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Tellurium Mine

Past Producer in Fluvanna county in Virginia, United States with commodities Gold, Zinc, Sulfur-Pyrite, Tellurium, Bismuth
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  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 10079845
MRDS ID W030588
Record type Site
Current site name Tellurium Mine
Alternate or previous names Fisher Mine, Hughes Mine, Red Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.10582, 37.84366 (WGS84)
Elevation 133
Relative position 1.65 MI (2.65 KM) NORTH OF CALEDONIA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fluvanna(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Caledonia(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillwyn(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 Fluvanna
United States Virginia Goochland

Comments on the location information

  • ON NE AND SW SIDES OF FOREST ROAD 2956 ABOUT 0.55 MI (0.88 KM) BY ROAD NW OF ITS JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 605. ADDITIONAL SITE AT UTM N 4192420., E 755030. (ZONE, +17).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary
Tellurium Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetradymite Ore
Quartz Gangue

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 Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
    Rock unit name Arvonia Formation;Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Arvonia Formation;Chopawamsic Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.10582, 37.84366
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Columbia Syncline , Ne-Sw Trend
Type of structure Local
Structure description Small Local Faults

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR, LENS
    Strike N64 DEG E
    Dip 45 DEG SE
    Width 1.8M
    Depth to top 0M

Comments on the geologic information

  • LENSES OF QUARTZ APPEAR IN BOUDINAGE STRUCTURE. "IGNEOUS" ROCKS TO NORTH AND AS APO APOPHYSES IN AREA (TABER, 1913) PROBABLY ARE AMPHIBOLE SCHISTS OF MAFIC PHASE AND METAMORPHOSED FELSITE OF CHOPAWAMSIC FORMATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1832
Discoverer G.W. Fisher
Year of first production 1834

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Tellurium Gold Mining Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Bloom, A. S.

Production statistics

  • Year 1937
    Period 1834-1937
    Material AU
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4.8 Opt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 136g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • ESTIMATED PRODUCTION FROM 1834 TO 1848 WAS VALUED AT BETWEEN $130,000 TO $150,000. GOLD PRODUCTION ESTIMATE BASED ON 1848-1857 $75,000, 1857-1937, $25,000 ASSUMING $20.67/OZ.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 457M
    Overall depth 45.6M

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1974, NUMEROUS OPEN, WATER-FILLED AND CAVED SHAFTS, CAVED PITS, CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS AND AN OLD BUILDING WERE EVIDENT. THE DEEPEST WORKINGS OF THE FISHERS, CONFINED TO THE MIDDLE AND LITTTE VEINS, REACHED ONLY 20 M (65 FT). STOCKTON MOSTLY WORKED THE BIG SANDSTONE VEIN AND HIS DEEPEST SHAFT HAD A VERTICAL DEPTH OF 41.5 M (136 FT), AND HE WORKED THE VEIN ABOVE THIS LEVEL FOR 457 M (1500 FT) ALONG THE STRIKE. IN 1910 A 27 M (90 FT) SHAFT WAS SUNK AND A DRIFT WAS DRIVEN SOUTHWEST FOR 10.7 M (30 FT) FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT. IN 1935-1937 THE HARRISON SHAFT SUNK IN 1910 WAS CLEANED OUT AND THE DRIFT EXTENDED TO 13.7 M (45 FT), AND A CROSS-CUT WAS RUN 5.2 M (17 FT) SOUTHEAST FROM A STATION JUST NORTHEAST OF THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT. SEVERAL OTHER SHAFTS WERE SUNK ON THE PROPERTY 4.6 TO 9.2 M (15 TO 30 FT) DEEP AND SHORT DRIFTS AND CROSS-CUTS WERE RUN FROM THESE. IN 1987 A LARGE CIRCULAR (15 FEET DIAMETER) SHAFT WAS OBSERVED IN ARKOSIC COUNTRY ROCK. THE SHAFT IS ABOUT 15 FT DEEP AND
  • APPEARS TO BE DRIFTED TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST.

Comments on development

  • VEINS WERE DISCOVERED AT THIS PLACE BY G.W. FISHER IN 1832. TWO YEARS LATER IT WAS LEASED BY FISHER AND SONS AND D.W.K. BOWLES. IN 1836, THEY ERECTED A PRIMITIVE 6-STAMP MILL, BELIEVED TO BE THE FIRST IN AMERICA, AND CONTINUED WORKING THE MINE UNTIL 1848 WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED BY COMMODORE STOCKTON: HE ERECTED A 40-STAMP MILL AND OPERATED ON AN EXPANDED SCALE UNTIT 1857 WHEN THE MILL WAS BURNED. THE PROPERTY WAS THEN SOLD, AND NO FURTHER MINING WAS CARRIED ON UNTIT 1880 WHEN A 10-STAMP MILL WAS ERECTED. A FEW YEARS LATER THE STAMP MILL WAS PULLED DOWN AND REPLACED BY SOME KIND OF A REVOLVING MILL, WHICH WAS USED TO TREAT ORES FROM THE GOLD HILL VEINS ON THE BOWLES TRACT, ADJOINING THE TELLURIUM ON THE NORTHEAST. IN 1890, TWO TREMAIN STEAM STAMPS WERE INSTALLED ON THE PROPERTY, BUT THEY WERE NEVER USED TO ANY EXTENT. IN 1909-1910, THE ARGUS GOLD MINING CORP. CLEANED OUT PART OF THE OLD WORKINGS, SANK A SHAFT, AND STARTED DRIVES IN EITHER DIRECTION ALONG THE VEIN, BUT THE MINE WAS SHUT
  • DOWN BEFORE THE DRIVES HAD PROGRESSED MORE THAN A FEW FEET. FROM 1935 TO 1937 THE MINE WAS PROSPECTED AND DEVELOPED FURTHER BY THE TELLURIUM GOLD MINING CO. A 3-STAMP MILL WAS ERECTED DURING THIS TIME.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    BROWN, C.B., 1937, OUTLINE OF THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 48, 68 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

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

  • Deposit

    CREDNER, H., 1868, REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR. MNG., VOL. VI, P. 406.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    1834 DIREXPL FISHERS AND D.W.K BOWLES, OPERATED FOR 14 YEARS

  • Deposit

    1848 DIREXPL COMMODORE R.F. STOCKTON, INSTALLED 40-STAMPMILL

  • Deposit

    1935 DIREXPL TELLURIUM GOLD MINING CO., WORKED UNTIL 1937

  • Production

    BROWN (1937)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TABER (1913) GIVES DETAILED REPORT OF TELLURIUM VEIN SYSTEM (BIG SANDSTONE, MIDDLE, LITTLE, WEST, HUGHES VEINS) .
Deposit FIRST STAMP MILL IN OPERATION IN U.S., A 6-STAMP MILL, WAS PUT INTO OPERATION AT THE "FISHER MINE" IN 1836. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Meintzer (D.C. Levan), Robert E. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer C. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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

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