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Bowles Mine Tellurium Vein Sys.

Past Producer in Goochland 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 10079850
MRDS ID W030594
Record type Site
Current site name Bowles Mine Tellurium Vein Sys.
Alternate or previous names Boles Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.09749, 37.84672 (WGS84)
Elevation 140
Relative position ABOUT 2.98 KM (1.85 MI) NNE OF CALEDONIA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Goochland(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 Goochland

Comments on the location information

  • 0.3 KM (0.2 MI) OFF NW SIDE OF STATE ROAD 605 ABOUT 0.88 KM (0.55 MI) BY ROAD NE OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH FOREST ROAD 2956.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Feldspar Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Zircon 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 > Granitoid > Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Arvonia Formation
    Rock description Arvonia Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.09749, 37.84672
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR, LENS
    Strike N 60 DEG E
    Dip 30 DEG SE

Controls for ore emplacement

  • In Quartz Veins Which Occur Within Quartzite Beds Or In Schist Near The Quartzite Beds.

Comments on the geologic information

  • SCHIST IS USUALLY GARNETIFEROUS, AND INTERBEDDED WITH FINE-GRAINED EQUIGRANULAR QUARTZITE; AREA REPORTEDLY BORDERS WITH GRANITE ALONG NE BOUNDARY. FOR A MORE IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION OF THE TELLURIUM VEIN SYSTEM, OF WHICH THIS MINE IS A PART, SEE TABER (1913).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1861
Year of first production 1861

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Mr. Ferris
  • Type Owner
    Owner Richard C. Bowles

Comments on the production information

  • AS HIGH AS S0 DWTS OR 1 TOZ PER DAY FOR ONE MAN IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN OBTAINED FROM THE PLACER GRAVELS OF THE TWO BRANCHES WHICH CROSS THE PROPERTY.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN SHAFT 6.7 M IN DIAMETER AT TOP TO A RECTANGULAR 4.6 M X 3 M AT BOTTOM WHICH IS WATER FILLED AND ABOUT 18 M DEEP, ABOUT 10 CAVED PITS AND EXTENSIVE DUMPS REPORTED 1974. SEVERAL SHAFTS RANGING IN DEPTH FROM 12 TO 30 M (40 TO 100 FT) WERE SUNK ON THE BIG SANDSTONE VEIN. ONE SHAFT STARTED ON AN OUTCROP OF THE VEIN WAS SUNK 30 M (100 FT) ON THE DIP OF THE VEIN, AND 15 M (50 FT) FROM THE COLLAR A CROSS-CUT WAS DRIVEN SOUTHEAST TO CONNECT WITH A VERTICAL SHAFT AT A POINT ABOUT 12 M (40 FT) BELOW THE SURFACE. THE VERTICAL SHAFT WAS SUNK TO A DEPTH OF 22 M (72 FT), AND AFTER STRIKING THE "LITTLE" VEIN WAS CONTINUED FOR 14 M (45 FT) ALONG THE DIP OF THE VEIN.

Comments on development

  • PLACER GRAVELS ALONG THE TWO BRANCHES THAT RUN THROUGH THE PROPERTY WERE EXTENSIVELY WORKED FOR GOLD PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR. AFTER THE VEINS OF THE TELLURIUM SYSTEM HAD BEEN DEVELOPED ON THE PROPERTY OF THAT NAME, THEY WERE TRACED ACROSS ON TO THE BOWLES TRACT AND CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS CARRIED OUT AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT PERIODS, EXACT DATES UNKNOWN.

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

    WATSON, T.L., 1907, MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, J.P. BELL CO., 618 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

    CREDNER, H., 1869, REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR. MNG., VOL. VII, P. 26.

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES; MINE INSPECTED

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL SHAFT SUNK, SEVERAL PITS DUG

  • Production

    CREDNER (1869)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: PRE-CIVIL WAR
Deposit ADDITIONAL PORTION OF PROPERTY IS IN FLUVANNA COUNTY TO NW; LISTED UNDER BOWLES MINE (GOLD HILL VEIN SYS.) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit TELLURIUM VEIN SYSTEM
Deposit QUARTZ VEINLETS RANGE UP TO 0.35 M IN WIDTH, COMMONLY FOLLOW QUARTZITE BEDDING PLANES, BUT MAY CUT DIRECTLY ACROSS THEM .

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-OCT-1981 Trimble, David, 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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