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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Empire Mine

Past Producer in Warren county in Virginia, United States with commodity Copper
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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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Land status
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080040
MRDS ID W030926
Record type Site
Current site name Empire Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.29222, 38.79004 (WGS84)
Elevation 680
Relative position 5.1 KM (3.2 MI) SE OF BENTONVILLE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Warren(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bentonville(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)

Federal lands

Shenandoah National Park(National Park)

National Park NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Warren

Comments on the location information

  • IN SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, SE OF SUMMIT OF MATTHEWS ARM, 2.2 KM (1.4 MI) ESE FROM END OF STATE ROAD 630.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN ALTERED EPIDOTIZED BASALT. MALACHITE OCCURS ALONG JOINT PLANES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Cuprite Ore
Malachite Ore
Asbestos Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Serpentine 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) -78.29222, 38.79004
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1914
Year of first production 1914

Mining district

District name Northern Section-Blue Ridge Province

Land status

Ownership category National Park

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 27M

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1978, A SHALLOW TRENCH AND A CAVED SHAFT (5M DIAMETER) WERE NOTED. ORIGINAL WORKINGS CONSISTED OF A SHAFT 27 M (90 FT) DEEP AND SEVERAL SMALL BLAST HOLES.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: ORE DID NOT AVERAGE MORE THAN 1 OR 2% CU.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., AND BELL, S.C., 1980, METALLIC MINERALIZATION IN THE BLUE RIDGE PROVINCE OF VIRGINIA: VDMR, PUB. 27, P. 39-52.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    1905 DIREXPL PROSPECT PITS DUG, SHAFT SUNK.

  • Deposit

    1978 RECON VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES: SITE INSPECTED.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: PRE-WW1
Deposit SOME AMYGDULES IN METABASALT CONTAIN BORNITE.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site