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Bondurant Mine

Past Producer in Buckingham county in Virginia, United States with commodities Gold, Sulfur-Pyrite
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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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079431
MRDS ID W028968
Record type Site
Current site name Bondurant Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.58973, 37.45284 (WGS84)
Elevation 197
Relative position ABOUT 2.4 KM (1.5 MI) SW OF ANDERSONVILLE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buckingham(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Andersonville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Appomattox(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle James-Willis(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

  • 0.08 KM (0.05 MI) OFF NE SIDE OF STATE ROAD 612, ABOUT 0.56 KM (0.35 MI) BY ROAD SE OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 640. IN APPAMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM STATE FOREST.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PYRITE IS FINE-GRAINED AND DISSEMINATED THROUGH THE QUARTZITE, BEING SOMEWHAT MORE ABUNDANT ALONG THE PRINCIPAL BEDDIN PLANES AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE VEINLETS.

Materials information

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

Analytical data

Result MR. MOORE, WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE MINE IN 1901, SAID THAT ASSAYS WERE OBTAINED RUNNING AS HIGH AS $65 PER TON, THE VEINS AVERAGING $4.50 PER TON IN GOLD.

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.58973, 37.45284
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR ()
    Thickness 1.4M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Veins Occur In Quartzite

Comments on the geologic information

  • QUARTZITE INTERBEDDED WITH QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST CONTAINING LENTICULAR EYES OF BLUE QUARTZ.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1836
Year of first production 1836

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category State Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Mr. Moore

Comments on the workings information

  • 5 CAVED PITS, 3 CAVED SHAFTS AND SEVERAL DUMP PILES REPORTED IN 1978. ONE TUNNEL 125 M LONG CONNECTING WITH 3 SHAFTS OF DEPTHS 9 M, 12 M, AND 22 M DEEP REPORTED IN 1913. IN 1865 TWO PARALLEL VEINS, 9 M (30 FT) APART, HAD BEEN OPENED BY EXCAVATIONS 6.1 TO 7.6 M (20 TO 25 FT) DEEP, AND BY TWO SHAFTS, 10.7 AND 13.7 M (35 AND 45 FT) DEEP RESPECTIVELY.

Comments on development

  • PLACER MINING IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ON THIS PROPERTY AS EARLY AS 1836, AND SOME OF THE HILLSIDES AS WELL AS THE BRANCHES WERE WASHED FOR GOLD. IN 1838, THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED FROM MR. BONDURANT BY MAJOR MILLER, WHO BUILT A SMALL STAMP MILL ON THE BRANCH FLOWING THROUGH THE PROPERTY AND WORKED A VEIN THAT OUTCROPS ON THE HILL ABOUT 122 M (400 FT) TO THE SOUTH. A ROYALTY OF A TENTH OF THE GOLD RECOVERED WAS PAID TO THE OWNER, AND DURING THE PERIOD OF 10 MONTHS IN WHICH MINING WAS CARRIED ON, HE IS SAID TO HAVE RECEIVED $240. IN 1865, TWO PARALLEL VEINS, 9 M (30 FT) APART, WERE OPENED BY EXCAVATIONS 6 TO 8 M (20 TO 25 FT) DEEP, AND BY TWO SHAFTS, 11 AND 14 M (35 TO 45 FT) DEEP, RESPECTIVELY. ABOUT 1875, A SMALL STAMP MILL WAS OPERATED ON THE PROPERTY FOR A SHORT TIME. IN 1901, A TUNNEL WAS DRIVEN FROM NEAR THE CREEK SOUTHEAST FOR A DISTANCE OF 125 M (410 FT), CONNECTING WITH THREE SHAFTS HAVING DEPTHS OF 9, 12, AND 22 M (30, 40, AND 71 FT), RESPECTIVELY, AND FROM A POINT NEAR
  • ITS EXTREMITY A DRIVE WAS OPENED FOR 29 M (96 FT) SOUTHWEST ALONG A VEIN. 5 PARALLEL VEINS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ENCOUNTERED IN THE TUNNEL. ANOTHER VEIN WAS LOCATED BY A TEST PIT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CREEK.

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

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

  • Deposit

    1875 DIREXPL MAJOR MILLER: STAMP MILL ERECTED.

  • Deposit

    1901 DIREXPL MR MOORE: 121 M TUNNEL DRIVEN ACROSS 5 VEINS.

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES: SITE INSPECTED.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEINS APPEAR TO BE QUARTZITE BEDS CUT BY VEINLETS OR STRINGERS OF CRYSTALLINE QUARTZ WHICH OFTEN CONTAIN MUSCOVITE. VEINS ARE PARALLEL. OF THE TWO VEINS MENTIONED IN 1865, ONE WAS 0.6 M (2 FT) WIDE AND THE OTHER 1.4 M (4.5 FT)? THEIR DIP WAS NEARLY VERTICAL AND CROSSED THE PROPERTY FOR THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE, AND CARRY SANDY QUARTZ, IRON OXIDE AND FREE GOLD. OF THE 5 VEINS ENCOUNTERED IN THE TUNNEL IN 1901, THE LARGEST WAS 9.5 M (31 FT) THICK WHILE THE OTHERS RANGED FROM 1 TO 2.4 M (3 TO 8 FT) THICK.

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.

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