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Arminius Mine

Past Producer in Louisa county in Virginia, United States with commodities Copper, Sulfur-Pyrite, Iron, Zinc, Lead, Arsenic, Tin
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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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067660
MRDS ID W000459
Record type Site
Current site name Arminius Mine
Related records 10155420

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -77.9, 38.036 (WGS84)
Elevation 134
Relative position 2.9 KM (1.8 MI) NNE OF MINERAL

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Louisa(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mineral(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Fredericksburg(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Washington(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pamunkey(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Louisa

Comments on the location information

  • 1.05 KM (0.65 MI) ON DIRT ROAD WEST OF JUNCTION WITH U S HWY 522, 2.2 KM (1.4 MI) NE OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 618 IN MINERAL

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Primary
Iron Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Tin Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • DEPOSIT DIFFERS FROM OTHER DEPOSITS DUE TO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MAGNETITE CONTAINED

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Ilmenite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Marcasite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Barite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Cassiterite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Gahnite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hornblende Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Analytical data

Result PYRITE: 85%, SPHALERITE: 8%, MAGNETITE: 3%, CHALCOPYRITE: 1%, GALENA: 1%

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Felsic Metamorphic Rock
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Felsic Metamorphic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -77.9, 38.036
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend
Type of structure Local
Structure description Foliation Strikes N 20 Deg E And Dips 60-65 Deg Se.

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS
    Strike N 20 DEG E
    Dip 60-65 DEG SE
    Thickness 18.6M
    Length 213M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Elongate Troughs

Comments on the geologic information

  • TWO MAJOR SULFIDE TYPES PRESENT: 1) COMPACT MASSIVE PYRITIC VARIETY CONTAINING MINOR INTERSTITIAL SPHALERITE, CHALCOPYRITE, AND GALENA; AND 2) DISSEMINATED PYRITE VARIETY IN WHICH PYRITE CONSTITUTES LESS THAN HALF THE VOLUME THE REMAINDER RANGING FROM DOMINANTLY SPHALERITE TO DOMINANTLY GANGUE. ORE HAS UNDERGONE A THOROUGH RECRYSTALLIZATION, BUT RETAINS FINE SCALE BANDING. TWO CORE LOGS ARE DELINEATED IN GAIR (1978). ; GEOL.DESC: HOST ROCKS CONTAIN BIOTITE, HORNBLENDE AND GARNET AND STRIKE N 20 DEG E AND DIP 60-65 DEG SE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Year of first production 1834
Production years ITEM 1 = 1834, ITEM 2 = 1865-1921, ITEM 3 = 1847-1877

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner New Jersey Zinc Co.
    Last year 1987
  • Type Owner
    Owner Gilman Logging, W. B.
    Home office Ashland, Va.
    First year 1987
  • Type Operator
    Owner Arminius Chemical Co

Comments on the production information

  • ORE PRODUCTION (ITEM 2) WAS SPORADIC AS MINE WAS SOLD SEVERAL TIMES.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 321M

Comments on the workings information

  • FOUR STEEPLY INCLINED SHAFTS WERE DRIVEN; THE MAIN SHAFT HAVING EIGHT WORKING LEVELS. IN 1973, THREE SMALL BUILDINGS WERE SEEN, ONE OF WHICH HAD SERVED AS THE HOIST BUILDING. THE SHAFT WAS COVERED. SETTLING PONDS WERE PRESENT JUST NORTH OF THE MINE AND THE DUMP SURROUNDED THE MINE ON THREE SIDES.

Comments on development

  • GOSSAN MINED FOR IRON ORE BEGINNING IN 1834; ORE WAS SMELTED AT ROUGH AND READY FURNACE. COPPER MINING BEGAN IN 1847, FIRST BY VIRGINIA CENTRAL COPPER MINES CO AND LATER BY THE ARMINIUS COPPER MINES CO. PYRITE RECOVERY BEGAN IN 1865 BY A NY CO WHICH MINED PYRITE AND COPPER UNTIL 1877. MINE PURCHASED IN 1883 BY W H ADAMS WHO OPERATED IT UNTIL 1894, WHEN THE MINE WAS PURCHASED AND SUBSEQUENTLY OPERATED BY THE ARMINIUS CHEMICAL CO SINCE 1877, ONLY PYRITE WAS MINED. THE MINE WAS CLOSED IN 1921. THE BUREAU OF MINES CONDUCTED A GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY IN THE AREA DURING THE MID-1940'S. IN 1953 NEW JERSEY ZINC CO PURCHASED THE MINE AND CONDUCTED GEOPHYSICAL & GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION AND DIAMOND DRILLING.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COX, L.J., 1979, MINERALOGY AND PETROGENESIS OF THE ARMINIUS DEPOSIT, LOUISA COUNTY, VIRGINIA: UNPUBLISHED M.S. THESIS, VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY.

  • Deposit

    COX, L.J., CRAIG, J.R., AND KAZDA, R.F., 1979, THE ARMINIUS: A VOLCANOGENIC MASSIVE SULFIDE DEPOSIT IN THE MINERAL DISTRICT, LOUISA CO., VIRGINIA (ABS.): GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA ABSTRACTS WITH PROGRAMS, V. 11, NO. 4, P. 175.

  • Deposit

    GAIR, J E (ED), 1978, MASSIVE SULFIDES OF VIRGINIA FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CORRELATION PROGRAMME, PROJECT NO 60, 112 P

  • Deposit

    POOLE, J L, 1973, IRON SULFIDE MINES IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA MINERALS, V 19, NO 3, P 29-33

  • Deposit

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, (N.D.), REPORT OF INVESTIGATION 4116: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES.

  • Deposit

    1834 DIREXPL GOSSAN MINED FOR IRON, ADDITIONALLY SUPERGENE COPPER MINED BEGINNING 1847.

  • Deposit

    1867 DIREXPL PYRITE MINING BEGUN

  • Deposit

    1953 DIREXPL NEW JERSEY ZINC CO: CONDUCTED EXPLORATION & DIAMOND DRILLING.

  • Production

    COX AND OTHERS (1979),

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS IS LARGEST MASSIVE SULFIDE DEPOSIT IN MINERAL DISTRICT OF LOUISA COUNTY (COX AND OTHERS, 1979). DEPOSIT IS CLASSIFIED AS A DISTAL SYNGENETIC VOLCANOGENIC DEPOSIT SIMILAR IN NATURE TO BESSHI-TYPE DEPOSITS OF JAPAN AND KIESLAGER DEPOSITS OF GERMANY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1972 Wright, Nancy A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer 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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