Old Priest Mine

Past Producer in San Miguel county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Mica, Beryllium, Niobium (Columbium)
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 10101911
MRDS ID D011790
Record type Site
Current site name Old Priest Mine
Alternate or previous names Mine: Old Priest Mica-Beryl Prospect, Claims: 73 Unpatented Claims
Related records 10223563

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -105.42333, 35.49478 (WGS84)
Elevation 2286
Relative position ABOUT 13.6 MILES S 61 W OF LAS VEGAS, NM.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Miguel(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Jose(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Villanueva(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Santa Fe(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pecos Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Pecos(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Pecos(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 San Miguel

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 015N 014E 26 New Mexico

Comments on the location information

  • THE LOCATION IS ACCURATE FOR THE MINE SITE SHOWN ON THE VILLANUEVA QUADRANGLE. THE CADASTRAL GRID IS PROJECTED IN THIS AREA. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mica Primary
Beryllium Critical Primary
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Beryl Ore
Columbite Ore
Mica Ore
Feldspar Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -105.42333, 35.49478

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Starvation Peak Anticline
Type of structure Local
Structure description Starvation Peak Anticline

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N 60 W
    Dip 80-85 SW
    Thickness 4.57M
    Length 121.92M
    Width 27.43M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Pegmatite Dike

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE PRECAMBRIAN IN THIS REGION IS UNAMED.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1825
Discoverer Early Spanish Settlers
Year of first production 1825
Year of last production 1960

Mining district

District name Tecolote District- Ribera Subdistrict

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Onega Corp.
    Home office Uniontown, Pa.
    First year 1961
  • Type Owner
    Owner Benny And Albert Lopez; U. Leon Guy
    Home office Las Vegas, N.M.
    First year 1961

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL TRENCHES AND OPEN CUTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ANDERSON, E.C., 1956, NMGS GUIDEBOOK, SEVENTH FIELD CONFERENCE, P. 141

  • Deposit

    REDMON, D.E., 1961, USBM IC 8013, P. 76-78

  • Deposit

    NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

  • Production

    REDMON, D.E., 1961, USBM IC 8013, P. 76

  • Reserve-Resource

    REDMON, D.E., 1961, USBM IC 8013, P. 77

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY 1800'S
Deposit THE ORE OCCURS IN A LENTICULAR-SHAPED PEGMATITE BEARING NORTHWEST AND DIPPING STEEPLY SOUTHWEST. THE PEGMATITE CONSISTS OF QUARTZ; ORTHOCLASE AND MICA WITH THE MAIN CONCENTRATION OF MICA ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PEGMATITE. NEXT TO THE MICA ZONE A SMALL BERYL-BEARING PORTION IS FOUND THAT AVERAGES 150 FEET LONG AND 40 FEET WIDE. SMALL WHITE AND GREEN BERYL CRYSTALS WERE FOUND INCLUDING ONE CRYSTAL 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND 5 INCHES LONG. THE MICA OCCURS IN SMALL BOOKS UP TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER. THE MICA IS MINERAL-STAINED AND BADLY RULED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1984 Murray, Diane 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