RockWoof
Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Sketch map

National Potash Mine + 1 more nearby (Plant)New Mexico Potash Corporation (Producer)Noranda Prospect (Plant)National Potash Company Mine (Past Producer)Lea Mine (Past Producer)Hobbs Natural Gas Plant (Producer)Hobbs Potash Facility (Producer)Unichem Brine Field (Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
8 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Field cards: what kind of sites?

5
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

2
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

2
Plant

A processing plant site.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Minerals recorded here

Sylvite 3

Commodities

Potassium 5Sulfur 2Bromine 1Salt 1Uranium 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Lea MinePotassiumSylvitePast Producer32.571, -103.552
New Mexico Potash CorporationPotassiumSylviteProducer32.613, -103.729
National Potash Company MinePotassiumSylvitePast Producer32.555, -103.645
Unichem Brine FieldBromine—Producer32.342, -103.146
National Potash MinePotassium—Plant32.572, -103.804
National Tailings Id. No. 2901384Salt—Producer32.574, -103.805
Hobbs Natural Gas PlantSulfur—Producer32.682, -103.289
Hobbs Potash FacilitySulfur—Producer32.543, -103.283
Noranda ProspectPotassium—Plant32.586, -103.719

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 26 fossil collection records in Lea County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Eddy County · Chaves County · De Baca County · Roosevelt County · Curry County

New Mexico mineral guides

Back to all New Mexico counties.

Related articles

How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.

Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.

Updated