Abstract
In this summary of two comprehensive resource reports produced by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, we discuss the mineral- and energyresource endowment of the 14-millon-acre Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau and Survey reports result from separate studies that are compilations of published and unpublished data and integrate new findings on the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mineral, industrial, and energy commodities, and resources for the seven-county area. The reports have been used by the Bureau of Land Management in preparation of the Roswell Resource Area Resource Management Plan, and will have future use in nationwide mineral- and energy-resource inventories and assessments, as reference and training documents, and as public-information tools.
In the Roswell Resource Area, many metals, industrial mineral commodities, and energy resources are being, or have been, produced or prospected. These include metals and high-technology materials, such as copper, gold, silver, thorium, uranium and/or vanadium, rare-earth element minerals, iron, manganese, tungsten, lead, zinc, and molybdenum; industrial mineral resources, including barite, limestone/dolomite, caliche, clay, fluorspar, gypsum, scoria, aggregate, and sand and gravel; and fuels and associated resources, such as oil, gas, tar sand and heavy oil, coal, and gases associated with hydrocarbons. Other commodities that have yet to be identified in economic concentrations include potash, halite, polyhalite, anhydrite, sulfur, feldspar, building stone and decorative rock, brines, various gases associated with oil and gas exploration, and carbon dioxide.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ball, M.M., Dolton, G.L., Mast, R.F., Charpentier, R.R., Henry, M.E., Robinson, Keith, Wandrey, C.J., Crovelli, R.A., Spencer, C.W., and Butler, W.C., 1992, Petroleum geology of the Roswell Resource Area,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 129–142, 146–148.
Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., 1992a, Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, 153 p., 40 figs., 22 tables, 14 maps, 1 appendix, map scale 1∶500,00.
Bartsch-Winkler, 1992b, Industrial mineral resources of the Roswell Resource Area,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 67–87.
Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, and Donatich, A.J., eds., in press, Mineral and energy resources of the Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2063.
Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, and Ball, M.M., 1992, Non-hydrocarbon gas,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 143–145.
Bliss, J.D., ed., 1992, Developments in mineral deposit modeling: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2004, 168 p.
Bliss, J.D., Sutphin, D.M., Mosier, D.L., and Allen, M., 1992, Grade-tonnage and target-area models of Au−Ag−Te veins associated with alkalic rocks: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-208, 15 p.
Breit, G.N., 1992, Vanadium,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 125–126.
Cordell, Lindreth, 1983, Composite residual total intensity aeromagnetic map of New Mexico: National Geophysical Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scale 1∶500,000, 1 sheet.
Cox, D.P., and Singer, D.A., eds., 1986, Mineral deposit models: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1693, 379 p.
Dolton, G.L., Coury, A.B., Frezon, S.E., Robinson, Keith, Varnes, K.L., Wunder, J.M., and Allen, R.W., 1979, Estimates of undiscovered oil and gas, Permian Basin, West Texas and southeast New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-838, p. 1–72.
Drew, L.J., Bliss, J.D., Bowen, R.W., Bridges, N.J., Cox, D.P., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Houghton, J.C., Ludington, S., Menzie, W.D., Page, N.J., Root, D.H., and Singer, D.A., 1986, Quantitative estimation of undiscovered mineral resources — A case study of U.S. Forest Service wilderness tracts in the Pacific Mountain System: Economic Geology, v. 81, no. 1, p. 80–88.
Duval, J.S., 1992, Geophysics of the Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico-Aerial gamma-ray data,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 62–66.
Erdman, J.A., Tidball, R.R., and Tripp, R.B., 1992, Uranium in groundwater and geochemistry of sediments,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 43–58.
Finch, W.I., and McCammon, R.B., 1987, Uranium resource assessment by the Geological Survey-Methodology and plan to update the national resource base: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 994, 31 p.
Finch, W.I., Otton, J.K., and Pierson, C.T., 1992, Uranium deposits and occurrences,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 120–128.
Goudarzi, G.H., comp., 1984, Guide to preparation of mineral survey reports on public lands: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-787, 42 p.
Keney, V.C., 1971, Geology of the Pecos Country, southeastern New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir 24, 72 p.
Korzeb, S.L., and Kness, R.F., 1993, Mineral resource investigation of the Roswell Resource Area, Chaves, Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Lincoln, Quay, and Roosevelt Counties, New Mexico: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report MLA 12-92, 229 p.
Kulik, D.M. 1992, Geophysics of the Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico-Gravity and aeromagnetic data,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 59–62, 64–66.
Mast, R.F., Dolton, G.L., Crovelli, R.A., Root, D.H., Attanasi, E.D., Martin, P.E., Cooke, L.W., Carpenter, G.B., Pecora, W.C., and Rose, M.B., 1989, Estimates of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the United States — A part of the Nation's energy endowment: Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service Special Publication, 44 p.
New Mexico Geological Society,in cooperation with New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, 1982, New Mexico Highway Geologic Map, including representative columnar sections and cross sections, 1 sheet, scale 1∶1,000,000.
Orris, G.J., 1992a, Grade and tonnage model of barite veins,in Orris, G.J., and Bliss, J.D., eds., Industrial mineral deposit models-Grade and tonnage models: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-437, p. 32–34.
Orris, G.J., 1992b, Preliminary grade and tonnage models of marine bedded gypsum,in Orris, G.J., and Bliss, J.D., eds., Industrial mineral deposit models—Grade and tonnage models: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File, Report 92-437, p. 53–55.
Orris, G.J., and Bliss, J.D., eds., 1991, Some industrial mineral deposit models-Descriptive deposit models: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 91-11A, 73 p.
Root, D.H., Menzie, W.D., and Scott, W.A., 1992, Computer simulation in quantitative resource estimation: Nonrenew-able Resources, v. 1, no. 2, p. 125–138.
Root, D.H., and Scott, W.A., 1988, User manual for mineral simulation program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-15, 64 p.
Singer, D.A., and Ovenshine, A.T., 1979, Assessing metallic resources in Alaska: American Scientist, v. 67, no. 5, p. 582–589.
Spirakis, C.S., Sulfur,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 73–75.
Sutphin, D.M., 1992, Estimate of undiscovered mineral resources using the MARK-3 simulator computer program,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 107–119.
Sutphin, D.M. and Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, 1992, Description of deposits,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 96–107, 113–119.
U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service, 1988, Working papers-National assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-373, revised July 1989, 511 p.
Ward, R.E., Kendall, C.G., and Harris, P.M., 1986, Upper Permian (Guadalupian) facies and their association with hydrocarbon-Permian Basin, West Texas and New Mexico: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 70, no. 3, p. 239–262.
Williams-Stroud, Sherilyn, 1992a, Potash,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 67–69.
Williams-Stroud, Sherilyn, 1992b, Iodine and bromine in saline brines and brine deposits,in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, ed., Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 92-0261, p. 72–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bartsch-Winkler, S., Sutphin, D.M., Ball, M.M. et al. Summary of the mineral- and energy-resource endowment, BLM roswell resource area, east-central New Mexico. Nat Resour Res 2, 262–283 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257538
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257538