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Rye Valley Lead/Zinc District

Occurrence in Smyth county in Virginia, United States with commodities Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite, Dolomite, Calcium
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10096160
MRDS ID VA01758
Record type Site
Current site name Rye Valley Lead/Zinc District

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.41704, 36.78119 (WGS84)
Elevation 812
Relative position 6.65 MILES S 67 DEGREES E FROM MARION, .4 MILES N 29 DEGREES W 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

Atkins(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wytheville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winston-Salem(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Holston(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

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

  • 3400 FEET S 77 DEGREES W FROM THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROADS 675 AND RT 16 NORTH OF SUGAR GROVE, 2900 FEET N 11 DEGREES E FROM THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROADS 695 AND RT 16 SOUTHWEST OF SUGAR GROVE, ABOUT 150 FEET EAST OF STATE ROAD 675, 2000 FEET NORTHEAST OF RYE VALLEY MINING COMPANY MINE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1988)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Secondary
Dolomite Tertiary
Calcium Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • FLUORITE IS DARK PURPLE AS SMALL MASSES AND FRACTURES IN THE BRECCIATED DOLOMITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Dolomite Ore
Fluorite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Unknown

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) -81.41704, 36.78119
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trending Valley And Ridge
Type of structure Local
Structure description Minor Thrust Faults

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Brecciated Zone, Local Zone Of Minor Thrust Faulting

Comments on the geologic information

  • DUMP MATERIAL IS FINE GRAINED, BRECCIATED, DARK GRAY DOLOMITE WHICH LIES BELOW A DARK GRAY SHALE UNIT SEEN IN THE ROOF (HANGING WALL) OF PROSPECT PIT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Discoverer Rye Valley Mining Company ?

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Rye Valley Mining Co.

Comments on the workings information

  • CURRIER (1935) MENTIONS A PROSPECT PIT SOUTH OF RT 675. FIELD EXAMINATION CONDUCTED 2/11/88. TWO SMALL OPEN CUTS WERE LOCATED, WORKED IN A N 75 DEGREES E DIRECTION, PARALLEL TO STRIKE. WESTERN CUT IS 8 FEET LONG, 5 FEET WIDE AND 3 FEET DEEP WITH DUMP. 20 FEET TO THE EAST, A LARGER PIT IS 18 FEET LONG, 7 FEET WIDE, AND UP TO 6 FEET DEEP WITH SMALL OUTSLOPE DUMP. WORKINGS ARE FAIRLY SMALL.

Comments on development

  • CURRIER (1935) DESCRIBES THIS AS A PROSPECT PIT LOCATED 2000 FEET NORTHEAST OF THE SHAFT AT RYE VALLEY MINING COMPANY. NO OTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1800'S
Deposit MINERALIZATION IN A THIN, BRECCIATED DOLOMITE BED BELOW SHALE. STRATIGRAPHIC AND LITHOLOGIC FEATURES WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE FOUND AT MAIN SHAFT OF RYE VALLEY MINING COMPANY MINE.

Reporter information

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

Beyond USGS

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

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