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Rucker Mine

Past Producer in Botetourt county in Virginia, United States with commodities Barium-Barite, Iron
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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 10106182
MRDS ID W031247
Record type Site
Current site name Rucker Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.88755, 37.38534 (WGS84)
Elevation 437
Relative position 2.4 KM (1.5 MI) NORTHEAST OF CLOVERDALE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Botetourt(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Daleville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Roanoke(hydrologic unit)

Roanoke(hydrologic accounting unit)

Chowan-Roanoke(hydrologic subregion)

South Atlantic-Gulf(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Botetourt

Comments on the location information

  • 1.3 KM (0.8 MI) EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF U.S. ROUTE 220 AND STATE ROAD 604. FROM THIS INTERSECTION HEAD EAST-SOUTHEAST ON 604 FOR 0.9 KM (0.6 MI), TURN NORTHEAST ON DIRT ROAD FOR 0.5 KM (0.3 MI), MINE IS 170 M (558 FT) DUE NORTH OF ROAD. APPROXIMATELY 640 M (2100 FT) NORTHEAST OF THE COLING BIBLE CHAPEL.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • LIMONITE OCCURS IN VUGS WITHIN THE BEDROCK.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore
Limonite Ore
Chert Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Limestone Gangue
Quartz Gangue

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;Stonehenge Limestone;Conococheague Formation
    Rock description Clay Residuum;Beekmantown Formation;Stonehenge Limestone;Conococheague Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.88755, 37.38534
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend
Type of structure Local
Structure description Thrust Faults And Slip Faults To North, East, And South Of Mine Area.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike NW-SE
    Dip 45 DEG SW

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Clay Residuum

Comments on the geologic information

  • ON GEOLOGIC MAP THE BEEKMANTOWN, STONEHENGE (CHEPULTEPEC), AND CONOCOCHEAGUE FORMATIONS ARE ALL WITHIN THE MINE AREA. THE BEEKMANTOWN AND CONOCOCHEAGUE FORMATIONS HAVE BOTH BEEN REPORTED, BUT THE STONEHENGE HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED, HENCE THE QUESTION MARK AFTER THE FORMATION ON LINE N 40. FOR GEOLOGIC MAP SEE: MCGUIRE, O.S., 1976, VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 42.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1906
Year of first production 1906

Mining district

District name Roanoke - Botetourt Counties Area

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Rucker

Comments on the workings information

  • OVER 25 PITS AND TRENCHES WERE DUG, RANGING IN DIAMETER FROM 1.2 M (4 FT) TO 6 M (20 FT) AND REACHING A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 9.1 M (30 FT). A NARROW TRENCH DUG IN 1934 WAS 1.5 M (5 FT) DEEP AND 15.2 M (50 FT) LONG.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS OPENED BEFORE 1906 AND BARITE WAS MINED, BUT OPERATIONS WERE ABANDONED IN 1906. IT WAS REOPENED IN 1934 WHEN A FEW TONS OF BARITE WERE RECOVERED. OVER 25 PITS AND TRENCHES WERE DUG. THESE WORKINGS COVER AN AREA OF SEVERAL ACRES, BUT ONLY TWO OR THREE OPENINGS ARE REPORTED TO HAVE CONTAINED ENOUGH BARITE TO BE PROFITABLY MINED. IN 1934 A NARROW TRENCH WAS DUG AND BARITE PROFITABLY MINED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    ECONOMIC GEOLOGY FILE: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES.

  • Deposit

    1934 DIREXPL ? - DUG PITS AND TRENCHES, MINED

  • Deposit

    1975 RECON VA. DIV. OF MIN. RESOURCES - INSPECTED SITE

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL ? - DUG PITS AND TRENCHES, MINED

  • Production

    EDMUNDSON (1938).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BARITE AND CHERT FRAGMENTS ARE FOUND IN THE THICK SOIL MANTLE, WHICH IS BETWEEN 4.6 M (15 FT) AND 9.1 M (30 FT) THICK. CHERT IS ABUNDANT IN THE SOIL MANTLE AND IN NEARBY BEDROCK OUTCROPS. NO BEDROCK OUTCROPS ARE VISIBLE IN THE OPENINGS. THE BARITE IS FINELY CRYSTALLINE AND WHITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1980 Trimble, David C. (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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