Preliminary Assessment for Critical Minerals in the Terlingua Quicksilver District, Texas, and Tres Marias Mine, Chihuahua, Mexico
Abstract
The Terlingua Quicksilver district was discovered around the 1880s and was a mercury-producing district from 1900 through 1946. The most productive years were during World War one and two. From 1900-1946 the Terlingua Quicksilver District (TQD) produced 150,000 flasks; 80% came from three mines: the Rainbow-Chisos, Mariposa, and Study Butte mines. The structural controls of the Mercury mineralization within these mines are breccia pipes and fractures, often located near igneous intrusions. This study will assess the potential for Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements in the Terlingua Quicksilver District. Fifty-five samples have been collected and analyzed for forty-four different chemicals. Univariant, bivariant, and multivariant analyses have been applied to these data. Geochemical families identified are 1) REEs, 2) Y with LREE, 3) Zr-Hf-Nb-Ta, 4) Rb-Cs, 5) As-Sb, 6) Hg (As). The special distributions have been placed on a map, which shows the locations of three significant hydrothermal systems that have been enriched in CM and REEs, which are Black Mesa, Rainbow-Chisos mine, and Cigar Mountain. Future exploration should be directed at these sites.
Subject Area
Geochemistry|Geology
Recommended Citation
Zuniga, Eduardo Lee, "Preliminary Assessment for Critical Minerals in the Terlingua Quicksilver District, Texas, and Tres Marias Mine, Chihuahua, Mexico" (2023). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI30819593.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI30819593