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Faber Mine

Past Producer in Albemarle county in Virginia, United States with commodities Lead, Zinc, Silver, Copper, Sulfur-Pyrite, Iron, Pig Iron, 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. Alteration
  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. 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 10106189
MRDS ID W031302
Record type Site
Current site name Faber Mine
Alternate or previous names Albemarle Zinc and Lead Co. Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.70584, 37.83727 (WGS84)
Elevation 262
Relative position 2.73 KM (1.7 MI) ENE OF FABER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Albemarle(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Schuyler(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 Albemarle

Comments on the location information

  • AT THE END OF A 2.4 KM (1.5 MI) WINDING JEEP TRAIL WHICH INTERSECTS THE NORTH SIDE OF STATE ROAD 6 ABOUT 3.4 KM (2.1 MI) BY ROAD EAST OF FABER, VA.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Tertiary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary
Iron, Pig Iron Tertiary
Iron Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SOME SILVER, ABOUT 31 OZ/TON, WAS REPORTED IN THE EARLIEST PRODUCTION, PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR (WATSON, 1907, P. 57) ANALYSIS SHOWS 2-3 OZ/TON OF ORE (ROBERTS, 1942 P. 550).

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Antimony Gangue
Arsenic Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Pyromorphite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Pyrite Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Replacement

Analytical data

Result WATSON (1907) GIVES SEVERAL ANALYSES OF ORE WHICH YIELDED THE FOLLOWING RESULTS: MR. J.H. GIBBONEY REPORTED 62.11% ZN, 3.44% FE, 34.45% S: PROFESSOR W.H. SEAMON REPORTED 32% ZN, 4.02% PB, 1.88% FE: AND WATSON REPORTED 63.05% PB, 12.12% ZN, 3.16% FE, 19.32% S IN A SAMPLE OF LEAD CONCENTRATES AND IN A SAMPLE OF ZINC CONCENTRATES HE REPORTED 6.02% PB, 47.88% ZN, 7.26% FE, 0.94% CU, AND 29.52% S. ASSAY BY IRON KING ASSAY, HUMBOLDT, AZ, IN MARCH 1985 NOTES 2.04 OZ AG/TON.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Lynchburg Formation
    Rock description Lynchburg Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Arkose

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.70584, 37.83727
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Blue Ridge Anticlinorium, Ne-Sw Trend

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS, PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N45 DEG. E
    Dip 87 DEG. NW
    Plunge 18 DEG
    Plunge direction SW
    Thickness 3.7M
    Width 1.3M
    Depth to top 3.7M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Within Quartz Vein Which Intrudes Chloritic Schist

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE SCHIST IS SERICITIC, CHLORITIC AND TALCOSE, AND IS INTERBEDDED WITH A QUARTZ-MICA CONGLOMERATE SCHIST. THE ORE-BEARING ROCK IS THE CHLORITIC SCHIST.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1849
Discoverer Mr. Burford
Year of first production 1861

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Atlantic Lead And Zinc Co.

Comments on the production information

  • UNCERTAIN WHETHER PRODUCTION IS PB OR ORE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 212M
    Overall depth 36.6M

Comments on the workings information

  • MAIN DEVELOPMENTS ARE 3 SHAFTS HAVING DEPTHS OF 7.6 M, 15.2 M, AND 36.6 M RESPECTIVELY, SUNK WITHIN A DISTANCE OF 305 M. IN ADDITION, AN ADIT LEVEL HAS BEEN RUN INTO THE RIDGE FROM THE VALLEY BOTTOM, AND A CROSS-CUT RUN FROM THE ADIT ON AND ALONG THE VEIN FOR A DISTANCE OF 43 M (WATSON, 1905, P 57). THE MINE HAS BEEN ABANDONED SINCE 1919 AND THE SHAFTS AND ADIT ARE CAVED OR WATER-FILLED. THE ADIT WAS ABOUT 61 M (200 FT) LONG, THE DRIFT WAS ABOUT 24 M (80 FT) BACK FROM THE ENTRANCE TRENDING N 45 DEG E AND EXTENDING BOTH NE AND SW FROM ADIT, WITH A TOTAL LENGTH OF APPROXIMATELY 46 M (150 FT). A WINZE WAS SUNK AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE ADIT AND THE DRIFT REPORTEDLY TO A DEPTH OF 46 M (150 FT). APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CUBIC FEET OF STOPING WAS REPORTED.

Comments on development

  • MR. BURFORD FIRST DISCOVERED MINE IN 1849. IT WAS WORKED BY THE CONFEDERATES DURING THE CIVIL WAR, PRODUCING A REPORTED TOTAL OF 7,204 POUNDS OF LEAD. THE MINE REMAINED CLOSED AFTER THE WAR UNTIL 1905 WHEN THE ALBEMARLE ZINC AND LEAD COMPANY BUILT AN 80-TON CONCENTRATING PLANT AND PRODUCED BOTH LEAD AND ZINC. PRIOR TO THIS, THE VEIN HAD BEEN WORKED ONLY FOR GALENA. IT IS UNCERTAIN HOW LONG THE MINE WAS OPERATED BY THE ALBEMARLE ZINC AND LEAD CO., BUT IN 1915 THE MINE WAS REOPENED-BY THE ATLANTIC LEAD AND ZINC CO., AND DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS CARRIED ON DURING 1916. A 100-TON CONCENTRATING MILL WAS CONSTRUCTED. THE MINE CLOSED DOWN SOMETIME BETWEEN 1916 AND 1919. FROM JUNE 25, 1958 TO AUGUST 15, 1958, MR. SAM RANSON OF DILLWYN, VA. CONDUCTED A SELF-POTENTIAL SURVEY OF THE FABER LEAD-ZINC AREA. ADDITIONAL WORK INCLUDED GEOCHEMICAL SURVEY AND 2 DIAMOND DRILL HOLES, 82 AND 79 M (268 AND 259 FT) DEEP RESPECTIVELY. A RESISTIVITY SURVEY INDICATED A SHALLOW SOUTHWEST PLUNGING VEIN WITH A
  • PROBABLE VERTICAL WIDTH OF 30.5 TO 61 M (100 TO 200 FT). AFTER MR. BURFORD DISCOVERED THE VEIN, WILLIAM FABER AND NICHOLAS L. MARTIN BOUGHT THE PROPERTY AND CRUDELY OPENED THE MINE WITH THE HELP OF SOME FARM HANDS. THEY THEN SOLD THE MINE AT A PROFIT TO A NORTHERN PARTY WHICH REPORTEDLY REMOVED A GOOD QUANTITY OF LEAD ORE AND SHIPPED IT TO NEW YORK FOR SMELTING (THIS APPARENTLY TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR). MR. BURRESS HAD THE ADIT OPENED IN OCTOBER, 1958, BUT IT IS NOW CAVED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    NELSON, W.A., 1962, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, BULLETIN 77, 92 P.

  • Deposit

    WATSON, T.L., 1905, LEAD AND ZINC DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1, 156 P.

  • Deposit

    GIANNINI, W. F., 1959, A STUDY OF THE LEAD-ZINC DEPOSIT NEAR FABER, VIRGINIA: UNPUBLISHED M.S. THESIS, NO. 2326, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, J.K., 1942 ANNOTATED GEOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF VIRGINIA: CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., THE DIETZ PRESS, 693 P.

  • Deposit

    CURRIER, L.W., 1935, ZINC AND LEAD REGION OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA: VGS BULL 43, P. 89-91.

  • Deposit

    1906 DIREXPL ALBEMARLE LEAD AND ZINC CO.: BUILT 80-TON/DAY MILL

  • Deposit

    1915 DIREXPL ATLANTIC LEAD AND ZINC CO: ERECTED 100 T. MILL; OPERATED UNTIL 1919.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE VEIN PARALLELS A DIABASE-DIORITE DIKE WHICH LIES 7.6 M NW OF THE VEIN. ORE OCCURS IN QUARTZ. AT THE SW END OF THE ADIT THE VEIN IS 0.3M WIDE AND CONSISTS OF GALENA, SPHALERITE, FLUORITE, AND QUARTZ (NELSON, 1962 P 78-79).
Deposit THE WORKINGS ARE SITUATED IN THE EASTERN FOOT HILLS OF THE BLUE RIDGE, IN AN AREA HAVING IRREGULAR TOPOGRAPHY. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer C. 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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