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Porter Bank Mine

Past Producer in Smyth county in Virginia, United States with commodities Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Lead
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  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 10080146
MRDS ID W031233
Record type Site
Current site name Porter Bank Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.36454, 36.76675 (WGS84)
Elevation 927
Relative position 8.5 MILES S 67 DEG E FROM MARION, 2.45 MILES N 67 DEG E FROM SUGAR GROVE (DOT SMYTH COUNTY HIGHWAY MAP, 1981)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Smyth(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cedar Springs(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wytheville(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)

Federal lands

George Washington National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Jefferson National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

George Washington and Jefferson National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Smyth

Comments on the location information

  • 8600 FEET S 65 DEG W FROM BENCH MARK N2 (2605 FEET) NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROADS 612 AND 614 AT SUMMIT, 6650 FEET N 64 DEG W FROM THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROADS 675 AND 679 WEST OF KIRK CEMETARY, ON THE BOUNDARY OF ATKINS AND CEDAR SPRINGS QUADRANGLES, ON THE SOUTH FLANK ON A NORTHEAST TRENDING RIDGE NORTH OF STATE ROAD 676. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1988); PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = CEDAR SPRINGS (1978) 1:24000

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Manganese Critical Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Lead Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Dolomite Gangue

Analytical data

Result THE (LIMONITE) GOETHITE ORE HAS A HIGH MANGANESE CONTENT (HOLDEN, 1907).

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Shady Dolomite
    Rock description Shady Dolomite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.36454, 36.76675
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend
Type of structure Local
Structure description Anticline, Thrust Fault

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1876
Discoverer Lobdell Carwheel Company

Mining district

District name Cedar Springs Lead/Zinc District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Lobdell Carwheel Co.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall length 91.44M
    Overall width 121.92M

Comments on the workings information

  • THE IRON ORE WAS SURFACE MINED IN SEVERAL PITS. FIELD EXAMINATION CONDUCTED 2/11/88 AND 2/16/80. FAIRLY LARGE WORKINGS OVER A 300 FEET LONG BY 400 FEET WIDE AREA. INCLUDES LARGE PITS AND OPEN CUTS - UP TO 150 FEET LONG AND 30 FEET DEEP, TRENCHES N 75 DEG W DRIVEN ACROSS STRIKE UP TO 200 FEET LONG, 20 FEET WIDE AND 10 FEET DEEP. NOT MUCH DUMP MATERIAL. ONLY DARK RED, WEATHERED SOIL. APPARENTLY MOST MINED MATERIAL WAS SHIPPED TO WHITE ROCK FURNACE.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS WORKED BETWEEN 1876 AND 1904. SEVERAL PITS WERE DUG AND 35000 TONS OF IRON ORE WAS PRODUCED. THE ORE WAS WASHED ON SITE AND THEN SHIPPED 10 KM (6 MI) TO THE WHITE ROCK CHARCOAL FURNACE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CURRIER, L.W., 1935, ZINC AND LEAD REGION OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 43, 122 P.

  • Deposit

    HOLDEN, R.J., 1907, IRON, IN WATSON, T.L., MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA: LYNCHBURG, VA., J.P. BELL CO., P. 402-491.

  • Deposit

    1876 DIREXPL LOBDELL CARWHEEL CO.-IRON PRODUCTIO

  • Production

    HOLDEN (1907);

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT WAS NOT DESCRIBED. LARGE WORKINGS, BUT NO FRESH DUMP MATERIAL. DUMPS ARE STRONGLY WEATHERED, DARK RED SOIL WITH NO ROCK FRAGMENTS. NO OUTCROP IN PITS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1980 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-MAR-1988 Lovett, James A. 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