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Johnson Mine

Past Producer in Buckingham county in Virginia, United States with commodities Copper, Iron, Sulfur-Pyrite, Zinc, Lead, Gold, Silver
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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 10079432
MRDS ID W028969
Record type Site
Current site name Johnson Mine
Alternate or previous names Staples Mine Also Name of Burnett Mine.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.30111, 37.69338 (WGS84)
Elevation 79
Relative position 1.3 KM (0.8 MI) S OF NEW CANTON.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buckingham(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Arvonia(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

  • ON THE W SIDE OF BEAR GARDEN CREEK. THE ADIT OPENING LIES 170 M (560 FT) NE OF THE SHAFT.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Iron Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Gold Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Goethite Ore
Gold Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Gahnite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hornblende Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

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 Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation;Hatcher Complex;Arvonia Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation;Hatcher Complex;Arvonia Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.30111, 37.69338
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR, LENTICULAR
    Strike N20 DEG E
    Dip 80 DEG NW
    Thickness 6.1M
    Length 335.3M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • In Schist As Tabular Or Lenticular Zones, Also Disseminated.

Comments on the geologic information

  • IN THE MASSIVE PYRITE-PYRRHOTITE ORE, PYRITE OCCURS AS ANHEDRAL UNIT GRAINS AS MUCH AS 2 CM ACROSS, ENCLOSING ROUNDED QUARTZ GRAINS AND A FEW SMALL GARNETS. SULFIDE OCCURS IN QUARTZ-GARNET-SERICITE SCHIST, CHLORITE-BIOTITE-GARNET SCHIST, AND CHLORITE-HORNBLENDE SCHIST, SOME AREAS ARE STRONGLY SILICIFIED. (KINKEL, 1967)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1775
Year of first production 1775

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Johnson Mining Co.

Production statistics

  • Year 1880
    Period 1880'S
    Material ORE CU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^8% Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 8wt-pct

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Length 304.8M
    Overall depth 84.7M

Comments on the workings information

  • THREE LEVELS OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS FROM A SINGLE SHAFT AND ADIT WERE REPORTED BY TABER (1913). THE SHAFT AND ADIT WERE STILL PRESENT IN 1974.

Comments on development

  • THIS AND THE OTHER 3 NEW CANTON MINES WERE FIRST WORKED AS GOSSAN IRON-ORE MINES (PRINCIPALLY LIMONITE) STARTING AROUND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR UP TO ABOUT 1840. THE MOST INTENSIVE MINING OCCURRED IN THE 1830'S, WHEN A CHARCOAL FURNACE, KNOWN AS THE BEAR GARDEN OR DEAN FURNACE, WAS BUILT ABOUT HALF A MILE SOUTH OF NEW CANTON. THE GOSSAN WAS SMELTED AT THIS FURNACE UNTIL 1840, WHEN IT WAS ABANDONED. THIS MINE WAS THE FIRST COPPER MINE IN THE AREA, OPENING IN THE 1880'S. A MR. STAPLES REPORTEDLY SANK A SHAFT 24 M (78 FT) DEEP AND SHIPPED 780 TONS OF ORE ASSAYING 8 PERCENT COPPER. THE MINE WAS LEASED IN 1891 TO WHITE AND WALTERS WHO WORKED THE MINE UNTIL 1894. SEVERAL SHIPMENTS WERE MADE AND $4,000 IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN REALIZED FROM THE COPPER IN THE ORE. ABOUT 1903 THE JOHNSON MINING CO. PURCHASED THE PROPERTY AND DEEPENED THE SHAFT TO 85 M (278 FT). DROVE AN ADIT TO MEET THE SHAFT, AND ADDED 305 M (1000 FT) OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS IN THREE LEVELS, BUT LITTLE OR NO MINING WAS DONE. IN
  • 1950, THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED BY BUCKINGHAM MINERAL SYNDICATE, INC., WHO CONDUCTED A RESISTIVITY SURVEY AND DRILLED SEVERAL HOLES. IN 1954-55, VIRGINIA MINING CORP. OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CONDUCTED A GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY AND DRILLED 5 HOLES. IN 1956, ROLAND A. BEERS, INC., CONDUCTED A GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    POOLE, J.L., 1974, NOTES ON SOME ABANDONED COPPER, LEAD, AND ZINC MINES IN THE PIEDMONT OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA MINERALS V. 20 NO. 2 P. 9-16.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    BROWN, W.R., 1969, GEOLOGY OF THE DILLWYN QUADRANGLE, VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 10, 77 P.

  • Deposit

    BARNES, R.C., 1963, GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF SULFIDE DEPOSITS NEAR NEW CANTON, VIRGINIA: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA UNPUBLISHED M.S. THESIS.

  • Deposit

    1890 DIREXPL MR. STAPLES; SUNK 23.8 M SHAFT AND SHIPPED 780 TONS OF ORE.

  • Deposit

    1903 DIREXPL JOHNSON MINING CO.: PURCHASED THE MINE. BEGAN EXTENSIVE EXCAVATIONS; SHAFT WAS DEEPENED TO 84.7 M, AN ADIT WAS DRIVEN FROM BEAR GARDEN CREEK SW TO CONNECT WITH THE SHAFT, AND 3 LEVELS OF WORKINGS WERE DEVELOPED.

  • Deposit

    1956 GEOPHYS R.F. BEERS, INC.: CONDUCTED GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY UNDER CONTRACT WITH DEFENSE MINERALS EXPLORATION ADMINISTRATION.

  • Production

    TABER (1913), BARNES (1963).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE MINERALIZATION IS FOUND BELOW THE WATER LINE.
Deposit THIS WAS THE AREA'S FIRST CU MINE. THE MINE WAS VISITED BY JAMES L. POOLE OF THE VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES IN 1974. THIS MINE IS ONE OF 4 NEW CANTON MINES, AND LIES ON STRIKE WITH THE MCKENNA, MARGARET, AND HUDGINS PROSPECTS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-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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