Circular 36 — A Deposit of High-Calcium Lime Rock in Valencia County, New Mexico

By Henry L. Jicha, Jr., 1956, 5 pages.

A deposit of high-calcium limestone of possible interest to persons concerned with the establishment of a cement plant or chemical industries requiring a high-calcium limestone as raw material , occurs in T. 6 N. , R. 5 W., Valencia County, 34 miles west of Belen (fig 1). The locality is reached by unimproved road about 20 miles from U. S. Highway 66 and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Correo, which is 32 miles by highway from Albuquerque.

A single analysis representing a composite of two samples shows 97.5 percent calcium carbonate, or 95.9 percent lime (CaO) on a calcined or CO2-free basis, as calculated from the analysis. The deposit is 5 ½ miles long and averages over 1 mile in width. The thickness is variable, with a maximum of 150 feet. Al though no drilling or other exploration has been done, it is estimated that the amount of material is in excess of 100 million tons. The size, grade, and proximity of this resource to the principal population center of New Mexico should make it attractive for industrial consideration.