Armington Mine

Past Producer in Santa Fe county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Lead, Zinc, Copper
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. Geologic structures
  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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10087983
MRDS ID D011637
Record type Site
Current site name Armington Mine
Alternate or previous names Mine: Armington Lode, Armington Tunnel, Patented Claim: Armington

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.13307, 35.4945 (WGS84)
Elevation 1951
Relative position ABOUT 18.4 MILES S 40 W OF SANTA FE, NM

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Santa Fe(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Madrid(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Albuquerque(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Albuquerque(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rio Grande-Santa Fe(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande-Elephant Butte(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Elephant Butte(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New Mexico Santa Fe

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 015N 008E 30 SE New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION IS ACCURATE FOR THE SHAFT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979
  • LOCATION IS ACCURATE FOR THE MCC MINE LOCATED AT THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE DISTRICT. MINES AND MILLS ARE ALSO LOCATED IN TOWNSHIPS 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 AND 23 SOUTH AND RANGES 29, 30, 31, 32, AND 33 EAST. TWO MINES AND MILLS ARE LOCATED IN LEA COUNTY. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Espinosa Volcanics
    Rock description Espinosa Volcanics
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Monzonite
    Rock unit name Espinosa Volcanics
    Rock description Espinosa Volcanics

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.13307, 35.4945

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Faults And Shear Zones
Type of structure Local
Structure description Shear Zone

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Thickness 1.83M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Shear Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE POTASH IS FOUND IN THE MCNUTT POTASH ZONE, THE MIDDLE MEMBER OF THE SALADO FORMATION. THE MCNUTT CONTAINS 11 POTASH ORE ZONES, OF WHICH THE 1ST, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH, 7TH, 8TH AND 10TH HAVE PROVED CONCENTRATIONS, BUT THE LARGEST TONNAGES HAVE COME FROM THE 1ST ZONE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895

Mining district

District name Cerrillos

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Cerrillos Lead And Zinc Co.
    Home office Cerrillos, N.M.
    First year 1957
  • Type Owner
    Owner Verne Byrne, Santa Fe, N.M. And John King, Chicago, Il.
    First year 1957

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 121.92M
    Overall depth 51.82M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF THE ARMINGTON TUNNEL AND THE ARMINGTON SHAFT. THE ARMINGTON TUNNEL IS A 345-FOOT ADIT DRIVEN NORTH ON A SHEAR ZONE. THE VERTICAL DEPTH OF THE FACE IS ABOUT 170 FEET. AT 175 FEET FROM THE PORTAL IS A 60-FT LONG CROSSCUT. SOUTH OF THE PORTAL OF THE TUNNEL ARE THREE SHAFTS AT INTERVALS OF 150, 230 AND 300 FEET. THEY ARE INACCESSIBLE. THE SOUTHERNMOST IS KNOWN AS THE ARMINGTON SHAFT. IT IS REPORTED TO HAVE A DEPTH OF 150 FEET. WATER STANDS 80 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE.
  • ALL MINES IN THE DISTRICT ARE MINED THROUGH VERTICAL SHAFTS AND ROOM AND PILLAR METHODS. PILLAR ROBBING ALLOWS EXTRACTION RATES OF 90-92 PERCENT.

Comments on development

  • POTASH WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN DRILL CUTTINGS FROM THE SNOWDEN AND MCSWEENEY NUTT 1 WELL IN SECTION 4, T. 21 S., R. 30 E. IN EDDY COUNTY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    DISBROW, A.E., AND STOLL, W.C., 1957, NMBMMR BULL 48, P. 55

  • Deposit

    ELSTON, W.E., 1967, NMBMMR BULL 81, P. 30-33

  • Deposit

    NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AT THE ARMINGTON TUNNEL THE VEIN IS A BAND OF ALTERED MONZONITE 1 TO 6 FEET THICK CONTAINING A FEW QUARTZ STRINGERS, COPPER STAINS AND MUCH IRON AND MANGANESE OXIDE. WEATHERING IS CONSPICUOUS AT THE FACE, WHICH IS 130 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE. THE VEIN IS HIDDEN BEHIND TIMBERING IN THE ARMINGTON SHAFTS, 460 FEET TO THE SOUTH, NO VEIN CAN BE TRACED FROM THE SHAFTS TO THE TUNNEL.
Deposit THICK SECTIONS OF SALT AND OTHER EVAPORITE MINERALS ARE PRESENT IN THE PERMIAN BASIN IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. DURING THE OCHOAN POTASSIUM SALTS WERE DEPOSITED BY EVAPORATING SEAWATER IN A SHALLOW, SUBSIDING BASIN. THE MCNUTT POTASH ZONE, THE MIDDLE MEMBER OF THE SALADO FORMATION CONTAINS 11 POTASH ORE ZONES. THE 1ST, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH, 7TH, 8TH, AND 10TH ZONES HAVE PROVED CONCENTRATIONS OF POTASH, BUT THE GREATEST TONNAGE HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN THE 1ST ZONE. THE SURFACE GEOLOGY IS CHARACTERIZED BY DUNE FIELDS AND KARST TOPOGRAPHY.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1984 Murray, Diane 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