60-17 Critical Minerals Potential of Late Cretaceous Heavy Mineral Beach-Placer Sandstone Deposits of Northern New Mexico

Session: 2YC and 4YCU Geoscience Student Research Poster Showcase

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Abstract:

Heavy mineral beach-placer sandstones are concentrations of heavy minerals that form through mechanical separation of lighter and heavier sediments by nearshore wave action. Late Cretaceous beach-placer sandstones in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico are enriched in critical minerals such as titanium, zirconium, niobium, and rare earth elements (REE). Critical minerals are non-fuel minerals that are essential to the economy and national security and are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Many critical minerals are becoming increasingly important in modern times due to their various usages in electronic applications, such as cell phones, computer monitors, and wind turbines.

Beach placer sandstones in San Juan (Sanostee and Standing Rock) and McKinley (Hogback and Star Lake) counties were first identified in the 1950s using airborne gamma ray radiometric surveys, conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and later confirmed on the ground with handheld scintillation counters. In this study, geochemical and mineralogical data are used to calculate mineral endowments in these areas. Each area is mapped and samples are collected. A split of each sample was submitted to USGS and ALS laboratories for whole rock geochemistry to estimate major and trace elements. Samples were found with elevated concentrations of TiO 2 (up to 29.4 %), Zr (up to 1%), Nb (up to 590 ppm), V (up to 1,700 ppm), Cr (up to 1,800 ppm), and TREE (up to 13,260 ppm). The chemical analyses are only proxies for actual mineral concentrations, which are an ideal candidate for future work. Using geologic maps, field observations, and ArcGIS tools, total volumes are calculated. Most New Mexico deposits are not currently economic enough to warrant exploitation because of their small size. If import prices increase or supply chains are disrupted, it could become more economical to exploit New Mexico deposits.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10695

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