Groundhog Mine

Past Producer in Grant county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10150623
MRDS ID W019036
MAS/MILS ID 0350170103
Record type Site
Current site name Groundhog Mine
Related records 10073175

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -108.10621, 32.77541 (WGS84)
Elevation 1870
Location accuracy 100(meters)

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

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Secondary
Lead Primary
Silver Secondary
Zinc Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Calcite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Galena Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Sphalerite Unknown

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -108.10621, 32.77541

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N45E
    Dip 45E
    Thickness 4.3M
    Length 200M
    Depth to top 400M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Secondary Ore Control FAULTING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 SILICIFICATION
    Strike And Dip N45E:45E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 63
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Date of Last Modification 801006
  • Area 30HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 30
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE LITHOLOGY AND ITS RELATION TO MINERALIZATION HAS NOT BEEN WELL DEFINED. BECAUSE OF THIS THE INFORMATION IN THE L DATA-SET IS INCOMPLETE.
  • SILVER IS ASSUMED TO BE PRESENT IN THE ORE IN SULFIDE FORM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1900
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Year of first production 1915
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Central District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Patented

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Unknown
    Owner Asarco (American Smelting And Refining Co.)
    ID 2900157
    Home office New Mexico
    Year 1980
    Last year 1994
  • Type Owner
    Owner Chino Mines Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office New Mexico
    Year 1995
    First year 1994

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE CUSTOM MILL, ALSO OWNED BY ASARCO, IS LOCATED IN DEMING, NEW MEXICO.

Comments on the production information

  • PB, ZN, CU CONC. ASSAYS AND RECOVERIES ARE NOT ACTUAL BUT APPROXIMATE ESTIMATES.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 11525M
    Overall depth 508M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method HORIZ CUT & FILL W/WASTE ROCK 10-60
    Swell Factor .6
    Percent Recovery 85
    Number of Shafts 3
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    2nd Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 226.8
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 34.49
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1980

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE MINING METHOD GIVEN INCLUDES CUT AND FILL IN VEINS AND IN ORE BODIES. LENGTH OF WORKING EQUAL TO 11,525 METERS INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE LENGTH OF 10,000 METER OF DRIFTS DRIVEN SINCE 1914. THE MINE SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS IN 1978.
  • THE MILL IS A CUSTOM MILL LOCATED IN DEMING, NEW MEXICO, 40 MILES AWAY FROM THE MINE. THE DESIGN CAPACITY OF THE CUSTOM MILL IS 750 TONS (680.4 MTON) PER DAY. ASSUMING THAT THIS MILL IS RUNNING AT 100- PERCENT CAPACITY, AN EXPANSION OF 250 TONS (226.8 MTON) PER DAY IS PROPOSED. DESIGN CAPACITY IN CONCENTRATOR DATA SET MEANS THE ADDED CAPACITY OF 226.8 MTON PER DAY. DEPOSIT PERCENT, 100 REFERS TO PROPOSED ADDITIONAL MILL CAPC.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINING METHODS AND COSTS AT THE GROUND HOG UNIT ASARCO

  • Deposit

    MINING CO., VANADIUM, NEW MEXICO. BY F. W. RICHARD.

  • Deposit

    BUREAU OF MINES- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERACE. I.C. 6377, 1930.

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE BAYARD AREA, CENTRAL MINING

  • Deposit

    DISTRICT, NEW MEXICO. BY S.G. LASKY, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BUL-

  • Deposit

    LETIN 870, PP.103-117, 1936.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO'S ANNUAL REPORT, 1970. P.7.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO'S 10-K FORM REPORT, 1976. PP.A9-A10.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO'S 10-K FORM REPORT, 1977. PP.A9-A10.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO'S 10-K FORM REPORT, 1978. PP.A10-A11.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO'S 10-K FORM REPORT, 1979. P A12.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY,1979.

  • Deposit

    ASARCO INCORPORATED), P.200.

  • Deposit

    USBM'S STATISTICS, STATE OF UTAH. GROSS METAL CONTENT

  • Deposit

    CRUDE ORE, 1976.

  • Deposit

    CRUDE ORE, 1977.

  • Deposit

    USBM'S STATISTICS, STATE OF UTAH. LODE MINE PRODUCTION AND

  • Deposit

    METALS RECOVERABLE, 1977.

  • Deposit

    METALS RECOVERABLE, 1978.

  • Deposit

    CHINO MINES (DIVISION OF PHELPS DODGE CORP) BOUGHT GROUNDHOG

  • Deposit

    UNIT FOURTH QTR, 1994. INCLUDED THE STAR SHAFT HEADFRAME,

  • Deposit

    HOIST AND ALL ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS WHICH ARE ADJACENT TO

  • Deposit

    CHINO'S PRECIPITATE COPPER PLANT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 27-JUN-97 Amaro, R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 04/19/1982
MSHA mine ID2900157
Mine name (MSHA)Ground Hog Unit
Current operatorAsarco Inc
Mine typeUnderground (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

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