Rockin' Around New Mexico

The annual summer geology workshop for teachers, Rockin' Around New Mexico was held from July 8-11, 2014 in Silver City, New Mexico. Twenty five teachers, mostly from New Mexico, attended this year to learn about the geology, mineral deposits, and seismic history and risks of the local area. On the first day, a field trip to explore the geologic features began at the Mimbres Fault and proceeded along road cuts, with a final stop in the Continental mine to reveal spectacular exposures of metamorphic rocks. The next day, teachers toured the Santa Rita mine and learned about copper ore deposits, mining methods, and ore processing. Environmental remediation projects were also explained. On the last day, teachers learned about earthquake hazards and safety practices, which included a Drop, Cover and Hold On safety drill.

This workshop was sponsored by New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Western New Mexico University, which supplied instructors and in-kind support. Funding for materials and travel was provided through a sub-grant with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management. New Mexico Mining Association provided lunches for all participants. Freeport-McMoRan hosted a dinner and mine tours and also supplied samples of rocks, minerals and ore concentrate to all the participants.