Abstract. The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) has been collecting data on mining districts, mines, mills, and mineral deposits since it was created in 1927. The NMBGMR has been slowly converting years of historical data into an electronic relational database that eventually will be available on the Web or Internet, as funding becomes available. The database includes information on mining districts, mines, mills, chemistry, photographs (both recent and historic), and bibliography. The available data includes location, production, reserves, geologic, geochemical, resource potential, mining, ownership, and other data. The database is comprised of eight main tables that store data for mines, mining districts, samples, drillhole, waterwells, county, photographs, and projects, with more than 70 supporting tables. Each of these eight tables is linked to the others, where appropriate, and all the supporting tables are linked to one or more of these eight main tables. Once data are entered into appropriate tables and keyed to location, the data can be converted easily to GIS format for displaying on maps. The mine locations are keyed to specific points defined by latitude and longitude, whereas the districts are keyed to polygons. The purposes of this database are to provide computerized data that will aid in identifying and evaluating resource potential, resource development, management, and production, and possible environmental concerns. Environmental concerns include physical hazards (for example hazardous mine openings), indoor radon, regional exposure to radiation from the mines, and point sources of possible pollution in areas of known mineral deposits. These data will be useful to the State of New Mexico, as well as other government agencies to support informed land-use decisions.
