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Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Critical Minerals in NM

Partially funded by USGS National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) and EARTH MRI grants.

Significance of this project: 
Although NM does not have any economic deposits of REE at this time, the REE deposits in NM are geologically and mineralogically interesting.

NMBGMR CRITICAL MINERALS PLAN

Plan (comments are welcome, virgnia.mclemore@nmt.edu)

Database

SEG speedtalk

General articles

Earth MRI databases (REE and Critical Minerals)

  • Map Earth MRI—Map of REE deposits in NM showing mining districts and mines with REE in New Mexico pdf
  • Table of Earth MRI—REE mining districts in New Mexico pdf
  • Table of Earth MRI—Database of REE deposits in NM (inlcuding mines, occurrencs, and deposits) pdf
  • Table of Earth MRI—Database of chemical analyses of REE and other Critical Minerals deposits in NM
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Alunite Occurrences (6/4/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Asbestos occurrences (2/14/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Gallium occurrences (7/11/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Indium occurrences (6/18/2022)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Lithium occurrences (4/16/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts Potash mines, reserves, and production, Carlsbad potash district (2/16/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Rhenium occurrences (8/21/22)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with scandium occurrences (8/21/22)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Strontium occurrences (8/21/22)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Tellurium occurrences (8/21/22)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with Tin occurrences (5/29/2021)
  • Table of Earth MRI—New Mexico Mines Database Mines and Districts with tungsten mines and occurrences (9/20/21)
  • Table of mills in New Mexico (5/15/23)
  • Archive of samples stored at NMBGMR (5/15/23)

This material is based upon work partially supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Earth MRI contracts G19AP00098 G20AS00008, G21AP10434, and G22AS00033 . The views and conslusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or polices of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey.

COMMODITIES

Rare Earth Elements (REE)

REE in Episyenites in NM

Significance of the project: 
Cambrian-Ordovician carbonatites and alkaline rocks intruded the Proterozoic rocks in parts of New Mexico

Summary: Brick-red, K-feldspar-rich episyenites and carbonatites are found throughout New Mexico that contain anomalous concentrations of rare earth elements (total REE, <2330 ppm), uranium (U, <9720 ppm), thorium (Th, <1380 ppm), niobium (Nb, <250 ppm) and heavy REE (<130 ppm Yb and <180 ppm Dy). The term episyenite is used to describe altered rocks that were desilicified (subsolidus dissolution of quartz) and metasomatized by alkali-rich fluids. Some episyenites contain elevated REE and other critical elements that could be a potential economic resource. Field observations and mapping indicate that episyenites are typically found as flat-lying pods or lenses (<300 m in diameter), pipe-like bodies (as much as 30 m thick), and dike-like bodies (<2 m wide, 400 m long). Some areas have numerous small episyenite bodies in a geographically restricted area, suggesting fracture or fault control, possibly near the edges of granitic magma bodies. These episyenites could be part of a Cambrian-Ordovician magmatic event found throughout southern Colorado and New Mexico (McMillan and McLemore, 2001), characterized by the intrusion of carbonatites, syenites, monzonites, mafic dikes, associated K-metasomatism (i.e. fenites, episyenites) and Th-REE±U mineral deposits. In these areas, there appears to be a multi-stage process for alteration. In the Caballo Mountains, the metasomatism is older than Cambrian as episyenite clasts are found in the Cambrian-Ordovician Bliss Formation that unconformably overlies episyenites and Proterozoic host rocks. However, 40Ar/39Ar dating of K-feldspars within some episyenites yields complex and intriguing age results that indicate age resetting or K-feldspar growth in later events, possibly related to the Ancestral Rocky Mountains and Laramide orogenies. One sample from the Burro Mountains yields a plateau age at approximately 540 Ma. Textural evidence suggests that light LREE and heavy REE-bearing phases co-precipitated during metasomatism.

Presentations and reports:

  • Cambrian-Ordovician alkaline rocks in NM; REE potential of episyenites
  • Geology and geochemistry and tectonic evolution of Cambrian-Ordovician episyenites and carbonatites in New Mexico SUMMARY
  • Cambrian–Ordovician magmatism and extension in New Mexico and Colorado, NMBGMR Bull 160
  • Mineralogy, geochemistry and chronology of the Caballo and Burro Mountains REE-bearing episyentes, poster SEG 2014
  • GSA presentation 2020, abstract
  • GSN paper REE-BEARING CAMBRIAN-ORDOVICIAN EPISYENITES AND CARBONATITES IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, USA

Carbonatites in New Mexico

Significance of this project: Carbonatites are found as dikes and are not directly related to a carbonatite pluton or alkaline rocks (unless burried)

Cretaceous beach-placer sandstone deposits

Significance of this project: 
REE placer deposits are found throughout geologic history, not just recent times, but their economic potential remains unproven

  • Apache Mesa, Jicarilla Reservation, Open-file report 587
  • Exploration of beach-placer heavy mineraldeposits in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico SME preprint 2016
  • NMGS article

Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico: Resources

Other papers and reports

  • Annotated bibliography of REE in New Mexico 2020
  • OF-324
  • Rare earth elements deposits in New Mexico, Arizona Geological Survey, Special Paper 9
  • Rare earth elements deposits in New Mexico, SME ME Online exclusive
  • REE deposits in NM (presentation ot Alb Gem and Mineral Club)
  • REE deposits in NM (presentation)
  • REE deposits in NM (SME preprint)
  • New Mexico Geology article
  • Presentation to the Association of State Geologists, June 2018
  • McLemore, V.T., 2020, Rare Earth Elements (REE) in Proterozoic peralkaline igneous rocks (Pajarito Mountain) and pegmatites in New Mexico: SME Annual Meeting, Preprint 20-97, 9 p. presentation
  • Resources article on REE in NM

REE districts in New Mexico

Tellurium in NM

Lithium in NM

PROJECTS

Critical minerals in Laramide porphyry systems

Critical Minerals Black Hawk arsenide-5-element vein

  • SME poster 2023

Critcal minerals in mine wastes

Other general references

Updated February 22, 2024

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