Empire Mine

Producer in Marquette county in Michigan, United States with commodity Iron
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. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10107262
MRDS ID W001394
Record type Site
Current site name Empire Mine
Alternate or previous names Palmer Operations
Related records 10170458

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -87.60558, 46.45611 (WGS84)
Elevation 396
Relative position NEAR TOWN OF PALMER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Marquette(county)

Michigan(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Palmer(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Gwinn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Marquette(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Escanaba(hydrologic unit)

Northwestern Lake Michigan(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwestern Lake Michigan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Michigan Marquette

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
47N 26W 19 SW Michigan

Comments on the location information

  • POINT LOCATED AT THE CENTER OF THE MAIN PIT.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • A MAGNETITE TACONITE ORE, TODAY. OTHER MINERALS INCLUDED IRON CARBONATES, IRON SILICATES, MARTITE AND; EARTHY HEMATITE WITH MINOR GOETHITE AND PYRITE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Chert Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Olivine Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) In chlorite zone, near biotite isograd.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type
    Rock unit name Siamo Slate
    Rock description Siamo Slate
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type
    Rock unit name Ajibik Quartzite
    Rock description Ajibik Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Iron Formation
    Rock unit name Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Rock description Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -87.60558, 46.45611

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Marquette syncline, about 33 miles long and open at the western end. Begin
Type of structure Local
Structure description Monoclinal fold dipping 35 deg. nw.

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR: MASSIVE
    Strike N20E
    Dip 37W

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faulting: bedding

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAJOR UNITS: NEGAUNEE IRON FORMATION

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Year of first production 1907

Mining district

District name Marquette Iron District (Range)

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Cleveland-Cliffs
  • Type Owner
    Owner Inland Steel et. al.
  • Type Operator
    Owner Cleveland-Cliffs

Production statistics

  • Year 1972
    Period 1907-1972
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 203200000mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1991
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major pellets Fe Iron Iron 7722mt
  • Year 1992
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major pellets Fe Iron Iron 8200mt
  • Year 1993
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major pellets Fe Iron Iron 6700mt

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Reserves 300000000
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron pellets 60 wt-pct Iron Major 1989

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • IN 1989, U.S.B.M. REPORTED THAT RESERVES AT EMPIRE COULD LAST ANOTHER 37 YEARS AT A FULL-CAPACITY PRODUCTION RATE OF 8,128,000 MT PELLETS/ YEAR.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall length 1200M
    Overall width 550M

Comments on the workings information

  • DIAMOND DRILL HOLE INFORMATION INDICATE GOOD CONCENTRATING ORE TO 1100 FOOT DEPTH.

Comments on development

  • 1907-1928 EMPIRE WAS AN OPEN PIT MINE; SHIPPING HARD ORE. IN 1963, EMPIRE WAS REOPENED AS A MAGNETITE TACONITE MINE, PRODUCING 63% FE. PELLET BY CONCENTRATING THE ORE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JAMES, H. L., 1955, ZONES OF REG. METAMORPHISM. IN THE PRECAMBRIAN OF NO. MICH. G. S. A. BULL., VOL. 66, P. 1455 - 1488.

  • Deposit

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOC., 1938, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES.

  • Deposit

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOC., 1952, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES.

  • Deposit

    VAN HISE AND BAYLEY, 1897, U. S. G. S. MONOGRAPH 28.

  • Deposit

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1954-1994, MINERALS YEARBOOK [1953-1993]: WASHINGTON, D.C., U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE,

  • Deposit

    1969 GEOL MAP J. GAIR

  • Production

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES 1938 AND 1952, P. 106; P. 80. MINERALS YEARBOOKS FOR APPROPRIATE YEARS.

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINERALS YEARBOOK 1989, V. II.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ARCHEAN ROCKS OVERLAIN BY MARQUETTE RANGE SUPERGROUP ROCKS. ARCHEAN CRYSTALLINE ROCKS BLOCK FAULTED AND DIFFERENTIALLY RAISED LOWERED; FORMING TROUGHS. MIDDLE PRECAMBRIAN "X" (OR MARQUETTE RANGE SUPERGROUP) ROCKS AS SEMI-CONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS SLUMPED INTO THE TROUGHS. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME ENTIRE AREA REGIONALLY THERMAL METAMORPHOSED CREATING METAMORPHIC FACIES OR NODES. THE MARQUETTE DISTRICT AFFECTED BY THE REPUBLIC NODE WHICH ZONES FROM CHLORITE TO SILLIMANITE EXCLUSIVE OF KYANITE ONLY. THE EMPIRE MINE IS IN THE CHLORITE ZONE NEAR BIOTITE ISOGRAD. (JAMES H. L. 1955 P. 1455-1488).
Deposit AVERAGE DIMENSIONS OF MINERALIZATION (IN METERS): DEPTH 23, LENGTH 4023, WIDTH 2414, THICKNESS 564.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1972 Cannon, Suzanne S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1995 Sutphin, D.M. (Cannon, W.F.) U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 01-MAY-1997 Mason Jr., G.T. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references