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Fairmont Copper Mine

Past Producer in Carroll county in Virginia, United States with commodities Copper, Zinc, Lead, Iron, Iron, Pig Iron, Arsenic
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  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 10079981
MRDS ID W030853
Record type Site
Current site name Fairmont Copper Mine
Alternate or previous names Fairmount Copper Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -80.7773, 36.80618 (WGS84)
Elevation 756
Relative position 1.1 KM (0.7 MI) ESE OF EARLY.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Carroll(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Sylvatus(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Galax(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winston-Salem(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper New(hydrologic unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic subregion)

Ohio(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Carroll

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION AND ELEVATION GIVEN ARE FOR PARTIALLY COLLAPSED PORTAL. TURN NORTH ON TO STATE ROUTE 769 FROM U.S. HIGHWAY 52 (ACROSS FROM SMALL STORE). FOLLOW 769 TO CREST OF HILL, THEN TAKE FIRST LEFT ON TO A DIRT ROAD HEADING NORTH. 500 FT NORTH OF THIS INTERSECTION IS ANOTHER DIRT ROAD RUNNING TO THE NW. FOLLOW THIS ROAD APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET, THEN CUT ACROSS THE CREEK VALLEY IN A S 50 W DIRECTION. PORTAL IS APPROXIMATELY 300 FT FROM ROAD, UP THE HILLSIDE. WORKINGS EXTEND 500 FT UP THE HILL. FIELD CHECKED 11/13/86, 3/13/87.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Iron Tertiary
Iron, Pig Iron Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PAST MINING OPERATIONS CONCENTRATED ON SUPERGENE MINERALS (PRIMARILY MALACHITE AND COVELLITE).

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Copper Ore
Covellite Ore
Cubanite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Galena Ore
Goethite Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Oligoclase Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Low Grade Regional Metamorphism (Almandine Garnet Grade)

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 91
USGS model code 24b
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, Besshi (Japanese deposits)
Mark3 model number 30

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Lynchburg Group, Ashe Formation
    Rock description Lynchburg Group, Ashe Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -80.7773, 36.80618
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Blue Ridge Anticlinorium, Fries Thrust, 3 Phases Of Deformation Regionally
Type of structure Local
Structure description General Strike Of Trenches And Rock Exposed In Shaft Walls Is N 60 E

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS
    Strike NE-SW
    Dip 35 DEG. SE
    Width 7.6M
    Depth to top 12.2M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Lenticular Troughs

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 1855

Mining district

District name Cranberry Creek Segment/Gossan Lead District/Southern Section-Blue Ridge Province.

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Tennessee And Virginia Mining Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Texas Gulf (Forest Products Division)

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES ARE FOR ENTIRE SEGMENT (BEN WHITE, BROWN & STEPHENSON, FAIRMONT, AND CRANBERRY MINES).

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 259.1M

Comments on the workings information

  • 1859: CURREY REPORTS TOTAL DRIVAGE OF TUNNELS AT 213.4 M AND TOTAL DEPTH OF SHAFTS AT 45.7 M. 1986-87: WORKINGS EXTEND APPROXIMATELY 500 FT ALONG THE SURFACE. EXTENDING TO THE SW FROM THE PORTAL, UP THE HILL, ARE 2 COLLAPSED SHAFTS AND 2 SMALLER PITS. ONE SHAFT HAS GOOD EXPOSURES OF ROCK IN ITS WALLS, BUT IT'S VERY UNSTABLE (CONTINUALLY COLLAPSING). A TRENCH EXTENDS NE FROM THE PORTAL IN A N 60 E DIRECTION AND LEADS TO A LARGE OUTSLOPE DUMP.

Comments on development

  • MINE OPENED IN 1855 AND PROBABLY CLOSED AROUND 1860.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: PRE-CIVIL WAR
Deposit DEPTH TO TOP AND WIDTH GIVEN ABOVE REFER TO SECONDARY COPPER. GOSSAN IS 1.2 M WIDE IN ADIT AND EXPOSED ON SURFACE. WIDTH OF MINERALIZED ZONE IN AREA IS 45.7 M (ROSS, 1935).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1987 Meintzer, Robert E. (Le Van, D.C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-APR-1987 Myers, Lesley L. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site