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Clinch Valley

Producer in Grainger county in Tennessee, United States with commodity Zinc
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Reserves and resources
  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 10232548
MAS/MILS ID 0470570007
Record type Deposit
Current site name Clinch Valley
Alternate or previous names Idol Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -83.40708, 36.37339 (WGS84)
Elevation 433
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Grainger(county)

Tennessee(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Avondale(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Morristown(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Johnson City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Clinch, Tennessee, Virginia(hydrologic unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Tennessee Grainger

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anhydrite Unknown
Barite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Fluorite Unknown
Gypsum Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Sphalerite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -83.40708, 36.37339
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N60E
    Dip 37E
    Thickness 64M
    Length 8000M
    Width 800M
    Area 227HA
    Depth to top 220M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #2 MASSIVE
    Type of Orebody #3 SEDIMENTARY
    Primary mode of Origin RESIDUAL CONCENT
    Secondary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Secondary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 DOLOMITIZATION
    Strike And Dip N60E:37E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 227
    Date of Last Modification 830510

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE OTHER DEFORMATION INDICATED IS BRECCIA COLLAPSE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1950
Mining method Open Stope - Room and Pillar
Year of first production 1977
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Copper Ridge District
District name East Tennessee zinc district
District name Mascot-Jefferson City zinc district

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Fee Ownership

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Savage Resources
    ID 4001627
    Interest 100
    Home office Australia
    Year 1994

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE OTHER DEFORMATION INDICATED IS BRECCIA COLLAPSE. NEW JERSEY ZINC (SUB. OF GULF & WESTERN) SOLD PROPERTY TO INSPIRATION RESOURCES IN 1983 FOR AN UNDICLOSED AMOUNT.

Production statistics

  • Year 1977
    Description 7,700 Mt Zn In Conc. 93000 Mt Ore Milled: Gd 3.6%Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 93000mt 4wt-pct
  • Year 1978
    Description 7,890 Mt Zn In Conc. 273000 Mt Ore Milled: Gd 3.6%Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 273000mt 4wt-pct
  • Year 1979
    Description 9,030 Mt Zn In Conc. 257000 Mt Ore Milled: Gd 3.6%Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 257000mt 4wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Description 8,820 Mt Zn In Conc. 268000 Mt Ore Milled: Gd 3.3%Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 268000mt 3wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Description 3,180 Mt Zn In Conc. 270000 Mt Ore Milled: Gd 3.0%Zn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Zinc Zinc 270000mt 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • OWNED BY THE NEW JERSEY ZINC CO., A DIV. OF GULF AND WESTERN INDUSTRIES. 10K REPORT SHOWS 31.JULY.79 RESERVES AS 2,836,600 ST @ 3.6% ZN. 1993 ADIT UPDATE: AFTER 23 MONTHS OF PREPRODUCTION MINE DEVELOPMENT, UNION ZINC BEGAN PRODUCTION IN FEB 1992. 1994 ADIT UPDATE: SAVAGE RESOURCES OF AUSTRALIA PURCHASED THIS MINE FROM UNION ZINC CORP. IN 1994. 1977 - 1981 PRODUCTION REFER TO COMMENT LINE Q101-Q102. MINE PERMANENTLY CLOSED AT END OF 1981.
  • ACTUAL MILL RECOVERY IS 96.5 PERCENT.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Measured 2573400mt ore
    Demonstrated 2573400mt ore
    Total resources 2573400mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 3.6 wt-pct Zinc Major 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1997
    Demonstrated 4300000mt ore
    Total resources 4300000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 3.2 wt-pct Zinc Major 1997

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • OWNED BY THE NEW JERSEY ZINC CO., A DIV. OF GULF AND WESTERN INDUSTRIES. 10K REPORT SHOWS 31.JULY.79 RESERVES AS 2,836,600 ST @ 3.6% ZN. 1993 ADIT UPDATE: AFTER 23 MONTHS OF PREPRODUCTION MINE DEVELOPMENT, UNION ZINC BEGAN PRODUCTION IN FEB 1992. 1994 ADIT UPDATE: SAVAGE RESOURCES OF AUSTRALIA PURCHASED THIS MINE FROM UNION ZINC CORP. IN 1994.
  • REPORTED TONNAGES AND GRADE ARE RECOVERABLE ESTIMATES.
  • REPORTED TONNAGES AND GRADE ARE IN-SITU ESTIMATES. BOOK HUNT & ASSOCIATES, LTD. WESTERN WORLD PB & ZN COST STUDY 1986 EDITION. V. 5, P. 250.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 440M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Percent Recovery 75
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Number of Shafts 1
    Number of Inclines 1
    Number of Adits 1
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 1089
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 8.27
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1980

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    GULF AND WESTERN INDUSTRIES, INC. FORM 10-K. JULY 31, 1979, P. 32, JULY 31, 1978, P. 27, JULY 31, 1977, P. 7.

  • Deposit

    BAKER, D. R. AND J. E. NELSON; CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A ZERO DISCHARGE ZINC CONCENTRATOR; MINING CONGRESS JOURNAL, APRIL, 1979, PP. 23-26.

  • Deposit

    CLAYTON, AUSTIN B. AND RICHARD L. SAYES; INVESTIGATION OF IDOL AND DALTON ZINC DEPOSITS, GRAINGER COUNTY, TENNESSEE. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATION NO. 4497, JULY, 1949.

  • Deposit

    DAYTON, STANLEY H., ED., REVOLUTIONARY THICKENER DESIGN TACKLES HEAVY FLOW OF ZINC MINE TAILINGS. ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, APRIL, 1978, PP. 78-79.

  • Deposit

    GULF AND WESTERN INDUSTRIES, INC.; RESOURCES-QUARTERLY PUBLICATION, VOL. 11, 1977, PP. 13-14.

  • Deposit

    GULF AND WESTERN INDUSTRIES, INC.; PROPERTY STATEMENT TO SHAREHOLDERS, JUNE 10, 1967, P. 105.

  • Deposit

    HAGEGEORGE, C. G., W. T. HILL AND R. G. MORRIS; ORE CONTROLS AND RELATED SEDIMENTARY FEATURES AT THE FLAT GAP MINE, TREADWAY, TENNESSEE. CHAPTER IN ECONOMIC GEOLOGY AND THE BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS, VOL. 66, NO. 5, AUGUST, 1971, PP. 748-756.

  • Deposit

    HILL, W. T.; MINE GEOLOGY OF THE NEW JERSEY ZINC COMPANY'S FLAT GAP MINE AT TREADWAY IN THE COPPER RIDGE DISTRICT. CHAPTER IN PAPERS ON THE STRATIGRAPHY AND MINE GEOLOGY OF THE KINGSPORT AND MASCOT FORMATIONS (LOWER ORDOVICIAN) OF EAST TENNESSEE. TENNESSEE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS NO. 23, 1969, PP. 76-90.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ESTIMATED LAND HOLDING IS 648 HECTARES. PROPERTY UPDATED SEP 1987

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 21-JUL-97 Hrabik, J. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 04/14/2006
MSHA mine ID4001627
Mine name (MSHA)Clinch Valley Mine
Current operatorMossy Creek Mining, LLC.
Current controller (parent)Hugh J Moser III
Mine typeSurface (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

External references

Maps centered on this site