111 Hill Hill State Geological h» yfflra I I ,.":: i URBANA ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 3 3051 00000 1911 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/fluorspardeposit58bast STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION DIVISION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief BULLETIN NO. 58 THE FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF HARDIN AND POPE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS BY EDSON S. BASTIN «XK?S25S PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATEIOF.ILLINOIS URBANA, ILLINOIS 1931 STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION M. F. Walsh, Director BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION M. F. Walsh, Chairman Edson S. Bastin, Geology Henry C. Cowles, Botany William A. Noyes, Chemistry Charles M. Thompson, Representing John W. Alvord, Engineering the President of the University of William Trelease, Biology Illinois STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIVISION M. M. Leighton, Chief Jeffersons Printing &. Stationery Co. Springfield, Illinois bs 7 CONTENTS Page Chapter I —Introduction 9 Location of district 9 Historical summary 10 Earlier geologic reports 11 Types of fluorspar deposits 12 Chapter II—Vein deposits 13 Distribution 13 Vein walls 13 Evidence of replacement 14 Ragged limestone remnants 16 Stylolitic structures 17 Diffusion banding 22 Summary 24 Minerals of the veins- 25 Fluorite 25 Calcite 25 Quartz 25 Galena 26 Sphalerite 27 Pyrite 29 Chalcopyrite 30 Barite 30 Gypsum 31 Cuprite and malachite 31 Relations between calcite and fluorite 31 Oil and bitumen in the veins 37 Vugs 38 Directional deposition in vugs 39 Two generations of fluorite 41 Purple coloration of fluorite around pyrite and chalcopyrite crystals 42 Solution cavities and "mud runs" 42 Chapter III—Blanket deposits 45 General statement 45 Distribution 45 Mining methods 45 Occurrence 46 Two types of ore 46 46 Vugs , Influence of structure 47 Influence of stratigraphy 47 Influence of texture of the country rock 48 Extent of mineralization 49 Chapter III—Continued Page Origin 49 Mineralogy of the blanket deposits 55 General 55 Primary fluorite 57 Secondary fluorite 57 Solution of primary fluorite 58 Primary calcite 58 Secondary calcite 59 Solution of primary calcite 59 Barite 60 Origin of barite 61 Quartz 62 Galena 62 Chalcopyrite 63 Marcasite 63 Oil and bitumen 64 Chapter IV—Origin of the fluorspar deposits 67 Chapter V—Mine data, vein deposits 69 Rosiclare vein 69 Vein widths 70 Behavior in depth 70 Zinc content 71 Reserves and production 71 Hillside vein 72 Mine workings > 73 Vein walls and included fragments 73 Variation along the vein 75 Faulting after mineralization : . .. 75 Production 76 Blue Diggings vein 76 Appearance of Blue Diggings vein in Daisy mine 77 Argo Vein 77 Daisy vein 78 Production 79 Dimmick prospect shaft No. 2 80 Eureka Fluorspar mine 80 Clement-Dyspeck prospects 81 Indiana or Hillside No. 2 mine 81 Martin mine 82 Webber-Wood mine 82 Preen prospect 82 Twitchell mine 82 Pell mine 83 Stewart mine 83 Baker or Eichorn mine 83 Rose mine 84 Hamp mines 84 Lee mine 84 Eureka lead mine 85 Chapter V—Continued Page F. E. Martin prospect 85 Douglas mines 85 Pierce mine 86 Empire mine 86 Wallace Millikan prospect 87 Knight mine 87 Baldwin mine 88 Crabb prospect 88 Big Joe prospect 88 Chapter VI—Mine data, blanket deposits 89 Spar Mountain mines 89 Green and Defender mines 91 Victory Fluorspar mine 91 Crystal Fluorspar mine 92 Cave in Rock mine 92 Robinson Mine 94 C. M. Miller mine 94 Renfro prospect 95 Chapter VII—Mining and milling 97 General 97 Mining 97 Milling 99 Analysis 100 Chapter VIII—Marketing, uses, and production of fluorspar 101 ILLUSTRATIONS Plate Page _ I. Topographic map of Hardin County and adjoining part of Pope County, Illinois, showing location of fluorspar mines Pocket II. Map showing principal fluorspar mines in the vicinity of Rosiclare Pocket III. Cross-section along Rosiclare vein system showing the principal shafts, levels, and stopes Pocket IV. Cross-section along Hillside vein showing the shafts, levels and stopes -facing 72 V. Plan and cross-section of Blue Diggings mine workings facing 76 VI. Plan and cross-section of Daisy mine workings facing 78 VII. Plan of principal fluorspar working at Spar Mountain facing 90 VIII. Mill flow-sheet of Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Mining Company .... facing 98 IX. Mill flow-sheet of Hillside Fluorspar Mines Company facing 100 Figure Page 1. Index map showing the location of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar district---. 9 2. Diagrammatic cross-section showing stratigraphic and structural relations in the vicinity of Rosiclare 13 3. Daisy vein in the 412-foot level of the Daisy mine 14 4. Diagrammatic sketch showing how replacement banding extends farthest into the limestone along fractures 15 5. Rock specimen showing remnants of dark gray limestone surrounded by vein calcite 17 6. Typical stylolite seam in Salem limestone 18 7. Stylolite structure in gray limestone mineralized by new calcite 19 8. White vein calcite separated by irregular stylolitic partings from gray limestone 20 9. A stylolitic parting separating light colored calcite and fluorite from dark limestone 20 10. An advanced stage of replacement of stylolitic limestone 21 11. Nearly complete replacement of stylolitic limestone 22 12. Banded ore from Cullen Mine near Salem, Kentucky 23 13. Associated vein calcite and gray limestone, traversed by stylolitic parting 23 14. Vein breccia from dump of Hillside mine 24 15. Diagrammatic representations of the sequence of mineral deposition in speci- mens from Hilside mine 26 16. Photomicrograph showing Galena veinlet replacing fluorspar 28 17. Photomicrograph showing Galena replacing calcite 28 18. Diagrams showing probable sequence of mineral deposition in specimens from Hillside mine 29 19. Sketch showing veinlet of fluorite traversing vein calcite and limestone in- clusions 32 20. Sketch showing entire width of vein at one locality in Hillside mine 32 21. Calcite vein material traversed by irregular veinlets of fluorite 33 22. Network of purple fluorite veinlets traversing calcite vein material 33 23. Mixture of calcite and fluorite in Hillside mine 34 24. Photomicrograph showing fluorite replacing calcite 35 Figure . Page 25. Photomicrograph of fine intergrowth of calcite and fluorite 36 26. Diagrams representing the sequences of mineral deposition in specimens from Hillside mine 38 27. Crystalline fluorite coated with scalenohedral crystals of calcite 39 28. Diagram representing the sequences of mineral deposition in specimens from Rosiclare and Hillside veins 41 29. V-Shaped diffusion banding in fluoritic material along small fractures 48 30. Sketch showing stylolitic structure forming boundary between limestone and fluorite '. 50 31. Microscopic stylolitic partings preserved in banded material 51 32. Photomicrograph (polarized light) of banded fluorite material from Lead Hill 52 33. Photomicrograph (natural light) of banded fluorite material from Lead Hill.. 52 34. Diffusion banding in fluorspar at Cave in Rock mine, Spar Mountain 53 35. Diffusion banding in fluoritic material from Lead Hill 54 36. Calcite crystal with barite coating 59 37. Barite replacing limestone along bedding planes 60 38. Sketches showing irregular replacement of limestone by barite 61 39. Sketch showing negative crystal faces of fluorite and inclusions of chalcopyrite, petroleum, and marcasite along transition plane from yellow to blue fluorite 63 40. Sketches of marcasite inclusions in fluorite 63 41. Main shaft and mill of Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Mining Company 69 42. Main shaft and mill of Hillside Fluorspar Mines Company 73' 43. Sketch showing limestone fragments in a vein in Hillside mine 74 44. Plan showing position of shafts and pits at Empire mine 86 45. Open pit at Spar Mountain, Benzon Fluorspar Company 90 46. Plan of lower workings of Cave in Rock mine 93 47. Generalized flow-sheet of a fluorspar mill 98 48. Graph showing production of fluorspar in the United States 102 THE FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF HARDIN AND POPE GOUNTIES, ILLINOIS By Edson S. Bastin CHAPTER I Introduction location of district One of the most important, if not the most important, fluorspar-produc- ing areas in the world comprises the southeastern part of Illinois and the western part of Kentucky and is designated as the Kentucky-Illinois district (Fig. 1). The Illinois portion of the district lies in Hardin and eastern Pope Fig. 1. Index map showing the location of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar district. counties, and all the important deposits in the State are near the towns of Rosiclare and Cave in Rock on Ohio River (Fig. 1 and PI. I). In Kentucky (9) 10 FLUORSPAR IN ILLINOIS the district extends over six counties, but the principal mines are in Crittenden and Livingston counties. The producing district is approximately 40 miles square. The Illinois portion of the district may be reached via Illinois Central Railroad, of which a branch line terminates at Rosiclare, or via State Highway No. 34 to Elizabethtown • and Golconda from Harrisburg, 25 miles north. HISTORICAL SUMMARY "Attention seems to have been first attracted to the Kentucky-Illinois district by the occurrence of the brilliantly colored fluorite. In early Amer- ican geologic literature there are numerous references a to this fluorspar, or "fluate of lime," as it was then called. It was usually noted as coming from Shawneetown, Illinois, as that was the nearest town of any size. The galena which occurs associated with the fluorite was probably noticed very early in the nineteenth century, but it was not until some years after the settlement of the country that any serious attempt was made to mine it. The first im- portant mining venture seems to have been that of a company headed by President Andrew Jackson, which undertook development near the site of the present Columbia mines, in 1835, in Crittenden County, Kentucky. In Illinois fluorspar seems to have been first discovered in place in 1839 when it was encountered with galena in sinking a well on the Anderson farm on 1 what is now the property of the Fairview (Franklin) Fluorspar Company." In 1842 Mr.