Copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc production in Dona Ana, southern Grant, Hidalgo and Luna Counties, New Mexico
— Virginia T. McLemore

Copper, gold, silver, lead and zinc have been produced from 25 mining districts in Dona Ana, southern Grant, Hidalgo and Luna Counties since 1880. Seven types of base and precious metal deposits occur in these districts: placer, volcanic-epithermal, sedimentary-hydrothermal barite-fluorite-galena (copper/silver), carbonate-hosted lead-zinc, Laramide skarn, Laramide vein and Precambrian vein and replacement deposits. The Lordsburg district in Hidalgo County was the largest producing district with production amounting to more than $60 million; 229 million pounds of copper; 259,000 ounces of gold; 7.2 million ounces of silver; 11 million pounds of lead; and four million pounds of zinc were produced. Lead production from the Cooke's Peak district in Luna County amounted to over 50 million pounds. The mineral resource potential is high in these and other districts in southwestern New Mexico.