Strontium Minerals from Wise County, Virginia - an Update 1 2 D

Vol. 29 May 1983 No. 2

STRONTIUM MINERALS FROM WISE COUNTY, VIRGINIA - AN UPDATE 1 2 D. Allen Penick and Lynn D. Haynes The two principal minerals containing Strontianite crystallizes in the ortho- strontium, celestite and strontianite, have rhcanbic crystal system, and in Wise Funty been found in relative abundance in the area usually forms dull globular msses terrmnat- around East Stone Gap in Wise County, Vir- ed by acicular crystals. Crystals are gen- @ ginia. Celestite is strontium sulfate erally white and often can be seen as small (SrS04) and contains 56.4 percent strontium sprays attached to the celestite crystals. oxide. The name celestite is derived fm The mineral has a specific gravity of 3.7, the Latin mrd caelistis "of the sky" in hardness of 3.5 to 4, and good primtic reference to the typical blue color. Crys- cleavage. tals are predminantly blue and zoned in According to R. V. Dietrich (1970) and J. color but can also be red, green, or brown. A. Speer (1977) , strontium minerals have The mineral crystallizes in the ortho- been reported frcm seven different areas in rhcmbic crystal system and can fom thin to Virginia. These localities, all in the Val- thick heavy tabular crystals elongated along ley and Ridge Province, extend frcm Wise the b-axis; prismatic crystals elongated County in Southwest Virginia to Frederick along the a-axis; or equant crystals elon- County in the northwestern corner of the gated on the c-axis. Crystals can also have State (Figure 1). All exposures except two pyramidal faces with good terminations. Ce- have been located in Upper Silurian Cayugan lestite has a high specific gravity of close Age rocks (Cambrian Elbrook Formation and to 4 and a hardness of 3 to 3.5. Cleavage is perfect parallel to the base and poor parallel to the prim. The mineral strontianite is strontium carbonate (SrCK) ) and contajns 70 percent strontium oxiL. ~llthe strontianite in Wise County is probably calciostrontianite where calcium content varies from 7.5 to 15 percent (Mitchell and Pharr , 1960 and 1961) . Hmever, for the sake of brevity, the mineral will be referred to as strontianite in this report. Strontianite is named for the ldity at Strontian, Argyll,- Scotland. Figure 1. Strantium mineral ocmmences reported in Virginia. Localities are: 1. East Stone Gap - Wise County; 2. Hayters Gap - washing.ton County; 3. salt- 0 Sirsinia Division of Mineral Fk-ces, Charlottesville ville- Smyth County 4. Dublin - Pulaski County %Ginia Division of Mined Land Wlamtion, Big Stone Harrisanburg - Roclungham County 6. Fulks Run - Gap RDckingham County 7. Hayfield - Frederick County. 14 VIRGINIA DMSION OF MllERAL RESCURCES Vol. 29

the Ordovician Athens Formation are the ex- with crystallization. This contact mks ceptions). The celestite occurrences in the approximite maximm depth of excavation Wise County are entirely within the Hand in the quarry because the tan dolanite is, Limestone which is Upper Silurian. The in mst cases, too soft to be used as a con- Hancock is synonymus with the Tonolcway struction aggregate. For this reason, the Limestone in northern Virginia. quarry depth is not over 70 feet in mst Strontium minerals frm Wise County, were areas. first recognized by R. F. Pharr in 1958. Hand digging in the quarry floor exposed Both celestite and strontianite were found mre brecciated, vuggy areas which contained in a quarry operated by G. H. Belton along celestite. As these shallow excavations State Faad 613 near East Stone Gap. Since exposed celestite over a large area, it be- then six additional occurrences of strontium came apparent that the entire quarry floor minerals have ken observed by the authors represents the top of the dolanite host in the area around East Stone Gap. This ar- rock. Since the celestite occurs over such ticle reviews these occurrences and briefly a large surface area, it is conceivable, describes the geology and varied crystal given sufficient thickness and grade, that habits associated with the different sites. the strontium may exist in carmercial quan- A brief discussion of econanic considera- tities in the quarry. The quarry mnagement tions and scm thoughts on origin are also was notified of the strontium occurrence and included. in the spring of 1981 expressed an interest Most of the crystals described in the re- in sgne preliminary developwrit work. Con- port and sham in the photqraphs can be sequently, four pits were excavated with a seen at the Division of Mineral Resources backhoe and all four revealed strontium min- building in Charlottesville . eralization. The distance from pit 1 to pit 4 is approximtely 600 feet (Figure 2). In EAST STONE GAP QUARRY addition, bm drill holes were completed in the vicinity of pits 2 and 3 using the The East Stone Gap quarry in Wise County quarry air-trac drill. Both of these drill has ken an active operation since the late holes were collared where strontium minerals 1960's and supplies crushed stone to local were observed. Haever, because of the industry and lime dust for use in nearby difficulty in collecting saqles for analy- coal mines. This quarry is approximately sis, the results of the drilling were incon- 2000 feet frm the Belton quarry where clusive. Any further drilling on the site strontium minerals were first recognized in should be done with a core drill, so that the area. the core can be studied and split for &- The East Stone Gap quarry has long been tailed analysis. noted for producing fine scalenohedral cdl- As stated previously, all production frm cite crystals up to 3 inches in length with the quarry is fmthe upper 70-80 feet of clear, -&aq tehrinations. The authors were actually on an expedition to collect the calcite when the strontium minerals were encountered. Small, blue, tabular crystals were observed in vugs directly below the horizon in the quarry which produced the best calcite crystals. These crystals were first noted in the fall of 1980. The blue crystals were later verified by X-ray analy- PIT 3 A sis to be celestite. In addition, small, white, globular masses of strontianite could often be observed attached to the celestite in the vugs. Although -11 calcite crystals were found associated with the celestite, the large crystals found in Overlying beds were absent. Often 1 nrbly terminated calcite crystals were observed attached to the celestite. A verv distinct contact is evident near the q&ry floor elevation between the overlying blue dense lhs- and the tan Figure 2. Locality 9 at the southeastern end of the brecciated dolanite which contains the theEast rmarmStone Gapflmr. quarry. FourRinerals pits were amu excavated in pit.into celestite crystals. This overlying ld- The Devonian Wildcat Valley Sandstone (5-10 feet) caps Q stone appears to be ahmst devoid of vugs the uuter quarry walls. (DH denotes drill hole.) No. 2 VIXINIA MI

the Hancock Limestone. Strontim mineralization was not observed in this upper horizon. Approximately 10 feet of highly weathexed and fossiliferous Wildcat Valley Sandstone forms the quarry rim above the Hancock. Much of the sandstone has been weathered fmthe rim and gccd fossils can often be found near the base of the highwall in the quarry. The generalized geologic column shown in Figure 3 depicts conditions as they exist in the quarry. The strata within the quarry generally strike N40°E and dip low. The celestite £ran the quarry has a wide range of crystal habits, including: Figure 4. A group of clear light blue tabular celes- 1. very thin, tabular, almost bladelike tite crystals. Largest crystals 0.2 inch. Etching seen on large crystal may represent beginning of alteration crystals up to 0.2 inches in length to strontianite. Speck is 2.5 inches in length (pit colorless to light blue in color no. 4). (Figure 4) . white to pale blue tabular crystals 3. pale blue, blocky crystals to 0.5 inch in length; sane shw double tennina- (thicker than 1); sg.rrt crystals occur tions. in clusters (saxre size as 1) . 4. colorless, gray or pale blue to dm blue prismtic crystals to 1 'inch in length. Devonian Ivaiky lo#.! ;: .;. . 5. prim-like celestite crystals with ss. '...... pyramidal faces up to 1 inch in length. Sam have excellent blue color; the best sanples are fmpit 4 Thick- bedded in quarry (Figure 5). limestone 6. Equant crystals which are usually gqand have excellent blue color. (up to 0.2 inches in diamter) . 7. Amber colored scalenahedral calcite Laminated fine- crystals on tabular celestite crystals IHancocd~~ rained limestone (Figure 6). Mycrystals show etching and color band- Lime- stone Fine-grained ing or zoning. Rarely, celestite occurs as massive cross-fiber vein filling in the dol- Silurian vuggy dolomite mite and can be especially noted in pit 3 contains celestite in the quarry. As mntioned previously, and strontianite strontianite and calcite are often found associated with the celestite. Other minerals noted during the study were minor fluo- rite and pyrite. Laminated fine- grained limestone

Sandstone with sandy shale and limestone layers

Rose Hill - ..-.- ~- 1 Fm. ~T'.'LZZ~

Figure 3. General stratigraphic section of the Hancock Figure 5. An exceptional prism-like celestite crystal Limestone in the East Stone Gap quarry and vicinity. with pyramidal faces. 'Jke crystal, which is 0.8 inch Strontium minerals occur in the vuggy dolanite in the in length with good blue color, was found in the East middle of the lhstone. Stone Gap quarry (pit no. 4) . 16 VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL FasOmmS Vol. 29

Figure 6. A vug in dolanite showing amber colored Figure 8. Vug in dolanite showing white globular mass scalenohedral calcite crystals (largest 0.7 inch) on of stronMte. Mass measures 0.4 inch x 0.6 inch and tabular celestite crystals. Saw celestite has smaller is teminated by dlacicular crystals (site no. 1). calcite crystals attached, (East Stone Gap qwmy - pit no. 1). with highly etched colorless calcite crystals, line vugs in the dolanite. No celes- STRONTIUM LOCALITIES tite was observed. The extent of etching indicates strontianite is secondary after Because of the abundance of strontium min- celestite (Figure 8) erals in the East Stone Gap quarry, the au- . thors searched elsewhere in the area and Site 2 Hanmk kstone - approximtely 3 found five additional sites containing feet of thin-bedded doltmite exposed in a strontium minerals. A generalized geologic small dirt roadway 1200 feet east of site 1. map is shown on Figure 7 which shms the A single etched celestite crystal was found location of these occurrences. at about the sam stratigraphic interval as It should be noted that all the sites are site 1. Strontianite was not observed. located on private property and pefinission Wildcat Valley Sandstone caps the hilltop must be obtained prior to entrance. approxinately 80 feet above the outcrop.

Site 1 HaXlCCCk LiItEstone (N87OW 2O0NE) - ap- Site 3 m-k +awe (~550W100~~) - 10 proximately 15 feet of thin-bedded dark Fay f,tflight to gray doltmite in the dolhte in a roadcut near the Big Stone Gap r-dcutfor the Big Stone Gap exit ramp off citylimitsonoldU-S.=~Y 239 Abun- -u.~.HigMy23, 3200feeteast ofBig dant masses of acicular strontianite, along stone mp city limits. very -11 globular masses of acicular strontianite with abundant small calcite crystals occur in wigs in the dolanite. No celestite was observed by the authors; haever, celestite crystals collected by others frm this site have been examined. Site 4 Hancock Limestone (N18OW llONE) - thin-bedded gray to brawn dolmite in an excavation 500 feet southeast of site 3. Abun- dant celestite and strontianite were observed in vugs in the dolcanite. The vugs are nodular in apparance and may represent re- placement of anhy-kite nodules by strontium minerals. Dark blue celestite crystals up to 3 inches in length were found in one cav- noncock Limestone ity along with strontianite masses 1 inch in diameter. --- .I Site 5 HanCQCk Limestone - a single tabular, colorless celestite crystal (0.1 inch in length) was found in a vug limed with Figure 7. Generalized geologic map showing knawn s~llcolorless calcite crystals. The dolo- occurrences of strontium minerals in Wise ~ounty(after mite in this roadcut is poorly exposed due Miller, 1965) . to vegetation. No. 2 VIRGINIA I'lmEmx 17

Site 6 East Stone Gap quarry, Hancock Line horizontal to a dip of 10" along the axis up stone - previously described. to a dip angle of 70' at the fault intersection. The tm major areas of strontium concentration appear to be directly related Site 7 Belton quarry - Hancock Limestone - to the axis of the -11 Valley anticline this old quarry just east of East Stone Gap where dips are low. This fault is an exten- was the first reported occurrence of stron- sion of the zone as the Williams Cove tium minerals in Wise County (Pharr and Mit- fault on the geologic map of the Big Stone chell, 1959). At the time Pharr and Mitchell Gap quadrangle (Miller, 1965) . dedthis quarry, operations had already ceased and only a few etched celestites and THOUGHTS ON ORIGIN a few spechens of strontianite were observed in vugs in the flat-lying dolmite. A Because this report is preliminary in na- recent examhation of this quarry reveals ture, only brief remarks will be made con- vugs with calcite crystals but little evi- cerning the origin of the strontium miner- dence of strontium minerals. The strontium als. Strontium exists in seawater to the minerals appear to be susceptible to weath- extent of 8 mg per liter (Fairbridge, 1972) . ering and mst of the vugs are ahst hollow According to Rankama and Sahama (1950), the with only shattered remnants remaining. bulk of strontium is separated from brines in a shallaw water enviromt and goes into anhydrite and polyhalite. Both minerals GEOLOGY ordinarily contain strontiun; in fact, celestite is dlmost always associated with an- The Upper Silurian Hancock hstone un- hydrite. In the Wise County deposits, cel- derlies mch of the pre-Pennsylvanian area estite was probably fonrred in vugs as a re- of Wise County (Figure 7). The Hancock Lime- placgnent of the anhydrite nodules. A simi- stone is mainly ccmposed of thin-bedded mag- lar origin for celestite in Frederick County nesian limestones and dolcxnites with a few was proposed by Rogers (1965) . Large nod- thin sandstone beds at the base of the for- ules (up to 20 pounds) containing celestite mation (Figure 3) . bere noted at site 4 and pit 4 in the East Tkr! lhstone, which is approximately 200 Stone Gap quarry. Adding strength to this feet thick, overlies the shales, siltstones, possibility is the fact that X-ray diffrac- @ and sandstones of the Silurian Rose Hill tion pr,ints show prminent anhydrite peaks Fonnation and underlies the highly fossilif- associated with the celestite. eraus Wildcat Valley Sandstone (Devonian). Celestite is also very often associated This sandstone caps many of the small knobs with the remains of marine organisms which and ridges in the study area. The Wildcat originally built shells consisting of arago- Valley Sandstone, which has a calcium car- nite. When aragonite is converted into cal- bonate cement, is generally deeply weather- cite, strontium is set free and may migrate ed, leaving a residue of very sandy soil as a sulfate (celestite). This could be containing abundant silicified fossils. Nu- evidenced by celestite occurring directly merous brachiopods, rugose and tabular cor- adjacent to the horizon in the quarry con- als, bryozoa, and crinoid colurtmals were ob- taining abundant calcite. served in the weathered rock which forms the The occurrence and texture of strontianite rim of the East Stone Gap quarry. On the suggests that it is secondary after celes- other hand, the Hancock Limestone in the tite. This may be because of the effect of area is generally non-fossiliferous and was carbonic acid on celestite. Sane sanples prabably formed in tidal enviromt. show this alteration process well with small Celestite and strontianite are found in calcite crystals attached to celestite cry- vugs, fractures, veins, and nodules in thin stals which are beginning to alter to stron- doldtes near the middle of the Hancock tianite. Most celestite crystals which have Limestone. To date, all strontium mineral- undergone this process shw a large degree ization has occurred within this dolcanite of etching. One specimen from site 4 shws horizon. Ttm primary areas of concentration the ccmplete cycle with blue celestite, have been defined at this time, one at the etched calcite turning white, .and finally intersection of new U. S. Highway 23 and old ccmplete transfomtion into strontianite. highway 23 near Big Stone Gap and the second area northeast of East Stone Gap at the old ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS Belton quarry and the active East Stone Gap quarry- Currently, the major use of strontium is he axis of the p-11 valley anticline in the manufacturing of glass for color @ dissects the area with strata ranging from television tubes. The strontium acts as a 18 VIRGINIA DIVISION OF ixlNEmL RESOURCES Vol. 29 radiation shield blocking secondaxy X-ray quarry should be done to determine if cam- emissions. The second mst important use is mercial munts of strontium are present. in pyrotechnics and signals such as flares This quarry presents an excellent opportun- and tracer amnunition. Strontium has the ity to study a relatively unique deposit. ability to impart a brilliant crimson color Additional information on the ecodc& of to a flm. In addition, ferrite-ceramic strontium minerals can be found in Taylor, pnmnent magnets containing strontium are 1980. used in electric mtors that are lighter, mre ccmpact and cheaper than those using ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS mtal field electrcmgnets. Strontium carbonate is used in the production of high The writers would like to express their purity electrolytic zinc. Although metallic thanks to Myron Salyer, Richard S. Mitchell, strontium is not used to a very large ex- Shirley Pearson, Palmer Sweet, Ollie Ford- tent, thyuse of lead-strontium alloys in ham, Tbm Gathright, and Uuis Valente who dtenance-free storage batteries may lead assisted with various aspects of this re- to an increased demand for the mtal. At the port. Thanks should also be extended to the present time, there are no satisfactory sub- East Stone Gap quarry management who offered stitutes for the major uses of strontium their personnel and equipmt freely toward developing a better understanding of the de- Although the econcanic potential of the posit. Wise County deposit has not been evaluated at this time, there are several important REFERENCES factors to be considered: 1. Over mst of the study area the depos- Dietrich, R. V., 1970, Minerals of Virginia: it either crops out or underlies a re- The Williams Printing Co., 325 p. latively thin cover of the upper Han- Fairbridge, R. W., 1972, Encyclopedia of cock Linestone and the Wildcat Valley geochemistry and enviro~tal sciences: Sandstone. In the East Stone Gap quar- Van Norstrand Reinhold Co. , 1321 p. ry proper, all strata overlying the Goldschmidt, V. M., 1954, Geochemistry: Ox- mineralization has been stripped off, ford, Clarendon Press, 730 p. leaving the entire zone exposed with Miller, R. L., 1965, Geologic map of the Big no overburden to contend with. Stone Gap. quadrangle, Virginia: U. S. 2. The strontium mineralization occurs in Geol. Survey Quadrangle Map -424. an area of well developed transporta- Mitchell, R. S. and Pharr, R. F., 1960, tion systems including four-lane high- Strontium minerals from Wise County, Vir- way (U. S. Highway 23) and nearby ginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Re- railway facilities. sou~ces,Virginia Minerals, vol. 6, no. 4, 3. The United States has depended on for- p. 1-4. eign sources for its celestite supply Mitchell, R. S. and Pharr, R. F., 1961, Cel- since 1959, with no dcsnestic produc- estite and calciostrontianite fmWise tion during that period. Large depos- County, Virginia: American Mineralogist, it of high grade strontium minerals in vol. 46, p. 189-195. several foreign countries have inhib- Pharr, R. F. and Mitchell, R. S., 1959, Cel- ited the dwelopent of dcsnestic re- estite and strontianite from Wise County, sources. The U. S. is currently im- Virginia: Virginia Jour. Science, vol. porting 99 percent of its celestite 10, p. 295. from Wco. (U. S. Bureau of Mines, Rankama, K. and Sahama, Th. G., 1950, 1983). chemistry: University of Chicago Press, 4. A processing facility which buys 912 p. strontium minerals and produces stron- Rogers, W. H., 1965, Celestite from the Ton- tium canpunds is located in Carters- oloway Formation at Hay£ield, Frederick ville , Georgia. County, Virginia: Master's, Univ. of Vir- 5. Since the quarry is operating at the ginia. present time, handling equipmt and Sinkankas, J., 1964, Mineralogy: Van Norst- crushing facilities are functioning rand Reinhold Co., 585 p. and would be available if needed for Speer, J. A., June, 1977, The orthorhcxnbic developmt work. cartonate minerals of Virginia: Rocks and minerals (special Virginia issue), For a better understanding of the deposit vol. 52, no. 5, p. 267-274. detailed geologic mapping of the irrmdiate Taylor, H. A., 1980, Mineral facts and area should be ccmpleted with strong emphas- problems: U. S. Bureau of Mines Bull. 671, is on the Hanccxk hstone and accmpny- p. 869-876. ing mineralization. li.1 addition,' further U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1983, Mineral camd- trenching and drilling in the East Stone Gap ity sumnaries: Washington, D. C. No. 2 VIRGINIA lvmEmLs FARMVILLE LlTHlA SPRINGS Bob Flippen

Mineral water springs were a popular can- ponent of American life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The water was often bottled and distributed both locally and to distant points. Although mst springs were short-lived, saw were in- tegrated into the routine of local residents by providing recreation; "going to the springs" became a frequently used and under- stood exmession in the local lexicon. (Figure 1).

Figure 2. Locality map of the Fanmrille Lithia Springs. Spring location shown by X on map.

Figure 1. Letterhead shhg scene at Fanrnrille Lithia Springs about 1890 (coutesy of Gttie Baker).

Figure 3. Arched brick and cmt spring cwer for Such a spring resort existed near Fann- Fanmrille Lithia Spring Nuher 2 (photo courtesy of ville, Virginia (Figure 2) . For almst Ottie Baker). seventy years the waters frcan the springs were bottled and sold throughout the nation. Guests were acc-ted in the nearby Houston home for the duration of their the last owner of the Fmille Lithia treatmnt with the water. Today, all but Springs prior t~ the closing of the oper- forgotten, mre than twelve arched brick and ation in 1945, and was helpful in describing cement spring covers stand in mute testhmny the early history of the Springs. She died to what was once a popular enterprise in December of 1980, at the age of 96. In (Figure 3). addition to Mrs. Baker, Jack Osbom, the A very important source of information for present owner of the "old" lithia springs this paper was the author's personal can- property, was m~sthelpful in pointing out munications with Elizabeth Baker ( formerly structural remains of buildings associated Elizabeth Lee Thackston). Mrs. Baker was with the Springs. VlRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Vol. 29

WHAT IS LlTHlA WATER? The widespread use of mineral waters in this country my be attributed to a lack of As rahwater strikes the earth's swface, safe drinking water. We11 constxuction was it dissolves same minerals found in the not as sophisticated then as it is ncw, and earth's crust. The dissolved consti- the water quality in cities tended to de- tuents in the water gradually increase as teriorate as the existing water was polluted the water infiltrates through the different by increased population. The medical claims rock strata eventually yielding mineral of mineral waters are contestable. The waterin sameareas. Fbck inthearea of benefit derived was probably not by virtue the Farmville springs is biotite-gneiss in- of a dissolved ingredient, but rather by truded by granite and pegmatite. The Farm- cleansing the digestive system with un- ville Triassic basin is located less than contaminated water. one-half mile west of the springs. The Dr. William Back, a water chemistry exact source of the lithium is unknown; it hydrologist at the United States Geological is probably absorbed by groundwater from Survey, agreed with the purification effect partially wkthered granitoid rocks in which produced in the course of consuption and the springs are located (G. P. Wilkes, added that some waters contained trace ele- person& c&nunication, 1983) . ments deficient in scatle individuals. The In the medical acceptance of the term, a average person, unable to diagnose his spe- mineral water is one which by virtue of its cific disorder, would often try different ingredients, whether mineral, organic, gase- waters before finding one that offered re- ous, or the principle of heat, is especially lief. applicable to the treatment of disease Eventually, the mineral and vitamin pill (Walton, 1883). was produced and marketed; with it came a Lithium is but one elmt cammnly found new convenience that inadvertently destroyed in mineral waters. It was discovered in the mineral water trade. In the 1920's a 1817 by the Sedish chemist Johann August gallon bottle of Farmville lithia water Arfvedson, but it was not until 1855 that bought in Chicago cost seventy-five cents. lithium was isolated in a reasurable quanti- The directions strongly encourage drinking ty by Robert von Bunsen and Augustus six to eight glasses a day. So obviously, Matthiesen using electrolysis. Lithium is vitamin and mineral tablets became mre but one element ccmmnly found in mineral econcanically appealing and the inconvenience waters. Lithium is usually found in a of regular periodical drinking was alto- chloride or sulphate, but sameths it is gether averted. Ultimately, spring waters found in the form of a carbonate. The first and their accompanying resorts declined in two salts occur in saline or alkaline popularity and use (Back, personal ccan- waters, whereas the carbonate is found in munication, 1981). alkaline waters only (Goosnan, 1906). Today, mdical science uses lithium Lithium carbonate (Li CO ) , is only carbonate in the treatment of manic de- sparingly soluable in wa&, but when ex- pression. The crystalline salt is used posed to carbon dioxide the bicarbonate of during an acute manic or depressive phase. lithium (LiHC03) is formed which is freely The dosage of lithium carbonate mst be soluable giving the solution referred to as carefully supervised by a physician as even lithia water. a slight overdose can have toxic effects The use of mineral waters in the treatment (Bressler, 1981) . of disease is called hydrotherapeutics . Beyond the therapeutic function of Walton felt that mineral waters were only springs, was a mre hmm elerent of the applicable in the treatment of chronic dis- watering place. It served as a gathering eases and that the appropriate the for place for people to relax in local ccan- their application was during the inactivity munities. Mineral waters were fashionable of the disease. Hmver, Walton said that in the nineteenth century and lithia springs this does not apply to all chronic dis- held a prcminent place in the last three orders, for same present no intervals of decades. For the mst part, springs con- dormancy. tained only a small munt of lithium Consumption was probably the mst popular (~dle). Hodever, that the water contained mthod of administering mineral waters. lithium, even in trace amunts, was usually Bathing, or balneology, was also popular expressed in the nanae given the spring but was practiced mre in warmer or hot (Peale, 1888). springs. Mineral waters were also used in The springs near Farmville, Virginia were the production of soft drinks; while waters no exception. Burrell (1922) suggests that of a lithia or potash ampound were taken these springs were frequented by the Indi- ahst entirely medicinally (Mitchell, ans, as evidenced in the unearthing of char- 1913). coal and projectile points during early con- NO. 2 VIRGINIA MDERALS 2 1

Table. Chanical analyses of selected spring waters in Virginia.

Spring Nam and Lithium Capasition --location in Virginia Grains per gallon

Allegheny Springs I lithium carbonate- trace "tscrrery.County Anbdyqqhc and lithium----- trace Tbic Springs, Nottaway County Bath Alum Springs, lithium sulphate--- trace Bath County Bear Lithia Springs, lithium chloride---- trace -sham County Bedford Alum, Iron lithium sulphate----- trace and Lithia Springs, caqbell County Blue Ridge Sprbgs, lithium chloride----trace Botetourt County Buffalo Lithia Spring liC&um bicarbonate---trace No. 2, wklenburg -ty Cold Sulpher Spring, lithium chloride------trace Figure 4. Lbad of Farrmcille lithia water ready to be Rockbridge County transported to the railroad depot (photo courtesy of Colemanville Mineral lithium bicakonate--trace Cttie Eiaker) . Springs, CLlmberland County Crockett Arsenic Lithia lithium carbonate----trace Spring, Wmtganery County Glenola Springs, lithium carbonate---trace Nottaway County Hunter's Pulaski Alum lithium sulphate--trace Springs, Fulaski County lron Lithia Spring, lithium chloride-- 0.18 Tazew2ll County Massanetta Springs, lithium carbonate--- trace Rock.i.ngham -3 Nye Lithia Sprlng No. 1 lithium carbonate--6.41 WyUle County Rockbridge Alum Spring, lithium sulphate---- 0.02 Rockbridge County

(Analyses mnpiled frcan: Crook (1899). struction. The early advertising of the Springs' supposed healing paers was done by word of muth. Residents of Farrmrille visited the Houstons to view the Springs and consume the water themselves. In the flurry of activity that ensued, the owner of the Springs, an entrepreneur as evidenced in his earlier managing of the Fannville Coal Mines and tobacco trade, probably saw the profit to be derived from the develop- mtof the property. On August 24, 1884, The Fannville Lithia Springs were incorporated in accordance with the laws of the cln-mo-lth of Virginia. Figure 5. Demijohns in the process of being loaded Arched covers of brick and cement were onto a railroad boxcar bound for Chicago (photo placed over each spring, and bottling house courtesy of Ottie Baker). was constructed near the present intersection of Early Street and Virginia Highway 45. Chicago. The water was then put in smaller The water was diverted frm the springs to serving bottles and labeled (Figures 6 and the bottling houses via a pipeline that and 7). utilized gravity. Here, the water flcwd Shortly after 1945, the business venture into a large galvanized tub where bottles deteriorated. It was marked by a decline in and demijohns were filled underneath by advertising, local deliveries, and the faucet. The filled containers were then failure of attempts to have a hotel con- @ loaded and transported to the railroad depot structed. E~entually, a dispute over the in Farmville. (Figures 4 and 5). Here, 532 lithia springs property left the original five-gallon demijohns were placed in a box cluster a struggling enterprise which later car and sent to St. Louis and later, folded . 22 vIRGII'JIA DIVISION OF MmEwG RFSOURCES Vol. 29 Crook, J. K., 1899, Mineral waters of the United States and their therapeutic uses: Farmville lithia Water New York, Lea Bra. Goosman, J. C., 1906, Carbonic acid industry: Chicago, Nickevson and Collins NATURE'S OWN REMEDY Co.

FOR THE CURE OF FOR THE CURE OF Mitchell, C. A., 1913, Mineral and aereated Rheumatism. waters: New York, D. van Nostrand Co. Dropsy. Peale, A. C., 1888, Classification of Inflammation Amrican mineral waters : Philadelphia, of the f idneys. William J. Dorman. Albuminaria. Walton, G. E., 1883, Mineral waters of the Gravel. United States and Canada: New York, Pies. D. Appleton and Co. Torpid Liver. Female Weakness. VAS SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD Malaria, etc, A symposium on the tectonics and strati- FARMVILLE LITHlA WATER CO., graphy of Virginia comtleroorating the work of the late Leonard D. Harris (Virginia Miner- PRINCIPAL OFFICE, -als, 1982, vol. 28, no. 4) will be held by the Geology Section of the Virginia Academy +NO. 1 123 Arch Street,+ of Sciences at George Mason University on PHILADELPHIA. PA. May 20. Mr. Harris, a geologist with the U. S. Figure 6. Label used on bottles of Fanmrille lithia Geological Survey at the time of his death, water. did extensive geologic studies in Virginia and his innovative work in seismic stratigraphy and structural geology is knm throughout the international geologic conmu- nity. His most recent work in the state was on ampletion and interpretation of a seismic line from Staunton to Norfolk. Mr. Harris received the Meritorious Service Award from the Departmnt of the Interior in 1981.

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Four public hearings on environmental concerns in Virginia are scheduled in May. They will be held at 7:30 P.M. as follcws: May 10, Abingdon-General District Courthouse Figure 7. Fannville-lithh-water distributiun truck in May 11, Danville-City Council Chambers Chicago (photo courtesy of Gttie Baker). May 18, N-rt News-City Council Chambers May 19, Arlingtonaty Board of Supemis- ors Chambers REFERENCES For more infomtion contact: Virginia Council on the Environnent, 903 Ninth Street Bressler, R., 1981, Physicians' _drug Office Building, Richmnd, VA 23219, Phone: manual: Garden City, N. Y. 804/786-4500. No. 2 VIEINIA Mining Corporation will continue their dril- SCHEDULED MEETINGS ling program in Orange County in 1983. Wal- nut Creek Mining Ccanpany's panning operation May 13-20, Paleozoic stratigraphy and Appa- opened in April. lachian Basin, field seminar, Arlington, Luck Stone Corporation of Richmnd has be- Virginia (John Dennison, Dept. of Geology, gun construction on the entrance road to University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, their new quarry site north of Ruckersville, N.C. 27514). Greene County. The quarry will produce crushed stone up to a production limit of May 17-20, Virginia Academy of Science, 800,000 tons a year. Gedrge Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Palmer C. -t (S.O. Bird, Division of Mineral Resources, P.O. Box 3667, Charlottesville, VA 22903). OIL AND GAS NEWS June 26-28, Mid Atlantic Industrial Waste While the price of oil has declined be- Conference, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.(Mich- cause of worldwide surplus, 1-r oil compa- ael LaGrega, Dept. of Civil Engineering, ny profits have in many cases been offset by Bucknell Univeristy, Lewisburg, PA 17837 the decline in the costs of drilling a well. Phone: 717/524-1492 or 717/524-1112). Ccmpanies with a greater cash flm are in the best position to take advantage of this August 7-12, Fossil Coral Symposium, Wash- situation. ington, D.C. (Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria, Drilling for oil or gas has taken place in E-501Natural History Building, Washing- the Chesterfield County portion of the Rich- ton, D. C. 20560). mnd Triassic basin over the past few years. Wrrill Natural Resources has drilled twelve October, 30/Nwember 3, Society of Explora- wells, two of which gave encouraging signs tion Geophysicists, Washington, D.C. (John of oil and gas but not in cornwrcial quanti- Hyden, SXheadquarters, Box 3098, Tulsa, ties. Southeastern Exploration and Pro- OK 74101). duction of Dallas plans further drilling in Chesterfield County. Only in rare instances Decesnber 5-7, Chesapeake Bay Conference, has a continental-type deposit such as the George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Richmnd basin yielded hydrocarbons in caw (Council an the Environment, 903 Ninth mcial quantities. Street Office Building, Richmnd, VA 23219 Nine hundred square miles of offshore Phone: 804/786-4500 lands located frcan 8 to 85 miles off the Virginia coast and east of Wallops Island will be declared off limits for drilling ANNOUNCEMENT campanies. The area is to be used as a rocket testing area by NASA. Due to the recent death of Mr. Crawford A new type of drill bit for soft to d- Keener, the Rutherford mine near %lia um-hard formations has been introduced by Court House has been temporarily closed to several campanies in their quest for in- mineral collectors. creased drilling speed. Called the diamnd blank or shear bit, its cutting surfaces are MINERAL RESOURCES a series of capacts ccanposed of diamnds set in a carbide mtrix. While drilling According to the U. S. Bureau of Mines, speed has been greatly improved over the nonfuel mineral production in Virginia drop- carbide insert tri-cone bit, the cost of ped fram 283 million to 272 million dollars this new bit is much greater. in 1982. The value of lime production drop- The carbide insert tri-cone drill bit has ped 4 million dollars and the value of sand undergone scane changes that have increased and gravel increased 4 million dollars. With its performance. This change has involved New Jersey Zinc Ccanpany closing its opera- the elimination of the roller bearings in- tion before the beginning of the year, al- side the cones. The roller bearings have mst llmillion dollars of lead and zinc replaced by an enlarging of the journal production was lost in 1982. bearing. Roller bearings in bits belm 12- The State mratorium on uranium mining and 1/4 inches have always been one of the weak processing has been exteded until July 1, points of the trimne insert drill bit be- 1984. Extensive studies will be carried on cause inward thrust coupled with cuttings in Pittsylvania County by both industry and entering the roller race eventually cause independent experts over the next 18 months. the roller bearings to wear "egg shape" re- Interest continues in the Gold-pyrite belt sulting in locking the cones, skidding, and in the Virginia Piedmnt province. Callahan bit destruction. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Virginia Minerals Box 3667 Second-class postage paid at Charlottesville, VA 22903 Charlottesville, Virginia ISSN 0042-6652 Return Postage Guaranteed

NEW PUBLICATIONS

PUBLICATION 39 The wAer~gneticContour Map of the Cul- peper Basin and Vicinity", Publication 41, The "Bibliography of Virginia Coal" was is by Stanley Johnson and A. J. Froelich. ampiled by G.P. Wilkes and James A. Hender- Regional magnetic values are sham of the son, Jr. in an effort to organize the tre- same area as for the aeroradimtric survey. mdous amount of information published Rock types are shm with their contoured about coal resources in Virginia. The 18- magnetic values. The positions of igneous page publication contains a subject index rocks in the basin and of geologic units be- and approximately 400 references listed by neath it can be interpreted frcm this re- the author's name. Cost for this publication port. is $3.00 plus a four percent sales tax for The publications be ordered fram the Virginia addresses; postage will be billed. Division for $5.00 each. Add four percent for in-State orders; postage will be billed. The surveys were funded and prepared in co- PUBLICATIONS 40 AND 41 operation with the U. S. Geological Survey. lko new publications about the Culpeper basin north-central Virginia are ncw available which describe the radioactive and mag- PUBLICATION 42 netic features of rocks there. This inform- Publication 42, entitled "Stratigraphic ation was obtained frcan airborne surveys. Cross-Sections for the Upper Mississippian- Each report consists of a large single sheet Middle Pennsylvanian Units of Buchanan and tvm-mlor map with accapanying descriptive Dickenson counties Southwest Virginia", was text. ampiled by M. L. Mitchell, M. S. Morris, J. Publication 40 by Brian Levy, Andrew K. Polzin, J. E. Nolde, and J. H. Grantham. Grosz and Stanley Johnson is entitled The data used in constructing the cross- "Total-Count Aeroradicpnetric Contour Map of sections was taken frcm gas well logs, coal the Culpeper Basin and Vicinity." Regional mine maps, existing geologic maps and cur- values for uranium, thorium, and potassium rent in-progress mapping activities. Geo- are sham on a planbetric base map of the logic rock units, shuwn on the map and m- area frcm Barbou~sville, Orange County, tioned in the included text are: Bluestone, northeastward to beyond Leesburg, Loudoun Pocahontas, Lee , Norton, and Wise forma- County. The positions of Triassic and Ju- tions. The cross-sections show the relation- rassic age igneous and sedimentary rock ship between stratigraphy, structure, and types are sham together with their radio- topography in the region. These cross- metric values. This report is useful to sections can be ordered frcm the Division assist in positioning subsurface rocks and for $7.50 plus a four percent sales tax for as baseline data on radioactivity. Virginia addresses; postage will be billed.

1983 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS The Division's new 1983 List of Publica- tions can now be obtained without charge. The booklet indicates maps and over 250 dif- Virginia Minerals, Vol. 29 No. 2, May 1983 ferent publications pertaining to Virginia's rocks, minerals, and fossils.