Year 
Crude salts, 
mine production 
 
 
Marketable 
potassium salts 
 
 
 
 
 
Production 
 
- 
Sales 
 
 
Gross K,O 
Gross 
K20 
 
Gross 
K,O 
 
 
weight equiv- 
weight 
equiv- 
Value 
weight 
equiv- 
Value 
 
alent 
 
alent 
 
 
alent 
 
1963              
1964             
1965              
1966             
1967             
 16,414 3,083 17,356 3,122 18,557 3,363 20,105 3,528 18,906 3,434 
4,504 
4,585 
4,919 
5,096 
4,950 
2,643 
2,675 
2,848 
2,953 
2,883 
$101,458 
104,861 
117,771 
108,653 
91,098 
4,213 
4,815 
4,607 
4,872 
4,797 
2,484 
2,814 
2,677 
2,827 
2,784 
$94,925 
110,772 
110,424 
104,668 
88,788 
MINERAL INDUSTRY OF NEW MEXICO 
 
 
Table 13.—Potassium salts production and sales 
(Thousand short tons and thousand dollars) 
571 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
duced. Muriate is used by the glass, ceramics, and drug industries. Modification
of the crushing and milling sections was begun to reduce the amount of fine
materials, undesirable for fertilizer use. 
 National Potash Co., a subsidiary of Freeport Sulphur Co., completed construction
of a 35,000-ton-capacity product warehouse at a cost of about $400,000. Potash
was produced from the Eddy mine in Eddy County at the western edge of the
potash basin and from the Lea mine at the refinery 15 miks to the east in
Lea County. The Lea is the only potash mine in Lea County. 
 Southwest Potash Corp., a division of American Metal Climax, Inc., continued
operating at full capacity. At a recently completed compacting plant, fine
material resulting from mining and crushing operations was compacted to provide
a more useful particle size of fertilizer. 
 Kermac Potash Co., an equal partnership of Kerr-McGee Corp. and National
Farmers Union Development Co., also operated at maximum capacity. 
 As of December 31, the seven companies operating in the State had stocks
on hand totaling 655,400 tons of K20 equivalent contained in 1.2 million
tons of product. Production during the year was 2.9 million tons of K20 equivalent
potassium salts: 
and sales were 2.8 million tons. 
 
 Pumice.—Production of pumice, somewhat lower than in 1966, was recorded
at 18 operations in eight counties, compared with 11 mines in six counties
the prior year. 
 Operators active in 1967 but not in 1966 included Associated Materials Co.
which produced volcanic cinders for use as concrete aggregate. The company
operated the Black Mountain and Black Bear 
property near Berino in Dona Ana County. Also in Dona Ana County, R. W. Jones
began producing cinders from the Black Mountain property near Anthony. Near
Carrizozo in Lincoln County, output of scoria was recorded by Gallacher Ranches,
Inc., which sold the material for landscaping and by Twin Peaks Products
Co., which marketed the output for landscaping and roofing aggregate. In
Sandoval County, Utility Block Co., Inc., reportedly began producing pumice
from the Esquire claims. The pumice was used as concrete aggregate. Industrial
Mineral~, Inc., began producing scoria from the Vandaveer mine near Des Moines
in Union County; the property had been worked by Patterson Mining Co. in
1966. Output was used as roofing material. 
 Of the recorded production in 1967, 
68 percent was used as concrete aggregate, 
16 percent as railroad ballast, 6 percent 
as landscaping and roofing material, 5 
percent as cleansing compounds, and 5 
percent for miscellaneous uses. 
 
 Salt.—For the first time the value of annual salt shipments exceeded
$1 million. Output increased 24 percent and value rose 45 percent from the
1966 levels of 66,000 tons and $716,000 respectively. Nearly all of the output
was from Eddy County where the salt was recovered from tailings at potash
refineries. Reportedly, Pioneer Salt Co., Pioneer Water Co., Inc., and Williams
Salt Co. ceased operations during the year. In Catron County, Southwest Salt
Products Co., which produced some solar-evaporated salt from a lake occupying
a volcano crater near Quemado, reportedly was closed. 
 Most of the salt shipped was by New Mexico Salt Co. and The Salt Supply
Co., Inc., of Carlsbad. New Mexico Salt Co.