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Nacimiento Copper Mine

Past Producer in Sandoval county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Copper, Silver
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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. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Mineral rights holdings
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Reserves and resources
  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 10151101
MAS/MILS ID 0350430001
Record type Deposit
Current site name Nacimiento Copper Mine
Alternate or previous names Nacimiento Mine, Nacimiento Copper Mine & Concentrator, Copper Glance-Cuprite mine, Copper Glance and Cuprite, Nacimiento Copper Mine & Plant
Included sites Nacimiento Copper Uranium Project, Nacimiento Mountains District

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -106.8981, 35.99394 (WGS84)
Elevation 2286
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position About 6.1 mi by road (3.8 mi linear) SE of Cuba, NM. Location on topo in middle of pit is now under water., 10 Meters

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Sandoval(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Pablo(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Los Alamos(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Albuquerque(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rio Puerco(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande-Elephant Butte(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Elephant Butte(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Santa Fe 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 Sandoval

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 020 N 001 W 01 New Mexico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chrysocolla Ore
Malachite Ore
Azurite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock type qualifier Ore body is in the agua Zarca sandstone member of the Chinle Formation
    Rock unit name Agua Zarca member of the Chinle Formation.
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Triassic

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -106.8981, 35.99394
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N00E
    Dip 30W
    Thickness 30M
    Length 1200M
    Width 100M
    Depth to top 65M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin OTHER
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N00E:30W
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 1
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 800916
  • Area 15HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 15
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1859
Mining method Auger Mining - Solution Mining
Year of first production 1971
Milling method Leach-Solvent-Extract-Electrowin

Mining district

District name Nacimiento District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented
Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner EARTH RESOURCES CO.
    Year 1983
  • Type Owner
    Owner Leaching Technology Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office New Mexico
    Year 1993
  • Type Owner
    Owner Acclaim Exploration
    Home office 150 Hay St, suite B\nSubiaco, Australia \nWAU 6008\nwww.acclaimexploration.com.au
    Year 2010
    First year 2009

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Indicated 58420mt ore
    Demonstrated 58420mt ore
    Total resources 58420mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper Cu 100 wt-pct Copper Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1971
    Reserves 9600000tons
    Remarks reserves estimated 9.6 million tons at 0.71% Cu (Woodward and others, 1974, p. 108).
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Copper 0.71 wt-pct Copper Primary 1971
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Remarks 6,000,000 short tons (=5.4metric tons) of 0.56% Cu reported reserves OR\n13,000,000 short tons (=11.8 metric tons) at 0.48% Cu reported reserves. As of 1980.\n(per Virginia McLemore, NMBMMR)

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • LEASED FROM EARTH RESOURCES CO. JAGER, ALAN, & MICHAEL NIKLASON, PROGRESS REPORT ON IN-SITU SOLU TION MINING OF A NM CHALCOCITE DEPOSIT, 5/89. RESERVE STATED IN MT RECOVERABLE COPPER FROM IN-SITU LEACHING

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method LEACHING IN PLACE (IN SITU) 10-89
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 39
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Capacity 2650
    Capacity Units LITER SOLN/MIN
    Unit Production Cost 0
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1978

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW 3/13/71 (START-UP, SHIFTS/DAY, WATER SUPPLY)

  • Geology

    TALBOTT, L.W., 1974, GEOL. OF THE NACIMIENTO MINE, IN N.M. GEOL. SOC. GUIDEBOOK 25, PP. 301-303.

  • Geology

    WOODWARD & OTHERS, 1974, SANDSTONE COPPER DEPOSITS, IN N.M. GEOL. SOC. GUIDEBOOK 25, PP. 295-299 (GEOL., AG GRADE)

  • Geology

    WOODWARD & OTHERS, 1974, STRATA-BOUND COPPER DEPOSITS in Triassic sandstone of Sierra Nacimiento, New Mexico: ECONOMIC GEOL., V. 69, PP. 108-120. (GEOLOGY)

  • Deposit

    E/MJ DIRECTORY 1973, 74, 75, & 77 (PRODUCTION STATISTICS)

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 4/73, P. 226 (EXPLORATION, RESERVES,MINING, ORIGINAL MILL COSTS)

  • Production

    E.F. HUTTON INVESTMENT REPORT, 8/74 (RECOVERIES)

  • Production

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, 8/15/70 (DEVELOPMENT, MILLING RATE)

  • Production

    WORLD MINING, 8/72, P. 82 (HISTORY, GEOLOGY, MINING, RECOVERIES, CONCENTRATE GRADES, MILLING EQUIPMENT LIST)

  • Production

    WRIGHT, KEN, RESIDENT MINE MANAGER, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION BY R. BAER 7/24/78 & 7/27/78 (COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED LEACHING OPERATION, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT PLANS, SIZE OF PLANT, SOLUTION CONCENTRATIONS, & NUMBER OF YEARS OF EXPECTED OPERATION)

  • Production

    EARTH RESOURCES COMPANY. 1980 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 13.

  • Reserve-Resource

    EARTH RESOURCES COMPANY ANNUAL REPORTS 1969-1974 (RESERVES, GEOMETRY, PURCHASES OF EQUIPMENT, RECOVERIES, CONCENTRATE GRADES, MILLING RATES)

  • Reserve-Resource

    JAGER, A. & NIKLASON, M. PROGRESS REPORT ON IN-SITU SOLUTION MINING OF A NEW MEXICO CHALCOCITE DEPOSIT. IN-SITU ALL MINERAL SYMPOSIUM. WYOMING MINING AND MINERAL SECTION SME-AIME CONFERENCE, MAY 22-24, 1989. CHAP 8, 19 PP.

  • Reserve-Resource

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW,6/19/71 (OXIDE RESERVES, TOTAL COST, CONSTRUCTION TIME)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
General ABW merged and deleted duplicate records 10069207 (MRDS 002700) and 10248125 (MRDS D012095 and MAS 0350430073).
General Property in 2009/2010 was in the process of being acquired by Acclaim Exploration NL (www.acclaimexploration.com.au). Combined with other properties nearby the original Nacimiento Mine it is the Nacimiento Copper Uranium Project.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-OCT-96 BJR U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-JAN-69 Cox, Dennis P. U.S. Geological Survey MRDS W002700 = newMRDS 10069207. Merged and deleted.
Reporter 18-NOV-83 Intermountain Field Operations Center (IFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines newMRDS 10248125 = MRDS D012095 and MAS 0350430073, merged and deleted.
Editor 21-APR-10 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. Geological Survey Merged and deleted duplicate records 10248125 and 10069207.

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site