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Josh Gold Mine

Past Producer in Louisa county in Virginia, United States with commodities Gold, Sulfur-Pyrite
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10090112
MRDS ID W031172
Record type Site
Current site name Josh Gold Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.00138, 37.92672 (WGS84)
Elevation 117
Relative position 2.1 KM (1.3 MI) SOUTHWEST OF YANCEYVILLE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Louisa(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ferncliff(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pamunkey(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Louisa

Comments on the location information

  • 1.0 KM (0.6 MI) EAST ON STATE ROAD 640 FROM ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 697; 400 M (1312 FT) NORTH OF 640, ABOVE A TRIBUTARY OF THE SOUTH ANNA RIVER.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • OTHER SULPHIDE'S (UNNAMED) ARE REPORTEDLY PRESENT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Alluvium;Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Alluvium;Chopawamsic Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Alluvium

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend; Columbia Syncline
Type of structure Local
Structure description Faults

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR, IRREGULAR
    Strike N 40 DEG E
    Dip 67 DEG SE

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Vein/Shear Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE EXTENSION OF THE QUARTZ VEIN BEYOND THE FAULT AT THE SOUTHWEST END OF THE OPEN CUT HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND, THE AMOUNT OF OFFSET IS UNKNOWN. ALSO, MR. SHANK REPORTED A GEOLOGIST WHO VISITED THE SITE TOLD HIM THAT THE QUARTZ VEIN SHOULD BE FOLLOWED DOWN DIP (TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST) TO A QUARTZ DIKE CLOSE BY AND THAT IS WHERE ALL THE GOLD WOULD BE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1930
Discoverer Hershel Shank
Year of first production 1930

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Josh Gold Mines
  • Type Owner
    Owner George M. Badgett

Comments on the production information

  • ESTIMATED A LITTLE OVER $1,000 WORTH OF GOLD WAS REMOVED FROM MINE.

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF TRENCHES AND PITS. THE LARGEST TRENCH IS 44 M (144 FT) LONG, 3-4.6 M (10-15 FT) WIDE, AND 3-4.6 M (10-15 FT) DEEP. A SMALLER TRENCH IS 21 M (69 FT) LONG, 2.4 M (8 FT) WIDE, AND 1.2 M (4 FT) DEEP. SMALLER TRENCHES, DUG TO DETERMINE THE EXTEND OF THE DEPOSIT, ARE SCATTERED OVER THE HILLSIDES, THEY AVERAGE ABOUT 3 M (10 FT) LONG, 0.9 M (3 FT) WIDE, AND 0.6 M (2 FT) IN DEPTH.

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT WAS FOUND BY HERSHEL SHANK IN 1930 BY PANNING IN THE CREEK DOWNHILL FROM THE MINE. MR. SHANK FOLLOWED THE GOLD UPSTREAM TO ITS POINT OF ENTRY AND THEN STARTED DIGGING A TRENCH ON THE HILLSIDE, HITTING THE GOLD-BEARING QUARTZ VEIN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. THE TRENCH WAS THEN LENGTHENED ALONG THE STRIKE OF THE QUARTZ VEIN. WORK CONTINUED OFF AND ON UNTIL 1932 WHEN LACK OF MONEY STOPPED OPERATIONS. ALL WORK WAS DONE BY HAND WITH PICKS AND SHOVELS. ED JONES OWNED THE PROPERTY AT THE TIME OF OPERATION.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ECONOMIC GEOLOGY FILE-VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES.

  • Deposit

    FLANAGAN, M.C., "THARS GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS", RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, NOVEMBER 16, 1930.

  • Deposit

    HERSHEL SHANK - PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, 1980

  • Deposit

    1930 DIREXPL JOSH GOLD MINES - DUG TRENCH, MINED

  • Deposit

    1980 RECON VA. DIV. MIN. RES.-INSPECTED SITE

  • Production

    HERSHEL SHANK

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GOLD OCCURRED AS NUGGETS AND AS WIRE-GOLD WITHIN THE QUARTZ, THE GOLD OFTEN HOLDING THE FRACTURED QUARTZ TOGETHER. ALSO GOLD OCCURRED AS SMALL GRAINS WITHIN THE STREAM DOWNHILL. A FAULT IS REPORTED TO MARK THE SOUTHWEST END OF THE DEPOSIT. ABUNDANT QUARTZ ROCK AND A LARGE DUMP PILE ARE SCATTERED AROUND THE LARGEST TRENCH. THE QUARTZ VEIN THICKENED AND THINNED WITHIN SHORT DISTANCES, AVERAGING ABOUT 0.5 M (1.5 FT) IN THICKNESS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1980 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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