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Volunteer (Old) Mine

Past Producer in Marquette county in Michigan, United States with commodity Iron
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10082786
MRDS ID W062136
Record type Site
Current site name Volunteer (Old) Mine
Alternate or previous names Old Volunteer, Howe, Cascade, Palmer, West End, Emma, Maitland-Volunteer, Maitland Shaft

Comments on the site names

  • INCLUDES PALMER MINE.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -87.59946, 46.43667 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Marquette(county)

Michigan(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Palmer(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Gwinn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Marquette(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Escanaba(hydrologic unit)

Northwestern Lake Michigan(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwestern Lake Michigan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Michigan Marquette

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
047N 026W 30 SE 1/4 AND Michigan

Comments on the location information

  • LAT/LON IS FOR THE ORE BODY

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORIGINALLY, THREE OF THE FOUR PRECAMBRIAN U.S. TYPES OF ORES WERE MINED 1) SOFT ORE; 2) HARD ORES; 3) SILICEOUS ORES. IN THE 1970S AND THEREAFTER, MINING WAS BASED ON LOW GRADE 1) MAGNETITE TACONITE AND 2) JASPER ORES. THESE ORES ARE GROUND, SEPARATED AND PELLETIZED, BEFORE SHIPMENT (HENCE, ARE CONCENTRATE ORES).

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Goethite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Some magnetite formed by replacement of ferrous iron minerals during diagenesis and most iron silicate probably formed by metamorphism of an early silicate mineral.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 241
USGS model code 34a
Deposit model name Superior Fe (BC name is Lake Superior & Rapitan types iron-formation)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Iron Formation
    Rock unit name Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Rock description Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -87.59946, 46.43667
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Westward plunging synclinorium open at western end; regional trends are eas

Ore body information

  • General form STRATABOUND

Comments on the geologic information

  • IRON DEPOSITS OCCUR IN THE NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION OF THE MENOMINEE GROUP, PART OF THE MARQUETTE SUPERGROUP. THE IRON-FORMATION IS UNDERLAIN BY THE SIAMO SLATE, IRON DEPOSITS OCCUR IN THE NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION OF THE MENOMINEE GROUP, PART OF THE MARQUETTE SUPERGROUP. THE IRON-FORMATION IS UNDERLAIN BY THE SIAMO SLATE, A SERIES OF SLATE, SERICITE, CHLORITIC, AND FELDSPATHIC QUARTZITES, ARKOSE, AND GRAYWACKE WHICH RANGES FROM 3,000 FT THICK TO 1,000 FT IN THE SYNCLINORIUM AND DISAPPEARS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF PALMER QUADRANGLE. NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION IS METASEDIMENTARY ROCK WHICH CONTAINS (1) SIDERITE, MAGNETITE, IRON SILICATES, AND CHERT OR (2) MIXTURES OF HEMATITE, MAGNETITE, AND CHERT. THE IRON-FORMATION IS BELIEVED TO HAVE FORMED BY CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION OF THE PRINCIPAL IRON MINERALS AND SILICA GEL. IT IS THE SOURCE OF IRON ORE MINED IN THE MARQUETTE RANGE AND IS OVERLAIN BY GOODRICH QUARTZITE. MAJOR W- TO NW-PLUNGING FOLDS OCCUR WITHIN THE MARQUETTE SYNCLINORIUM, AND MAJOR FAULTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLDING.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1844
Year of first production 1871
Year of last production 1916
Production years VOLUNTEER OPENED IN1871 AND SHIPPED ORE EVERY YEAR TO 1916, EXCEPT FOR 1898, 1901, AND 1908-1910.

Mining district

District name Marquette District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Volunteer Ore Co.

Production statistics

  • Year 1906
    Period 1896-1906
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 14399mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1916
    Period 1871-1916
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 1733267mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1916
    Period 1871-1916
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 1718868mt
    Accuracy Accurate

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 1600HA
    Overall depth 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • UNDERGROUND MINE WAS WORKED BY A CAVING SYSTEM.

Comments on development

  • ONE OF THE OLDEST OPEN PIT MINES IN THE MARQUETTE RANGE. AT THE OLD VOLUNTEER, CLIFFS SHAFT, CHAMPION, AND REPUBLIC MINES AND ELSEWHERE IN THE MARQUETTE RANGE, THE MINING OF HEMATITE BODIES IN THE IRON-FORMATION BENEATH THE NEGAUNEE-GOODRICH CONGLOMERATE CONTACT HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO THE GOODRICH TO EXTRACT SUCH 'DETRITAL', 'CLASTIC' OR 'CONGLOMERATE' ORE, WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF ANCIENT PLACER HEMATITE DEPOSITS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JAMES, H. L., 1955, ZONES REG. METAMORPHISM. IN N. MICHIGAN.: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BULLETIN, V. 66, P. 1455-1488.

  • Deposit

    THE LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ASSOC., 1938, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES.

  • Deposit

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOCIATION, 1952, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES: CLEVELAND, OHIO, 2D ED., 334 P.

  • Deposit

    GRATON-SALES VOL. A. I. M. E., THE MARQUETTE DISTRICT: ORE DEPOSITS OF THE U. S., 1933-1967, P. 508-517.

  • Deposit

    LAURA, D.K., 1981, THE EARLY PROTEROZOIC PRE-IRON FORMATION, MENOMINEE GROUP SILICICLASTIC SEDIMENTS OF THE SOUTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR REGION; EVIDENCE FOR SEDIMENTATION IN PLATFORM AND BASINAL SETTINGS: JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY PETROLOGY, V. 51, NO. 2, P. 397-414.

  • Deposit

    SIMS, P.K., 1990, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PRECAMBRIAN ROCKS OF IRON MOUNTAIN AND ESCANABA 1 DEGREE X 2 DEGREES QUADRANGLES, NORTHEASTERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISCELLANEOUS INVESTIGATION SERIES, I-2056.

  • Deposit

    BOYUM, B.H. AND REED, R.C., 1988, MARQUETTE MINERAL DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN, MINING HISTORY AND GEOLOGY, IN SCHULZ, K.J., 34TH ANNUAL INSTITUTE ON LAKE SUPERIOR GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOKS, V. 34, PART 2, P. B-1-B-15.

  • Deposit

    BOYUM, B.H., 1988, THE ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF THE HARD AND SOFT IRON ORES OF THE MARQUETTE RANGE, MICHIGAN, IN KISVARSANYI, GEZA, AND GRANT, S.K., NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON TECTONIC CONTROL OF ORE DEPOSITS AND THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EXTENT OF ORE SYSTEMS, PROCEEDINGS VOLUME: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, ROLLA, P. 301-311.

  • Deposit

    MOST ALL OF THIS DISTRICT HAS BEEN MAPPED AT 7 1/2 MINUTE QUADRANGLE SIZE. TOO MANY GEOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED TO MENTION INDIVIDUALLY. GAIR, J.E., 1975, BEDROCK GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PALMER QUADRANGLE, MARQUETTE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 769, 159 P.

  • Production

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOCIATION, 1952, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES: CLEVELAND, OHIO, 2D ED., 75-92 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE JACKSON AND OLD VOLUNTEER MINES PRODUCED VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE HARD ORE MINED IN THE PALMER QUADRANGLE (GAIR, 1975). THE LAST MINING OF HARD ORE IN THE QUADRANGLE WAS AT THE OLD VOLUNTEER MINE IN 1916. THE OLD VOLUNTEER ORE BODY DIPS N AGAINST THE VOLUNTEER FAULT BELOW THE NEGAUNEE-GOODRICH UNCONFORMITY AND IT ENDS AGAINST THE FAULT, BUT IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER THE ORE BODY INCREASED IN SIZE OR IMPROVED IN GRADE DOWN DIP TOWARD THE FAULT. JASPILITE UNDERLYING THE HARD ORE IS HUNDREDS OF FEET THICK. NEAR THE BORDER BETWEEN THE OLD VOLUNTEER AND ISABELLE PROPERTIES, THE ENTIRE SECTION OF IRON-FORMATION, SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET THICK, IS JASPILITE.
Deposit DESCRIPTIVE (CANNON, 1986) AND GRADE AND TONNAGE (MOSIER AND SINGER, 1986) DEPOSIT MODELS OF SUPERIOR FE ARE IN COX AND SINGER, 1986, MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN, 1693, P. 228-230. LARUE (1981) FOUND THAT CHEMICAL IRON SEDIMENTATION APPARENTLY TOOK PLACE WITH LITTLE REGARD TO BASINAL OR PLATFORM ENVIRONMENTS. BOTH ENVIRONMENTS SHOW PERIODS OF CHEMICAL-IRON SEDIMENTATION. HOWEVER, IN BOTH ENVIRONMENTS, DEPOSITION OF IRON WAS RESTRICTED TO PERIODS OF DETRITAL-SEDIMENT STARVATION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1995 Sutphin, D.M. (Cannon, W.F.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1997 Sutphin, D.M. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 01-MAY-1997 Mason Jr., G.T. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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