Cross Mountain Barite Prospect

Past Producer in Cocke county in Tennessee, United States with commodities Barium-Barite, Iron
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. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10025887
MRDS ID K001861
Record type Site
Current site name Cross Mountain Barite Prospect
Related records 10275247

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -82.92793, 35.9187 (WGS84)
Relative position 1.15 MILE SOUTH OF ROCKHOUSE CAVE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cocke(county)

Tennessee(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Paint Rock(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Asheville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Knoxville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper French Broad(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Cherokee National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Tennessee Cocke

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore
Limonite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Cochran Conglomerate, Chilhowee Group, Arkosic Quartzite
    Rock description Cochran Conglomerate, Chilhowee Group, Arkosic Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northeastward

Ore body information

  • Strike N 45 DEG E
    Dip STEEPLY NW
    Thickness 0.46M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Bedding Plane Fault

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE BARITE IS GLASSY, COARSELY CRYSTALLINE, VERY PURE, AND OCCURS ALONG A BEDDING PLANE FAULT; THEREFORE, IT IS REFERRED TO AS THE MOCCASIN GAP TYPE OF DEPOSIT. DUMP FRAGMENTS INDICATE THAT THE VEIN CONSISTS OF A BRECCIA OF ARKOSIC QUARTZITE FRAGMENTS UP TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER, CEMENTED BY BARITE. BARITE PARTLY REPLACES THE FRAGMENTS, AND ALSO FORMS A BOXWORK WHERE THE FRAGMENTS HAVE WEATHERED OUT. THE VEIN UNDERLIES A QUARTZITE BED AND IS PARALLEL WITH IT. SOME OF THE BARITE ON THE DUMP IS DENSE AND SLIGHTLY PLATY LIKE THAT AT THE WILLIAMS MINE. AGE OF MINERALIZATION: LATE - OR POST - PALEOZOIC

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1900
Discoverer John Harrison

Mining district

District name Del Rio Barite District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Clinchfield Sand And Feldspar Corp.

Comments on the production information

  • UNVERIFIED REPORT THAT A FEW TONS OF BARITE HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, BUT LIMITED EXTENT OF WORKINGS RAISES POSSIBILITY THAT NO BARITE WAS EVER SHIPPED.

Comments on the workings information

  • THICKNESS OF VEIN IS UNCONFIRMED. VEIN IS SAID TO PARALLEL BEDDING. DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF 6 PITS, 3 CROSSCUT TRENCHES, AND TWO CROSSCUT TUNNELS. MOST OF THE WORKINGS ARE CAVED OR FILLED IN.

Comments on development

  • INITIAL WORK DONE BY JOHN HARRISON, FOR THE ROLLIN CHEMICAL COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, W. VA. CLINCHFIELD SAND AND FELDSPAR CORPORATION OF BALTIMORE DUG ONE TRENCH IN 1940.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    FERGUSON, H.W., AND JEWELL, W.B., 1951, GEOLOGY AND BARITE DEPOSITS OF THE DEL RIO DISTRICT, COCKE COUNTY, TENNESSEE: TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY BULL. 57, 235 P.

  • Deposit

    MAHER, S.W., 1970, BARITE RESOURCES OF TENNESSEE: TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY, REPT. INV. 28, 40 P.

  • Deposit

    1951 COMPILE FERGUSON & JEWELL, TENN. DIV. GEOL. BULL.

  • Deposit

    1970 COMPILE MAHER, S.W., TENN. DIV. GEOL., RPT. INV.

  • Production

    FERGUSON AND JEWELL, 1951, TENN. DIV. GEOLOGY, BULL. 57

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FERGUSON AND JEWELL (1951) BELIEVE THAT THE VEIN UNDERLIES THE MOCCASIN GAP MEMBER OF THE UNICOI FORMATION. TVA FILE MAPS SHOW THE PROSPECT WITHIN AN AREA MAPPED AS COCHRAN CONGLOMERATE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1974 Hale, Robin C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references