Summary ofminingandmineralprocessing in NewMexico operations Other industrialrock and mineralcommoditiesproducedin New Mexicoinclude clay,gypsum,sandand gravel,limestone, mica, salt, stone, sulfur, calcite, and silica.A more detailedsummaryof New Mexico's industrial rock and mineral inNM dustry Socorro, Industrial Geologist, NewMexico ofMines andMineral Resources, Siemers, Minerals Bureau byWm.Terry appearsin the 1979Annual Report of the New Mexico Bureauof Mines and operaHumate Mining and mineral-processing Mineral Resources. tions in New Mexicocomprisea vital part Lithologically,humateis a brown carof the state's economic strength and bonaceousmudstone.Crushedhumateis Metals stability. Before 1960, economic geol- marketedas a soil conditioner,although Of the 1l metal-producingoperations ogistsfocusedtheir attentionprimarily on the effectsof its use have not beencom- currentlyactivein the state,five are near fuels and metallic minerals. while the pletelydocumentedor determined.Some Silver City, in Grant County. Two of geologyand use of industrial rocks and of the claimed potential benefits of these,the Chino mine (KennecottCopper mineralswasgenerallyoverlooked.In the humate application to soils include: in- Corporation) and the Tyrone mine 1960's,increasedawareness of the signif- creasedretentionof waterand solublefer- (Phelps Dodge Corporation) produce icanceof suchmineralsand their process- tilizer additives,and increasedacidity. morethan 300,000tons of ore, Ieach,and ing wasreflectedby increasedproduction Productionof humatein the statefluc- waste material daily. Three companies, figuresin the state.New Mexico's entire tuates widely, reflecting an irregular Kennecott Copper Corporation, Phelps mineral wealth is reflectedin the 1977 marketfor the product.Of the four active DodgeCorporation,and U V Industries, preliminarygrossproductionvalueof in- humateminesin New Mexico (all located also operate metal-processing plants in dustrialrocksand minerals,metallicores, in SandovalCounty), the largest is the the Silver City area. Important products and mineral fuels, which total more than Alpha mine operated by Alpha NOH of the districtincludecopper,gold, silver, $2.8billion. Company,with a daily capacityof about lead,zinc,molybdenum,and iron. Currently, active mining operationsin 200tons. The 1978StateMine Inspector's The third-largestmetal producerin the New Mexico include 8 coal mines, 4 report indicatesthat the Tenorio Plant in state is Molybdenum Corporation of humate mines, 59 industrial rock and southernSandovalCounty, operatedby America, which operatesa molybdenum mineral operations,ll metal mines, and Humus OrganicProducts,is the only ac- mine and plant near Questa, in Taos 37 uraniummines.Sandand gravelindus- tive humate-processing operationin New County, with a daily capacityof about tries are not included in these figures Mexico. 65,000tons. C.A.C. Mining ComPanY becauseof the intermittent, short-term producescopper-gold-silver ore from the natureof many suchenterprises. The l19 Industrial rocks and minerals SanHummingbirdmine in southwestern mining operationsprovide the raw matetona 50 and also operates includes Fe County ta minerals Industrial rocks and rials for 41 processingplants,including I any rocks,mineral,or other naturallyoc- per-dayprocessing plant in Albuquerque. humate plan|, 22 industrial rock and curring mineral substanceof economic Alpha Minerals ProcessingCorporation mineral plants, 13 metal plants, and 5 value, exclusiveof metallicores, mineral producesand processes severalmetalores uraniumplants. County; H. N. in Lincoln whose gemstones. industry near Carrizozo Any fuels,and operationsconsistof extractionand pro- Larne & Sonsoperatesa 350ton-per-day Coal cessing(but not manufacturing)belongs iron mine near Capitan, in Lincoln About 12 percentof New Mexico'ssur- to the industrial mineralsfield. As with County. Total value of metalsproduced produc- in New Mexicoin 1978amountedto more face area is underlainby coal. A sudden any other product, the successful resurgence of interestin coal beganin the tion of industrial rocks and minerals than$192.0million. 1960'swith the openingof two largestrip dependson the law of supply and deUranium minesin the San Juan Basin.Today, the mand.Pricesmay be temporarilyelevated Thirty-two of New Mexico's 37 urastate'scoal-miningindustry is comprised or depressed,but if a commodity is in prices will nium mines are in McKinley County; mines in Colfax, McKinley, and San scarcesupply or in demand, of six Juan Counties with a combined capacity rise; if a commodity is abundant or of six activeoperationsare in Valencia,Sanof approximately15.5 million tons per limited use, prices will fall. Availability doval, and San Juan Counties. United year.The largestof theseoperationsis the and quality of material, production and Nuclear and Kerr-McGeeNuclear CorUtah International, Inc. Navajo strip transportationcosts,and market sizeand porations operate uranium-processing mine in SanJuan County, with an annual location are important factors in New plants in McKinley County; the Anacapacityof approximately7 million tons. Mexico's mining and mineral-processingconda Company, SOHIO Petroleum Company, and United Nuclear-HomeThe Carbon Coal Company strip mine operations. (Mentmore mine) under developmentin The 59 industrial rock and mineral stake Partners have active uraniumplantsin ValenciaCounty.The westernMcKinley County will have an operationsin the stateare mainly in the processing estimatedcapacityof about 1.2 million southwest,north-central, and Carlsbad latestNew MexicoStateMine Inspector's tons per year. KaiserSteelCorporationis areas.Industrial rocks and mineralspro- Report showsthat in 1978the stateproalso developingthe York Canyon Pros- ducedin New Mexicoin 1978werevalued duced 16 million pounds of uranium pect near VermejoPark in northern Col- in excessof $227.1 million. The state valuedat about$278.4million. The data submitted here appears in fax County. Other coal producersin the ranksfirst in the nation in the production state include Amcoal, Incorporatedand of perlite(548,000tons) and potash(2.14 Resource Map 9, published bY Pittsburg and Midway Coal Companyin million tons), and continues to rank NMBM&MR in 1979, a more detailed McKinley County; and Western Coal among the leadingproducersof pumice publication consistingof two maps and n eightdirectories. (475,000tons). Companyin SanJuanCounty. November 1979 New Mexico Geology