Tortugas Mine

Past Producer in Dona Ana county in New Mexico, United States with commodity Fluorine-Fluorite
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. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10012973
MRDS ID D009012
Record type Site
Current site name Tortugas Mine
Alternate or previous names S.K. Stanland Mine, Tortugas Veins, Tortugas, Jones, Santiago: Incorrectly Called the S K Standard Mine On the Tortugas, Mountain Topographic Quadrangle: Claims, Tortugas Fluorspar Nos. 1 and 2, Fluorspar Nos. 1, 2, and 3
Related records 10174633

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -106.69613, 32.28902 (WGS84)
Elevation 1433
Relative position ABOUT 3.5 MILES S 80 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

Tortugas Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Las Cruces(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Las Cruces(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

El Paso-Las Cruces(hydrologic unit)

Rio Grande-Caballo(hydrologic accounting unit)

Rio Grande-Mimbres(hydrologic subregion)

Rio Grande(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NM)

Bureau of Land Management NM BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New Mexico Dona Ana

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 023S 002E 24 SW New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • ACCURATE LOCATION IS FOR THE MAIN SHAFT OF THE TORTUGAS MINE WHICH IS SHOWN ON THE TORTUGAS MOUNTAIN TOPOGRAPHIC QUADRANGLE AS THE S.K STANDARD MINE; LOCATED ON TORTUGAS MOUNTAIN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Fluorite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result JOHNSTON, 1928, P. 77, REPORTED THAT THE MILL HEAD FEED ORE CONTAINED 75.85 % CAF2, 14.85 % CACO3, 8.55 % SIO2, AND 0.75 % AL2O3 + FE2O3.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Magdalena Group
    Rock description Magdalena Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -106.69613, 32.28902

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Mcanulty (1978) Indicates That The Tortugas Mine Lies At The Western Rim Of The Resurgent Organ Mtn Caldera.
Type of structure Local
Structure description The Vein Occurs In A N 07 W Striking Fault Zone; Also Faults Trending N 30 E And N 50 W

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 07 W(TORTUGAS VEIN); N 50 W (JONES VEIN)
    Dip 70 TO 80 NE (TORTUGAS VEIN); JONES VEIN VERTICAL
    Thickness 3.96M
    Length 304.8M
    Width 152.4M
  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 07 W(TORTUGAS VEIN); N 50 W (JONES VEIN)
    Dip 70 TO 80 NE (TORTUGAS VEIN); JONES VEIN VERTICAL

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault-Fracture Structural Control.

Comments on the geologic information

  • BETWEEN 400 AND 500 FT OF MASSIVE BEDDED, GRAY TO DARK GRAY, SILICEOUS LIMESTONE AND SHALE OF THE PENNSYLVANIAN MAGDELENA GROUP MAKE UP THE TORTUGA MOUNTAIN FAULT BLOCK. THE BEDS DIP TO THE WEST AND ARE BOUNDED ON THE EAST BY A NORTH-STRIKING FAULT AND ON THE NORTHEAST BY A N 55 W STRIKING FAULT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1919
Discoverer Manasse And Hayner, Las Cruces, N.M.
Year of first production 1919
Year of last production 1943

Mining district

District name Tortugas Mountain District

Land status

Ownership category Military Reservation

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner J. K. Stanland
    First year 1940
  • Type Owner
    Owner J. K. Stanland
    First year 1943

Production statistics

  • Year 1919
    Period 1919 To
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major CaF2 Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 87wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • RUN OF MINE ORE AVERAGED 77.4% CAF2; FLUXING SPAR, OBTAINED BY HAND SORTING, AVERAGE 80.9% CAF2; CERAMIC GRADE, OBTAINED BY JIGGING, AVERAGED 93.8% CAR2...

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 207.26M
    Overall depth 162.15M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS REPORTED IN 1946 CONSISTED OF A 532 FT. SHAFT WITH WORKING LEVELS DRIVEN AT DEPTHS OF 150, 286 AND 386 FT. THE MINE WAS EXTENSIVELY STOPED ABOVE THE 386 FT. LEVEL. SURFACE PITS AND TRENCHES EXPLORE THE VEIN FOR A LENGTH OF ABOUT 1000 FT. THE JONES VEIN, 600 FT TO THE EAST, WAS PROSPECTED WITH A 40 FT ADIT.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS LEASED AND OPERATED BY CHARLES F. JOHNSON FROM 1919-1921 AND SEVERAL LESSEES UNTIL 1942 WHEN IT WAS ACQUIRED BY J.K. STANLAND.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JOHNSTON, W.D., JR., 1928 NMBMMR BULL 4, P. 75-82

  • Deposit

    DUNHAM, K.C., 1935 NMBMMR BULL 11, P. 264-265

  • Deposit

    ROTHROCK, H.E., JOHNSON, C.H., AND HAHN, A.D., 1946 NMBMMR BULL 21, P. 54-56

  • Deposit

    WILLIAMS, F.E., 1966 USBM IC-8307, P. 25-27

  • Deposit

    KOTTLOWSKI, F.E., 1960 NMBMMR GEOLOGIC MAP GM-14

  • Deposit

    MCANULTY, W.N., 1978 NMBMMR MEM 34, P. 16, P. 23

  • Deposit

    SEAGER, W.R., 1981 NMBMMR MEM 36, P. 88

  • Production

    WILLIAMS, F.E., 1966

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NO DATA IS GIVEN FOR THE SANTIAGO VEIN EXCEPT THAT IT IS LOCATED ABOUT 800 FT WEST OF THE TORTUGAS VEIN. RECORD # D009951 BY JERRY L. HAUG HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THIS RECORD. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF VEINS, VEINLETS, PODS, AND BRECCIA CEMENTED BY FLUORSPAR IN A NORTH-TRENDING FAULT ZONE. THE PRINCIPAL OREBODY WAS STOPED ALONG STRIKE FOR A LENGTH OF 600 FT. NEAR THE SURFACE AND FOR A LENGTH OF 300 FT. AT A DEPTH OF 386 FT... THE OREBODY IS UP TO 13 FT. THICK BUT AVERAGES ABOUT 4 FT. THICK.. FIVE UNPATENTED CLAIMS REPORTED IN 1928. AT THE TORTUGAS VEIN FLUORITE OCCURS AS WHITE OR PALE GREEN MEDIUM TO LARGE CUBIC CRYSTALS AS VEIN FILLING IN FISSURES. CALCITE, QUARTZ, AND LIMESTONE WALL ROCK INCLUSIONS ACCOMPANY THE FLUORITE. 600 FT NORTH OF THE SHAFT, THE TORTUGAS VEIN CROSSES A FLATTER DIPPING N 30 E TRENDING VEIN, NORTHEAST OF WHICH ONLY SPORADIC FLUORITE OCCURS. THE JONES VEIN, LOCATED 600 FT EAST OF THE TORTUGAS, TRENDS N 50 W. FLUORITE IS FOUND THERE IN A BRECCIA BODY ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF A SHAFT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-82 Menzie, David New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-DEC-82 Haug, Jerry L. (Worl, Ronald G.) New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Updater 01-FEB-90 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references