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Ashe Mining Company Magnetite Mine

Past Producer in Ashe county in North Carolina, United States with commodities Iron, Iron, Pig Iron
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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. Ownership information
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10026403
MRDS ID K004816
Record type Site
Current site name Ashe Mining Company Magnetite Mine
Alternate or previous names Waughbank Property, Marble Magnetite, Ballou's Horse Creek Ore Bank
Related records 10297044

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.5051, 36.49341 (WGS84)
Relative position NORTH SIDE OF STATE RT. 194, 0.5 MILE SW OF LANCING

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Ashe(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Warrensville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Boone(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

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

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper New(hydrologic unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic subregion)

Ohio(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Ashe

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Iron, Pig Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Actinolite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hornblende Gangue
Phlogopite Gangue

Analytical data

Result USGS ANALYSIS OF MAGNETITE HAND - PICKED FROM ORE: 60.42% FE2O3, 24.80% FEO, 2.33% SIO2, 2.38% AL2O3, 3.01% MNO, 3.37% MGO, 1.14% CAO, 0.26% NA2O, 1.97% CO2, 0.11% SO3, TRACE OF K2O, TIO2, AND P2O5
Result NOT DETECTED WERE CR2O3, S, V2O5, BAO, SRO, AND F. ANALYSIS OF ORE (NITZE, 1893): 62.48% FE, 1.96% SIO2, 3.66% MN, 0.072% S, 0.019% P. USGS PARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MARBLE FROM MINE: 34.28% CO2, 26.32% CAO, 9.17% MGO, SOME MNO.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.5051, 36.49341
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northeast

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N 35 E
    Dip 40 S

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Marble Zones In The Gneiss Country Rock

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE BODY IS A COARSELY CRYSTALLINE MARBLE (CALCITE WITH SUBORDINATE DOLOMITE) CONTAINING GRAINS AND LENSES OF MAGNETITE (BAYLEY, 1923). IT IS DISTINCTLY SCHISTOSE AS A RESULT OF: SLIGHT ELONGATION OF MAGNETITE GRAINS, THE ACCUMULATION OF MAGNETITE GRAINS TO FORM LENSES, AND VEINS OR LAYERS OF CARBONATE, ALL OF WHICH HAVE THE SAME ORIENTATION. MUCH OF THE ORE IS A COARSELY GRANULAR INTERMIXTURE OF CARBONATE AND MAGNETITE; QUARTZ GRAINS ARE SCARCE. ALONG PART OF ITS TREND, THE ATTITUDE OF THE ORE BODY IS REGULAR, AND IN OTHER PLACES IT IS CUT BY SMALL FAULTS. AT THE END OF THE MAIN TUNNEL THE ORE BODY IS CHIMNEY - LIKE BUT EXPANDS WITH DEPTH ALONG A STEEPLY PITCHING SHOOT INTO A SHEET WITH AN ATTITUDE CONFORMABLE WITH THE SURROUNDING GNEISSES. THE ORE BODY CONTAINS VEIN - LIKE LAYERS OF ACTINOLITE AND MAGNETITE IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED IN GREATER ABUNDANCE NEAR THE ACTINOLITE - MARBLE CONTACTS. THE ACTINOLITE PASSES LATERALLY INTO THE MARBLE BY A GRADUAL TRANSITION. ENVELOPES OF
  • ACTINOLITE ENCLOSE MANY OF THE MAGNETITE LENSES. HORNBLENDE OCCURS AS MASSES OR ACCORDING TO BAYLEY (1923), AS DIKES ASSOCIATED WITH MAGNETITE AND GARNET, WITH THE GARNET BEING A CONTACT METAMORPHIC PRODUCT BETWEEN THE HORNBLENDE AND CARBONATES. THE MARBLE ASSOCIATED WITH HORNBLENDE IS COMMONLY BANDED, THE BANDING RESULTING FROM INTERLAYERED COARSE HORNBLENDE, HORNBLENDE AND GARNET, AGGREGATES OF DARK AND LIGHT HORNBLENDE, THIN PYRITE SEAMS, CARBONATES, STREAKS OF MAGNETITE, AND LAYERS OF CARBONATE AND BLACK MICA. PYRITE ALSO OCCURS SPARSELY AS CUBES. LOCALLY, EPIDOTIZED PEGMATITES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HORNBLENDE MASSES. THE PEGMATITES CUT BOTH THE ORE AND COUNTRY ROCK; CONTACTS ARE INDISTINCT AS A RESULT OF LATER SHEARING. THE ORE BODY IS ALSO CUT BY LATE VEINLETS OF CALCITE AND ACTINOLITE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1825
Year of first production 1828

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Mr. G. W. Cooke
    First year 1920
  • Type Owner
    Owner Mr. U. Ballou

Comments on the production information

  • THE ORE WAS SHIPPED TO THE CRANBERRY FURNACE AT JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE WITHOUT BENEFICIATION, BECAUSE THE TITANIUM, SULFUR, AND PHOSPHOROUS CONTENTS WERE VERY LOW AND THE HIGH CARBONATE CONTENT SERVED AS A FLUX. CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION UP TO AUG., 1919

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • NO EXPLORATION IS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN DONE OTHER THAN THE MINE WORKINGS, AND CONSEQUENTLY NO WAY OF ESTIMATING THE MAGNITUTE OF THE RESERVES. ALTHOUGH THE VEIN APPEARS TO BE MORE REGULAR WITH DEPTH THAN AT THE SURFACE, THERE IS NO CERTAINTY THAT THE ORE BODY WILL BECOME BROKEN AND IRREGULAR WITH DEPTH OR ALONG ITS STRIKE.

Comments on the workings information

  • THE MAIN TUNNEL OR ADIT GOES 150 FEET INTO THE HILL IN A N 40 E DIRECTION, IN THE FOOTWALL. A 46 - FOOT CROSSCUT TRENDING S 40 W EXPOSED ORE ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH, MAKING THE WIDTH OF THE ORE ZONE IN EXCESS OF 30 FEET. TWO OLDER TUNNELS OF ADITS WERE DUG UP THE HILL, ONE ABOUT 40 FEET ABOVE THE MAIN ADIT AND THE ORIGINAL ADIT ABOUT 50 FEET ABOVE THE MAIN ADIT. THE RICHER ORE ZONES INCLUDE MAGNETITE LENSES WHICH ARE A FOOT OR MORE IN LENGTH AND 5 TO 6 INCHES IN DIAMETER.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: MAGNETITE IS VERY LOW IN SULFUR, TITANIUM, AND PHOSPHOROUS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    PRATT, J. H., 1914, THE MINING INDUSTRY IN NORTH CAROLINA DURING 1911 AND 1912: NORTH CAROLINA GEOL. AND ECON. SURVEY ECON. PAPER NO. 34, 342 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. SURV. BULL. 1

  • Deposit

    1914 OTHER PRATT, J. H., N. C. GEOL. & EC. PAPER 34

  • Deposit

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

  • Production

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, P. 196 - 197

  • Reserve-Resource

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, P. 197

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE MARBLE - MAGNETITES ARE CONSIDERED BY BAYLEY (1923) TO BE METAMORPHOSED LIMESTONES WITHIN THE GNEISSES, AND THE SCARCITY OF THIS TYPE OF DEPOSIT IS DUE TO THE SCARCITY OF LIMESTONE BEDS WITHIN THE ORIGINAL SEDIMENTS. HE CONSIDERS THE GARNET AND ACTINOLITE AS METAMORPHIC PRODUCTS OF ALTERED LIMESTONE AND THE HORNBLENDE AND MAGNETITE HAVING THEIR ORIGIN IN PART FROM ASCENDING MAGMATIC SOLUTIONS. BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH CARBONATE CONTENT, THIS MINE IS SIMILAR TO THE RED ROCK MINE IN CARTER CO., TENN.
Deposit Discovery Year: EARLY 1800'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1975 Hale, Robin 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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