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Bristol Copper Mine

Past Producer in Hartford county in Connecticut, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Sulfur, Molybdenum
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  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 10105447
MRDS ID W000306
Record type Site
Current site name Bristol Copper Mine
Related records 10143131

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -72.92353, 41.71899 (WGS84)
Elevation 98
Relative position 3.4 MILES NNE. OF BRISTOL; 0.3 MILE SW. OF LAKE COMO

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hartford(county)

Connecticut(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bristol(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Hartford(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hartford(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Farmington River(hydrologic unit)

Lower Connecticut(hydrologic accounting unit)

Connecticut(hydrologic subregion)

New England(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Connecticut Hartford

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Primary
Sulfur Primary
Molybdenum Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • First Noted By Botsford About 1795; Asa Hooke Made Prospect Pit 15 Feet Across About 1800; Luke Gridley Made More Prospect Holes From 1802 To 1810; Bartholomew Dug Trench 20 Feet Long North-South, Ten Feet Wide, 17 Feet Deep In 1836 and Formed Bristol Min
  • FIRST NOTED BY BOTSFORD ABOUT 1795; ASA HOOKE MADE PROSPECT PIT 15 FEET ACROSS ABOUT 1800; LUKE GRIDLEY MADE MORE PROSPECT HOLES FROM 1802 TO 1810; BARTHOLOMEW DUG TRENCH 20 FEET LONG NORTH-SOUTH, TEN FEET WIDE, 17 FEET DEEP IN 1836 AND FORMED BRISTOL MINE COMPANY IN 1837 WHICH LASTED UNTIL 1846 AND DUG A SHAFT 240 FEET DEEP; FROM 1846 UNTIL 1855 SEVERAL OWNERS; PROFESSOR SILLIMAN AND JOHN WOOLSEY SPENT FORTUNE FROM 1855 UNTIL 1858; FROM 1858 UNTIL 1888 OWNED BY WOOLSEY HEIRS WHO DID NOTHING; DICK BARRY AND E. G. HUBBELL FORM BRISTOL COPPER AND SILVER MINING COMPANY, EXTENDED UNDERGROUND WORKINGS FROM 1888 TO 1893. COLONEL WALTER CUTTING DUG OLD SHAFT TO 378 FEET, LEAN ORE ONLY, NEW SHAFT 240 FEET IN GOOD COPPER ORE, ADDITIONAL COPPER ORE BED WITH SILVER-BEARING GALENA, AND ALSO SPHALERITE FOUND, LASTED FROM 1893 TO 1895. OWNED BY CUTTER IN 1897 WITH RESULT A TOTAL OF EIGHT PITS AND SHAFTS SUNK, THOUSANDS OF FEET OF DRIFTS, MANY FEET OF DIAMOND DRILL (FROM HULBERT, 1897). TOTAL
  • HISTORY OF THREE SHAFTS, ONE 378 FEET DEEP, TWO 240 FEET DEEP, THE THIRD 100 FEET DEEP. SMALL POND 100 FEET IN DIAMETER RESULT OF PARTIAL UNDERGROUND COLLAPSE OF WORKINGS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Molybdenite Ore
Barite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Galena Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Bornite Ore
Malachite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Calcite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Mineralization Bleaches Arkose Beds

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 87
USGS model code 23
Deposit model name Basaltic Cu (BC name is Volcanic redbed Cu)
Mark3 model number 118

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Pegmatites
    Rock description Pegmatites
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name New Haven Arkose
    Rock description New Haven Arkose
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Arkose

Nearby scientific data

(1) -72.92353, 41.71899
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form COMPOSITE OF HORIZON, FAULT ZONE, AND BEDS
    Thickness 115.21M
    Length 457.2M
    Width 120M
    Depth to bottom 115.21M

Comments on the geologic information

  • No Triassic Dikes Mapped In Area ; Major.Units: "The Straits Schist" and the Bristol Quartz Diorite ; Geol.Desc: the "The Straits Schist" Lower Part of Hartland Formation, Intruded By Bristol Granite Core, Later Cut By Pegmatites; Area Faulted, Depositi
  • NO TRIASSIC DIKES MAPPED IN AREA ; MAJOR.UNITS: "THE STRAITS SCHIST" AND THE BRISTOL QUARTZ DIORITE ; GEOL.DESC: THE "THE STRAITS SCHIST" LOWER PART OF HARTLAND FORMATION, INTRUDED BY BRISTOL GRANITE CORE, LATER CUT BY PEGMATITES; AREA FAULTED, DEPOSITION OF TRIASSIC SEDIMENT; MORE MOVEMENT ALONG FAULT. SEVERAL MINERALIZATION EPISODES, PRE FAULT AND POST FAULTS. (CAMB-ORD, POST CAMB-ORD, POST TRI - MINERALIZATION) ; REG.COM: MAJOR FAULT OCCURS IN THE "THE STRAITS SCHIST FORMATION".

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1795
Discoverer Theophilus Botsford
Year of first production 1836

Mining district

District name Bristol

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Hearst, Allen L.
    First year 1947
  • Type Owner
    Owner Colonel Walter Cutting
    First year 1897

Production statistics

  • Year 1855
    Period 1836 - 1855
    Material ORE ACC
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Cu Concentrate, 33 % Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 33wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION FIGURES OF ORE LACKING, BUT MINED ORE VARIED FROM 0.93% CU TO 2.89% CU. METALS AND THEIR AMOUNT VARY AS TO ROCK TYPE, CU AND AG HIGHEST IN SCHIST WITH PEGMATITE, 7.0% CU AND 0.01% AG; IN SANDSTONE 1.71% CU AND 0.0025% AG, IN VEIN QUARTZ 1.5% CU AND 0.0003% AG; IN FAULT GOUGE HIGHLY VARIABLE 5% AND 0.07% FOR CU, 0.004% AND NOT DETECTED FOR AG; DETECTABLE MINOR AMOUNTS OF PB, AU, BA, BE, CO, CR, MO, SR, V, Y, AND ZR. ZN NOT DETECTED.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • INFORMATION LACKING BUT CONTINUATION OF ORE ZONE IN THE "THE STRAITS SCHIST FORMATION" EXCELLENT POTENTIAL FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF LOW-GRADE COPPER ORE.
  • FIGURES LACKING BUT PROBABLY LARGE AMOUNTS OF LOW-GRADE COPPER ORE AVAILABLE FROM THE "THE STRAITS SCHIST FORMATION".
  • FIGURES LACKING BUT PROBABLY LARGE AMOUNTS OF LOW-GRADE COPPER ORE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE "THE STRAITS SCHIST FORMATION".

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Area 0.631HA
    Length 128.02M
    Overall depth 115.21M
    Overall length 182.88M
    Overall width 36.58M

Comments on the workings information

  • Most Workings Concentrated In Zone 500 Feet Long, 50 Feet Wide, and 240 Feet Deep.
  • MOST WORKINGS CONCENTRATED IN ZONE 500 FEET LONG, 50 FEET WIDE, AND 240 FEET DEEP.

Comments on development

  • TOTAL$: US ; ECON.COM: MINE WORKED DURING PERIODS OF HIGH WORLD COPPER PRICES. LAST CLOSED IN 1895 WITH DECLINE IN WORLD COPPER PRICE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RICHARDSON, C. S., 1854, "OLD BRISTOL COPPERMINE", MINING MAGAZINE, V. 3, TEXT, PG. 251-255

  • Deposit

    1923 OTHER A. M. BATEMAN, MINERALOG

  • Production

    BATEMAN, 1923

  • Deposit

    Richardson, C. S., 1854, "Old Bristol Coppermine", Mining Magazine, V. 3, Text, Pg. 251-255.

  • Deposit

    Januzzi, B., 1959, The Minerals Of Western Connecticut And S.E. New York State Mineralogic Press

  • Deposit

    Silliman, B. Jr., And Whitney, J.D., 1855, "Notice Of The Geological Position And Character Of The Copper At Bristol, Ct.," American Journal Of Science, Vol. Xx, No. 60, Pg. 361-369

  • Deposit

    Ryerson, K.H., 1968, Rock Hound'S Guide To Ct. (Pequot Press Handbook No. 3), The Pequot Press, Inc., Stonington, Ct., Pg. 10

  • Deposit

    Bateman, A.M., 1923, "Primary Chalcocite: Bristol Copper Mine, Ct.," Economic Geology, Vol. Xviii, No. 2, Pg. 122-166.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit USGS Topo, 1966, "Bristol", At 1:24,000, Shows Collapsed Mine Working As Small Pond. Hulbert Has Excellent Review of Bristol Copper Mine History-Only Seen 7 Page Copy, Not Original. USGS, Heyl, A. V., 1967, "Analyses of Bristol Mine", Report No. 67-Ws-8
Deposit ORE MINED FROM FAULT GOUGE THAT TRENDS N. 65 DEG. EAST, DIP 70 DEG. SE., AND LATERALLY WEST IN SCHIST AND EAST IN SANDSTONE; STRIKE AND DIP OF EACH MINERALIZATION ZONE DIFFERENT.
Deposit USGS TOPO, 1966, "BRISTOL", AT 1:24,000, SHOWS COLLAPSED MINE WORKING AS SMALL POND. HULBERT HAS EXCELLENT REVIEW OF BRISTOL COPPER MINE HISTORY-ONLY SEEN 7 PAGE COPY, NOT ORIGINAL. USGS, HEYL, A. V., 1967, "ANALYSES OF BRISTOL MINE", REPORT NO. 67-WS-88, SAMPLE NOS. ABO-692 TO ABO-696, ABO-698 TO ABO-700; ALSO WEEKS, B., REPORT NO. HM 3336, SAMPLE NOS. 194 AND 195. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1972 D'Agostino, John P. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 10-MAR-2003 Nicholson, S.W. U.S. Geological Survey Combined This Record With Information From Record D000468: Then Deleted Record D000468
Reporter 01-JUL-1974 King, Robert U. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 20-AUG-1997 Mchone, Nancy Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey Added Model_Num And Model; Noted Duplicate Record Number D000468

Beyond USGS

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

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