN ON THE SANTA RITA TOPOGRAPHIC QUADRANGLE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Lead Primary
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Vanadium Critical Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Cubanite Ore
Cuprodescloizite Ore
Endlichite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Vanadinite Ore
Wulfenite Ore
Actinolite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Clay Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Ilvaite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result EARLY ORE - 14% ZN, 10% PB, 5% CU, 340 PPM AG (FOR FIRST 35% OF ORE FROM THE MAIN SHOOT). FLUID INCLUSIONS (PRIMARY) HOMOGENIZE FROM 230 TO 415 DEGREES C. 8.5 TO 6.2 WT% NACL EQUIVALENT, LOCALLY UP TO 26% EQUIVALENT NACL.

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
    Rock unit name Granodiorite Dikes
    Rock description Granodiorite Dikes
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Lake Valley Limestone;Magdalena Group
    Rock description Lake Valley Limestone;Magdalena Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -108.10644, 32.77094

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Hanover Fierro Stock, Santa Rita Stock
Type of structure Local
Structure description The Groundhog Fault Strikes N 30 To 50 E.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike NORTHEAST
    Dip SOUTHEAST

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralized Solutions Localized Along The Northeast Striking Groundhog Fault Zone As Veins In Fractures And Shattered Zones And As Replacements Of Limestones Adjacent To The Fault Zone.

Comments on the geologic information

  • HOST ROCKS FOR VEIN DEPOSITS NEAR THE SURFACE ARE CRETACEOUS SANDSTONES AND HOST ROCKS FOR DEEPER VEIN AND REPLACEMENT DEPOSITS ARE PALEOZOIC LIMESTONES.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1869
Discoverer Lambeth M. Heath And White Heath Located The Groundhog Claim In 1900, George F. Mcmillan Located The Lucky Bill Claim In 1900, And The San Jose Claim Was Located Prior To 1869 By Unknown Claimants.
Year of first production 1869
Year of last production 1980

Mining district

District name Central District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.)
    First year 1980
  • Type Owner
    Owner Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.), Southwestern Mining Department
    Home office P.O. Box 5747, Tucson, Arizona 85703
    First year 1982

Production statistics

  • Year 1975
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^12. % Zn-Pb
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 12wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION DURING 1906-1932 VALUED AT $6.8 MILLION. MINE REOPENED IN 1969. TOTAL MINE PRODUCTION FROM ALL ZONES.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 38000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 14.17 wt-pct Zinc Major 1987
    Lead Pb 6.69 wt-pct Lead Major 1987
    Copper Cu 0.47 wt-pct Copper Major 1987
    Silver Ag 25.129 g/mt Silver Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 846000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 13.6 wt-pct Zinc Major 1987
    Lead Pb 2.94 wt-pct Lead Major 1987
    Copper Cu 0.61 wt-pct Copper Major 1987
    Silver Ag 45.177 g/mt Silver Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Total resources 220000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 12.6 wt-pct Zinc Major 1987
    Lead Pb 1.6 wt-pct Lead Major 1987
    Copper Cu 0.64 wt-pct Copper Major 1987
    Silver Ag 27.67 g/mt Silver Major 1987

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ORE(1)-(3) ARE PRODUCTION PLUS RESERVES; ORE(1) = SOUTHWEST ZONE, ORE(2) = CENTRAL ZONE, ORE(3) = NORTHEAST ZONE

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 7620M
    Overall depth 670.56M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS REPORTED IN 1935 CONSISTED OF MORE THAN 26000 FT. OF DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS, AND MORE THAN 10000 FT. OF SHAFTS, RAISES AND WINZES.

Comments on development

  • ECON.YEAR: 1975 ; ECON.COM: 540 MTPD MILL AT DEMING. ; MILL.CAP : 197 MET TONS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SKARN ALONG NE-TRENDING GROUND HOG-IVANHOE FAULT AND DIKE SYSTEM WITH ORE LOCALIZED AT JUNCTIONS OF SUBSIDIARY FAULTS, ALONG REOPENED WALLS OF DIKES, AND IN INTENSELY FRACTURED ROCKS. BELOW 360 M. ORE OCCURS AS REPLACEMENT BODIES IN UPPER PALEOZOIC STRATA GENERALLY IN FAVORABLE LIMESTONE BEDS AT THE INTERSECTION OF FAULTS AND HORNBLENDE GRANODIORITE PORPHYRY DIKES. OXIDATION AND SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT TO DEPTHS OF 120 M. PROPERTY CONSISTS OF THREE PATENTED CLAIMS MINERAL SURVEY NUMBERS 159, 1221, AND 1222 COVERING 61.838 ACRES. SKARN IS ZONED IN METAL RATION, TEMPERATURE OXIDES, SILICATES, AND SULFIDES FROM DISTAL TO PROXIMAL.
Deposit LUCKY BILL = SOUTHWEST ZONE, GROUNDHOG-SAN JOSE = CENTRAL ZONE, IVANHOE = NORTHEAST ZONE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1973 Fischer, Richard P. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-OCT-1982 Menzie, David New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-DEC-1993 Page, Norman J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

External references