Reed Placer

Past Producer in Cabarrus county in North Carolina, United States with commodity Gold
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  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 10071250
MRDS ID W014531
Record type Site
Current site name Reed Placer
Alternate or previous names Reid

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -80.46452, 35.27982 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cabarrus(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Locust(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

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Rock unit name Tillery Formation
    Rock description Tillery Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
    Rock unit name Tillery Formation
    Rock description Tillery Formation

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gold Hill Fault Zone

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Length 1500M
    Width 76M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1799
Discoverer Conrad Reid
Year of first production 1802

Mining district

District name Carolina Slate Belt

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner State Historical Site

Comments on the production information

  • 30,000 CUBIC METERS OF ALLUVIAL MATERIAL CRUDELY WORKED; VALUE OF ONLY 15 NUGGETS REPORTED AT $20.00 PER OUNCE IS $45,760; SUPPOSEDLY RICHEST PLACER DEPOSIT IN EASTERN U.S.; PROBABLY SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN GOLD AT $20.00 PER OUNCE RECOVERED

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 0HA
    Overall length 1371.6M
    Overall width 76M

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PARTZ, AUGUST, 1854, "EXAMINATIONS AND EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD-BEARING BELTS OF THE ATLANTIC STATES", THE MINING MAGAZINE, VOL. 3, PG. 161 TO 168; CARPENTER, III, P. A., 1976, "METALLIC MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE CAROLINA SLATE BELT, NORTH CAROLINA", N. C. DEPT. NAT. AND ECON. RES., MIN. RES. SEC., BULL. 84, MAPAT 1:165,00 PG. 27, MINE TEXT PG. 34, 36, TEXT 166 PG.; STREAM LOCATION IN MOUNT PLEASANT TOPO QUAD AT 1:62,50

  • Production

    PARTZ, AUGUST 1854

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SITE OF FIRST GOLD DISCOVERY IN NORTH CAROLINA AND FIRST GOLD MINING IN THE UNITED STATE (1799). LARGEST AND RICHEST PLACER IN THE EASTERN U.S.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-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.