New Mexico Mining Tour

2023 Mining History Association

Hammel Museum and Dicaperl Perlite Mine Tour
Socorro, New Mexico

Tour Leader, Bob Spude
June 10, 2023

PHOTO GALLERY 1

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Dicaperl Perlite Mine, Dicalite Management Group

Socorro, New Mexico

https://www.dicalite.com

The second stop on the tour was at the Dicaperl Perlite Mine located a few miles southwest of Socorro. PERLITE is one of those industrial minerals that we use everyday in different forms but know little about. It is essentially a volcanic glass with entrapped water molecules. It is used in its raw form or as an expanded or “popped” material (up to 20 times original volume) manufactured at other company plant sites. It’s many uses include fire resistant sheet rock and ceiling tiles; insulation and fillers; filtration of liquids, beverages, and pharmaceuticals; horticulture (the white particles you see in potting soil); and in metallurgical applications. Want to learn more about perlite? CLICK HERE to download an informative poster. The tour gave us a first-hand view of how perlite is produced.

(Above) Perlite in its raw form produced at the Dicaperl Mine in Socorro.

(Right) Expanded perlite made by heating the raw perlite and another Dicalite plant.

Our tour guides were actual miners who normally worked in the mine when it was operating.

The mine operated from1949-1961 and was restarted in 1975. One of our guides displays a photograph of the early days of the mine’s operation.

From the bus, our first view of the mine showed the dark grey benches in the perlite ore and a white area of volcanic ash which is of no value.

Another view of the mine shows how overburden and other waste material, like the volcanic ash, is backfilling the mined-out portion of the open pit.

Unlike many mines that drill and blast their ore, perlite is ripped by a bulldozer with a ripper tooth mounted at its rear.

Broken ore is loaded into trucks by this backhoe.

The haul trucks were not operating because the mine is normally closed on weekends. Mother Nature was kicking up the dust.

Trucks loaded with ore carry it to a dumping point for the conveyor to the plant.

A half-mile long conveyor belt takes the ore to the processing plant.

Our bus follows the conveyor line to the plant.

The ore from the mine ends up in a stockpile.

Another conveyor under the stockpile brings the ore to the processing equipment.

The plant flowsheet contains crushing and screening equipment to make products in several different sizes.

The final products pass through a rotary kiln to control the moisture content. The finished products are transferred to rail cars for shipment to customers.

Special Thanks to the Socorro County Historical Society

and Dicalite Management Group