Piedmont Pyrites and Mineral Corp. Prospect

Occurrence in Madison county in Virginia, United States with commodity Sulfur-Pyrite
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. 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. 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 10080121
MRDS ID W031202
Record type Site
Current site name Piedmont Pyrites and Mineral Corp. Prospect

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.23111, 38.29365 (WGS84)
Elevation 143
Relative position 4.6 KM (2.9 MI) WEST OF BURNT TREE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Madison(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Madison Mills(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rapidan-Upper Rappahannock(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Madison

Comments on the location information

  • 0.1 KM (0.05 MI) SW OF END OF FARM ROAD, 0.5 KM (0.3 MI) BY ROAD SSW OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 621, 0.8 KM (0.5 MI) SW OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 616.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Sulfur-Pyrite Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Pyrite Ore
Goethite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Pyrite On Surface Mostly Oxidized To Goethite.

Analytical data

Result S: 51.49% (WATSON, 1920)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
    Rock unit name Amphibolite
    Rock description Amphibolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Phyllite
    Rock unit name Lynchburg Formation;Amphibolite
    Rock description Lynchburg Formation;Amphibolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.23111, 38.29365

Economic information

Geologic structures

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

Ore body information

  • General form PINCH AND SWELL

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Shear Zone (?)

Comments on the geologic information

  • OCCURRENCE IS 120-150 M SE OF LARGE AMPHIBOLITE DIKE. QUARTZ VEINS ASSOCIATED WITH AMPHIBOLITE ARE NOT PYRITIFEROUS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1916

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Piedmont Pyrites And Mineral Corp.
  • Type Owner
    Owner David M. Alger

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 7.6M

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO SHAFTS AND SEVERAL CROSSCUTS DUG ABOUT 1917. THE SMALL SIZE OF THE DUMPS LED ALLEN (1963) TO BELIEVE THE SHAFTS WERE NOT OVER 7.6 M (25 FT) DEEP, AND THERE WAS NOT ANY EXTENSIVE WORKINGS FROM THE SHAFT BOTTOMS. IN 1982 ONE WATER-FILLED SHAFT AND SMALL DUMPS WERE EVIDENT.

Comments on development

  • TWO EXPLORATORY SHAFTS SUNK IN 1917, BUT DESPITE APPARENT HIGH GRADE, MINING NOT PURSUED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ALLEN, R.M., JR., 1963, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF GREENE AND MADISON COUNTIES: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, BULLETIN 78, 102 P.

  • Deposit

    WATSON, T.L., 1920, VIRGINIA, IN SMITH, P.S., SULPHUR, PYRITES, AND SULPHURIC ACID, IN U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1917, PART 2-NONMETALS: P. 51-55.

  • Deposit

    1917 DIREXPL PIEDMONT PYRITES AND MINERAL CORP.

  • Deposit

    1950 DIREXPL ATTEMPT MADE TO REOPEN SHAFT.

  • Deposit

    1960 GEOLMAP VA. DIV. MIN. RES.: SITE VISITED DURING GEOLOGIC MAPPING OF COUNTY.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUARTZ VEIN AVERAGES 0.3 M IN THICKNESS.
Deposit WATSON (1920) REPORTED THAT PROSPECT CONSISTED OF MASSIVE PYRITE OF "UNUSUALLY HIGH GRADE" AND THAT PIEDMONT PYRITES AND MINERAL CORP. PLANNED AN EARLY DEVELOPMENT. DEVELOPMENT APPARENTLY DID NOT GO FORWARD POSSIBLY DUE TO MARKET CONDITIONS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit Discovery Year: 1916-1917

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1979 Meintzer, Robert E. (Le Van, D.C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-JUN-1982 Trimble, David, C. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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