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Faris Mine

Past Producer in Smyth county in Virginia, United States with commodity Barium-Barite
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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. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10100239
MRDS ID W031267
Record type Site
Current site name Faris Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.59094, 36.84647 (WGS84)
Elevation 652
Relative position 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN MARION.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Smyth(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Marion(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)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Smyth

Comments on the location information

  • UTM COORDINATES ARE AT CENTER OF WORKINGS. MINE IS LOCATED ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF STATE ROAD 645. LOCATED ABOUT .8 MILES N8E, 1300 FEET N7E FROM THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROAD 658 AND 645. FIELD EXAMINATION CONDUCTED 10/9/85. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1986)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Clay Residuum;Beekmantown Formation
    Rock description Clay Residuum;Beekmantown Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.59094, 36.84647
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend, Walker Mountain Thrust Block
Type of structure Local
Structure description Mine Is Located On The Northwestern Flank Of The Marion Dome.

Ore body information

  • General form LENSE, PINCH AND SWELL, IRREGULAR
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Veins, Clay Residuum

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOLOGY BASED ON THE MYERS-L. COPENHAVER MINES. BEEKMANTOWN HERE IS SUGARY LIMESTONE AND DOLOMITE WITH CHERT BLOCKS AND BEDS AS FOUND ON THE DUMP PILES. REGIONAL GEOLOGY FROM C. BUTTS (1933), B. COOPER (1936) AND B. FRENCH (1967).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Year of first production 1875
Year of last production 1906

Mining district

District name Smyth County Barite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Faris
  • Type Owner
    Owner T. B. Cullop And F. N. Smyth

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF SEVERAL OPEN CUTS ABOUT 30 FEET IN DIAMETER AND INCLINED SHAFT ON HILLSIDE. OPEN CUTS AND THE SHAFT ARE NOW PARTIALLY FILLED WITH ROCK DEBRIS AND TRASH, AND ARE GROWN OVER IN AN OPEN FIELD. WORKINGS ARE LOCATED EAST AND WEST OF RT 645. LOCAL RESIDENTS STATED THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF LIMESTONE WAS DUG OUT WESTERN END TO MAKE HYDRATED LIME IN LOCAL LIME KILNS. OPEN CUTS ARE APPROXIMATLEY 10 FEET WIDE, 20 FEET LONG AND 10 FEET DEEP AND SHAFT IS AT WESTERN END OF CUT 10 FEED WIDE, 45 FEET LONG AND 6 FEET DEEP. FIELD EXAMINATION CONDUCTED 10/9/85.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS WORKED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE MYERS-L. COPENHAVER MINES AND PROBABLY WAS OPENED BETWEEN 1875 AND 1885. SEVERAL OPEN PITS AND AN INCLINED SHAFT WERE DUG. NO PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    EDMUNDSON, R.S., 1938, BARITE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 53, 85 P.

  • Deposit

    BUTTS, CHARLES, 1933, GEOLOGY MAP OF THE APPALACHIAN VALLEY OF VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 42.

  • Deposit

    COOPER, B.N, 1936, STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURE OF THE MARION AREA, VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 46-L.

  • Deposit

    FRENCH, B.E., 1967, THE GEOLOGY OF THE MARION DOME, V.P.I. MASTERS THESIS (UNPUBLISHED).

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL ? - DUG OPEN CUTS, SHAFTS, MINE

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BARITE OCCURS AS IRREGULAR FRAGMENTS IN RESIDUAL CLAY AND AS VEINS AND REPLACEMENT MASSES IN BEDROCK. THE BEDROCK IS LIMESTONE AND DOLOMITE AND HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY FRACTURED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1980 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-SEP-1987 Lovett, James A. 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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