Page 45 - Geologic Investigations in the Lake Valley Area, Sierra County, New Mexico

Figure 1. Lake Valley mining district townsite in 1908. Photograph by C.H. Gordon, #45, U.S. Geological Survey.
companies from 1881 to 1893. John Leavitt held a lease on one of the claims and is credited with discovering the Bridal Cham­ ber (Jones, 1904). Mining in the district ceased in 1893, follow­ ing the dramatic decline in silver prices as a result of the Federal Government’s abandonment of silver as a monetary standard.
From 1893 to 1900, various individuals and companies leased the mines periodically. In 1900, the entire property administrated by the former Sierra Grande Company was sold to Lucius G. Fisher, who organized it under the Lake Valley Mines Company (Jones, 1904). From 1910 to 1931, shipments of silver-flux ore were made. During World Wars I and II, manga­ nese was produced. The last production from the district was
probably in 1958 or 1959. Total production from the district (tables 1, 2) is estimated as 5,000,000–6,126,000 oz silver, 500,000 pounds lead, 45,540 long tons 23 percent manganese ore, and 57,800 long tons 25 percent manganese concentrates (Farnham, 1961).
Geologic Setting
The Lake Valley mining district is southeast of the Emory cauldron and near the intersection of the Lake Valley and Ber­ renda faults at the south end of the Animas basin (fig. 3, pl. 1).
Table 1A. Precious- and base-metal production from the Lake Valley district. [Harley (1934); NMBMMR file data; —, no data]
Year
1878–1893
1893–1910
1910–1931
1934
1935
1936
1938
1939
1940
Estimated total 1878–1957
Ore (short tons)
—
— 46,261 352
56 60 29
119 132 —
Copper (lb)
— — — 100 — 120 100 100 100
100,000
Gold (oz)
— — — 1.8 — 6.6 — — —
10
Silver (oz)
5,000,000 500,000 275,000 4,616 1,550
488
215 1,572 1,499 6,126,000
Lead (lb)
— — — 1,000
400 1,200 1,100 300 800 >500,000
Value in dollars during year of production
5,000,000 100,000 137,500 3,092 1,130
675
200 1,091 1,117 5,400,000
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Geologic Investigations in the Lake Valley Area, Sierra County, New Mexico