Graphic Mine: Azurite & Malachite Rockhounding in Socorro County, New Mexico

Plan your visit

Pay-to-dig site

County

Socorro County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

Kelly Road

Postcode

87825

Coordinates

34.09554, -107.20383

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Pay-to-dig site

This is a fee-dig location. Hours, prices, and what you can keep vary by operator. Call ahead before driving out.

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 Graphic Mine

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to November. Typical highs run 81°F in midsummer and 42°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 13°F. At about 7,590 ft, snow can block access from late fall well into spring, so check conditions outside of summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, SOCORRO station (18 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Graphic Mine

This spot sits on intrusive rocks of intermediate to silicic composition, mapped as granitic and syenitic that formed roughly 56 to 3 million years ago. Plutonic rock like this weathers slowly into grus and boulders, and the most productive collecting is typically in weathered zones and drainages.

Mapped unit

intrusive rocks of intermediate to silicic composition

Age

56–3 Ma (Eocene to Pliocene)

Rock types

granitic and syenitic

Elevation

7,590 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.

Sources & 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: April 1, 2026

• Rockhound State Park, Collection rules
• BLM New Mexico
• New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules