Lake Lucero, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Lake Lucero | Dry Lake |
| Doña Ana County | County |
| New Mexico | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
32° 41' 30'' North , 106° 26' 44'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Organ | 323 (2011) | 32.8km |
| White Sands | 1,651 (2017) | 34.7km |
| Holloman Air Force Base | 3,054 (2011) | 36.7km |
| Boles Acres | 1,638 (2011) | 44.8km |
| Doña Ana | 1,211 (2011) | 48.1km |
Mindat Locality ID:
49087
Long-form identifier:
1:2:49087:1
GUID (UUID V4):
087aff04-abed-4d16-8bc4-0720132f28f7
In wet periods, water evaporating slowly on the playa floor causes gypsum to be deposited in a crystalline form called selenite. Along Lake Lucero's shore and in the Alkali Flat, beds of selenite crystals—some three feet long—cover the ground. These formed in glacial Lake Otero sediment, from gypsum originally dissolved from beds in the San Andres Mountains to the west. The forces of nature— freezing and thawing, wetting and drying—eventually break down the crystals into sand-size particles light enough to be moved by the wind. All of the gypsum sand in the dune field was formed by the breakdown of selenite crystals, most of which represent recycling of gypsum crystals from the evaporite phase of drying Lake Otero.
The Lake Lucero area is situated within the western part of the Monument that is shared with the surrounding White Sands Missile Range known as the "zone of co-operative use" and not normally open to the public. It can be visited by signing up for a NPS ranger-led tour. Because access is across part of the missile range, the tour leaves at specific times and must be escorted to another gate at the SW corner of the monument. See external link below.
Coordinates are for the approximate area of the tour.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities7 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Borax Formula: Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O Reference: U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
| ⓘ Glauberite Formula: Na2Ca(SO4)2 Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed. |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed.; 2008 New Mexico Mineral Symposium abstracts |
| ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed.; 2008 New Mexico Mineral Symposium abstracts |
| ⓘ Halite Formula: NaCl Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed.; U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
| ⓘ Malachite Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed. |
| ⓘ Mirabilite Formula: Na2SO4 · 10H2O Reference: Minerals of New Mexico 3rd ed.; U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
| ⓘ 'Psilomelane' Reference: U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
| ⓘ Pyrolusite Formula: Mn4+O2 Reference: U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
| ⓘ 'Wad' Reference: U.S. Geological Survey (2005) Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Halite | 3.AA.20 | NaCl |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Pyrolusite | 4.DB.05 | Mn4+O2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Group 6 - Borates | |||
| ⓘ | Borax | 6.DA.10 | Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Glauberite | 7.AD.25 | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | var. Selenite | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Mirabilite | 7.CD.10 | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| Unclassified Minerals, Rocks, etc. | |||
| ⓘ | 'Psilomelane' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Wad' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| H | ⓘ Borax | Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O |
| B | Boron | |
| B | ⓘ Borax | Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| O | ⓘ Borax | Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O |
| O | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Na | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Na | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Borax | Na2(B4O5)(OH)4 · 8H2O |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Mn | Manganese | |
| Mn | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
References
Sort by
Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)2008 New Mexico Mineral Symposium abstracts (2008).
Minerals of New Mexico, 3rd ed.
Alto, B.R., Fulton, R.S., and Haigler, L.B., (1977), Salines, in Mineral and Water Resources of New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Bulletin 87, P. 299-306
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10062531 |
|---|
External Links
Localities in this Region
- New Mexico
- Doña Ana County
- Lake Lucero
- Doña Ana County
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Mazatzal DomainDomain
- Orogrande BasinBasin
- Tularosa BasinBasin
USA
- New Mexico
- White Sands National ParkNational Monument
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Lake Lucero, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA