Blewett Mine

Past Producer in Jo Daviess county in Illinois, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Iron
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Production statistics
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10086166
MRDS ID W800016
Record type Site
Current site name Blewett Mine
Alternate or previous names Buck Hill

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -90.42011, 42.4339 (WGS84)
Relative position NEAR THE EAST EDGE OF THE OLD BUCK HILL LEAD DIGGINGS; ABOUT 1.5 MI N OF GALENA ON THE FARM OWNED BY MR. QUENTIN H. BLEWETT.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Jo Daviess(county)

Illinois(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Galena(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dubuque South(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Dubuque(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Apple-Plum(hydrologic unit)

Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum(hydrologic subregion)

Upper Mississippi(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Illinois Jo Daviess

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
28N 1E 9 SW CORNER OF NW OF SW Illinois

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Lead Tertiary
Iron Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Leaching, Silicification, Dolomitization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 224
USGS model code 32a
Deposit model name Mississippi Valley, S.E. Missouri Pb-Zn
Mark3 model number 42

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Ion Member;Guttenberg Member;Spechts Ferry Member
    Rock description Ion Member;Guttenberg Member;Spechts Ferry Member
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -90.42011, 42.4339

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Southeast Of Wisconsin Dome And On The Gentle West Limb Of Wisconsin Arch. To The South Is Illinois Basin And To The West And Southwest Is Forest City Basin. A Few Minles South O Fthe Zinc-Lead District Is Westward-Trending Savanna-Sabula Anticline. Regional Strike Is N 85 W And The Dip Is South.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE BODY HAS A MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF 45 FT AND AVERAGES BETWEEN 20 TO 30 FT. THE ION MEMBER, SPECHTS FERRY MEMBER, AND THE GUTTENBERG MEMBER ARE PARTS OF THE DECORAH FM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1917
Year of first production 1919
Year of last production 1920

Mining district

District name Upper Mississippi Valley

Production statistics

  • Year 1920
    Period 1919-20
    Material JIG CONC
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Ave 30 Percent Zn And 21 Percent Fe.
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Conc. Iron Iron 21wt-pct
    Major Conc. Zinc Zinc 30wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1920
    Total resources 45000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 6.5 wt-pct Zinc Major 1920
    Iron Fe 10.5 wt-pct Iron Minor 1920

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • IN 1946 THE USBM EXTENDED THE ORE BODY BY DRILLING. CONSIDERABLE TONNAGES OF ORE REMAINS AT THE MINE AT THE N AND W SIDES AND BELOW THE PRESENT (1959) FLOOR. ORE MAY BE PRESENT ALSO TO THE S AND E.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings SHAFT

Comments on the workings information

  • A SHAFT WAS SUNK ON THE EAST EDGE OF THE ORE BODY.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: DRILLING N OF THE MINE AFTER IT CLOSED REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF ADDITIONAL ORE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HEYL, A.V., AGNEW, A.F., LYONS, E.J., AND BEHRE, C.H., JR., 1959, THE GEOLOGY OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ZINC-LEAD DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 309, 310 P.

  • Deposit

    WILLMAN, H.B., REYNOLDS, R.R., AND HERBERT, PAUL, JR., 1946, GEOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PROSPECTING AND AREAS FOR PROSPECTING IN THE ZINC-LEAD DISTRICT OF NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS: ILLINOIS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS, NO. 116, 48 P.

  • Production

    HEYL AND OTHERS, 1959, P. 182; WILLMAN AND OTHERS, 1946, P. 33.

  • Reserve-Resource

    HEYL AND OTHERS, 1959, P. 182; WILLMAN AND OTHERS, 1946, P. 34.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ZINC-LEAD DISTRICT LIES WITHIN THE SO-CALLED DRIFTLESS AREA WHERE NO MANTLE OF GLACIAL DRIFT IS PRESENT TO OBSCURE THE ROCK EXPOSURES. NATURAL CAVES ARE COMMON IN THE DISTRICT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1994 Hedgman, Cheryl (Cannon, W.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1996 Sutphin, David 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.