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International Minerals & Chemicals

Producer in Eddy county in New Mexico, United States with commodities Potassium, Salt
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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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  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 10295862
MRDS ID TC36238
MAS/MILS ID 0350150006
Record type Site
Current site name International Minerals & Chemicals
Alternate or previous names International Minerals and Chemic, Al Deposit., Al Deposit
Related records 10107100

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -103.93719, 32.41264 (WGS84)
Elevation 978
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eddy(county)

New Mexico(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Tower Hill South(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Jal(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hobbs(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Pecos-Black(hydrologic unit)

Upper Pecos(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Pecos(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 Eddy

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
New Mexico 022 S 029 E 12 NWNWNE New Mexico

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Potassium Primary
Salt Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Carnallite Unknown
Halite Unknown
Kainite Unknown
Langbeinite Unknown
Polyhalite Unknown
Sylvite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) Rustler Formation
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N00S
    Dip 01E
    Thickness 6.4M
    Length 19308M
    Width 16090M
    Depth to top 259M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin EVAPORATION
    Secondary mode of Origin RESIDUAL CONCENT
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Secondary Ore Control FOLDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Strike And Dip N00S:01E
    Minimum Depth to Top 213
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 3.7
    Date of Last Modification 820308
  • Area 612HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 612
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1925
Mining method Open Stope - Room and Pillar
Year of first production 1940
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Permian Basin

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Federal Lease
Type of mineral rights State Lease
Type of mineral rights Fee Ownership

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner International Minerals And Chemicals
    ID 2900169
    Interest 100
    Home office New Mexico
    Year 1981

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE MINING OPERATION IS 100% OWNED BY IMC, BUT THE PROPERTY IS OWNED BY VARIOUS INTERESTS. IN 1976, ACCORDING TO THE NEW NEXICO BUREAU OF MINES, 68% OF THE PROPERTY WAS FEDERAL LAND, 17% STATE, AND 15% PRIVATE. COMPANY ALSO GOES BY, "IMC": OTHER PROPERTY NAME, "AL DEP". THE COMPLETE COMPANY NAME IS INTERNATIONAL MINERALS AND CHEMICALS CORPORATION.

Production statistics

  • Year 1976
    Description Year Ended June 30, Started July 31 1975 3662370 Mt Per Year Of Ore Mined
  • Year 1977
    Description Year Ended June 30, Started July 31 1976 4124130 Mt Per Year Of Ore Mined
  • Year 1978
    Description Year Ended June 30, Started July 31 1977 4435300 Mt Per Year Of Ore Mined
  • Year 1979
    Description Year Ended June 30, Started July 31 1978 4536000 Mt Per Year Of Ore Mined
  • Year 1980
    Description Year Ended June 30, Started July 31 1979 4858960 Mt Per Year Of Ore Mined
  • Year 1981
    Description Mt Ore, Year Ended On June 30 5044000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1982
    Description Mt Ore, Year Ended On June 30 4622000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1983
    Description Mt Ore, Year Ended On June 30 4676000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1984
    Description Mt Ore, Year Ended On June 30 4917000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1985
    Description Mt Ore, Year Ended On June 30 4915000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1986
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 11.8% 4375000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major K2O Potassium Potassium 4375000mt 12wt-pct
  • Year 1987
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 12.4% 4331000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Potassium Potassium 4331000mt 12wt-pct
  • Year 1988
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 13.7% 4594000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Potassium Potassium 4594000mt 14wt-pct
  • Year 1989
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 14.2% 4714000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Potassium Potassium 4714000mt 14wt-pct
  • Year 1990
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 14.1% 4902000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major K2O Ore Potassium Potassium 4902000mt 14wt-pct
  • Year 1991
    Description Year Ending 30 June; K2o Grade = 13.5% 5303000 Mt Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major K2O Potassium Potassium 5303000mt 14wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • THERE ARE THREE MAJOR PRODUCTS BEING PRODUCED AT IMC: MURIATE, SUL-PO-MAG, AND SULPHATE OF POTASH; THESE ARE PRODUCTS A,B, AND C RESPECTIVELY. FROM THESE THREE PRODUCTS, EIGHT FINAL PRODUCTS EACH OF A DIFFERENT PARTICLE SIZE ARE MADE. THERE ARE TWO MURIATE PRODUCTS: GRANULAR AND STANDARD; THREE SUL-PO-MAGS: STANDARD, SPECIAL STANDARD, AND GRANULAR; AND THREE SULPHATES OF POTASH: STANDARD, SPECIAL STANDARD, AND GRANULAR. FOR THIS EVALUATION ONLY THE THREE MAJOR PRODUCTS ARE BEING CONSIDERED. THE INVESTMENT AND UNIT COST SHOWN IN ALL THREE PRODUCT DATA SETS ARE TOTAL COSTS FOR THE ENTIRE PROCESSING OPERATION.
  • MURIATE (PRODUCT A) IS KCL, SUL-PO-MAG(PRODUCT B) IS K2SO4MGSO4, AND SULFATE OF POTASH(PRODUCT C) IS K2SO4. THE GRADES OF ALL THREE PRODUCTS ARE GIVEN AS K2O EQUIVALENT. THE RECOVERY PERCENTS OF ALL THREE PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN ROUNDED. ACTUAL MILL RECOVERIES ARE 23.2% FOR MURIATE, 21.75 % FOR SUL-PO-MAG, AND 14.14% FOR THE SULFATE. THE RECOVERIES WERE CALCULATED USING U.S. BUREAU OF MINES 1980 INFORMATION.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Indicated 160000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 160000000mt ore
    Total resources 160000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Potassium K2o 12 wt-pct Potassium Major 1994
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Measured 102200000mt ore
    Demonstrated 102200000mt ore
    Total resources 102200000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Potassium K2o 9 wt-pct Potassium Major 1976
    Potassium K2o 8 wt-pct Potassium Major 1976

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE QUANTITY INTEGERS WERE DERIVED FROM RESERVE DATA CONTAINED IN THE JUNE 30, 1980 10K REPORT. USING 1980 PRODUCTION DATA, THE RESERVE FIGURE WAS UPDATED TO JAN 1981. THE ORE GRADE REPRESENTS AVERAGE COMBINED K20 CONTENT OF BOTH THE MIXED ORE AND THE LANGBEINITE ORE. THE ACTUAL AVERAGE GRADE FOR THE RESERVE IS UNKNOWN. THE 1980 AVERAGE PRODUCTION GRADE HAS BEEN ASSUMED TO BE APPROXIMATELY REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE REMAINING RESERVE. THE 1980 GRADE IS SLIGHTLY BELOW THE AVERAGE GRADE FOR 1976-1980. PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THE IMC STAFF INDICATED A POTENTIAL DECREASE IN FUTURE CRUDE ORE GRADE. THE GRADE SHOWN WAS TAKEN FROM BUREAU OF MINES 1980 PRODUCTION DATA.
  • TONNANGE RESERVES GIVEN IN IMC FERTILIZER GROUP, INC 1993 ANNUAL REPORT. P. 12. GRADES ESTIMATED BY TAKING COMBINED CONTAINED RESERVES IN PRODUCT OF SYLVINITE AND LANGBEINITE AND AN AVERAGE RECOVERY OF 69%.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 281M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Swell Factor .6
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 90
    Hardness of Rock SOFT SEMIPLASTIC WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING MAY BACK SLAB
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 4
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    2nd Condition of Workings PART ACCESSIBLE
    Capacity 12700
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 5.64
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1981

Comments on the workings information

  • THE 612 HECTARES ESTIMATED DISTURBED INCLUDES ONLY THOSE AREAS DISTURBED FOR SURFACE FACILITIES SUCH AS PLANT BUILDINGS, PARKING LOTS TAILINGS BASINS ETC. THE TOTAL 15621 HECTARES LEASED THAT CONTAIN RESERVES WERE NOT INCLUD- ED. HOWEVER, THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR DISTURBANCE OF SOME THESE AREAS FROM SUBSIDENCE.

Comments on other economic factors

  • THREE MAJOR PRODUCTS ARE PRODUCED AT THE MILL: MURIATE ABOUT 60.6% K2O; SUL-PO-MAG, ABOUT 22.2% K2O AS LANGBEINITE; AND SULFATE OF POTASH, ABOUT 51.3% K2O AS LANGBEINITE. THE PROCESSING OPERATION CONSISTS OF A REFINERY CONTAINING LEACH, HEAVY MEDIA, AND FLOTATION CIRCUITS, AS WELL AS, A CHEMICAL PLANT UTILIZING A BASE EXCHANGE REACTION TO PRODUCE THE SULFATE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    U.S. DEPT. OF INTERIOR, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS RECORD, POTASH LEASING IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO, OCT. 1975, PP. 317-324.

  • Deposit

    GOLDSMITH, L.H. SOME FUNDAMENTALS OF POTASH GEOLOGY AS A GUIDE TO EXPLORATION, 1966, PP. 1-15.

  • Deposit

    ADAMS, S.S. GEOLOGY IN POTASH MINING AND EXPLORATION, PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF A.I.M.E. DENVER, COLORADO FEB. 19, 1970. PP. 1-18.

  • Production

    AUSTIN G. S. NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES POTASH OCCURRENCES IN NEW MEXICO, NOV. 8, 1976. BACKUP INFORMATION PROVIDED WITH REPORT.

  • Geology

    CHEESEMAN, R.J., U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, GEOLOGY AND OIL/POTASH RESOURCES OF DELAWARE BASIN, EDDY AND LEA COUNTIES, NEW MEXICO. NEW MEXICO BUREAU MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES CIRCULAR 159, 1978, PP. 7-11.

  • Geology

    ROSWELL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, IMC POTASH MINE FIELD TRIP CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO, 1965-66 ONE DAY FIELD TRIP SERIES. PP. 1-8.

  • Production

    DOLZANI, R. FIELD VISIT TO IMC OPERATION SEPT. 25, 1981.

  • Production

    INTERNATIONAL MINERALS AND CHEMICALS, INTRODUCTION TO IMC-CARLSBAD, 1980, PP. 1-21.

  • Reserve-Resource

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES 10K REPORT, DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION BY INTERNATIONAL MINERALS AND CHEMICAL CORP., JUNE 30, 1980. PP. 12-14.

  • Reserve-Resource

    INTERNATIONAL MINERALS & CHEMICAL CORP., FORM 10-K, P. 9-10. YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1985. NO GRADE GIVEN FOR ORE BUT AMOUNT AND GRADE FOR PRODUCT OUTPUT WAS GIVEN.

  • Reserve-Resource

    IMC FERTILIZER GROUP INC.1992 ANN.REP.(30 JUNE FIS. YR.); PG.18

  • Reserve-Resource

    -CONV.TO METRIC; NO GRADE GIVEN; FIG. UNCHANGED FROM 1991 10-K

  • Workings

    U.S. DEPT. OF INTERIOR, BUREAU OF MINES, VALUATION OF POTASH OCCURRENCES WITHIN THE WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT SITE IN SOUTEASTERN NEW MEXICO, NOV. 1977, PP. 118-120

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS PROPERTY REVIEWED 4-87. AT THIS TIME, THE MINE IS OPERATING AT REDUCED CAPACITY. A NEW SHAFT WAS COMPLETED IN 1984 (THE #5 SHAFT). IN 1985, THE 2-STAGE IMPACTOR WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW 1-STAGE IMPACTOR IN THE MILL. IMC SOLD A FEW SECTIONS TO DOI IN CONNECTION WITH THE WIPP PROJECT. THE AVERAGE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF MINERALIZATION ARE MEASUREMENTS OF THE MAXIMUM LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE LEASED AREA. THE AVERAGE THICKNESS OF MINERALIZATION IS THE SUM OF THE AVERAGE THICKNESSES OF THE THREE BEDS BEING MINED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-OCT-96 Dolzani, Roger L. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 01/02/1980
MSHA mine ID2900169
Mine name (MSHA)Imc Mine
Current operatorInternational Minerals & Chemical Corp
Current controller (parent)IMC Global Inc
Mine typeUnderground (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

External references

Maps centered on this site