Chapo Copper Prospect: Copper & Chrysocolla Rockhounding in Grant County, New Mexico
- Minerals reported
- 3
- Elevation
- 4,960 ft
- Best months
- August to May
Chapo Copper Prospect is a mapped rockhounding spot in Grant County, New Mexico. Reported finds include copper, chrysocolla, malachite. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Confirm rules before collecting
- County
- Grant County
- State
- New Mexico
- Nearest road
- Shipping Pens Road
- Coordinates
- 31.82816, -108.27169
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
Land & collecting status
Confirm rules before collecting
Land status here is not confirmed. Verify with the managing agency before collecting, federal, state, and tribal rules differ.
Access note: BLM records active mining claims in this area. Collecting from inside an active claim needs the claim holder's permission.
Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.
Best time to visit Chapo Copper Prospect
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Best months: August to May. Typical highs run 93°F in midsummer and 56°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 23°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, HACHITA 1W station (8 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Geology at Chapo Copper Prospect
This spot sits on ground mapped as shale and limestone that formed roughly 145 to 100 million years ago. Carbonate rock like this dissolves and weathers readily, so fresh road cuts, quarries, and creek exposures are typically the most productive ground.
- Age
- 145–100 Ma (Early Cretaceous)
- Rock types
- shale and limestone
- Elevation
- 4,960 ft
Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.
Today's weather
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Get the appSources & verification
Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.
State guidance last verified:
- Rockhound State Park, Collection rules
- BLM New Mexico
- New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Chapo Copper Prospect
Each name opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Chapo Copper Prospect.
- Owens MineGrant County, New Mexico · 2 mi awayCopper
- Apache MineHidalgo County, New Mexico · 2 mi awayCalcite, Chrysocolla, Malachite
- Queen's Taste MineGrant County, New Mexico · 2 mi awayCopper
- HachitaGrant County, New Mexico · 10 mi awayCerussite, Silver, Stilbite
- Big Hatchet MountainsHidalgo County, New Mexico · 15 mi awayAgate, Moss Opal
- Carrizalillo Mining DistrictLuna County, New Mexico · 17 mi awayThunderegg
- Playas LakeHidalgo County, New Mexico · 18 mi awayFluorite
- Big Diggins MineLuna County, New Mexico · 24 mi awayAgate
Chapo Copper Prospect FAQ
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