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Morton Mine

Past Producer in Buckingham county in Virginia, United States with commodity Gold
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  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 10106128
MRDS ID W028975
Record type Site
Current site name Morton Mine
Alternate or previous names Hobson Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.40722, 37.62284 (WGS84)
Elevation 146
Relative position ABOUT 0.72 KM (0.45 MI) W OF JOHNSON STATION (NOW DESERTED).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buckingham(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle James-Buffalo(hydrologic unit)

James(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Buckingham

Comments on the location information

  • 0.3 KM (0.2 MI) ALONG A WOODS ROAD OFF SE SIDE OF STATE ROAD 622 ABOUT 0.08 KM (0.05 MI) BY ROAD E OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 676. A PLAT OF THE HOBSON LAND, SURVEYED BY R.H. CLARK IN 1916-1918 SHOWS THE LOCATION OF THE OLD MORTON SHAFT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF A TRIBUTARY THAT RUNS INTO HUNTS CREEK. MR. JOHN M. FREEMAN VISITED THE SITE IN 1929 AND THE SHAFT WAS ABOUT 35 FEET ACCROSS AND CAVED TO ABOUT 12 FEET. UTM LOCATION IS N4,166,820 AND E 729,140.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Feldspar Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Iron Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.40722, 37.62284
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Arvonia Syncline, Ne-Sw Trend

Ore body information

  • Width 6M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Within Veins

Comments on the geologic information

  • IN LINE OF STRIKE OF THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE VEIN. VEIN LIES JUST W OF ARVONIA SLATE BELT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1861
Year of first production 1861

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Overall depth 9M

Comments on the workings information

  • 3 SHALLOW PITS REPORTED 1974; 3 VEINS DEVELOPED TO A DEPTH OF 7.6 M TO 9.1 M PRIOR TO 1865. IN 1906, TWO SHAFTS WERE SUNS TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 9 M (30 FT). J.M. FREEMAN SHAFT LOCATION WAS VISITED IN SEPTEMBER 1987. THERE IS NO VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE OLD SHAFT IN THE SCRUB PINES AND UNDERGROWTH.

Comments on development

  • THIS IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN THE FIRST MINE OPENED IN THE COUNTY, SNOWN THEN AS THE HOBSON MINE. PLACER OPERATIONS WERE CARRIED ON IN THE EARLY DAYS. IN 1865, 3 PARALLEL VEINS HAD BEEN OPENED TO A DEPTH OF 7.6 TO 9 M (25 TO 30 FT)? THE VEINS WERE FROM 1 TO 3 M (3 TO 10 FT) AND IN SOME PLACES EVEN 6 M (20 FT) WIDE. IN 1906, TWO SHAFTS WERE SUNS, BUT IT IS DOUBTFUL THERE WAS MUCH, IF ANY, GOLD FOUND.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., 1980, GOLD IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, PUBLICATION 19, 77 P.

  • Deposit

    LUTTRELL, G.W., 1966, BASE-AND PRECIOUS METAL AND RELATED ORE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA; VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES, MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT 7, 167 P.

  • Deposit

    TABER, S., 1913, GEOLOGY OF THE GOLD BELT IN THE JAMES RIVER BASIN, VIRGINIA; VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 7, 271 P.

  • Deposit

    CREDNER, H., REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR. MNG., 1869, VOL. VII, P. 58.

  • Deposit

    FREEMAN, J.M., 1987, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION.

  • Deposit

    1906 DIREXPL 2 SHAFTS SUNK, BOTH APPARANTLY NON-PRODUCTIVE.

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA. DIV. OF MINERAL RESOURCES: SITE INSPECTED.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 3 PARALLEL VEINS WERE EXPOSED TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 9 M (30 FT)? THE VEINS CONSIST OF GRANULAR MASSIVE QUARTZ CARRYING IRON OXIDE AND FREE GOLD. ONE OF THESE VEINS IS SAID TO BE A CONTINUATION OF THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA VEIN.
Deposit Discovery Year: PRE-CIVIL WAR

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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