DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS--SMITH, DIRECTOR 455 COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE APPALACHIAN STATES BT WALTER HARVEY WEED WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1911 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction._________________________ -_________________ 9 Classification of deposits.!_____________________________ 10 Types discriminated______________________________ 10 Ducktown type. ________________________________ . 11 Copper quartz-vein type__________________________ 12 Caroliuian type ___ ___________________________ 13 New Jersey type _______________________ 13 Palia quarry type__ .. - - - 13 Blue Ridge or Catoctm type___________________________ 14 Occurrence and character of the ores______________ - 15 Origin of ores of the Blue Ridge type____.__________ 15 Maine___________________.__________________ 16 New Hampshire _________________-_____ 16 Gardners Mountain mines__________________________ 16 Warren mine ____ 16 Milan mine ____________.._____________________ ._ 18 Lyman mine _______ _ _________ _ ___ 18 Vermont__________________________ _-- 18 Features of deposits___________________________ 18 Geologic relations_____________________________ 18 Ore deposits __________________ _____ _ 20 General character_______________________.___ 20 The ores ____________________________._______ 21 Origin of the deposits__________________________ 22 Comparison with other deposits_____________________ 23 Mines______________________________________ '.__ 24 Copperfield or Ely mine ("Vershire mine).______i______ 24 History__________________________________ 24 Production_'____________________________ 24 Development____________________________ , 25 Reduction works________'___________________ 25 The ores_________________________________ 25 Petrography of the rocks and ores________________ 26 Minerals of the rocks______________________ 26 Minerals of the gangue__________ _________ 28 Minerals of the ores_______________________ 20 Formation of the ores____________________ 30 Elizabeth mine________________________________ 30 Equipment and workings______________________ 30 The ores_________________________..______ 31 Corinth mines ________________________________ 32 Union mine______________________________^_ 32 \ Eureka mine______________________________ 33 3 4 CONTENTS. Page. Massachusetts _ : , _____ ________________ 33 Davis mine__ _____________________________ 33 Other deposits________________________________ 34 Connecticut_____ _ _______________________ 35 Occurrence and character of ores____________________ 35 Hartford County deposits__________________________ 35 Simsbury (Newgate) mines_________i_____'.___________ 35 Higley mine_ ________________.__L__________. 36 Bristol mine_________________________________ 36 New Haven County deposits________________________ 37 New York _______________-_______________________ 38 New. Jersey _ _ _ _____ -38 Historical notes__________________________________ . 38 Geologic relations of the deposits______________________ 39 Ore deposits ____ ___________ _ _____ 40 The ores_______ _ _ _______._____________ 41 Mines_________________________..___________ 42 Condition________________________.._________ 42 Schuyler mine___ _-_ ____ __________ 42 Griggstown mine____________________________ 42 Location _______________________________ 42 Geologic relations___________________________ 43 The ores__ _ _ _____ _ 44 American mine ________'________L______________ 45 Workings and equipment _ _ ___ !___ 45 Ore deposits________________ _ ^_____ 45 Character and relations___ _________ ______ 45 The ores _______________________________ 48 Genesis of the ores_______________________ 50 Pahaquarry mine___ ____________ _ ______ 54 Exploitation ______________________._____ 54 Geologic relations____________._____________ 55 Ore deposit______ ________:______ _______ 55 Development _ ___________.__________ 57 Pennsylvania__________________ _ 57 South Mountain region : 57 Northern coal region _________________________^__ 59 East-central region________ _ _ ^ 61 Copper mined with other metals_____________________: 61 Maryland______________ ______ _ _ ___ 62 Western belt ________________________________ 62 Middle belt__________________________________ 64 Eastern belt___________ __ _. 64 Virginia___________________________________________ 65 Distribution of the ores________________ ____________ 65 Piedmont region.___ _ _ _ _. 67 Virgilina district__________________ _ _____ 67 Location___ _ _ 67 History_______________________________ 68 Rocks_________________ . 69 General features____ ____ 69 Microscopic character_______..__ __ 71 Chemical composition_ __ 72 CONTENTS. ' 5 Virginia Continued. Piedmont region Continued. Virgilina district Continued. Bocks Continued. Page. Age relations.._____________________ _ 74 Conclusions____________________________ 75 The ores _____________________ _ __ 76 Veins________________________________ 76. Mines ______,____________________________ 79 Holloway mine__________________________ 79 Person Consolidated mines ______ 81 Wall mine_____________________________ 82 Chappel mine________________ 1 _ S3 Copper World mine_____________ - 83 Frazier mine ______________ 83 Thomas mine________________.______ _ 83 Anaconda mine __.______._____ __ _ S3 Blue Wing mine___________ __ 84 High Hill mine____________________________ .87 Dorothy mine ______________^_-_____ 89 Albemarle County (Southwest Mountain)_____________ 89 Triassic area (Londoun, Culpeper, Orange, and Ainherst counties) 92 Blue Ridge region_______________________________ 93 History ____________________________________ 93 Geology ________ _ _ 95 Warren County_____________________________ 96 Structural relations________________________ 96 Front Royal district______________ ___ 97 Deposits near Linden____________________' 97 Sealoch mine_____-_________ ______ 98 Dickeys Ridge district_______________________ 99 Mills property (Cove farm)________________ 99 Rudacill property________________..___________ 100 Bentonville-Overall district________________ 101 Rappahannock County _.________________________ 101 Ambler property______________,_ _______ 101 Manassas Gap mine____________:____________ 102 Page County _____^___________________________ 104 Geology_________________________________ 104 Mine near Ida_______ __'._________ ________ 106 Madison County _____________________'________ 107 Dark Hollow______________________________ 107 . Hawksbill Mountain________________."._______ 109 Stonyman Mountain________________________ 109 Greeue County ____________________________ 111 Hightop Mountain property_____________________ 111 Piedmont Copper Company's property -____________ 113 Summary of Blue Ridge ores______________________ 114 Southwest Virginia region_____________i_____________ 115 Introduction -______________________________ 115 Geology _________________ 115 Gossan lead_________________________________ 115 General character_________________________ 115 Character of the ore_________________,_____ 119 6 CONTENTS. Virginia^Continued. Southwest Virginia region Continued. Gossan lead Continued. Page- The mines_____________:______________' 121 Features of the vein_____________________ 121 Betty Baker mine_______________________ 122 Cranberry mine________________________ 123 . Wildcat mine__________________________ 124 Kirkbride mine______'._____________________ 124 Vaughan mine_________________________ 124 Vein southwest of Vaughan mine_______.______ 124 Future of the Gossan lead_____:______________ 124 Toncray deposit____________________________ 125 Amphibolite dike_______________________________ 126 North Carolina____________________________________ 127 Character and exploitation of the deposits_________________ 127 Ashe and Allegheny counties________________________ 128 Ore Knob mine______________________________ 128 Copper Knob or Gap Creek mine____________________ 132 .Peach Bottom mines __________________________ 133 Elk Knob ___________________________________ 134 Jackson and Macon counties________________________ 136 Important properties ___________________________ 136 Cullowhee mine ______________________________ 138 Little Tennessee mine_________________;_______ 140 Nantahala mine ______________________________ 140 Davidson and Rowan counties________________________ 140 Gold-copper deposits __________________________ 140 - Gold Hill mines_________________________ _____ 141 Miscellaneous copper-gold mines____________________ 144 Georgia ______________________________________ 145 Magruder or Seminole mine_______ __________ ___ 145 Chestatee property _____________________________ 149 Barton pyrite property,_______ ______ __ _ ___:__ 151 Emerson pyrite property_________________________ 151 Tennessee_____________________:______ _ _________ 152 The Ducktowu district______-___________'. ________________ 152 Veins_________1___________________________ 152 Mhies _______________ ____ _ _ 154 West vein _____ ________________________ 154 Burra Burra mine________ _ _ _ 154 London mine ____________-__ _ . 154 East Tennessee mine___________ _____ _ 154 East vein ________________________ 155 Polk County and Mary mines___._______________ 155 Callaway mine ________________-- _____ _ 156 Isabella vein ____________________ __ 156 Ores___'.__________1________________________ 157 Alabama ^________._____ _ _ 157 Geology_________________ ____i _ - 157 Mines____________________-_ _ _ 158 Stone Hill mine_________________ - ___ 158 Smith mine _______ - : 159 Alabama Pyrites Company's property 160 Index___________ - 161 ILLUSTRATIONS. 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