Little Florida Mountains Mining District, Little Florida Mountains, Luna County, New Mexico, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Little Florida Mountains Mining District | Mining District |
| Little Florida Mountains | Mountain Range |
| Luna County | Shaft (Reclaimed) |
| New Mexico | State |
| USA | Country |
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Type:
A Mn-F(fluorspar)-Ba(baryte) mining area located S of Interstate highway 10, E of Deming.
General: The Little Florida mining district consists of manganese and fluor-spar deposits located on the east slopes of the Little Florida Mountains, an isolated hill group lying immediately north of the main Florida Mountains. Access is gained into the district by a gravel road leading south from U. S. Highway 70-80 approximately 9 miles East of Deming.
History: The first manganese ore was shipped from the district in 1918, and by 1939 over 16,000 tons of 45-percent manganese ore had been produced, mostly from the Manganese Valley mine. A few small shipments were made during World War II, but it was not until 1952 that the district was reactivated under the stimulus of the U.S. Government manganese buying program. The district produced manganese at a substantial rate from 1952 until the mines were forced to close by the termination of the Government's buying program in September 1959.
Manganese Deposits: Lasky (1940) has described the manganese mines as they were developed in 1939, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines is reported to have re-examined the mines within the last few years. Therefore, only a brief description will be necessary here.
The deposits consist of north-striking veins, controlled by pre-ore faults, in the Tertiary agglomerate. Lasky (1940, p. 61-63) describes the veins as follows:
"Typically, each vein has an almost perfect footwall, slickensided and grooved and composed of silicified fault breccia (jasperoid) presumably formed by the first opening of the vein fissures. Where the vein is composed of several members or strands, each may have a similar footwall At many places the jasperoid forms a low cropping, 2 feet or less high, so that it is possible to trace veins that on the whole have inconspicuous outcrops. Where this kind of cropping is absent or where the fanglomerate [agglomerate] is as resistant to weathering as the jasperoid, the veins are best traceable by means of a low jasperoid scarp, locally manganese-stained or slickensided; elsewhere it is locally possible to trace them by means of meager float or by low inconspicuous hollows.
The ore consists of manganite, psilomelane, pyrolusite, and wad that (1) fill cracks in a shattered hanging wall, (2) replace an abundant post-jasperoid but pre-mineral gouge and breccia, and (3) replace the finer-grained part of the fanglomerate wallrock, as well as some of the coarse fragments. The cracks in the shattered hanging wall are commonly filled with crystalline manganite, which in the aggregate, may constitute as much as a third of the ore minerals. Much of the ore for which the term "pudding ore" is used consists of fragments of rock, each commonly with a crust of hard psilomelane and each partly replaced by manganese oxide, in a matrix of soft clayey material composed largely of wad and pyrolusite."
Fluorspar Deposits: At the northeast end of the district, several veins carry substantial amounts of fluorspar and barite in addition to manganese. The most promising veins of this group occur on six patented mining claims, known as the Spar group (M. S. 1930), which lie along the section line between secs. 7 and 8, T. 27 S., R. 8 W., about three-quarters of a mile south of U. S. Highway 70-80.
The Spar group of claims were patented in 1925 by J. T. Duryea, and four or five carloads of metallurgical-grade fluorspar was reported to have been shipped prior to 1937 (Talmage and Wootton, 1937, p. 77). The claims then were purchased by the General Chemical Co., the present owner. This company operated the property intermittently until 1951, but the tonnage produced during that period is not known.
The deposit consists of several veins, three of which have been prospected thoroughly. The veins occur in what the writer believes to be Gila(?) conglomerate, but Tertiary agglomerate is probably present at a shallow depth. The veins have been developed by one vertical shaft, two inclined shafts along the veins, and numerous trenches and pits.
The underground workings, however, could not be examined, because of the absence of ladders in the vertical shaft and poor timbers in the inclines. According to Cooper Shapely (personal communication), the vertical shaft is 150 feet deep, and the inclines are approximately 100 feet deep (vertical distance).
The two inclined shafts were sunk approximately 100 feet apart on a vein that strikes due north and dips 75° E. This vein has been stoped thoroughly to the surface near the inclines. The vertical shaft was sunk about 150 feet east of the northernmost incline. Another north-striking vein, but dipping only 50° E., has been mined midway between, and north of, the two shafts. The third vein strikes N. 40°-50° W. and dips steeply to the northeast. It lies 100 feet northeast of the vertical shaft but is terminated against the vein that dips 50° E.
The mineralogy of the veins is identical; fluorite is the 'ore mineral, accompanied by manganese oxides, barite, calcite, and quartz. An examination of ore specimens on the dumps revealed that the probable paragenesis of the ore was an initial stage of fluorspar, barite, calcite, and quartz, followed by recurrent movement along the veins, and then deposition of the manganese oxides in a final stage.
The veins range from the vanishing point to as much as 6 feet thick; the average was estimated to be 2 feet. The CaF2 content of the ore was estimated visually to range from 20 to 60 percent.
Mines: The principal mines and their locations are: Manganese Valley, SE¼ sec. 19, T. 24 S., R. 7 W. Killion, NW¼ sec. 19, T. 24 S., R. 7 W. Luna, SE¼ sec. 18, T. 24 S., R. 7 W.
History: The first manganese ore was shipped from the district in 1918, and by 1939 over 16,000 tons of 45-percent manganese ore had been produced, mostly from the Manganese Valley mine. A few small shipments were made during World War II, but it was not until 1952 that the district was reactivated under the stimulus of the U.S. Government manganese buying program. The district produced manganese at a substantial rate from 1952 until the mines were forced to close by the termination of the Government's buying program in September 1959.
Manganese Deposits: Lasky (1940) has described the manganese mines as they were developed in 1939, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines is reported to have re-examined the mines within the last few years. Therefore, only a brief description will be necessary here.
The deposits consist of north-striking veins, controlled by pre-ore faults, in the Tertiary agglomerate. Lasky (1940, p. 61-63) describes the veins as follows:
"Typically, each vein has an almost perfect footwall, slickensided and grooved and composed of silicified fault breccia (jasperoid) presumably formed by the first opening of the vein fissures. Where the vein is composed of several members or strands, each may have a similar footwall At many places the jasperoid forms a low cropping, 2 feet or less high, so that it is possible to trace veins that on the whole have inconspicuous outcrops. Where this kind of cropping is absent or where the fanglomerate [agglomerate] is as resistant to weathering as the jasperoid, the veins are best traceable by means of a low jasperoid scarp, locally manganese-stained or slickensided; elsewhere it is locally possible to trace them by means of meager float or by low inconspicuous hollows.
The ore consists of manganite, psilomelane, pyrolusite, and wad that (1) fill cracks in a shattered hanging wall, (2) replace an abundant post-jasperoid but pre-mineral gouge and breccia, and (3) replace the finer-grained part of the fanglomerate wallrock, as well as some of the coarse fragments. The cracks in the shattered hanging wall are commonly filled with crystalline manganite, which in the aggregate, may constitute as much as a third of the ore minerals. Much of the ore for which the term "pudding ore" is used consists of fragments of rock, each commonly with a crust of hard psilomelane and each partly replaced by manganese oxide, in a matrix of soft clayey material composed largely of wad and pyrolusite."
Fluorspar Deposits: At the northeast end of the district, several veins carry substantial amounts of fluorspar and barite in addition to manganese. The most promising veins of this group occur on six patented mining claims, known as the Spar group (M. S. 1930), which lie along the section line between secs. 7 and 8, T. 27 S., R. 8 W., about three-quarters of a mile south of U. S. Highway 70-80.
The Spar group of claims were patented in 1925 by J. T. Duryea, and four or five carloads of metallurgical-grade fluorspar was reported to have been shipped prior to 1937 (Talmage and Wootton, 1937, p. 77). The claims then were purchased by the General Chemical Co., the present owner. This company operated the property intermittently until 1951, but the tonnage produced during that period is not known.
The deposit consists of several veins, three of which have been prospected thoroughly. The veins occur in what the writer believes to be Gila(?) conglomerate, but Tertiary agglomerate is probably present at a shallow depth. The veins have been developed by one vertical shaft, two inclined shafts along the veins, and numerous trenches and pits.
The underground workings, however, could not be examined, because of the absence of ladders in the vertical shaft and poor timbers in the inclines. According to Cooper Shapely (personal communication), the vertical shaft is 150 feet deep, and the inclines are approximately 100 feet deep (vertical distance).
The two inclined shafts were sunk approximately 100 feet apart on a vein that strikes due north and dips 75° E. This vein has been stoped thoroughly to the surface near the inclines. The vertical shaft was sunk about 150 feet east of the northernmost incline. Another north-striking vein, but dipping only 50° E., has been mined midway between, and north of, the two shafts. The third vein strikes N. 40°-50° W. and dips steeply to the northeast. It lies 100 feet northeast of the vertical shaft but is terminated against the vein that dips 50° E.
The mineralogy of the veins is identical; fluorite is the 'ore mineral, accompanied by manganese oxides, barite, calcite, and quartz. An examination of ore specimens on the dumps revealed that the probable paragenesis of the ore was an initial stage of fluorspar, barite, calcite, and quartz, followed by recurrent movement along the veins, and then deposition of the manganese oxides in a final stage.
The veins range from the vanishing point to as much as 6 feet thick; the average was estimated to be 2 feet. The CaF2 content of the ore was estimated visually to range from 20 to 60 percent.
Mines: The principal mines and their locations are: Manganese Valley, SE¼ sec. 19, T. 24 S., R. 7 W. Killion, NW¼ sec. 19, T. 24 S., R. 7 W. Luna, SE¼ sec. 18, T. 24 S., R. 7 W.
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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities16 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ | Hematite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Agate | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
| ⓘ | var. Smoky Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Brecciated Agate | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | Pyrolusite | 4.DB.05 | Mn4+O2 |
| ⓘ | Stibiconite | 4.DH.20 | Sb3+Sb5+2O6(OH) |
| ⓘ | Cryptomelane | 4.DK.05a | K(Mn4+7Mn3+)O16 |
| ⓘ | Hollandite | 4.DK.05a | Ba(Mn4+6Mn3+2)O16 |
| ⓘ | Manganite | 4.FD.15 | Mn3+O(OH) |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Forsterite | 9.AC.05 | Mg2(SiO4) |
| ⓘ | Zircon | 9.AD.30 | Zr(SiO4) |
| ⓘ | Orthoclase | 9.FA.30 | K(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ | Thomsonite-Ca | 9.GA.10 | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Psilomelane' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Wad' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Plagioclase' | - | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| ⓘ | 'Thunder Egg' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Manganite | Mn3+O(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Stibiconite | Sb3+Sb25+O6(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Cryptomelane | K(Mn74+Mn3+)O16 |
| O | ⓘ Forsterite | Mg2(SiO4) |
| O | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| O | ⓘ Hollandite | Ba(Mn64+Mn23+)O16 |
| O | ⓘ Manganite | Mn3+O(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Orthoclase | K(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Stibiconite | Sb3+Sb25+O6(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| O | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Brecciated Agate | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Plagioclase | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Plagioclase | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Forsterite | Mg2(SiO4) |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Orthoclase | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Plagioclase | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Forsterite | Mg2(SiO4) |
| Si | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Orthoclase | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| Si | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Brecciated Agate | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Plagioclase | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Cryptomelane | K(Mn74+Mn3+)O16 |
| K | ⓘ Orthoclase | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca | NaCa2[Al5Si5O20] · 6H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Plagioclase | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Mn | Manganese | |
| Mn | ⓘ Cryptomelane | K(Mn74+Mn3+)O16 |
| Mn | ⓘ Hollandite | Ba(Mn64+Mn23+)O16 |
| Mn | ⓘ Manganite | Mn3+O(OH) |
| Mn | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| Zr | Zirconium | |
| Zr | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| Sb | Antimony | |
| Sb | ⓘ Stibiconite | Sb3+Sb25+O6(OH) |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| Ba | ⓘ Hollandite | Ba(Mn64+Mn23+)O16 |
Fossils
This region is too big or complex to display the fossil list, try looking at smaller subregions.Localities in this Region
- New Mexico
- Luna County
- Little Florida Mountains
- Little Florida Mountains Mining District
- Agate Point prospect
- American No. 11 claim
- American No. 15 claim
- American No. 29 claim
- Apache Prospect
- Barite prospect
- Bobcat prospect
- Duryea claim
- Estella prospect
- Fierro Nos. 1 and 2 prospects
- Florida Fluorspar Mine
- Florida Mine (Florida Fluorspar Mine; Duryea claims; Spar group; Spar claim; Spar Nos. 1 To 5 claims)
- Little Florida Mountains Mining District
- Little Florida Mountains
- Luna County
- New Mexico
- Luna County
- Little Florida Mountains
- Little Florida Mountains Mining District
- Little Florida Mountains
- Luna County
Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
- Sierra Madre OrientalWide Rift
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References
Rockhound State Park, Little Florida Mountains Mining District, Little Florida Mountains, Luna County, New Mexico, USA