Cooper Magnetite Mine

Past Producer in Avery county in North Carolina, United States with commodity 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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10026379
MRDS ID K004786
Record type Site
Current site name Cooper Magnetite Mine
Related records 10127280

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.98651, 36.14592 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 MILE SSW OF CENTER OF ELK PARK

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Avery(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Elk Park(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Boone(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winston-Salem(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Watauga, North Carolina, Tennessee(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Pisgah National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Croatan National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

National Forests in North Carolina(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Avery

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Epidote Gangue
Hornblende Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Rock description Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.98651, 36.14592

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northwesterly
Type of structure Local
Structure description Granite Becomes Less Platy And Interfoliated Gneisses Become Less Abundant As Distance From Vein Increases.

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR, PINCH AND SWELL, LENS
    Strike NW
    Dip 33 S
    Thickness 3.05M

Comments on the geologic information

  • NITZE (1893) DESCRIBED THE DEPOSIT AS "...A BODY OF ORE, AND MIXED ORE AND GANGUE VARYING IN THICKNESS, AS VISIBLE AT PRESENT NEAR THE OUTCROP, FROM 5 TO 10 FEET, WITH A DIP OF ABOUT 33 DEGREES SOUTHWEST..." THE ORE IS DESCRIBED AS RESEMBLING "...THAT OF THE CRANBERRY MINE IN EVERY PARTICULAR."

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1884
Year of first production 1884

Mining district

District name Cranberry Magnetite District

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 12.19M

Comments on the workings information

  • BAYLEY (1923) NOTES THAT THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF MINING WAS SEVERAL LARGE DEPRESSIONS REPRESENTING THE OLD CUTS. NITZE (1893) STATED THAT THE WORKINGS INCLUDED A 40 - FOOT SHAFT, A CUT, AND A 15 - FOOT ADIT.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: THE MAGNETITE IS EASILY SEPARATED FROM GANGUE AND IS EXCEPTIONALLY LOW IN PHOSPHOROUS, TITANIUM, AND SULFUR.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STUCKEY, J. L., 1965, NORTH CAROLINA: ITS GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES: RALEIGH, N. C., NORTH CAROLINA DEPT. CONSERV. AND DEVEL., 550 P.

  • Deposit

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY BULL. 29, 252 P.

  • Deposit

    KLINE, M. H., AND BALLARD, T. J., 1948, CRANBERRY MAGNETITE DEPOSITS, AVERY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND CARTER COUNTY, TENNESSEE: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. RI 4274, 85 P.

  • Deposit

    NITZE, H.B.C., 1893, IRON ORES OF NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. NO. 1, 239 P.

  • Deposit

    1893 OTHER NITZE, H. B. C., N. C. GEOL. SUR. BULL. 1

  • Deposit

    1923 OTHER BAYLEY, W. S., TENN. DIV. GEOL. BULL. 29

  • Deposit

    GOLDICH, S. S., AND WEDOW, HELMUTH, JR., 1943, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN - FILE REPORT.

  • Deposit

    1965 COMPILE STUCKEY, J. L., N. C. DEPT. CONS. & DEVEL.

  • Deposit

    1966 COMPILE BRYANT AND REED, GEOL. SURV. CIR. 521

  • Production

    NITZE, 1893, P. 180.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ACCORDING TO BAYLEY (1923), "THE VEINS IN WHICH THE ORE OCCURS COMPRISE MORE OR LESS BANDED MIXTURES OF PEGMATITE, EPIDOTIC GNEISSES, HORNBLENDE SCHISTS AND LENTICULAR MASSES OF A MIXTURE OF HORNBLENDE AND MAGNETITE, IN PLACES CUT BY SMALL VEINS OF MAGNETITE."

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1975 Hale, Robin C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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