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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Texistepec

Producer in Mexico with commodity Sulfur
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10206437
MAS/MILS ID 2010570019
Record type Site
Current site name Texistepec

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: -94.7502, 17.934 (WGS84)
Elevation 60
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country
Mexico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Sulfur Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anhydrite Unknown
Halite Unknown
Sulfur Unknown
Anhydrite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) -94.7502, 17.934
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 50M
    Depth to top 275M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #2 OTHER
    Type of Orebody #3 OTHER
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Secondary mode of Origin OTHER
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Secondary Ore Control OTHER
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Minimum Depth to Top 60
    Date of Last Modification 910314

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Well
Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1940
Mining method Auger Mining - Frasch Process
Year of first production 1959

Mining district

District name Saline Basin

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Minerals Only

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cia Exploradora Del Istmo (Cedi)
    Interest 66
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1983
    First year 1983
    Last year 1994
  • Type Owner
    Owner Elf Aquitaine; (Texasgulf Inc.)
    Interest 44
    Home office France
    Year 1987
    First year 1987
    Last year 1994

Comments on the ownership information

  • ELF AQUITAINE; (TEXASGULF INC.).

Production statistics

  • Year 1972
    Description Elemental Sulfur Capacity; Mid-1972 30000 Mt/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Sulfur Sulfur 30000mt
  • Year 1984
    Description Elemental Sulfur Production For The Edt 600000 Mt/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Sulfur Sulfur 600000mt
  • Year 1985
    Description Elemental Sulfur Capacity 500000 Mt/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Sulfur Sulfur 500000mt

Comments on the production information

  • DATA IN "PERCENT" FIELD IS THE FILTRATION/TREAMENT PLANT RECOVERY OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR.
  • DATA IN THE "CAPACITY" FIELD IS THE DESIGN OR RATED CAPACITY OF THE FRASCH OPERATION. DATA IN THE "OUTUPT" DATA FIELD IS THE ESTIMATED CAPACIATY OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR PRODUCTION USED IN THE 1984, 85 EDT EVALUATION AND AVAILABILITY STUDY. COSTS ARE FOR THE TOTAL OPERATION; FRASCH MINING, FILTRATION/TREATMENT PLANT, AND INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS. COSTS ARE IN JAN 1982 U.S. DOLLARS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1985
    Measured 15000000mt commodity
    Demonstrated 15000000mt commodity
    Total resources 15000000mt commodity
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Sulfur S 99.4 wt-pct Sulfur Major 1985

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • PUBLISHED DATA ON RESERVE/RESOURCES FOR THIS FRASCH MINE ARE THAT THE PROVEN-MINABLE (RECOVERABLE ??) RESERVES ARE BETWEEN 10 TO 20 MILLION MT OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR. THE AVERAGE, 15 MILLION MT, WAS ENTERED INTO THE DATA BASE RESOURCE TABLE. THE GRADE WAS ESTIMATED AT 99.4% NATIVE SULFUR.
  • THERE ARE THE ESTIMATED JANUARY 1982 INSITU RESERVE/ RESOURCES AT THE DEMONSTRATED-75% LEVELS. THEY ARE BASED ON INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE CONTRACTOR. SULFUR RECOVERY USING THE FRASCH PROCESS IS CONSIDERED TO BE NO BETTER THAN 75% OF THE INSITU RESOURCE. THEIR IS NO "ORE" DILUTION, SOME OF THE ELENEMTAL SULFUR PRODUCED MAY NEED TO BE FILTERED AND TREATED WITH SULFURIC ACID TO REMOVE HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION, UP TO 0.70% FOR THE TEXISTEPEC SULFUR.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 51M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method FRASCH PROCESS 10-89
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 75
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    2nd Condition of Workings OPEN
    3rd Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 1644
    Capacity Units MT COMMOD/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 28.36
    Units of Production $/MT COMMOD
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1983

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    BRITISH SULPHUR, WORLD SURVEY OF SULPHUR RESOURCES, SECOND

  • Reserve-Resource

    EDITION, 1974 PAGE ?; AND THIRD EDITION, PAGE 45.

  • Deposit

    R & D MEXICO, APRIL 30, 1982.

  • Deposit

    ENGINERRING AND MINING JOURNAL, NOVEMBER, 1980

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS AND ROCKS, FOURTH EDITION, 1975.

  • Deposit

    SME MINING ENGINEERING HANDBOOK, VOL.2, 1973.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE AREA OF THE DEPOSIT IS AN OVAL SHAPED BASIN CALLED THE SALINE BASIN, COVERING ABOUT 6300 SQKM IN SOUTHEAST MEXICO, THE STATE OF VERA CRUZ, WITHIN THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANATEPEC. EVAPORATION DURING THE JURASSIC LED TO THE DEPOSITION OF THE EVAPORITE LAYERS OF SALT (HALITE), GYPSUM, ANHYDRITE AND DOLOMITE. SALT (HALITE) UPWELLING BEGAN IN THE CRETACEOUS. THE SULFUR DEOPSITS WERE FROMED IN THE MIOCENE FROM THE DECOMPOSITION OF ANHYDRITE BY SULFATE -REDUCING ANAEROBIC BACTERIA. THE ORE ZONE OF THE TEXISTEPEC MINE COVERS 365 HECTARES, IS OVAL IN SHAPE, WITH DEPTHS TO ORE RANGING FROM 60 TO 600 METERS, MORE COMMONLY 250 TO 300 METERS. THE ORE ZONE RANGES IN THICKNESS FROM ABOUT 20 TO A MAXIUM OF 80 M.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 23-SEP-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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