Illinois Group

The Illinois Group is a fluorine-fluorite mine located in Sierra county, New Mexico at an elevation of 5,125 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

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MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Illinois Group
Secondary: Universal Mine, White Star Mine, Oakland Mine
Secondary: Principal Claims
Secondary: Arizona
Secondary: Colorado
Secondary: Illinois
Secondary: Montana
Secondary: Nevada
Secondary: Texas

Commodity

Primary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Barium-Barite

Location

State: New Mexico
County: Sierra
District: Sierra Caballos District

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
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: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: U.S. Fluorspar Co.
Years: 1963 -

Owner Name: Blanchard Hanson Sub-Leased To Uni-Sol Uranium And Oil Corp., Dallas, Texas
Years: 1963 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1918
Year Last Production: 1953
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: LINEAR - FRACTURES OR SMALL DISPLACEMENT FAULTS

Structure

Type: R
Description: The Sierra Caballos Is Essentially An Eroded Fault Block Of Sedimentary And Igneous Rocks That Has Been Tilted Eastward. Minor Faulting And Folding Was Locally Intense. Most Of The North - Trending Faults Have Downthrown Sides On The East And The Strata Show Drag On That Side.

Type: L
Description: See Comments

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Quartzite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: COMPOSITE GRAB SAMPLE FROM VARIOUS TRENCHES AT THE UNIVERSAL MINE ASSAYED 53.2 % CAF2
Analytical Data: 0.1 % PB: THE OAKLAND MINE REPORTED TO AVERAGE 50 % CAF2 AND ALWAYS EXCEED 35 % CAF2.
Analytical Data: 0.2 % BASO4
Analytical Data: 20.4 % CACO3
Analytical Data: 22.0 % SIO2
Analytical Data: 1.1 % BASO4: COMPOSITE SAMPLE FROM OPENCUT IN THE EAST OREBODY AT THE WHITE STAR MINE ASSAYED 55.1 % CAF2
Analytical Data: 12.6 % CACO3
Analytical Data: 30.1 % SIO2

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Barite
Ore: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Workings): UNIVERSAL MINE WORKINGS, REPORTED IN 1966, CONSISTED OF 2 SHORT ADITS, 2 SHALLOW SHAFTS AND A FEW OPENCUTS. THE OAKLAND MINE CONSISTS OF 2 SHORT ADITS, 5 SHALLOW SMALL OPENCUTS AND SEVERAL USBM EXPLORATORY TRENCHES. WHITE STAR MINE CONSISTS OF 2 SHORT ADITS, ONE OF THE ADITS HAS A SHALLOW SHAFT AND A RAISE TO THE SURFACE, AND A FEW SHALLOW OPENCUTS.

Comment (Deposit): UNIVERSAL VEIN STRIKES N 70 W, DIPS STEEPLY SOUTH, IS ABOUT 180 M. IN LENGTH AND ABOUT 3 M. WIDE. OAKLAND VEIN STRIKES N 65 W, DIPS NEARLY VERTICALLY, AVERAGES 3.5 M. IDE FOR A LENGTH OF 105 M.. IT CONSISTS OF A SET OF FRACTURES 1.5 TO 7.5 M. WIDE IN THE EASTERN HALF WHERE DISPLACEMENT OF 3 M. WAS OBSERVED IN THE WHITE SANDSTONE, AND 3 TO 15 M. WIDE IN THE WESTERN HALF OF THE VEIN. WHITE STAR VEIN STRIKES N 80 W, IS NEARLY VERTICAL, CROPSOUT FOR 400 M. IN LENGTH AND CONSISTS OF A SINGLE FISSURE TO NUMEROUS STRINGERS IN A SHEETED ZONE UP TO 18 M. WIDE. ECONOMIC ORE CAN BE TRACED CONTINUOUSLY FOR 210 M..6 UNPATENTED CLAIMS COVERING ABOUT 90 ACRES.

Comment (Geology): ABOVE WHITE S.S. IS BROWN AND BLACK SHALE AND THIN BEDDED ARGILLACEOUS LIMESTONE.

Comment (Location): CLAIMS ARE LOCATED ON THE WEST FLANK OF THE CABALLO MOUNTAINS A FEW MILES NORTH OF PALOMAS GAP.

Comment (Commodity): OAKLAND MINE APPEARS TO HAVE MORE CALCITE AND BARITE THAN THE OTHER MINES. ALSO SEVERAL TONS OF GALENA WERE TAKEN FROM AN ADIT AT THE EAST END OF THE VEIN. A COMPOSITE OF SAMPLES CONTAINING 40% OR MORE CAF2 SHOWED 53.89% CAF2, 21.12% SIO2, 18.38% CACO3, AND 6.50% BASO4.

Comment (Production): ILLINOIS GROUP REPORTED PRODUCTION WAS AS FOLLOWS: 1927 - 1939 INTERMITTENTLY - 3614 MET. TONS UNDER NAME OF HOT SPRINGS, 1926 - 521 MET. TONS BY FLUORSPAR MINES OF AMERICA, 1952 - 2634 MET TONS UNDER NAME UNIVERSAL, 1953 - 62 MET. TONS UNDER WHITE STAR, 1942 - 44 MET. TONS UNDER NAME U.S. FLUORSPAR CO., AND 1940 TO 1945 - 4082 MET. TONS ESTIMATED BY ROTHROCK.

References

Reference (Deposit): 1943 GEOLMAP ROTHROCK, H. F. AND SMALLEY, R. G.

Reference (Production): WILLIAMS, F. E., 1966, FLUORSPAR DEP. N. MEXICO.

Reference (Deposit): 1943 DIREXPL U.S. BUREAU MINES

Reference (Deposit): 1943 GEOCHEM U.S. BUREAU MINES

Reference (Deposit): 1934 GEOLMAP NEW MEX. BUREAU OF MINES, HARLEY, G. T.

Reference (Deposit): HARLEY, G. T., 1934, THE GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF SIERRA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO: NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES BULL. 10, 220 P.

Reference (Deposit): ROTHROCK, H.E., 1945, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON WHITE STAR, OAKLAND, AND UNIVERSAL FLUORSPAR VEINS NEAR HOT SPRINGS, SIERRA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STRATEGIC MINERALS INVESTIGATION PRELIMINARY REPORT 3-190.

Reference (Deposit): SHERIDAN, M. J., 1947, UNITED STATES FLUORSPAR CO. PROPERTY, SIERRA CO., NEW MEXICO: BU. MINES REPT. OF INV. 4017, 15 PP

Reference (Deposit): WILLIAMS, F. E., 1966, FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF NEW MEXICO: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFO. CIRC. 8307 P. 94 - 102

Reference (Deposit): ROTHROCK, H. E., JOHNSON, C. H., AND HAHN, A. D., 1946, FLUORSPAR RESOURCES OF NEW MEXICO: N. MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RES. BULL. 21 P. 142 - 158

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