| Basis for focus area |
Mining district boundaries from McLemore (2017). |
| Identified resources |
Historical production of barite and manganese. |
| Production |
10,250 short tons barite produced (Filsinger, 1988). |
| Status |
Past mining; active permitting; exploration in both districts, recent gold-silver production in Steeple Rock district. |
| Estimated resources |
Unknown. |
| Geologic maps |
Filsinger (1988), various scales. |
| Geophysical data |
Inadequate aeromagnetic and aeroradiometric coverage. |
| Favorable rocks and structures |
Anticline, limestone-shale contact; barite in lenses and pods along contact between Silurian Fusselman Formation and Devonian Percha Shale along the crest of an anticline. Zone is 12 ft thick and averages 25-30% barite and 3-4% fluorite. |
| Deposits |
Palm Park (MRDS dep_id: 10012966), Horseshoe prospect (MRDS dep_id: 10174566), Nakaye mine (MRDS dep_id: 10072168). |
| Evidence from mineral occurrences |
MRDS; New Mexico Mines Database (McLemore and others, 2005). |
| Geochemical evidence |
Unknown. |
| Geophysical evidence |
Unknown. |
| Evidence from other sources |
New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division mine permits. |
| Comments |
Company looking at mining barite for petroleum production before COVID. |
| Cover thickness and description |
Exposed at the surface. |
| Authors |
Virginia T. McLemore. |
| New data needs |
This area needs detailed 1:12,000 mapping, chemistry, alteration mapping. |
| Geologic mapping and modeling needs |
Detailed geology-structure-alteration-mineralization mapping. |
| Geophysical survey and modeling needs |
High resolution, Rank 1 aeromagnetic and aeroradiometric coverage; proposed geophysical survey request for Caballo. |
| Digital elevation data needs |
Lidar complete. |
