Questa Mine

Producer in Taos county in New Mexico, United States with commodity Molybdenum

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Alteration
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Geologic structures
Ore body information
Controls for ore emplacement
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Ownership information
Reserves and resources
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10085408
MRDS ID	W700997
Record type	Site
Current site name	Questa Mine
Related records	10198817

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-105.51724, 36.71671 (WGS84)
Elevation	2743
Relative position	5 MI EAST OF QUESTA, NM.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Taos(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Questa(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wheeler Peak(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Raton(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Rio Grande(hydrologic unit)

Upper Rio Grande(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Elephant Butte(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Carson National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country	State	County
United States	New Mexico	Taos

Comments on the location information

LOCATION IS FOR SULPHUR GULCH OPEN-PIT; OTHER ORE BODIES ARE TO WEST. CADASTRAL: UNSURVEYED.

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Molybdenum	Primary

Comments on the commodity information

TIN, TUNGSTEN GRADES UNKNOWN, BUT < 100 PPM.

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Molybdenite	Ore

Alteration

(Local) K-Feldspar, Biotite

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated

Associated

Rock type

Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Oligocene
Stratigraphic age (youngest)	Oligocene

Host or associated Associated

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
Host or associated Associated

Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
Host or associated Host

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
Host or associated Host

Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
Host or associated Host

Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Host or associated	Associated
Rock type	Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-105.51724, 36.71671	ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure	Regional
Structure description	South Margin Of Questa Caldera
Type of structure	Local
Structure description	Rio Grande Rift

Ore body information

General form VARIOUS ORE SHELLS

Plunge direction N/A

General form	VARIOUS ORE SHELLS
Plunge direction	N/A

Controls for ore emplacement

Centered On Underlying Porphyries

Comments on the geologic information

SOURCE PLUTONS MAY BE YET UNIDENTIFIED. DEPOSIT FORMED AT LEAST 3 MILLION YEARS AFTER ERUPTION OF AMALIA TUFF FROM QUESTA CALDERA.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Producer
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Large
Significant	No
Discovery year	1916
Discoverer	Jimmy Fay
Year of first production	1923

Mining district

District name	Red River

Ownership information

Type Owner-Operator

Owner Molycorp

Type	Owner-Operator
Owner	Molycorp

Reserves and resources

Type In-situ

Estimate year 1979

Total resources 68000mt ore

Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year

Molybdenum MoS2 0.3 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1979

Comments on the reserve resource information

FIGURE IS A COMPOSITE, ROUNDED ESTIMATE FOR ALL DEPOSITS IN RED RIVER AREA, INLUDING SOUTHWEST ZONE, NORTHEAST ZONE, WESTERN EXTENSION, AND GOAT HILL GULCH DEPOSITS.

Comments on the workings information

A LONG DECLINE IS THE ACCESS TO PRESENT BLOCK-CAVING OPERATION.

Comments on development

OPEN-PIT TECHNOLOGY REVIVED MINE IN 1962-1964. OPEN-PIT CLOSED IN 1982. JOINT MOLYCORP-KENNECOTT EXPLORATION IN 1975-1977 DELINEATED PRESENT RESERVES. MINE RE-OPENED IN 1989.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	W700997

Bibliographic references

Deposit

LEONARDSON, R.W., DUNLAP, G., STARQUIST, V.L., BRATTON, G.P., MEYER, J.W., OSBORNE, L.W., ATKIN, S.A., MOLLING, P.A., MOORE, R.F., AND OLMORE, S.D., 1982, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGY AND MOLYBDENUM DEPOSITS AT QUESTA, NEW MEXICO; IN THE GENESIS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN ORE DEPOSITS: CHANGES WITH TIME AND TECTONICS; EXPLORATION GEOLOGISTS SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM, DENVER REGION, NOVEMBER 1982, PP. 151-155.
Deposit

CLARK, K.F., AND READ, C.B., 1972, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF EAGLE NEST AREA, NEW MEXICO; NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES BULLETIN 94.
Reserve-Resource

UNPUBLISHED COMPANY REPORTS

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	ORE BODY SHAPES ARE LESS SYMMETRIC THAN MOST CLIMAX DEPOSITS
Deposit	FLUORINE ABUNDANCE, AND DEGREE OF EVOLUTION OF GRANITIC MAGMAS IS LESS THAN FOR MOST CLIMAX DEPOSITS. TRACE-ELEMENT ANOLALIES ARE BISMUTH, TIN, AND TUNGSTEN.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-OCT-1989	Ludington, Steve L.	U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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