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Saunders Mn Mine

Past Producer in Campbell county in Virginia, United States with commodity Manganese
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Alteration
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  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 10082537
MRDS ID W055380
Record type Site
Current site name Saunders Mn Mine
Alternate or previous names Spring Hill, Evington, Flat Creek Mines

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.26975, 37.23034 (WGS84)
Elevation 194
Relative position 0.95 MILES E-SE OF EVINGTON RAILROAD CROSSING AND ROUTE 24.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Campbell(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Lynch Station(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Roanoke(hydrologic unit)

Roanoke(hydrologic accounting unit)

Chowan-Roanoke(hydrologic subregion)

South Atlantic-Gulf(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Campbell

Comments on the location information

  • FROM JUNCTION OF 696 AND 24, 0.35 MILES EAST ALONG 24 AND 0.5 MILES E-SE ALONG DIRT FARM ROAD TO FILLED CUTS, NOW PONDS. THE QUARRY IS SW OF THE ROAD AND PONDS.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary

Alteration

  • (Local) Calcareous Quartzite To Clay

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Clay, Mud
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist > Mica Schist
    Rock unit name Mt Athos Member, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group
    Rock description Mt Athos Member, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.26975, 37.23034
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Smith River Allocthon
Type of structure Local
Structure description Formation Appear To Be Overturned

Ore body information

  • Strike N 35-45 E
    Dip 60-70 SE
    Thickness 1.52M
    Length 289.56M
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Originally Submarine Metal Rich Brines, Later Remobilized

Comments on the geologic information

  • A FERRUGINOUS MICA SCHIST WITH SPECULAR HEMATITE IS A MARKER BED JUST ABOVE MANGANESE ZONE AND BENEATH TAN MUSCOVITE SCHIST WITH BIOTITE PROPHYTOBLASTS PARTLY ALTERED TO CHLORITE. IT OCCURS IN HANGING WALL IN ALL DRILL CORES. MN ARE OUTCROPS IN FLAT CREEK LAYERED WITH GRAY MICA SCHIST N 20 E / 65-75 SE WERE NOTED DURING 1987 FIELD CHECK. MN MINERALIZATION IS BLUE-BLACK WITH BOITRYOIDAL WEATHERING. SHINIY SPECKLED HEMATITE ALSO OCCURS IN THE MN ORE; IN THE ROAD BED, NODULAR BLACK MN ORE AND LAYERED MICA SCHIST WITH MN OXIDES CAN BE OBSERVED. IN THE QUARRY MT ATHOS QUARTZITE IS WELL EXPOSED AS BLOCKY, SLABBY, DIRTY WHITE TO GRAY WITH REDDISH WEATHERING AND UNDULATING BEDDING SURFACES N30E/65 SE. BLACK MN OXIDES AS SPOTTED COATINGS CAN BE SEEN ON BEDDING SURFACES. IN ROAD BED OF FARM TRACK PASSING TO SAUNDERS MINE FROM RT 24 OUTCROPS OF TAN TO REDDISH, SHISTOSE SILTSTONE AND BLOCKY QUARTZITE N30E WITH STEEP SE VERTICAL DIP.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1885
Discoverer Robert Wood
Year of first production 1885
Year of last production 1957

Mining district

District name James River - Roanoke River Manganese

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Fleming Saunders

Comments on the production information

  • TOTAL PRODUCTION: 8000 - 9000 LONG TONS OF WASHED MN CONCENTRATES

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall length 304.8M

Comments on the workings information

  • ORE MINED FROM 2 TUNNELS DRIVEN SW INTO NE END OF RIDGE; TUNNELS WERE 900 TO 950 FEET LONG AND ORE WAS CONTINUOUS EXCEPT FOR 100 FOOT SECTION, 200 TO 300 FEET FROM ENTRANCE. ANOTHER TUNNEL WAS DRIVEN 15 FT BELOW FIRST TUNNEL (ELEVATION 635 AND 620 FEET). THE WORKINGS IN 1987 ARE LARGELY COVERED WITH WATER - 2 PONDS. SW OF EASTERN POND IS TRENCH LEADING TO OVERGROWN QUARRY OF MT ATHOS QUARTZITE. QUARRY IS 30-40 FEET DEEP, 50 FEET WIDE.

Comments on development

  • FIRST MINING IN 1880'S BY ROBERT WOOD; SOUNDERS FAMILY WORKED MINE FROM 1900-1903,1904; NATIONAL PAINT AND MANGANESE CO. (1904-1907,CUTHBERT); SAUNDERS FAMILY LEASED TO HALL, LOGWOOD, AND OULD FAMILIES. THE ORE WAS SHIPPED TO NATIONAL PAINT AND MANGANESE CO., LYNCHBURG, VA AND TO LAVINO FURNACE, REUSENS, VA. DRILLED IN 1942 BY BUREAU OF MINES WITH TRENCHES AND TEST PITS. MINE WAS OPERATED BY BILL AND TEN LUMBER CO., WILLIAM IRVINE, OPERATOR, AND CLOSED IN LATE 1950'S (JOHN HALL, PERSONAL COMM).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ESPENSHADE, G.H., 1954, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE JAMES RIVER - ROANOKE RIVER MANGANESE DISTRICT, VIRGINIA, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLITIN 1008, 155 P. (PP 125-129).

  • Deposit

    HALL, JOHN, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, IN ESPENSHADE (P.125); ALSO, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION ,1987.

  • Deposit

    SAUNDERS, FLEMING, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, IN ESPENSHADE (P. 125).

  • Deposit

    DRILLED 1942: BUREAU OF MINES, ALSO MADE TRENCHES AND TEST PITS

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1880'S
Deposit ORE ZONE AT QUARTZITE AND MICA SCHIST CONTACT, MICA SCHIST IS HANGING WALL NORTH PART, ONE MANGANIFEROUS YELLOW CLAY WITH MASSIVE MN OXIDES AND NODULES 5 FEET THICK; TO SW 2 ORES ZONES, 6 TO 8 FEET APART, SEPARATED BY QUARTZITE WERE MINED.
Deposit THE U.S. BUREAU OF MINES EXPLORATION PROGRAM OF 1942 DID NOT INDICATE WORKABLE ORE BODIES OF CONSEQUENCE, BUT THREE OF THE FOUR DIAMOND DRILL HOLES ENCOUNTERED MN ORE BENEATH THE LOWER TUNNEL. THE VERY POOR CORE RECOVERY FOR THE MN ZONE MAKES THE DRILL RESULTS INCONCLUSIVE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV; 5 PERS COMM

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-87 AS 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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