El Rito Placer District — Rio Arriba County

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El Rito Placer District — Rio Arriba County

Gold Mining Site NM • Rio Arriba County County
Description
NMBGMR mining district DIS143 (El Rito) — documented placer gold in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Discovery circa 1933; gold occurs in Tertiary–Holocene alluvial fans, terrace gravels, and stream deposits per NMBGMR.
Historical Notes
McLemore (1994) lists El Rito among 36 New Mexico mining districts containing placer gold (NMBGMR Resource Map 24, district DIS143). Estimated placer production: minor or unrecorded placer production from 1828–1991 statewide context (662,000 oz total NM placer production). Production period: 1933. District cumulative production (all commodities): $1,000. Deposit types: placer gold, fluorite veins. Also known as: Vallecitos. Placer gold occurs as native gold and electrum in incised valleys and alluvial fans. Most economic placers were discovered by 1900; recreational panning may find fine colors — verify land status before prospecting. Coordinates approximate the district centroid from NMBGMR Resource Map 24 GIS (DIS143).
Status / Verification active — Verified

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