Gogebic Iron District (Range)

Past Producer in Gogebic 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. 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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Production statistics
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10310203
MRDS ID W001404
Record type District
Current site name Gogebic Iron District (Range)
Related records 10082652, 60001574

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -90.01927, 46.47361 (WGS84)
Relative position AN E-W LINEAR IRON FM. GOING FROM LAKE GOGEBIC

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Gogebic(county)

Michigan(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bessemer(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Ironwood(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Ashland(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Black-Presque Isle(hydrologic unit)

Southcentral Lake Superior(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southern Lake Superior(hydrologic subregion)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Michigan Gogebic

Comments on the location information

  • ALSO, PARTLY IN IRON COUNTY, WISCONSIN; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = IRON MOUNTAIN 1:250000. LOCATION OF THE ANVIL-PALMS

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Goethite Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 241
USGS model code 34a
Deposit model name Superior Fe (BC name is Lake Superior & Rapitan types iron-formation)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Iron Formation
    Rock unit name Ironwood Iron-Formation
    Rock description Ironwood Iron-Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -90.01927, 46.47361

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description N dipping sediments ; regional trends: E-W
Type of structure Local
Structure description See individual mines.

Ore body information

  • Strike 50 - 55 DEG. NORTH
    Dip 50 TO 55 DEG. NORTH

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1884
Year of last production 1967

Mining district

District name Gogebic Iron District

Production statistics

  • Year 1967
    Period 1884-1967
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 259307689mt
    Accuracy Accurate

Comments on the production information

  • SEE INDIVIDUAL MINE WRITE-UPS

Comments on the workings information

  • SEE INDIVIDUAL MINES FOR DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKINGS.

Comments on development

  • IN 1960, THE COST OF PRODUCING A LONG TON OF ORE FROM AN UNDERGROUND MINE IN THE GOGEBIC RANGE WAS $11.80, AS COMPARED TO $10.88 FOR THE MARQUETTE RANGE, AND $9.87 FOR THE MENOMINEE RANGE. DECLINE IN COSTS FROM 1959 WAS DUE TO CLOSING HIGHER-COST MINES AS DEMAND FELL OFF (MINERALS YEARBOOK 1960, V. III, P. 517).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE IRONWOOD IRON FORMATION LIES IN STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE WITH THE OTHER PALEOPROTEROZOIC ROCKS. ALL ROCKS DIP 50 DEG. - 55 DEG. TO THE NORTH. THE STRUCTURE IS THOUGHT TO BE A MONOCLINE OR THE NORTH LIMB OF AN E-W ANTICLINE. THE NORTH DIPPING PALEOPROTEROZOIC ROCKS ARE CUT BY PALEOPROTEROZOIC DIABASE DIKES AND IRON MINERALIZATION SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIKES. THE DIKES ARE ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIP OF THE ROCKS. DURING PALEOPROTEROZOIC TIME THE ENTIRE AREA OF MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA WAS REGIONALLY THERMAL METAMORPHOSED CREATING ZONES OF METAMORPHISM FROM CHLORITE TO SILLIMANITE, EXCLUSIVE OF KYANITE ONLY. THE GOGEBIC IRON RANGE IS IN THE CHLORITE ZONE OF METAMORPHISM; BUT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS AREA IS THE LEAST METAMORPHOSED OF ALL THE UPPER PENINSULA - WISCONSIN IRON RANGES.

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.