Circular 5—Gold Mining and Gold Deposits in New Mexico

By E. H. Wells and T. P. Wootton, 1932, revised 1940, reprinted 1946, 1957, 1970, 26 pp. Includes information about the NM Bureau of Mines from July 1, 1927 to June 30, 1931.

One of the outstanding effects of the current business depression has been the improvement in the status of gold as compared with the other metals. Gold deposits are attracting more interest than for many years. Proved districts are being re-examined, and an active search is being made for new deposits. The NM Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources of the NM School of Mines has received many requests recently for information regarding the gold resources of NM, and this circular has been prepared in response to this demand.

Most of the geology and mining history prior to 1909 which is given in these notes has been taken from The Ore Deposits of New Mexico, Professional Paper 68 of the U.S. Geological Survey by W. Lingren, L. C. Graton, and C. H. Gordon. Subsequent information has been obtained from various sources. A fairly complete bibliography is appended, and the reports listed contain considerable valuable data on gold in NM.

The information on the deposits given in this circular necessarily is hardly more than a summary. Additional information on this subject is contained in the following bulletins from the NM Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources: The Metal Resources of NM and Their Ecological Features, by S. G. Lasky and T. P. Wootton, The Ore Deposits of Socorro County, NM by S. G. Lasky, The Ore Deposits of Sierra County, NM by G. T. Harley, and The Geology of the Organ Mountains, by K. C. Dunham.