RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Elk Mountain Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Fluorite) and 6 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Mica. Minerals mentioned: Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Mica, Feldspar, Fluorite. Approx. location 35.779, -105.532. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Status not recorded.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
17 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
9 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
9 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
8 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
3 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
3 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
3 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
3 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Malachite 4Mica 4Molybdenite 3Chalcopyrite 3Chalcocite 3Scheelite 2Columbite 2Beryl 2Bornite 2Euxenite 1Uranophane 1Bismuthinite 1Commodities
Uranium 36Copper 16Zinc 7Lithium 6Molybdenum 5Mica 5Tantalum 5Beryllium 4Gold 3Vanadium 3Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Priest Mine | Mica, Niobium (Columbium), Beryllium | Beryl, Columbite, Mica | Past Producer | 35.495, -105.423 |
| Pidlite Pegmatite Mine | Lithium, Tantalum | Beryl, Lepidolite, Mica, Microlite | Past Producer | 35.870, -105.491 |
| Bert Hoover Lode No. 1 | Molybdenum | Bismuthinite, Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.736, -105.407 |
| Azure-Rising Sun Mine | Gold, Molybdenum, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Molybdenite | Past Producer | 35.803, -105.464 |
| Blake Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 35.383, -105.309 |
| Hammond Mine | Copper | Chalcocite, Malachite | Past Producer | 35.474, -105.373 |
| Guy No. 1 Pegmatite Mine | Mica | Columbite, Mica, Uraninite | Past Producer | 35.743, -105.519 |
| Sparks - Stone Mine | Uranium | Euxenite, Uranophane | Past Producer | 35.650, -105.496 |
| Bonanza Mine | Copper | Malachite | Past Producer | 35.443, -105.345 |
| Porverir | Molybdenum, Copper | Malachite, Molybdenite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 35.733, -105.417 |
| Elk Mountain Mine | Mica | Mica | Past Producer | 35.779, -105.532 |
| Pecos Mine | — | — | Occurrence | 35.767, -105.667 |
| Windy No. 9 Mine | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Past Producer | 35.529, -104.460 |
| Unnamed Mine | Zinc | — | Unknown | 35.851, -105.407 |
| Unnamed Prospects | Zinc | — | Occurrence | 35.849, -105.407 |
| Lujan Ranch | Uranium | — | Prospect | 35.714, -104.411 |
| Con-O-Kull 1 Stevenson | Geothermal | — | Unknown | 35.666, -104.696 |
| Azure Mine | Copper | — | Unknown | 35.863, -105.491 |
| Blake Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 35.387, -105.301 |
| Park Springs Ranch | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.325, -104.910 |
| Southwest 1 Conchas | Geothermal | — | Unknown | 35.665, -104.695 |
| El Villa Claim | Uranium | — | Prospect | 35.688, -104.323 |
| Conoco-Leatherwood-Reed No 1 Well | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 35.596, -105.124 |
| Mikie V Claims | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.671, -104.483 |
| Hunt Oil Co | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.672, -104.411 |
| East Point, Mesa Montosa | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.342, -104.752 |
| Faith | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.687, -105.606 |
| Sparks-Stone No 1 | Uranium | — | Past Producer | 35.651, -105.494 |
| Unnamed Mines | Lithium | — | Unknown | 35.870, -105.491 |
| Hammond Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 35.474, -105.377 |
| Joe Matt & Sam Adams Mine | Lead, Copper, Silver, Zinc | — | Unknown | 35.857, -105.407 |
| Windy No 9 Mine | Uranium | — | Prospect | 35.699, -104.465 |
| Eloy Estrado | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.513, -104.664 |
| Guy's Nickel Claims | Nickel | — | Occurrence | 35.618, -105.469 |
| Black Nugget | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 35.731, -105.433 |
| Quintana | Uranium | — | Prospect | 35.528, -105.497 |
| Sowell Ranch | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 35.253, -105.088 |
| Bish No 2 Mine | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Past Producer | 35.658, -104.429 |
| Neafus Claims | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 35.296, -104.470 |
| Cip Lujan | Uranium | — | Unknown | 35.701, -104.411 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 25 fossil collection records in San Miguel County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Mora County · Santa Fe County · Guadalupe County · Sandoval County · Colfax County
New Mexico mineral guides
- Beryl in New Mexico
- Tourmaline in New Mexico
- Quartz in New Mexico
- Garnet in New Mexico
- Gold in New Mexico
- Mica in New Mexico
Back to all New Mexico counties.
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