Rickardite Mine

Past Producer in Dona Ana county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Lead, Zinc, Silver, Copper, Tellurium
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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10009936
MRDS ID D003230
Record type Site
Current site name Rickardite Mine
Alternate or previous names Rickardite Claim, Jim Fisk Claim, Jim Fisk Mine
Related records 10125786

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.56529, 32.45624 (WGS84)
Elevation 1798
Relative position ABOUT 16 MILES N 54 E OF LAS CRUCES.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Dona Ana(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Organ(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Las Cruces(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Las Cruces(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Tularosa Valley(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande Closed Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande Closed Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New Mexico Dona Ana

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 021S 004E 29,30 NW (29); NE (30) New Mexico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Rickardite Ore
Smithsonite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Sugarloaf Peak Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
    Rock description Sugarloaf Peak Quartz Monzonite Porphyry
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Fusselman Dolomite;Percha Shale
    Rock description Fusselman Dolomite;Percha Shale

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.56529, 32.45624

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Axes Of Minor Folds Plunge Northwest And Dip About 30 Degrees.

Ore body information

  • General form PODS AND SHOOTS
    Plunge 25 TO 35
    Plunge direction NORTHWEST

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Mineralization Localized In The Crests Of Minor Anticlinal Folds Beneath An Impervious Layer Of Shale.

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSIT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUGARLOAF PEAK QUARTZ MONZONITE PORPHYRY WHICH IS THE MOST VOLATILE-RICH AND ONE OF THE LATEST PHASES OF THE ORGAN BATHOLITH.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Year of first production 1950
Year of last production 1945

Mining district

District name Organ District: San Augustin Mountains

Land status

Ownership category Military Reservation

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Cooperative Mines, Inc.
    Home office La Madera, N.M.
    First year 1940
  • Type Owner
    Owner White Sands Missile Range

Comments on the production information

  • DUNHAM, P. 238, REPORTED ABOUT 2000 DOLLARS WORTH OF OXIDIZED ZINC ORE WAS PRODUCED IN 1915.

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS REPORTED IN 1935 CONSISTED OF AN INCLINED TUNNEL ABOUT 200 FT. LONG, A VERTICAL SHAFT, MANY SHALLOW PITS AND SEVERAL OPEN STOPES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LINDGREN, W., GRATON, L.C., AND GORDON, C.H., 1910 USGS PP 68, P. 205-213

  • Deposit

    DUNHAM, K.C., 1935 NMBMMR BULL 11, P 238

  • Deposit

    ALBRITTON, C.C., JR., AND NELSON, V.E., 1943 USGS OFR-43, 39 PAGES

  • Deposit

    SEAGER, W.R., 1981 NMBMMR MEM 36, P. 83-90

  • Deposit

    NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ONE CLAIM.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1890'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-78 Hasler, J. William New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-MAY-82 Menzie, David 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