Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1906-04-14
An Interesting Article Telling
Of Formation Of the
iron Fields.
TAKEN FROM MINING MAGAZINE


port be- read in iho February Mining
Magazine. which la accompanied boy
interesting diagrams end Illustrations.
IN The Sierra Oscura mountains.
eastern aocorru county. New Mexico.
ib what n known al tho .Iones Mine
Ing msirlci there occurs deposit
of iron ore 81 great extent and high
Grade while there are q number oi
iron ore deposits in the territory
which are oi considerable magufSde.
little attention has hitherto been paid
io them owing to their remoiencss
from means Of transportation or
other causcs rendering th4m mavaif
able Tor use. Al the present time
only one deposit ls being worked. This
81 owned by the Colorado Fuel aad
iron company. and 81 situated Ga Fcr-
90. Ia Grant county from where the
ore Do transported by rail 20 the COM
pany'a Emeltors at Pueblo. Colo. The
0uipu TOT iron ore from this field ior
tho yoar 1908 amounted 10 1898
tons.
The Jones Iron Field Nos along "a
great igneuus dixie near che northern
end OF the Sierra Oacura mountains
between the Santa DO wilroad aud
The Carthage coal Hold on the west
and hio Rock Island and the Captain
and white Oaks coal field on the east
al an approximate elevation of from
$500 90 G.2O0 feet above sea level. An
/ old stage road from San Antonio on
the Santa ~ railroad 90 White Oaks
/ ln Lincoln county. after crossing the
plains on me Tornado DEL Muouo.
follows up the valley along the iron
deposit. past Jones camp. thence
down across che plains. past thn
northern end Of the MAI Pals" tn
white Oaks. Since che completion of
/ the Rock Island railroad this stage
road has been abandoned
The geology of This deposit is ln-
iteresting. The aedlmeniRry rocks
constituting this portion % che Sierra
OacusA mountains consist of the mas
slve limcstoucs and quariaiiea ol the
carbon.ieroue ago. which have been
cut and turned up 40 q steep angle hy
the huge monaonito along a liue OF
weakness probably cnused hy The
deep carving and cutting az the over
lying strata hy mrtpofic waters and
atmospheric agencies The iron ore
jdenoaiis were formed prior 60 the i'm
itruiem OF this dixie ana were lcachod
from the everything limcgtones hy de-
ascending waters. which then Deposited
Their mineral contents In existing
cavities lower down The peculiar
shapes OF SOME Ol The iron ore masso.
and the presence of empty cavities
IN the limestone bear out this theory
ln Sonic Instances thc iron ore has
Isiretlfied structure which would seen
al
of the limestone beds and Huggosf.
The presence of water during its for
nation. Prof ~ "A. Jones' in hi
! work entitled "New Mexico Mine
: and Minerals makes the following
. remarks Cpage 20al rogarding thl
/. formation of these iron ore bodies.
"At the time az this geological per
, iOd, about thC close Of the crctuCeOus
heavy vegetation evidently 0s'Htod Cd
me lands projecting above Che seas
Docaylrg organic matter was CARRIE
, into che earth and limestone tocha b
. circulating mcteOric waters che co.
3 ganic matter coming into contact witt
the PARTICLES OF iron oxide which wer
4 disseminated through the nocis ihe
: we're reduced 10 the ferroHs state am
thus passed inio solution Those so
j buttons finally reached Che ever m
p lareinr limestone cavities aud wer
/, precipllated. on exposure to the al
( aE hydTated iron O.munbel u wa
B in this manner that these beds of lru
I were laid down"
Z The subsequent elevation nf th
mennonite dixie through the Oyerlylp
{ rocks carried with D. hu1o maeseg q
4 limestone and iron ore. al the sam
: time cracking and fissurlng the sur
rounding rocks These cracks an
e assures formed avenues f0r 40
h escape 90 the sulphnrous yapOrs ac
Q c0mpnnylng tae elevation ol the dike
these attacked tho llnest0nes nn
3 formed the beds uf gypsum whic
r. are found associated with the iron or
{, deposit The action of che sulphur
E Due rannW. together with moirorl
i agencies. carried sway o. portion Z
the iimon orc lncioaing the iron orr
7 leaving some 0l thc maases atraude
D an tou ~ the dike and others lyin
g along itH sides The heat Nhlch aif
accompanied the elevation 0f the dli
I dohydraied The im0nlie AND dosuI
T. nhuriHed the marcaaiio forming ih
q hemntite 8ud magnetic
y The principal ores on be Jonf
u Iron Fisld are hematitc marnoiito an
I a little llm0nite. IN places the mag
nellie uredOmlnatcH and D. ueauiifuil
IcryEiRllinc. SOME ol the eD all 0eln
]. 1.-TWO inches long and almost poriec
q The iron ore can be traced for "a dlf
q lance ~ ten mlicf aiQnE IhH course &
" tht dixie which 81 little south ui ea'
and north VI west Toward the east
Iorn and western ends the IIEa lInifnu
nut and the iron orc shows only q
(, iia northern Side hni for % diHianC
OF over five miles along ine coniu
portion 81 is on both sides Here NJ
loutcropa are very massive and pee
A., giaioni for long distance without
break. SOME of them standing one vcg
, prominently above The alrrounGin
rocks The largest end most cor
4 splcnous one observed occurs on IN
H. norihcrn slide of the dixie 90 what
u known as Claim o." whore a huf
7. mass uf homatIfo stands un some
feet above Iho surface OF fhe gfnuu
a aumhtr ~ samples aere fakf
from surface cuts ana shallow shaft
Tor unnlYala. from both slides uf 90
dixie The lowest result ohi1lnl
showed Iron lmcil 00f9 per ctni
silica. 1868 per cont. phosphorus. on
per cent. and sulphur. O.lNl per rem
The highest assay obtained gave. lrl
lmetl 5000 per cent? qllio1. Ii3 p'
cent phosphorus. 0i2G per cents au
phuf. etil PET cent while au anaIg
OF a sample taken from she uuicIi
shown Do Flg g. gave lron lmet
SEAS per cent Silica. 1882 per cen
" . !. l..