Westfeldt Prospect

Occurrence in Swain county in North Carolina, United States with commodities Copper, Zinc
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10025758
MRDS ID K001694
Record type Site
Current site name Westfeldt Prospect
Alternate or previous names Kolb-Westfeldt, Or Westerveldt
Related records 10175814

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -83.69906, 35.51316 (WGS84)
Elevation 866
Relative position 0.2 MILE ENE OF TALI GAP

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Swain(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Thunderhead Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Knoxville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Knoxville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Little Tennessee(hydrologic unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Great Smoky Mountains National Park(National Park)

National Park NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Swain

Comments on the location information

  • ON UNNAMED TRIBUTARY TO HAW GAP BRANCH

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SPHALERITE NOT REPORTED AS A RECOGNIZABLE MINERAL.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore

Analytical data

Result COMPOSITE SAMPLE 0.19% CU, 0.11% ZN
Result RICHEST-LOOKING ORE 0.56% CU, 0.20% ZN.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 91
USGS model code 24b
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, Besshi (Japanese deposits)
Mark3 model number 30

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Great Smoky Group, Precambrian; Graphitic Phyllitic Schist, Siltstone, Sandstone Or Quartzite. Espenshade (1963) Notes That The Schist And Phyllite Are Similar To The Anakeesta Formation, And The Sandstone Similar To The Thunderhead Sandstone
    Rock description Great Smoky Group, Precambrian; Graphitic Phyllitic Schist, Siltstone, Sandstone Or Quartzite. Espenshade (1963) Notes That The Schist And Phyllite Are Similar To The Anakeesta Formation, And The Sandstone Similar To The Thunderhead Sandstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -83.69906, 35.51316

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Average Strike Of Strata N 65 Deg E., Dip 55 Deg Se Foliation Strikes N 70 Deg E And Dips 45 Deg Se.

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding, Foliation.

Comments on the geologic information

  • MONEYMAKER DESCRIBES THE HOST ROCK AS "BLACK LOW-GRADE SCHIST ("SLATE") AND FINE-GRAINED, LIGHT- TO BLUISH-GRAY, LAYERED QUARTZITE." APPROXIMATELY 300 TONS OF THE MATERIAL LIE ON THE DUMP.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1900

Mining district

District name Swain County Copper District

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall length 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • MONEYMAKER REPORTS THAT ONE OF THE WATER-FILLED SHAFTS WAS ABOUT 100 FEET DEEP.

Comments on development

  • EXPLORATION CONSISTED OF 5 ADITS AND 2 SHAFTS ALONG AN INTERVAL OF 600 FEET (ESPENSHADE, 1963).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    ESPENSHADE, 1963

  • Deposit

    ESPENSHADE, G.H., 1963, GEOLOGY OF SOME COPPER DEPOSITS IN NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, AND ALABAMA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1142-I, P. I1 - I50

  • Deposit

    USGS COMPILE ESPENSHADE, G.H., USGS BULL. 1142-

  • Production

    MONEYMAKER, B.C., TVA INTERNAL REPORT.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SULFIDES ARE DISSEMINATED IN THE QUARTZITE AND ALSO OCCUR IN THIN BANDS ALONG THE SCHISTOSITY AND IN VEINLETS. ALSO OCCUR IN THE SCHISTS. FOX, ET AL, STATE THAT THE PROSPECT IS LOCATED A FEW HUNDRED FEET NORTHWEST OF THE DIORITE DIKE AND WITHIN THE BELT OF THUNDERHEAD SLATES AND QUARTZITES. THEY ALSO CONSIDER THAT THE COPPER DEPOSITS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIORITE DIKE OR SILL.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1973 Hale, Robin C. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUN-1992 Klein, T.L. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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