Ballard Mine

Past Producer in Custer county in South Dakota, United States with commodities Feldspar, Mica, Beryllium, Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium)
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10104221
MRDS ID SD02136
Record type Site
Current site name Ballard Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -103.64335, 43.79468 (WGS84)
Elevation 1756
Relative position 2.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CUSTER, S.D.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Custer(county)

South Dakota(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Berne(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Mount Rushmore(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hot Springs(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Cheyenne-Spring(hydrologic unit)

Cheyenne(hydrologic accounting unit)

Cheyenne(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Black Hills 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 South Dakota Custer

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Black Hills 003S 004E 16 South Dakota

Comments on the location information

  • NE 1/4

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Feldspar Primary
Mica Primary
Beryllium Critical Secondary
Tantalum Critical Tertiary
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Beryl Ore
Feldspar Ore
Muscovite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Rock unit name Pegmatite Dike
    Rock description Pegmatite Dike
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -103.64335, 43.79468

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Anticlinal Fold

Ore body information

  • General form DIKE IN AN ANTICLINAL FOLD
    Plunge direction SOUTH
    Thickness 3.05M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Custer District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Black Hills National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner F. Ballard

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 18.29M
    Overall length 27.43M
    Overall width 7.62M

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE WORKINGS INCLUDE TWO OPEN PITS, A 60 FOOT SHAFT AND A SHORT DRIFT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT. THE NORTH PIT IS 90 FEET LONG, 25 FEET WIDE, AND 30 FEET DEEP. THE SOUTH PIT IS 60 FEET LONG, 25 FEET WIDE AND 15 FEET DEEP.

Comments on development

  • LOCATED ON THE NORTHERN END OF THE SAME DIKE AS THE CROWN MICA MINE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    US BUREAU OF MINES, 1955 , BLACK HILLS MINERAL ATLAS, SOUTH DAKOTA: PART 2 , BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7707

  • Production

    US BUREAU OF MINES, 1955 , BLACK HILLS MINERAL ATLAS, SOUTH DAKOTA: PART 2 , BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7707 .

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit STRIKE DIRECTION QUESTIONABLE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1979 Barari, Rachel A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references