New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

Silver has been reported from 17 New Mexico counties with Grant and Sierra Counties being the major producers. Twenty-two silver minerals are reported from New Mexico, but at least three of these (miargyrite, petzite, and stetefeldite) are doubtful (Northrop 1959).

The search for silver in New Mexico began in earnest after the first important discovery at Pueblo Springs, near Magdalena in 1863 (Northrop 1959). During the next 30 yrs, most of the major silver districts had been located, Georgetown in 1866, Chloride Flat in 1871, Lake Valley in 1878, Chloride in 1879, Kingston in 1880, and Blackhawk in 1881 (Northrop 1959).

Incredibly rich silver ores were discovered in some of these districts, particularly at Lake Valley and the Blackhawk district. This in turn led to extravagant claims. A news item in the Las Vegas Mining World (Sept 1882) stated that “…The Lake Valley district was certainly the richest mining district in the world.” Unfortunately, while these ore deposits were extraordinarily rich, they were not extensive. With the demonetization of silver in 1893 and the ensuing panic, most of the silver producing mines in New Mexico closed down. Silver, of course, continued to be produced in New Mexico and is still being produced, mostly as a byproduct of copper mining.

The period between 1863 and 1893 undoubtedly was the most important for production of silver mineral specimens in New Mexico. Fabulous descriptions of occurrences during that era conjure up images of arborescent silver and acanthite crystals and masses of silver halides with sparkling faces. Specimens promoting the state’s mineral wealth (including silver) were sent to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Mental images and fantasies of specimens that must have come forth are, however, not the reality that exists today. The specimens from the 1893 Columbian Exposition never returned to New Mexico, and the disposition of the minerals is unknown. When the New Mexico School of Mines museum burned down in 1938, all records of the collection and the specimens themselves were destroyed. What exist today are bits and pieces that turn up now and then from old collections, and, with luck, they find their way to the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Mineral Museum.

Of course, another factor regarding silver minerals is their reactive nature to light and oxidation. The fabulous chlorargyrite and bromargyrite specimens that were recovered from the Bridal Chamber of Lake Valley are now brown, formless lumps. Most silver and acanthite specimens survive as dull black masses and unimpressive patches on gangue.

All is not lost however! In recent years, diligent collectors have recovered wonderful crystals of unaltered, lustrous, silver halides and bright, unoxidized crystals and arborescent groups of silver, and acanthite from many of New Mexico’s classic locations. A selection of these will be shown during this presentation.

References:

1. Canby, V. M., and Evatt, R. L., 1985, Epithermal silver mineralization in the Carbonate Creek area, Kingston, New Mexico (abs.), New Mexico Geology, v. 7, no, 1, p. 18.
2. Eveleth, R. W., 1986, Lake Valley???s famed Bridal Chamber??????A beautifully large and solid looking streak???; in Clemons, R. E., King, W. E., Mack, G. H., and Zidek, J. (eds.), Truth or Consequences region: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 37, p. 293.
3. Mining World (anonymous) 1882, news item.
4. Northrop, S. A., 1959, Minerals of New Mexico, revised: University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 665 pp.
5. Von Bargen, D., 1993, Minerals of the Blackhawk district, New Mexico: Rocks and Minerals, v. 68, no. 1, pp. 96???111.