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Franklin Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067562
MRDS ID W000345
Record type Site
Current site name Franklin Mine
Alternate or previous names Deep Run Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -77.66053, 38.50254 (WGS84)
Elevation 102
Relative position 1.75 MI (2.82 KM) EAST OF MORRISVILLE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fauquier(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Midland(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Washington West(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Washington(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rapidan-Upper Rappahannock(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Fauquier

Comments on the location information

  • 1350 FT (405 M) ALONG A DIRT ROAD OFF NORTH SIDE OF STATE ROAD 634, 1.55 MI (2.49 KM) BY ROAD EAST OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 806.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Selenium Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE GANGUE MATERIAL IS QUARTZ, CHLORITE, ANKERITE, AND CALCITE. THE QUARTZ VEINS ARE MASSIVE AND OCCUR IN A MINERALIZED SHEAR ZONE IN SERICITIZED AND SILICIFIED QUARTZ DIORITE NEAR THE BORDER OF THE SOMERVILLE GRANITE. BANDS AND STREAKS OF SERICITE SCHIST BEND AROUND LENSES OF QUARTZ IN THE VEINS; IN PLACES THE VEINS GRADE INTO SILICIFIED REPLACEMENT BODIES. (LUTTRELL REF) SELENIUM HAS BEEN REPORTED, BUT NOT VERIFIED

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Gold Ore
Silver Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Analytical data

Result CREDNER REPORTED ORE VALUES VARIED FROM AS LOW AS $6 PER TON TO AS HIGH AS $30 PER TON.

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 Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Somerville Granite;Diabase Dike
    Rock description Somerville Granite;Diabase Dike
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Somerville Granite;Metamorphosed Sedimentary Rocks;Diabase Dike
    Rock description Somerville Granite;Metamorphosed Sedimentary Rocks;Diabase Dike
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Tectonite > Mylonite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -77.66053, 38.50254
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Reg.Trends: Northeast-Southwest
Type of structure Local
Structure description Faulting(?)

Ore body information

  • General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N47DEGE
    Dip ABT 70DEGSE
    Width 3M
    Depth to top 15M
    Depth to bottom 88M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Shear Zones

Comments on the geologic information

  • IN PLACES THE QTZ VEINS GRADE INTO SILICIFIED REPLACEMENT BODIES EVIDENCE OF MOVEMENT ALONG THE VEIN FISSURES IS SHOWN BY SHEARED AND SCHISTOSE NATURE OF INTRUSIVE ROCK NEAR THE VEINS. IN PLACES, QUARTZ OF THE VEINS IS BROKEN AND PARTLY RE-XLLIZED; SMALL KIDNEYS HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN ROLLED (PARK, 1936, P 31) ; MAJOR.UNITS: SCHIST, DIORITE, GRANITE ; GEOL.DESC: COUNTRY ROCK IS ALTERED AND SHEARED. ; REG.COM: THE QTZ VEINS ARE IN A MINERALIZED SHEAR ZONE IN SERICITIZED AND SILICIFIED QTZ DIORITE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

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

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Brewster Helm
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ashbey Pankey,Richmond Va/Interstate Service Corp

Production statistics

  • Year 1877
    Period 1837-1877
    Material AU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Est At 0.58 Opt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 16g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • NO MENTION IN THE LITERATURE OF THE GRADE OF THE ORE, EXCEPT THAT MINERALIZED QUARTZ CONTAINED .15-.20 OZ. AU PER TON.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Length 609M
    Overall depth 15M
  • Type of workings Unknown
    Overall depth 46M
  • Type of workings Unknown
    Overall depth 88M

Comments on the workings information

  • THE VEINS WERE DEVELOPED BY A 300 FT. SHAFT WITH LEVELS AND DRIFTS AT THE ABOVE MENTIONED DEPTHS. CREDNER REPORTED WORKINGS ON THE NORTHERN VEIN CONSISTED OF (1) A SHAFT 32 M (106 FT) DEEP WHICH CUT THE VEIN AT A DEPTH OF 18 M (60 FT), AND FROM THAT POINT THE SHAFT FOLLOWED THE VEIN DOWNWARD{ (2) AN AIR SHAFT, 15 M (50 FT) DEEP, TO VENTILATE THE LOWER PARTS OF THE MINE{ (3) ANOTHER SHAFT, FURTHER SOUTH, 18 M (60 FT) DEEP, FROM WHICH A CROSSCUT TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN LODE WAS STARTED BUT NOT FINISHED. THE OUTCROP OF THIS NORTHERN LODE HAD BEEN EXCAVATED FOR A DISTANCE OF 152 M (500 FT) AND AN AVERAGE DEPTH OF 8 M (25 FT). ON THE SOUTHERN LODE A SHAFT 12 M (40 FT) DEEP HAD BEEN SUNK OPPOSITE SHAFT NO. 3, OF THE NORTHERN VEIN. IN SINKING THIS SHAFT A POCKET WAS FOUND WHICH YIELDED $700 GOLD IN 3 DAYS. THE QUARTZ ON THE DUMP WAS STAMPED IN IRON HAND-MORTARS, WHICH YIELDED $1 TO $2 A DAY PER MAN. TAILINGS FROM THE MILL, 600 TO 700 TONS AT THE TIME OF CREDNER'S VISIT IN 1865, CONTAINED ON
  • THE AVERAGE, $6 GOLD PER TON. PARK (1936) STATED THE WORKINGS CONSISTED OF A SHAFT 91.5 M (300 FT) DEEP, A 15-M LEVEL ABOUT 73 M (240 FT) LONG THAT WAS CAVED IN ITS WESTERN PART, A PUMPING STATION AT 25 M (81 FT) BELOW THE SHAFT COLLAR AND EXTENDS 11 M (36 FT) FROM THE SHAFT, A 46-M LEVEL CONTAINING 396 M (1300 FT) OF WORKINGS THAT WERE BEING ACTIVELY EXTENDED, AND A 88-M (290-FT) LEVEL CONTAINING 290 M (950 FT) OF DRIFTING WHICH WAS ALSO BEING EXTENDED.

Comments on development

  • IN 1935 THE MINE WAS CLOSED AFTER 7 DIAMOND DRILL HOLES FAILED TO JUSTIFY LARGE-SCALE OPERATIONS. CALLAHAN MINING CORP. DRILLED 4 CORE HOLES ON THE PROPERTY IN 1983-1984. ; ECON.COM: IN 1936 THE GOVT. FROZE PRODUCTION OF GOLD MINING EQUIPMENT FOR DEFENSE PURPOSES, SO MINE WAS FORCED TO CLOSE DOWN. (FAUQUIER DEMOCRAT REF.)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LUTTRELL, G W, 1966, BASE- AND PRECIOUS-METAL AND RELATED ORE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT 7, 167 P.

  • Deposit

    THE FAUQUIER DEMOCRAT, AUG. 20, 1964, P. 1

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., 1980, GOLD IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, PUBLICATION 19, 77 P.

  • Deposit

    PARK, C F, JR, 1936, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE VIRGINIA PIEDMONT: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 44, 42 P

  • Deposit

    CREDNER, H., 1868, REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR. MNG., VOL. VI, P. 371.

  • Deposit

    1825 DIREXPL MINE OPENED

  • Deposit

    1933 DIREXPL FRANKLIN MINING AND MILLING CO FORMED BY INTERSTATE SERVICE CORP AND MR ANDREW A ZANGARA.

  • Deposit

    1935 OTHER FRANKLIN MINING AND MILLING CO CLOSED MINE

  • Deposit

    1964 DIREXPL BREWSTER HELM, UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO REOPEN

  • Production

    LUTTRELL REFERENCE

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE 2 MAIN VEINS ARE CALLED FRANKLIN AND HOUSE VEINS. THE VEINS ARE PARALLEL, BUT 91.5 M (300 FT) APART, AND EACH WAS 1.8 TO 3 M (6 TO 10 FT) WIDE. THE GANGUE IS QUARTZ WITH DISSEMINATED IRON OXIDE, PYRITE, CHALCOPYRITE AND FREE GOLD.
Deposit 1964 NEWSPAPER REFERENCE MENTIONS THAT J. B. HELM HOPED TO REOPEN THE MINE IN THE SPRING OF 1965, BUT NO FURTHER ACCOUNT MENTIONS WHETHER OR NOT HE EVER DID. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1972 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-JUL-1987 Sweet, Palmer C. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site