1
24-022
Critical Minerals and Acid Mine Drainage in Black Hawk Mine
Waste, Grant County, New Mexico
Zohreh Kazemi Motlagh
New Mexico Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
Virginia T. McLemore
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral
Resources, Socorro, NM
ABSTRACT
There are more than 15,000 abandoned mine features in
New Mexico. A considerable number of these mines have
not been cataloged or assessed for prioritized reclamation
efforts. These mine wastes can be examined as a resource
of critical minerals. Many of legacy mine waste deposits
have undiscovered commodities and critical minerals, due
to low recovery processes during past production. In this
project, Black Hawk mine wastes in Grant County, New
Mexico are examined by thorough mineralogical and geo-
chemical characterization. This project seeks to characterize
and estimate the critical minerals in mine wastes of Black
Hawk mine, and determine the acid generating potential
of mine waste. Identifying and producing critical minerals
in New Mexico may directly benefit the U.S economy and
national security.
INTRODUCTION
Critical minerals are nonfuel minerals that are essential
to the economical and national well-being of a country
whose sources are vulnerable to disruption. Examples of
this include the production of renewable energy, electron-
ics, agricultural production, and common household items
(McLemore, 2020). Critical mineral resources in New
Mexico must be recognized before government authorities
withdraw land from mineral entry, or make other decisions
regarding land use. Moreover, identification of these miner-
als may directly enhance the overall economic well-being of
the United States. Figure 1 illustrates the critical minerals
known to occur in New Mexico. Advancements in mining
and processing technologies, as well as improved analytical
techniques, have made it more feasible to extract critical
minerals from waste materials. The U.S. Department of
Defense, Department of the Interior, and Department of
Energy established a preliminary list of critical minerals in
2019 and revised that list in 2022 (Fig. 1). Currently, 53
minerals are listed as critical for the United States. Copper
is not considered a critical mineral by the USGS because
the nation currently produces enough copper for domestic
use. Copper is also imported from countries with which
there are secure trade agreements, so the current supply of
copper for domestic use is not in jeopardy. Recently, the
DOE has noted copper as a critical mineral. Uranium was
listed as a critical mineral in 2019 because of its use in
Navy nuclear reactors. However, because uranium is used
as a fuel, it was removed from the list in 2022. The critical
minerals list is reviewed by the government agencies every
2 to 3 years (McLemore and Gysi, 2023).
Mine wastes are important potential resources of
critical minerals, particularly because in the original mine
production, base and precious metals and not the critical
minerals were produced. Consequently, mine wastes would
24-022
Critical Minerals and Acid Mine Drainage in Black Hawk Mine
Waste, Grant County, New Mexico
Zohreh Kazemi Motlagh
New Mexico Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
Virginia T. McLemore
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral
Resources, Socorro, NM
ABSTRACT
There are more than 15,000 abandoned mine features in
New Mexico. A considerable number of these mines have
not been cataloged or assessed for prioritized reclamation
efforts. These mine wastes can be examined as a resource
of critical minerals. Many of legacy mine waste deposits
have undiscovered commodities and critical minerals, due
to low recovery processes during past production. In this
project, Black Hawk mine wastes in Grant County, New
Mexico are examined by thorough mineralogical and geo-
chemical characterization. This project seeks to characterize
and estimate the critical minerals in mine wastes of Black
Hawk mine, and determine the acid generating potential
of mine waste. Identifying and producing critical minerals
in New Mexico may directly benefit the U.S economy and
national security.
INTRODUCTION
Critical minerals are nonfuel minerals that are essential
to the economical and national well-being of a country
whose sources are vulnerable to disruption. Examples of
this include the production of renewable energy, electron-
ics, agricultural production, and common household items
(McLemore, 2020). Critical mineral resources in New
Mexico must be recognized before government authorities
withdraw land from mineral entry, or make other decisions
regarding land use. Moreover, identification of these miner-
als may directly enhance the overall economic well-being of
the United States. Figure 1 illustrates the critical minerals
known to occur in New Mexico. Advancements in mining
and processing technologies, as well as improved analytical
techniques, have made it more feasible to extract critical
minerals from waste materials. The U.S. Department of
Defense, Department of the Interior, and Department of
Energy established a preliminary list of critical minerals in
2019 and revised that list in 2022 (Fig. 1). Currently, 53
minerals are listed as critical for the United States. Copper
is not considered a critical mineral by the USGS because
the nation currently produces enough copper for domestic
use. Copper is also imported from countries with which
there are secure trade agreements, so the current supply of
copper for domestic use is not in jeopardy. Recently, the
DOE has noted copper as a critical mineral. Uranium was
listed as a critical mineral in 2019 because of its use in
Navy nuclear reactors. However, because uranium is used
as a fuel, it was removed from the list in 2022. The critical
minerals list is reviewed by the government agencies every
2 to 3 years (McLemore and Gysi, 2023).
Mine wastes are important potential resources of
critical minerals, particularly because in the original mine
production, base and precious metals and not the critical
minerals were produced. Consequently, mine wastes would