The Alta Mine is a uranium and vanadium mine located in McKinley county, New Mexico at an elevation of 7,139 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 7,139 Feet (2,176 Meters)
Commodity: Uranium, Vanadium
Lat, Long: 35.47083, -108.03194
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Alta Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Alta Mine
Secondary: Mine: Anaconda
Secondary: Claims: Alta Group
Commodity
Primary: Uranium
Primary: Vanadium
Location
State: New Mexico
County: McKinley
District: Grants Uranium District: Smith Lake Subdistrict
Land Status
Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Henry E. Andrews
Owner Name: Anaconda Co.
Home Office: Bluewater, N.M.
Production
Year: 1968
Time Period: 1951 To 1968
Description: Cp_Grade: ^0.40 Percent U3o8
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Stratiform
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1951
Year Last Production: 1968
Discovery Year: 1950
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Datil Section
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: TABULAR
Structure
Type: R
Description: Big Draw Fault Zone
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Coffinite
Ore: Carnotite
Comments
Comment (Location): LOCATION IS ACCURATE FOR THE PORTAL OF THE ADIT ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979
Comment (Production): PRODUCTION TOTALLED 3,330 TONS OF ORE
Comment (Deposit): THE TOP FOOT OR SO OF THE HOST SANDSTONE CONTAINS ABUNDANT MACERATED CARBONIZED PLANT FRAGMENTS. THE URANIUM MINERALIZATION IS IMMEDIATELY BELOW THIS CARBONACEOUS ZONE IN A COARSE-GRAINED SANDSTONE THAT IS FREE OF ANY OBVIOUS CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.
Comment (Workings): WORKINGS CONSIST OF THREE ADITS RANGING IN LENGTH FROM A FEW FEET TO 150 FEET. ALL OF THE ADITS ARE TIMBERED. THERE IS A WOODEN ORE CHUTE LEADING TO A LOADOUT LEVEL 40-FEET BELOW.
Comment (Geology): THE DEPOSIT OCCURS IN THE WESTWATER CANYON MEMBER OF THE MORRISON FORMATION.
References
Reference (Deposit): HILPERT, L.S., 1969, USGS PP 603, P.
Reference (Deposit): HOLMQUIST, R.J., 1970, USAEC, RME-172, P. 27
Reference (Deposit): ANDERSON, O.J., 1980, NMBMMR OFR-148
Reference (Deposit): MCLEMORE, V.T., 1983, NMBMMR OFR-183, APPENDIX 1
Reference (Deposit): NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA
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