Branchville Mica Mine

Past Producer in Fairfield county in Connecticut, United States with commodities Mica, Feldspar, Quartz, Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum
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. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Ownership information
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10068106
MRDS ID W001031
Record type Site
Current site name Branchville Mica Mine
Related records 10240106

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -73.43855, 41.26699 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fairfield(county)

Connecticut(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bethel(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Bridgeport(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hartford(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Saugatuck(hydrologic unit)

Connecticut Coastal(hydrologic accounting unit)

Connecticut Coastal(hydrologic subregion)

New England(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Connecticut Fairfield

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mica Primary
Feldspar Primary
Quartz Primary
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Primary
Tantalum Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Owned By David Schornick(1954). First Mined For Mica 1876 To 1877 By A.N.W.Llow. Mined In 1878 To 1879 By G.B. Brush and E.S. Dana For Yale University. From 1880 To 1890 Mined For Feldspar and Quartz By Union Porcelain Works. Prior To 1920 Mined For Qu
  • OWNED BY DAVID SCHORNICK(1954). FIRST MINED FOR MICA 1876 TO 1877 BY A.N.W.LLOW. MINED IN 1878 TO 1879 BY G.B. BRUSH AND E.S. DANA FOR YALE UNIVERSITY. FROM 1880 TO 1890 MINED FOR FELDSPAR AND QUARTZ BY UNION PORCELAIN WORKS. PRIOR TO 1920 MINED FOR QUARTZ AND FELDSPAR BY BRIDGEPORT WOOD FINISHING CO. IN 1943 TO 1944 MINED FOR MICA BY FRED AND JOSEPHH BURRONE AND CARLO RUSCONI. IN 1944 WORKED BY THE SANDY RIDGE MICA AND MINING CO., INC. MAIN WORKING OPEN PIT 240 FEET LONG, 50 TO 85 FEET WIDE, AND 60 FEET DEEP. NORTH WALL OF PIT HAS 20 FOOT CROSSCUT WITH TWO DRIFTS,ONE 75 FEET TO NORTHWEST, OTHER 57 FEET TO SOUTHEAST. PEGMATITE TABULAR BODY AT LEAST 200 FEET LONG, AND AT LEAST 40 FEET WIDE WITH STRIKE N. 60 DEG. WEST, AND DIP 45 DEG. NE. MINERAL SPECIMEN LOCALITY.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Tantalite Ore
Columbite Ore
Quartz Ore
Feldspar Ore
Plagioclase Ore
Muscovite Ore
Lithiophilite Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Apatite Gangue
Spodumene Gangue
Cleavelandite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 33
USGS model code 13a
Deposit model name Be-Li pegmatites

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -73.43855, 41.26699

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N. 60 DEG. WEST.
    Dip 45 DEG. NE.
    Length 60.96M
    Width 40M

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geol.Desc: Dike Occurs In Amphibolite Band Near Juncture of Hartland Formation With Younger Cambro-Ordovician Harrizon Gneiss and Ordovician Or Younger Granite Body
  • GEOL.DESC: DIKE OCCURS IN AMPHIBOLITE BAND NEAR JUNCTURE OF HARTLAND FORMATION WITH YOUNGER CAMBRO-ORDOVICIAN HARRIZON GNEISS AND ORDOVICIAN OR YOUNGER GRANITE BODY

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No

Mining district

District name Redding

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner David Schornick.
    First year 1954

Comments on the production information

  • LOW GRADE MICA, FELDSPAR, RARE MINERAL PEGMATITE DEPOSIT; MOSTLY QUARTZ. PRODUCTION FIGURES LACKING. PRODUCTION YEARS 1876 - 1890 , BEFORE 1920 , 1943 - 1944.. PRODUCTION YEARS 1876 - 1890 , BEFORE 1920 , 1943 - 1944.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CAMERON, 1954

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Overall length 73.15M
    Overall width 25.91M

Comments on development

  • TOTAL$: US

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Cameron Shows Mine Map In Pocket;Unpub. Report In USGS File Cameron Cites Geochron Age of 368 M.Y. For Pegmatite, Page 297 ; Info.Src : 1 Pub Lit
Deposit CAMERON SHOWS MINE MAP IN POCKET;UNPUB. REPORT IN USGS FILE CAMERON CITES GEOCHRON AGE OF 368 M.Y. FOR PEGMATITE, PAGE 297 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Editor 10-MAR-2003 Nicholson, S.W. U.S. Geological Survey Combined This Record With Information From Record D001833: Then Deleted Record D001833
Reporter 01-APR-1975 Parker, Raymond L. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-MAY-1972 D'Agostino, John P. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 21-AUG-1997 Mchone, Nancy Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey Added Model_Num And Model; Noted Duplicate Record Number D0011833

Beyond USGS

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