Burnett Mine

Past Producer in Buckingham county in Virginia, United States with commodities Gold, Sulfur-Pyrite
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 10079429
MRDS ID W028966
Record type Site
Current site name Burnett Mine
Alternate or previous names Staples Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.45917, 37.56173 (WGS84)
Elevation 149
Relative position 2.17 KM (1.35 MI) NORTH OF DILLWYN ON THE WEST SIDE OF GOLD MINE BRANCH.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buckingham(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle James-Buffalo(hydrologic unit)

James(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Buckingham

Comments on the location information

  • 1.9 KM WEST OF INTERSECTION OF STATE ROAD 631 WITH U.S. HIGHWAY 15.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Analytical data

Result IN 1865 A HUNDRED POUNDS OF ORE REMOVED FROM THE SHAFT WAS VALUED AT ?1.00, EQUIVALENT TO $20 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 Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.45917, 37.56173

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Arvonia Syncline, Ne-Sw Trend

Ore body information

  • Strike N.45 DEG. E.
    Dip SE
    Thickness 1.2M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • In A Bed Of Quartzite.

Comments on the geologic information

  • LENTICULAR QUARTZ CONCRETIONS IN WHITE QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1865
Year of first production 1881

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Burnett Mining And Milling Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Westvaco

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 27.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • CAVED PIT AND TRENCH, SCATTERED DUMPS REPORTED 1974. 2 SHAFTS, ONE REPORTEDLY 24 M TO 27.4 M WERE SUNK AND A SHORT TUNNEL DRIVEN FROM SW ALONG THE VEIN TO CONNECT THE SHAFT. IN 1865 A 16.5 M (54 FT) SHAFT HAD BEEN SUNK.

Comments on development

  • IN 1865 THERE WAS A SHAFT 16.5 M (54 FT) DEEP. FROM 1881 TO 1883 THE BURNETT MINING AND MILLING CO. DEVELOPED THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA VEIN. A SHAFT WAS SUNK TO A DEPTH OF 27.4 M (90 FT) AND A SHORT TUNNEL DRIVEN FROM THE SOUTHWEST ALONG THE VEIN TO CONNECT WITH THE SHAFT. THERE WAS ANOTHER SHAFT A FEW METERS NORTHEAST AND A NUMBER OF PITS. THE MINE HAS REMAINED IDLE SINCE 1883. A MILL WAS LOCATED 274 TO 366 M (300 TO 1200 FT) WEST OF THE MINE ON THE WEST SIDE OF A LARGE BRANCH. IT CONSISTED OF 3 BATTERIES OF 4 STAMPS EACH. IT BURNED DOWN BEFORE 1910. IT IS REPORTED THAT MOST OF THE ORE MILLED WAS HAULED FROM THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    TABER, S., 1913, GEOLOGY OF THE GOLD BELT IN THE JAMES RIVER BASIN, VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 7, 271 P.

  • Deposit

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

  • 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

    CREDNER, H., 1869, REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR. MNG., VOL. VII, P. 72.

  • Deposit

    HAMMETT, A.B.J., 1966, THE HISTORY OF GOLD: KERRVILLE, TEXAS, BRASWELL PRINTING CO., 107 P.

  • Deposit

    1881 DIREXPL BURNETT MINING AND MILLING CO.- SUNK SHAFT AND TUNNEL, MINED

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL ? - DUG SHAFT, MINED?

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA. DIV. OF MIN. RES.- SITE INSPECTED

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit STRIKE IS APPROXIMATE; DIP IS NEAR VERTICAL, INCLINED TOWARD SE; SAME VEIN AS THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA VEIN. THE COUNTRY ROCK IS A QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST IMPREGNATED WITH FINE-GRAINED PYRITE, SIMILAR IN EVERY WAY TO THE ROCK OCCURRING ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE VEIN AT THE BUCKINGHAM MINE. THE QUARTZITE IS VERY SCHISTOSE AND CONTAINS CONSIDERABLE SERICITE AND IRON OXIDE, AS WELL AS FREE GOLD.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1981 Trimble, David, C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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