Ida Mine

Past Producer in Page county in Virginia, United States with commodity Copper
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079987
MRDS ID W030860
Record type Site
Current site name Ida Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.42611, 38.60337 (WGS84)
Elevation 460
Relative position 2.4 KM (1.5 MILES) SE OF CAVETOWN, 0.56 KM (0.35 MI) OFF THE W SIDE OF STATE ROAD 689 ABOUT 0.89 KM (0.55 MI) BY ROAD SOUTH OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 668.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Page(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Big Meadows(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Front Royal(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Shenandoah(hydrologic unit)

Potomac(hydrologic accounting unit)

Potomac(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Page

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • NATIVE COPPER REPORTED IN 1911; NOT IN 1973 WHEN MALACHITE AND AZURITE WERE REPORTED IN QUARTZ VEINLETS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Copper Ore
Malachite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Meta-Basalt
    Rock unit name Catoctin Formation
    Rock description Catoctin Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Meta-Basalt
    Rock unit name Catoctin Formation
    Rock description Catoctin Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.42611, 38.60337

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Blue Ridge Anticlinorium, Ne-Sw Trend

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Joints

Comments on the geologic information

  • QUARTZ, CHALCOPYRITE AND FELDSPAR INDICATE A HYDROTHERMAL ORIGIN. FISSURED, CRUSHED ROCK ALONG JOINTS IS REPORTED AS DECOMPOSED, SOFT, AND DISTINGUISHED BY QUARTZ FILLING.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1900
Discoverer Virginia Consolidated Copper Co. (?)
Year of first production 1902
Year of last production 1904

Mining district

District name Northern Section-Blue Ridge Province

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Virginia Consolidated Copper Co.

Comments on the production information

  • SEVERAL TONS OF ORE REPORTED SHIPPED.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 116M
    Overall depth 94M

Comments on the workings information

  • 94 METER INCLINED SHAFT WITH DRIFTS AT THREE LEVELS: 1 AT 24.4 M EXTENDED E FOR 18.3 MI; THE SECOND AT 36.6 M DRIVEN W FOR 51.8 M; THE LOWEST DRIFT OF 85.3 M DRIVEN 45.7 M. IN 1973, THE ABANDONED SITE CONSISTED OF A 2 M HIGH DUMP, AND THE CAVED SHAFT ABOUT 8 M DEEP, 6 M IN DIAMETER, AND WATER-FILLED.

Comments on development

  • VIRGINIA CONSOLIDATED COPPER COMPANY WORKED THE MINE FROM 1902-1905. AN INCLINED SHAFT WAS SUNK WITH DRIFTS AT 3 LEVELS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., AND BELL, S.C., 1980, METALLIC MINERALIZATION IN THE BLUE RIDGE PROVINCE OF VIRGINIA: VA. DIV. MIN. RES. PUBLICATION 27, P. 39-52.

  • Deposit

    WEED, W.H., 1911, COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE APPALACHIAN STATES: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 455, 166 P.

  • Deposit

    ALLEN, R.M., JR., 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF PAGE COUNTY: VA. DIV. MIN. RES. BULL. 81, 78 P.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    1905 DIREXPL VIRGINIA CONSOLIDATED COPPER COMPANY EXTENSIVELY DEVELOPED THE MINE.

  • Deposit

    1973 RECON VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES; SITE INSPECTED.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINERALIZATION OCCURS WITH QUARTZ VEINLETS AND AS FILMS AND SPECKS IN ZONES OF CLOSE JOINTING IN THE EPIDOTIZED CATOCTIN GREENSTONE. ORE OCCURRENCE DIMINISHES AT DEPTH. ORE CONFINED TO ZONES OF SHEETED, SOFTENED ROCK. WEED (1911) REPORTS PRODUCTION OF A FEW TONS OF ORE CONTAINING MALACHITE, AZURITE AT 9 M LEVEL

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1982 Trimble, David, C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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