THREE NEW MINERALS FROM NEW MEXICO: RAY, VIRGIL & STUART

 

I was perusing articles from www.earth.com and ran across great news for RMFMS rockhounds. Geologists have discovered three new minerals from Cookes Peak in Luna County, New Mexico. According to MinDat.org “Cookes Peak is a 2,563 m (8,408 ft) high granodiorite mountain peak located approximately 27 km (17 miles) N of the city of Deming. Cookes Peak Mining District is a lead-zinc-silver mining district that produced about $4.2 million worth of ore between 1876 and 1965 from carbonate replacements and veins… Economic mineral deposits in the Cookes Range include galena (lead), sphalerite (zinc), silver, copper, gold, manganese, and fluorite.” However, the ore-depositing hydrothermal solutions also left behind oxidized cavities containing rare molybdic acid hydrate minerals: raydemarkite MoO₃-H₂O (Triclinic lattice); virgilluethite MoO₃-H₂O (Monoclinic sheet structure); and stunorthropite {NH₄}₄[Mo₂O₆(MoO₄)₂]. Now, I don’t even pretend to understand anything about the hydrated forms of molybdenum trioxide; however, I understand the origins of the mineral names. And these origins should excite rockhounds.

Ray DeMark seems to have spent several lifetimes exploring and collecting minerals from New Mexico but is best known as the claim owner of the Blanchard Mine who is always willing to lead rock/mineral clubs on a collecting foray. The Blanchard Mine, part of the Hansonberg Mining District, is located in the Rio Grande Rift Zone southeast of Socorro. Every collector who has followed Ray into the mine area has come away with a collecting bag stuffed with fluorite, galena, barite, brochantite, and others, including linerite (if lucky). The Mine is best known for specimens of electric blue fluorite (Bingham Blue), and for Ray DeMark and his unlimited generosity of sharing with rockhounds.

Virgilluethite was named for Dr. Virgil W. Lueth, emeritus senior mineralogist/economic geologist from the New Mexico Bureau of Geology.  Rockhounds and mineralogists will recognize Virgil as the former director of the Bureau’s Mineral Museum from 1994 to 2022 and his leadership in the Museum’s premiere annual event, the New Mexico Mineral Symposium. The Symposium is unique in that it provides a forum for both professionals and amateurs to share information and knowledge of mineral occurrences. During Virgil’s tenure with the Symposium, he seemed to be everywhere greeting visitors, showing off the collections, and making certain the coffee arrived on time. The 45^th Symposium will be held on November 7-9, 2025.

Stunorthropite was named for Dr. Stuart A. Northrop (1904–1994), a professor of geology at the University of New Mexico from 1928 to 1969. He is the author of Minerals of New Mexico, the most comprehensive work on the state’s mineralogy. First published in 1944, it has undergone several major revisions and is currently in its third edition. In 2016 the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico launched the initial Dr. Stuart A. Northrop Distinguished Lecture Series noting contributions to the UNM Department of Geology during his long tenure as Chairman (1929-1961) were profound. He laid the foundation of the present department, including the creation of the MS and PhD programs and the construction of the department's building, which now bears his name.

So, there it is—three new minerals from New Mexico honoring three of the best known RMFMS rockhounds/geologists from the Land of Enchantment.  Fantastic photos of the three new minerals may be seen at https://www.nmt.edu/news/2025/new-minerals.php.