Tiptop Lode

Past Producer in Custer county in South Dakota, United States with commodities Feldspar, Mica, Beryllium, Lithium
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials 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. 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 10101739
MRDS ID D008126
Record type Site
Current site name Tiptop Lode

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -103.66974, 43.71552 (WGS84)
Elevation 1643
Relative position 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Custer(county)

South Dakota(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Fourmile(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Mount Rushmore(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hot Springs(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Angostura Reservoir(hydrologic unit)

Cheyenne(hydrologic accounting unit)

Cheyenne(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Black Hills National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States South Dakota Custer

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Black Hills 004S 004E 08 NE OF SW South Dakota

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Feldspar Primary
Mica Secondary
Beryllium Critical Secondary
Lithium Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Amblygonite Ore
Beryl Ore
Biotite Ore
Muscovite Ore
Apatite Gangue
Cleavelandite Gangue
Purpurite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Spodumene Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Vivianite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist > Mica Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -103.66974, 43.71552

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Black Hills Uplift
Type of structure Local
Structure description Ridge-Like Hill

Ore body information

  • General form CRESCENT-SHAPED DIKE
    Strike N45W
    Dip 40SW
    Width 60.96M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880
Discoverer William Nevin
Year of first production 1880

Mining district

District name Custer District

Land status

Ownership category
Area name Black Hills

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner International Minerals And Chemical Corp. (Imc)
    Home office P.O. Box 71, Carlsbad, N.M. 88220
  • Type Owner
    Owner Nevin, William
    Home office Custer, S.D.

Comments on the production information

  • OVER 1,000 LONG TONS OF FELDSPAR WERE PRODUCED IN 1962 AND 1963. TOTAL PRODUCTION IS CLOSE TO 10,000 T FELDSPAR, 300 LB SHEET MICA, 30 T SCRAP MICA AND 1 T BERYL. PUNCH MICA (1943) TOTALED 105 LB.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 12.19M
    Overall length 45.72M
    Overall width 15.24M

Comments on the workings information

  • THERE ARE TWO CUTS DRIVEN NORTH. ONE (35 X 15 FT) HAS A SHAFT 35 FT DEEP WITH SHORT DRIFTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USBM INFO CIRC 7707, P. 149-150.

  • Deposit

    USGS PP 247, P. 205-206.

  • Deposit

    SDGS RI 44, P. 8-12.

  • Deposit

    SDGS MR 10, P. 5.

  • Deposit

    SDGS MR 11, P. 5.

  • Deposit

    AM MIN VOL 54, P. 1312-1323.

  • Production

    USGS PP 247, P. 206; SDGS MR 10, P. 5; SDGS MR 11, P. 5.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ONE UNPATENTED CLAIM. GIANT CRYSTALS OF POTASH FELDSPAR ARE CONCENTRATED NEAR THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE PEGMATITE. PEGMATITE IS COARSE TO VERY COARSE GRAINED. NOT ZONED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1981 Barari, Rachel A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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