Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-10-16
The New Placer Mining
District in New Mew Mexico

buqucrqnc y. NJ, Mining Engineer, In "MInIng
~ IcnCc"

The Golden ana san Pedro camps,
known M IA" new placer district, IN
santa Fr county. New Mexico. has
produced considerable quantity Of
placer gold. and because or the fact
that most Of this gold VAS course, 1t
has come 10 be- known ~ coarse
gold" district, The question as IL
where the gold comes from forms an
interesting study. Gnd from the work
already don" along this lin" II seems
quit" likely that II VAS derived from
several different types ~ ore drpOs-
~.
The rich pockets are found In u
complex form ,tIun. The sudimcntarN
rocks, In which ia" packets occur,
consist ~ highly mrtamurphiC lime
stones, states ana quhrlzltcs, intrudcd
BY ana broken W 10y igneOus rocks.
among which th" more basic and"sito
predumiuHi"s. TLr gold bearing
veins are usually found near the con
tact of ire andrsitr and metapurphns.
ed sediments. These pockets have
many modes 81 occurrence. but most
Of them may hr referred To two gen
eral types, those occurring In conn"C-
ton with Lenses uf magnitude, and
those uccomro ing quartz veins, \
characteristic OF the gold found Ia
these pockets ia that II II often very
coarse and TX inclined to be smooth.
round aud tlollrncd In shape, Both
fine fakes and solid nuggets are quite
common,
II seems possible that gold segre-
cations of the Kind described are
formed under the same conditions nH
other basic scrr"I ationH accompany
ing them or occurring under similar
conditions. such ~ magnetic, pyro-
lite. chromitc, etc. That IN TO say,
from alkaline solutions under pres
sure ana AT depth,
A somewhat intermediate type of
pocket Ii sometimes found In which
the gold In associated with quartz
lenses In veins. This gold Is also
commonly quit" coarse, and II chnrac-
terlzed by rough, ragged edges. PEE
culiaritics which uro distinguished
In the nuggets found In the placer
mines Of the camp. Another pecui"
larity Of these veins In that they are
usually accompanied by considerable
pyritc,
Quartz vein pockets are quite COM
mon and they are probably the source
of most OF tho placer gold found IN
ths district. The veins In which they
occur are for the most part quite
small. ranging from mere thrends up
To four or five inches, though Occ1s-
lon0lly larger ones are seen. many
Of them occupy true assures, but have
all at the appearances Of cash velns.
II IL "A peculiar fact that most OF
the pockets ~ TAR discovered have
been near the surface and there have
been no eases Of record where they
have appeared below the oxldised
Eone. The sulphtc ores usually make
their appearance az n depth OF about
80 feet. although occasionally the Aui-
phlde gone comes TO the surface or
the ground. Generally speaking, %
feet would therefore appear To be the
extreme depth To which one wOuld
have TO go In following q pocket.
Near the surface the pockets con-
slst, as a rule. Of loose. irregular mas
SEES OF SpOngy Iron oxide. nlling caNi-
ties In the quartz or lying aionBsiGe
Of II IN the Eouge. Tue pockets are
usually found at the ineeFaSeuou OF
quartz veins with Iron ecams"---Ainall
assures Mild with oxidc Of iron. ~ a
rule the average pocket u small, aver
aging lees than ti00 eaeh There was
one, however, the Gold AtauoaRu mat