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Clifton Mines

Past Producer in Russell county in Virginia, United States with commodity Barium-Barite
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10025717
MRDS ID K001647
Record type Site
Current site name Clifton Mines

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.83289, 37.03813 (WGS84)
Relative position THE MAIN WORKINGS ARE ABOUT 5.8 KM (3.6 MI) SOUTHEAST OF RAVEN. OTHER WORKINGS TO THE SOUTHWEST ARE 5.9 KM (3.7 MI) SOUTHEAST OF RAVEN AND 7.2 KM (4.5 MI) SOUTHWEST OF RAVEN. THE UTM COORDINATES ARE WITHIN 100 M OF THE LARGEST WORKINGS.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Russell(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Richlands(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Bluefield(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Bluefield(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Clinch, Tennessee, Virginia(hydrologic unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Russell

Comments on the location information

  • THE MAIN WORKINGS ARE EAST AND WEST OF MILLSTONE BRANCH, A TRIBUTARY TO LITTLE RIVER, AND ABOUT 0.7 KM (0.4 MI) NORTH OF CLIFTON. ANOTHER WORKING TO THE SOUTHWEST IS WITHIN 100 M OF THE FOLLOWING UTM COORDINATES: N 4098800 AND E 424900. THE SOUTHWESTERN MOST WORKING IS AT THE UTM COORDINATES: N 4097790 AND E 421800, ELEVATION: 2020 FT (616 M), ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF BOB HOLLOW AND ABOUT 170 M (558 FT) NORTHWEST OF LITTLE RIVER FROM ITS JUNCTION WITH BOB HOLLOW.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Clay Residuum;Beekmantown Formation
    Rock description Clay Residuum;Beekmantown Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) Knox Group
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend
Type of structure Local
Structure description Copper Ridge Syncline, Honaker Fault, Copper Creek Fault.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Clay Residuum, Veins

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880
Year of first production 1880

Mining district

District name Russell-Tazewell Counties Barite District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the production information

  • PROBABLY WORKED OUT

Comments on the workings information

  • ON THE WEST SIDE OF MILLSTONE BRANCH, ABOUT 305 M (1000 FT) NORTHWEST OF LITTLE RIVER, IS AN OPEN CUT 15 M (50 FT) LONG, 9 M (30 FT) WIDE, AND 6 M (20 FT) DEEP, MAINLY IN SOLID ROCK, FROM WHICH AN INCLINED TUNNEL EXTENDS SOUTHEASTWARD DOWN THE DIP OF THE DOLOMITE. THE DOLOMITE CONTAINS SMALL VEINS AND REPLACEMENT MASSES OF BARITE WHICH ARE NOT THOUGHT TO BE OF COMMERCIAL VALUE. ON THE EAST SIDE OF MILLSTONE BRANCH ARE THE MOST EXTENSIVE WORKINGS. THEY INCLUDE FOUR OPEN CUTS, EACH ABOUT 23 M (75 FT) LONG, 6 M (20 FT) WIDE, AND ABOUT 3 M (10 FT) DEEP, AND SEVERAL SMALL TRENCHES AND PITS. A FEW LIMESTONE PINNACLES WERE FOUND IN THE OPEN CUTS. OTHER WORKINGS WERE NOT DESCRIBED.

Comments on development

  • THE MINE WAS OPERATED SOMETIME BETWEEN 1880 AND 1908. THE MOST EXTENSIVE WORKINGS ARE ALONG MILLSTONE BRANCH. NO PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LUTTRELL, G.W., 1966, BASE-AND PRECIOUS-METAL AND RELATED ORE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIV. MINERAL RESOURCES, MINERAL RESOURCES REPT. 6, 164 P.

  • Deposit

    EDMUNDSON, R.S., 1938, BARITE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 53, 85 P.

  • Deposit

    ? DIREXPL ? - DUG OPEN CUTS, PITS, AND TRENCHES, MINED

  • Production

    EDMUNDSON, R.S., 1938, VA. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 53.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BARITE OCCURS CHIEFLY AS IRREGULAR FRAGMENTS IN RESIDUAL CLAY AND AS VEINS AND REPLACEMENT MASSES. THE BEDROCK IS DOLOMITE AND STRIKES N60DEGE AND DIPS 30DEGSE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1973 Fagan, James M. Tennessee Valley Authority
Updater 01-OCT-1980 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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