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Pinos Altos Mine, Pinos Altos Mining District, Grant County, New Mexico, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Pinos Altos Mine | Mine |
| Pinos Altos Mining District | Mining District |
| Grant County | County |
| New Mexico | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
32° 53' 8'' North , 108° 14' 18'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Kรถppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pinos Altos | 198 (2011) | 2.9km |
| Arenas Valley | 1,522 (2011) | 11.4km |
| Rosedale | 394 (2017) | 12.9km |
| Silver City | 10,004 (2017) | 13.4km |
| Santa Clara | 1,638 (2017) | 14.4km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Grant County Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. | Silver City, New Mexico | 13km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Exxon Mine; Cyprus Pinos Altos
A copper-zinc mine owned by Cyprus Minerals Co.
Alteration: Outer 10 to 20 ft Of quartz monzonite pluton is a selvage of propylitic or argillic alteration. Diorite stocks on margin of quartz monzonite pluton Are Pervasively potassic-altered. Lake Valley, Oswaldo and Syrena Limestones Metamorphosed to marble. Clastics in Syrena Fm metamorphosed To Wollastonite-Diopside-Tremolite Hornfels. Beartooth Sandstone Annealed To Quartzite.
Deposit: Deposit consists of two types of skarn occurring as 25,000 to 500,000 short ton orebodies. Early (stage 1) skarns consist of retrograde calcite-rhodonite-pyrite-sphalerite-magnetite-hematite mineralization overprinting prograde garnet skarns in Syrena Fm. limestone associated with potassic-altered diorite intrusives. Late (stage 2) skarns consist of chlorite-pyrite-quartz-chalcopyrite-sphalerite-barite retrograde mineralization overprinting prograde garnet skarns in Oswaldo and Lake Valley Fms. limestone and As veins in Beartooth Fm quartzite associated with propylitic-altered quartz monzonite intrusives. Stage 2 skarn, rich in cu, bi, and as, overprints earlier stage 1 zn skarn mineralization. Wall rock between orbodies is barren of mineralization. Early zn skarns are located at transition from garnet skarn to marble in three favorable beds in the Syrena Fm. Late cu skarn overprints on early zn skarns occur along ne-sw fracture sets. Cu skarns also occur along base of Oswaldo Fm/top of Lake Valley Fm. and along ne-sw/nw-se trending conjugate fault sets in Beartooth Fm. Beartooth quartzite ores are cu-silica flux ores.
Deposit type: Skarn Cu
Development: Hole drilled 1948 by U.S. Smelting, Refining and Mining Co. cut a zn orebody. Discovery not pursued due to high holding costs. Early 1970's property acquired by Exxon Minerals Co., rediscovered ore 1973, Exxon drilled 213 diamond drill holes totaling 331,375.5 cumulative feet drilling. Some 7 million tons ore delineated, all as high grade orebodies separated by unmineralized rock. Project shelved in 1978. In 1982 Boliden Minerals, Inc. leased property, did 7,950 ft underground development, conducted pilot mill tests on ore, and drilled 135 diamond drill holes with a cumulative footage of 77,311 feet. Reserves recalculated As about 1 million tons ore. About $25 million spent by Exxon and Boliden. In 1987 Cyprus assumed Boliden lease in a joint venture agreement with St. Cloud Mining, a subsidiary of Goldfield. Mining began October, 1987 with St. Cloud as operator. In late 1989 joint venture was terminated and Cypurs took over. In 1992 Cyprus converted from mining zn-cu ore to mining cu ores. Reserves depleted early 1995.
Rock formation(s): Pinos Altos quartz monzonite stock;
Lake Valley;Oswaldo;Syrena;Beartooth
Ore(s): Mineralization localized in favorable host rocks adjacent to intrusive rocks.
Alteration: Outer 10 to 20 ft Of quartz monzonite pluton is a selvage of propylitic or argillic alteration. Diorite stocks on margin of quartz monzonite pluton Are Pervasively potassic-altered. Lake Valley, Oswaldo and Syrena Limestones Metamorphosed to marble. Clastics in Syrena Fm metamorphosed To Wollastonite-Diopside-Tremolite Hornfels. Beartooth Sandstone Annealed To Quartzite.
Deposit: Deposit consists of two types of skarn occurring as 25,000 to 500,000 short ton orebodies. Early (stage 1) skarns consist of retrograde calcite-rhodonite-pyrite-sphalerite-magnetite-hematite mineralization overprinting prograde garnet skarns in Syrena Fm. limestone associated with potassic-altered diorite intrusives. Late (stage 2) skarns consist of chlorite-pyrite-quartz-chalcopyrite-sphalerite-barite retrograde mineralization overprinting prograde garnet skarns in Oswaldo and Lake Valley Fms. limestone and As veins in Beartooth Fm quartzite associated with propylitic-altered quartz monzonite intrusives. Stage 2 skarn, rich in cu, bi, and as, overprints earlier stage 1 zn skarn mineralization. Wall rock between orbodies is barren of mineralization. Early zn skarns are located at transition from garnet skarn to marble in three favorable beds in the Syrena Fm. Late cu skarn overprints on early zn skarns occur along ne-sw fracture sets. Cu skarns also occur along base of Oswaldo Fm/top of Lake Valley Fm. and along ne-sw/nw-se trending conjugate fault sets in Beartooth Fm. Beartooth quartzite ores are cu-silica flux ores.
Deposit type: Skarn Cu
Development: Hole drilled 1948 by U.S. Smelting, Refining and Mining Co. cut a zn orebody. Discovery not pursued due to high holding costs. Early 1970's property acquired by Exxon Minerals Co., rediscovered ore 1973, Exxon drilled 213 diamond drill holes totaling 331,375.5 cumulative feet drilling. Some 7 million tons ore delineated, all as high grade orebodies separated by unmineralized rock. Project shelved in 1978. In 1982 Boliden Minerals, Inc. leased property, did 7,950 ft underground development, conducted pilot mill tests on ore, and drilled 135 diamond drill holes with a cumulative footage of 77,311 feet. Reserves recalculated As about 1 million tons ore. About $25 million spent by Exxon and Boliden. In 1987 Cyprus assumed Boliden lease in a joint venture agreement with St. Cloud Mining, a subsidiary of Goldfield. Mining began October, 1987 with St. Cloud as operator. In late 1989 joint venture was terminated and Cypurs took over. In 1992 Cyprus converted from mining zn-cu ore to mining cu ores. Reserves depleted early 1995.
Rock formation(s): Pinos Altos quartz monzonite stock;
Lake Valley;Oswaldo;Syrena;Beartooth
Ore(s): Mineralization localized in favorable host rocks adjacent to intrusive rocks.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
24 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| โ Acanthite Formula: Ag2S |
| โ Bismuthinite Formula: Bi2S3 |
| โ Bornite Formula: Cu5FeS4 |
| โ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| โ Cannizzarite Formula: Pb48Bi56S132 |
| โ Chalcocite Formula: Cu2S |
| โ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| โ Covellite Formula: CuS |
| โ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 |
| โ Galena Formula: PbS |
| โ 'Garnet Group' Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| โ Goethite Formula: Fe3+O(OH) |
| โ Hematite Formula: Fe2O3 |
| โ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| โ 'Limonite' |
| โ Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| โ Marcasite Formula: FeS2 |
| โ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| โ Muscovite var. Sericite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| โ Native Copper Formula: Cu |
| โ Native Silver Formula: Ag |
| โ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| โ Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe1-xS |
| โ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| โ Rhodonite Formula: CaMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
| โ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS |
| โ Stromeyerite Formula: AgCuS |
| โ 'Tennantite Subgroup' Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)As4S12S |
| โ 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup' Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| โ | Native Copper | 1.AA.05 | Cu |
| โ | Native Silver | 1.AA.05 | Ag |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| โ | Chalcocite | 2.BA.05 | Cu2S |
| โ | Bornite | 2.BA.15 | Cu5FeS4 |
| โ | Acanthite | 2.BA.35 | Ag2S |
| โ | Stromeyerite | 2.BA.40 | AgCuS |
| โ | Covellite | 2.CA.05a | CuS |
| โ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| โ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| โ | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
| โ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| โ | Bismuthinite | 2.DB.05 | Bi2S3 |
| โ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| โ | Marcasite | 2.EB.10a | FeS2 |
| โ | 'Tennantite Subgroup' | 2.GB.05 | Cu6(Cu4C2+2)As4S12S |
| โ | 'Tetrahedrite Subgroup' | 2.GB.05 | Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S |
| โ | Cannizzarite | 2.JB.20 | Pb48Bi56S132 |
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
| โ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| โ | Goethite | 4.00. | Fe3+O(OH) |
| โ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| โ | Hematite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| โ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| โ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| โ | Rhodonite | 9.DK.05 | CaMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
| โ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| โ | var. Sericite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| โ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Unclassified | |||
| โ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| โ | 'Garnet Group' | - | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10013472 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
- Southern Basin and RangeWide Rift
USA
- New Mexico
- Gila National ForestNational Forest
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Pinos Altos Mine, Pinos Altos Mining District, Grant County, New Mexico, USA