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Whitney Mine

Past Producer in Cabarrus county in North Carolina, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10026438
MRDS ID K005063
Record type Site
Current site name Whitney Mine
Alternate or previous names Mcmakin Mine
Related records 10151469

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -80.36729, 35.49871 (WGS84)
Relative position 7.8 MI NORTHEAST OF MT. PLEASANT AND 2.1 MI SOUTHWEST OF GOLD HILL

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cabarrus(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Richfield(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Charlotte(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charlotte(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rocky(hydrologic unit)

Upper Pee Dee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Pee Dee(hydrologic subregion)

South Atlantic-Gulf(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Cabarrus

Comments on the location information

  • DIGITIZED FROM STROMQUIST AND HENDERSON, 1985

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • EARLY REPORTS MENTION PRESENCE OF PSILOMELANE, PYROLUSITE, PYROMORPHITE, CERUSSITE, CHALCOPYRITE, AND ARGENTIFEROUS TETRAHEDRITE. GOSSAN LIMONITE AND SULFIDE BEARING QUARTZ VEINS IN SHEAR ZONE IN CHLORITE - SERICITE PHYLLITE; SHEAR ZONE 1.3 TO 8M WIDE AND STRIKES N 30 TO 35 DEGREES E AND DIPS 75 TO 85 DEGREES NW; SCHISTOSITY OF BEDROCK STRIKES N 25 DEGREES E AND DIPS 75 DEGREES NW; ORE ZONE CONSIDERED TO BE 1.3M WIDE; THREE SHAFTS AT TWO SITES, ONE SITE 133M SW OF THE REPORTED NORTHERN SITE; GOSSAN ORE MATERIAL ASSAYED PER TON $2.00 TO $6.00 OF GOLD AT $20.00 PER OUNCE; QUARTZ VEIN MATERIAL CONTAINS PYRITE, MALACHITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, AND ENARGITE OR CHALCOCITE, WITH MENTION OF PSILOMELANE, PYROLUSITE, PYROMORPHITE, CERUSSITE, CHALCOPYRITE, AND SILVER-BEARING TETRAHEDRITE; MINE DEVELOPMENT CONSISTED OF TWO PROSPECT SHAFTS 23M DEEP IN 1894; IN 1906, THE WHITNEY COMPANY EXTENDED SHAFT DEPTH TO 267M; IN 1935 SHAFTS PARTLY DEWATERED AND CLEANED BUT DISCONTINUED WITH NO MINING EFFORT;
  • MINED SHEAR ZONE ONE OF MANY MINERALIZED FAULTS OF THE EXTENSIVE GOLD HILL FAULT SYSTEM

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Barite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Psilomelane Gangue
Pyrolusite Gangue
Pyromorphite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Chlorite, Sericite, Silica

Analytical data

Result 5000 TON TEST RUN OF MILL AVERAGED 0.23 OPT AS FREE GOLD (AMALGAMATED) AND 0.04 OPT NON-AMALAMATED GOLD IN THE SULFIDE CONCENTRATE. GOSSAN ASSAYED AT 0.2 TO 0.6 OPT.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
    Rock unit name Tillery Formation
    Rock description Tillery Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -80.36729, 35.49871
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gold Hill Fault
Type of structure Local
Structure description Fault Zone Striking N 30-35 E Dipping 75-85 Nw

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 45-60 E
    Dip 70-75 SE
    Thickness 15M
    Length 1600M
    Depth to bottom 244M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Hyrothermal Focussing Along Secondary Structures Probably Related To The Gold Hill Fault.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE GOLD HILL DISTRICT IS LOCATED WITH IN ARGILLITE, BEDDED FINE TUFFS, ANDuTHIN LENSES OF COARSE FELSIC VOLCANIC ROCKS THAT STROMQUIST AND HENDERSON (1985) USGS MI MAP I-1400.uASSIGN TO THE TILLERY FORMATION. ALTERATION SURROUNDING THE VEINS INCLUDESuFINE GRAINED MUSCOVITE, CHLORITE, AND SILICA REPLACEMENT OF THE FINELYuBEDDED METASEDIMENTS. QUARTZ VEINS TEND TO FRACTURE ALONG SHEET-LIKEuFRACTURES WHICH MAY BE DUE TO LATE BRITTLE FRACTURE ALONG THE GOLD HILLuFAULT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1842
Year of first production 1842
Year of last production 1906
Production years 1842-1861; 1899-1906

Mining district

District name Gold Hill District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Mr. Hammill

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION UNKNOWN; EFFICIENCY OF AU RECOVERED 83%. UP TO 1856 GOLD HILL DISTRICT REPORTED TO PRODUCE $2,000,000 OF METAL, UP TO 1874 ESTIMATED $3,000,000 WORTH OF GOLD AT $20.00 PER OUNCE RECOVERED.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 610M
    Overall depth 244M
    Overall length 306.32M

Comments on the workings information

  • DEVELOPED ON 7 LEVELS FROM THREE SHAFTS.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS WORKED FROM AROUND 1842 TO 1861. DURING THIS TIME THREE SHAFTS WERE DEVELOPED TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 180 FT. MINE WAS REOPENED IN 1906 AND SHAFT WAS DEVELOPED TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 800 FT. IN 1935, SEVERAL OF OLD SHAFTS WERE CLEANED OUT AND PARTIALLY DEWATERED. WORK WAS DISCONTINUED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    LANEY, 1910. P.110

  • Deposit

    CARPENTER, P. A., III, 1976, METALLIC MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE CAROLINA SLATE BELT, NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA MINERAL RESOURCES SEC. BULL. 84, 166 P.

  • Deposit

    PARDEE, J. T., AND PARK, C. F., JR., 1948, GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT: U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 213, 156 P.

  • Deposit

    NITZE, H.B.C., 1896, GOLD DEPOSITS OF NORTH CAROLINA; NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. NO. 3, 200 P.; LANEY, F.B., 1910, THE GOLD HILL MINING DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 21.

  • Production

    CARPENTER, 1976; PARDEE AND PARK, 1948; C.B. BROWN, USGS FIELD NOTES.

  • Reserve-Resource

    LANEY, 1910; PARK AND PARDEE, 1948

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TWO PARALLEL VEINS THE MAIN AND LITTLE VEINS ARE OXIDIZED TO AuDEPTH OF 20M.
Deposit AT THE SURFACE TO 7M ORE MOSTLY BROWN HEMATITE, PSILOMELANE, PYROLUSITE AND DOLOMITE WITH MANGANESE ORES DISAPPEARING AT 7M; BETWEEN 7M AND 20M ORE GRAPHITE, PYROMORPHITE, AND CERUSSITE; BELOW 20M, ORE GALENA, YELLOW SPHALERITE, PYRITE, CHALCOPYRITE AND TETRAHEDRITE WITH GANGUE CALCITE, BARITE AND QUARTZ; BETWEEN 20M AND 23M YELLOW SPHALERITE, ASSAYING 14 TO 39 AND 1/3 OUNCES OF SILVER PER TON, PREDOMINATES OVER GALENA; BELOW 23M GALENA PREDOMINATES OVER SPHALERITE THE TETRAHEDRITE-BEARING GALENA ASSAYS 12 TO 53 AND 2/7 OUNCES SILVER PER TON; TWO ORE CONCENTRATE SAMPLES ASSAYED $317.95 AND $646.50 SILVER PER TON AT $1.29 PER OUNCE.
Deposit THE WHITNEY COMPANY CONSOLIDATED THE MCMAKIN, ISENHOUR (W014603), AND HONEYCUTTu(W014581) SHAFTSuOPERATIONS WHICH WERE ALONG THE SAME PERSISTANT VEIN. THIS RECORD IS ONLYuFOR THE WHITNEY MINER (MCMAKIN).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1976 Mcdaniel, Ronald D. North Carolina Division of Land Resources
Reporter 01-JUL-1976 D'Agostino, John P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUN-1991 Klein, T.L. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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