Alta Mine

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

Satelite View

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: 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

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.