Alhambra Mine, Twin Peaks, Black Hawk Mining District, Big Burro Mountains, Grant County, New Mexico, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Alhambra Mine | Mine |
| Twin Peaks | Mining District |
| Black Hawk Mining District | Mining District |
| Big Burro Mountains | Mountain Range |
| Grant County | County |
| New Mexico | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
32° 43' 17'' North , 108° 30' 33'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrone | 637 (2011) | 19.4km |
| Silver City | 10,004 (2017) | 22.1km |
| White Signal | 181 (2011) | 22.8km |
| Rosedale | 394 (2017) | 25.5km |
| Gila | 314 (2011) | 27.9km |
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 | 22km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Blue Bell Mine
A former Ag mine.
A young master guitar maker lived & worked a short distance from the Alhambra mine, across the canyon from the Black Hawk in the Black Hawk District. During the 1980s and early '90s (before the major reclamation project) he mined the dumps of the Alhambra for a number of years, collected enough silver to melt, draw into wire and use as inlays on the body & fretboard of his guitars. After the reclamation, I heard it said that he moved his entire operation to Canada to be closer to a source of his preferred wood. The guitars were certainly works of art both visually and tonally AND they were COMPLETELY hand-made…including the silver inlay!
Structure: Deposits occur along a northeast trending fracture zone.
Deposit: Deposits occur as high-grade pods, streaks, veinlets and disseminations in the carbonate gangue. Ore shoots extending 50 ft (ca. 15 m) vertically, 30 ft (ca. 9 m) horizontally and 3 ft (ca. 91 cm) in width have been mined. Five patented claims mineral survey numbers 480, 546, 547, 548 and 869 covering 85.53 acres. Major mine (the Dark Horse) had replacement lenses in limestone, also fissure veins.
Development: First placer was located in 1895, no further activity until 1901. By the end of 1905 a total of 89 lodes and 40 placer claims had been located. Major mines: Dark Horse, Amazon, Racetrack Placer.
Geology: The Madison group, Red Lion formation, Silver Hill formation and Flat Head formation are also found in the Racetrack district. Very little placer production was done.
Rock formation(s): Twin Peaks Monzonite
Ore(s): Fault-Fracture Structural Control.
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
19 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Acanthite Formula: Ag2S |
| ⓘ Ankerite Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ Annabergite Formula: Ni3(AsO4)2 · 8H2O |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ Dolomite Formula: CaMg(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ Erythrite Formula: Co3(AsO4)2 · 8H2O |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS |
| ⓘ Gersdorffite Formula: NiAsS |
| ⓘ Millerite Formula: NiS |
| ⓘ Native Silver Formula: Ag |
| ⓘ Nickeline Formula: NiAs |
| ⓘ Nickelskutterudite Formula: NiAs3 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Siderite Formula: FeCO3 |
| ⓘ Siegenite Formula: CoNi2S4 |
| ⓘ Skutterudite Formula: CoAs3 |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS |
| ⓘ Uraninite Formula: UO2 |
| ⓘ Uraninite var. Pitchblende Formula: UO2 |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Silver | 1.AA.05 | Ag |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Acanthite | 2.BA.35 | Ag2S |
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Nickeline | 2.CC.05 | NiAs |
| ⓘ | Millerite | 2.CC.20 | NiS |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Siegenite | 2.DA.05 | CoNi2S4 |
| ⓘ | Gersdorffite | 2.EB.25 | NiAsS |
| ⓘ | Nickelskutterudite | 2.EC.05 | NiAs3 |
| ⓘ | Skutterudite | 2.EC.05 | CoAs3 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Uraninite var. Pitchblende | 4.DL.05 | UO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DL.05 | UO2 | |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Siderite | 5.AB.05 | FeCO3 |
| ⓘ | Ankerite | 5.AB.10 | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Annabergite | 8.CE.40 | Ni3(AsO4)2 · 8H2O |
| ⓘ | Erythrite | 8.CE.40 | Co3(AsO4)2 · 8H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10101798 |
|---|
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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References
Lindgren, Waldemar, Graton, L.C., Gordon, C.H. (1910) The ore deposits of New Mexico. Professional Paper 68. US Geological Survey doi:10.3133/pp68 pp.324-325
Alhambra Mine, Twin Peaks, Black Hawk Mining District, Big Burro Mountains, Grant County, New Mexico, USA