Low Moor Number 1 Mine

Past Producer in Alleghany county in Virginia, 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. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  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 10067222
MRDS ID VA00002
Record type Site
Current site name Low Moor Number 1 Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.88894, 37.77312 (WGS84)
Elevation 427
Relative position 7200 FT S 17 DEGREES W OF ALLEGHANY REGIONAL HOSPITAL IN LOW MOOR

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alleghany(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Covington(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Buena Vista(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper James(hydrologic unit)

James(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

George Washington National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

George Washington and Jefferson 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 Virginia Alleghany

Comments on the location information

  • ON WEST FACE OF LITTLE MOUNTAIN, WITHIN THE KARNES CREEK AND WHITE ROCK CREEK DRAINAGES

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Goethite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Ridgeley Sandstone
    Rock description Ridgeley Sandstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.88894, 37.77312

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 70 DEGREES 3
    Dip 25 DEGREES SE
    Thickness 10.67M
    Length 304.8M

Comments on the geologic information

  • RIDGELEY IS EQUIVALENT TO ORISKANY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Year of first production 1875
Year of last production 1898

Mining district

District name Clifton Forge Iron District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Low Moor Iron Co.
    First year 1873
    Last year 1925

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Area 4.047HA

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSISTED OF ELEVEN DRIFTS UP TO 1200 FT. LONG, ONE (POSSIBLY TWO) 65 FT. SHAFT(S), AND SEVERAL SURFACE PITS OF "OPEN CUTS." MOST OF THE AREA OCCUPIED BY MINING IS SPOIL PILES IN LINEAR RIDGES UP TO 20 FT. HIGH.

Comments on development

  • TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM ALL LOW MOOR MINES = 967K640 T.; MINES CLOSED DUE TO DEPLETION OF SURFACE ORE AND WATER PROBLEMS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HOTCHKISS, JED., 1880, THE LOW MOOR IRON COMPANY OF VIRGINIA: THE VIRGINIAS, V. 1, P. 150-151.

  • Deposit

    LESURE, FRANK G., 1957, GEOLOGY OF THE CLIFTON FORGE IRON DISTRICT, VIRGINIA: BULLETIN OF VPI & SU ENG. EXP. STA., SERIES NUMBER 118, VOL. L, NUMBER 7. 130 P.

  • Deposit

    LYMAN, B.S., 1886, GEOLOGY OF THE LOW MOOR, VIRGINIA, IRON-ORES AIME TRANS., V. 14, PP. 801-809.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit A NARROW-TRACK RAIL LINE CONNECTS THESE WORKINGS AND THOSE OF THE RICH PATCH MINES WITH THE FORGES AT LOW MOOR. THE FORGES WERER FIRED WITH COKE PRODUCED FROM BEEHIVE OVENS AT THE FORGE. 104 OVENS WERE CONSTRUCTED BY 1880, BUT ONLY 10 ARE STILL VISIBLE IN 1987. THE COAL CAME FROM WEST VIRGINIA . IN 1880 NEW FURNACES WERE PUT INTO BLAST WITH AN 80 TO 100 TON PER DAY CAPACITY. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit THE ORE AVERAGED 20 FT. THICK, AND THINNED TO 10 FT. IN PLACES. THIS AREA IS CONSIDERED MINED OUT. ORE GRADES INTO LIMESTONE (COMMONLY) AND SANDSTONE (LESS COMMON).
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1800S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1987 Wilkes, Gerald P. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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