Geology and Mineral Deposits of the James River-Roanoke River Manganese District Virginia GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1008 Geology and Mineral ·Deposits oftheJatnes River-Roanoke River Manganese District Virginia By GILBERT H. ESPENSHADE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1008 A description of the geology anq mineral deposits, particularly manganese, of the James River-Roanoke River district UNITED STAT.ES GOVERNMENT, PRINTING. OFFICE• WASHINGTON : 1954 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS· Page Abstract---------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction______________________________________________________ 4 Location, accessibility, and culture_______________________________ 4 Topography, climate, and vegetation _______________ .,.. _______ ---___ 6 Field work and acknowledgments________________________________ 6 Previouswork_________________________________________________ 8 GeneralgeologY--------------------------------------------------- 9 Principal features ____________________________ -- __________ ---___ 9 Metamorphic rocks____________________________________________ 11 Generalstatement_________________________________________ 11 Lynchburg gneiss and associated igneous rocks________________ 12 Evington groUP------------------------------------------- 14 Candler formation_____________________________________ 14 Archer Creek formation________________________________ 1& Mount Athos formation________________________________ 17 Greenstone___________________________________________ 19 Distribution of formations of the Evington group__________ 20 Biotite-garnet schist_______________________________________ 21 Age relationships of the metamorphic rocks within the district__ 22 Age of Lynchburg gneiss and associated greenstone and soap- stone_______________________________________________ 22 Stratigraphic sequence and age of Evington group_________ 22 Age of biotite-garnet schists_____________________________ 24 Regional correlation problems of the metamorphic rocks________ 24 U nmetamorphosed rocks______ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ 27 Alluvial deposits_______________________________________________ 28 Structuralgeology_____________________________________________ 29 Generalstatement------------------------------~---------- 29 Bedding, cleavage, and joints_______________________________ 29 Lineation_________________________________________________ 31 Folds and faults___________________________________________ 32 Regional structure_________________________________________ 37 Metamorphism________________________________________________ 38 Characteristics of regional metamorphism_____________________ 38 Progressive metamorphism or retrogressive metamorphism______ 41 Contact metamorphism____________________________________ 42 PhysiographY------------------------------------------------- 43 Description of physiographic features _________________ ------- 43 Physiographic history______________________________________ 45 Mineral deposits______ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ 50 Types and distribution ____________________________ -----________ 50 Manganese deposits _______________________________________ --_-- 51 MineralogY----------------------------------------------- 51 Manganeseoxides_____________________________________ 51 General statement ________________________ --------- 51 Psilomelane type ________________________________ -- 52 Wad _________________________ ·-___________________ 53 Distinct mineral species __ -----_·---------- __ -------- 53 Gangue minerals __________________ -------------------- 54 m IV CONTENTS Mineral deposits-Continued Manganese deposits-Continued Paee Distribution ______ _,_______________________________________ 55 Structuralfeatures_________________________________________ 55 Grade of ore_ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ 58 Origin____________________________________________________ 59 Generalstatement_____________________________________ 59 Occurrence of manganese oxide minerals in rock residuum__ 59 Association of manganese deposits with the Mount Athos formation___________________________________________ 62 Conditions of ground-water circulation___________________ 65 Relations of the outcrops of the manganese deposits to the upland surface and persistence of the deposits in depth__ 67 Resume of factors involved in origin of deposits___________ 72 Iron deposits___ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ 72 Barite deposits________________________________________________ 75 Copper deposits__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ 78 Quartz veins__________________________________________________ 79 Manganese mines and prospects_____________________________________ 81 History and production________________________________________ 81 Prospecting, mining, and milling methods_________________________ 84 Descriptions of mines and prospects_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ 86 l'relson County____________________________________________ 86 Piedmont _____________________________ ._~______________ 86 Cabell________________________________________________ 87 Bugley_______________________________________________ 89 Simpson______________________________________________ 90 Other prospects_______________________ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ 92 Amherst County__________________________________________ 92 Christian prospect and vicinity__________________________ 92 Prospect near Gaits Mills_______________________________ 92 Stapleton area________________________________________ 92 Buckingham County_______________________________________ 93 Appomattox County_______________________________________ 93 Moore_______________________________________________ 93 Manganese deposits in the vicinity of Beckham and Gowans Hill_______ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ 94 Schoolhouse mine and nearby prospects_ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ 95 StonewalL___ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ 96 Prospects southwest of the Stonewall_ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ __ __ _ 100 Prospects in and southwest of Stonewall Creek valley______ 100 Hancock-Ferguson_____________________________________ 101 Chestnut Mountain____________________________________ 101 Bill Ferguson_ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ 102 G. Cabell property_____________________________________ 102 Campbell County__________________________________________ 102 Joshua Creek_________________________________________ 103 MountAthos_________________________________________ 103 Prospects between Joshua Creek mine and Old Tavern pros- pect_______________________________________________ 103 Old Tavern___________________________________________ 104 Ryan________________________________________________ 104 Leets ______________________________________ ·_________ . 104 CONTENTS v Manganese mines and prospects-Continued Descriptions of mines and prospects-Continued Campbell County-Continued Pare Drinkard and nearby prospects _________________________ _ 108 Piedmont ____________________________________________ _ 109 Ilarvey ______________________________________________ _ 114 Lindsay _____________________________________________ _ 114 ~eighbours--~---------------------------------------- 115 Green _______________________________________________ _ 116 Bethel ______ ~---------------------------------------- 116 Dodson _____ i _______________________________________ _ 116 Jack ~ountall1_~-------------------------------------- 116 Bell _________ ~---------------------------------------- 117 Prospect soutij. of the Bell _____________________________ _ 118 ~addoX-----1---------------------------------------- 118 McGehee ____ .._ ____________________________________ ·- __ _ 118 Mortirner ____ +---------------------------------------- 119 Pribble ______ +---------------------------------------- 121 Phillips ______ ~ ______ .., ________________________________ _ 123 Ilall ________ +---------------------------------------- 123 Troublesome Creek ___________________________________ _ 124 Iladen------~---------------------------------------- 124 Prospects nortjheast of Evington ________________________ _ 124 Russell Den Hollow ___________________________________ _ 124 Saunders ____ ~---------------------------------------- 125 Wood _______ ~ ____________________ .___________________ _ 129. Burton ______ L---------------------------------------- 130 Langhorne ___ ~---------------------------------------- 131 Teates------~---------------------------------------- 131 AnthonY----~---------------------------------------­ 131 Theresa-----~---------------------------------------~ 131 Tardy and Frazier ____________________________________ _ 132 GrastY------~---------------------------------------- 132 134 134 ~:~:;~~~~~.=~erritt ______ [~ =_______________________________________ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =_ 135 Dews _______ ~---------------------------------------- 135 Arthur ______ ~---------------------------------------- 137 Bragg _______ L_______________________________________ _ 137 Lucas _______ L_______________________________________ _ 137 Perrow