Democrat Olivine Deposit

Occurrence in Buncombe county in North Carolina, United States with commodities Feldspar, Nickel, Olivine, Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Talc-Soapstone
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10025781
MRDS ID K001726
Record type Site
Current site name Democrat Olivine Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -82.49792, 35.78593 (WGS84)
Relative position 0.5 MI WEST OF DEMOCRAT AND EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD FOR 1.5 MI

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buncombe(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Barnardsville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Asheville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Knoxville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper French Broad(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Buncombe

Comments on the location information

  • DEPOSIT EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD TO COORDINATES (X) 860,000 (Y) 754,000. DEPOSIT IS 1.5 MI SOUTHWEST OF HOLCOMBE BRANCH DEPOSIT; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = MARS HILL 1:24000

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Feldspar Primary
Nickel Critical Secondary
Olivine Secondary
Chromium Critical Secondary
Platinum Critical Tertiary
Palladium Critical Tertiary
Rhodium Critical Tertiary
Talc-Soapstone Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • FELDSPAR IS MINED FROM TWO LARGE PEGMATITES THAT CUT THE DUNITE BODY

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore
Feldspar Ore
Olivine Ore
Talc Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Serpentinization

Analytical data

Result 12 PPB PT, 11 PPB PD, 1.5 PPB RH IN ROCK SAMPLE
Result <30 PPB PT, <30 PPB PD, 43 PPB RH IN CHROMITE CONCENTRATES. PLACER CHROMITE WAS SAID TO CONTAIN 48% CR2O3
Result CHROMITE ANALYSIS YIELDED 55.52% CR2O3, 28.5% FE2O3, 0.8% SIO2, 0.07% P, TR S
Result CR:FE=1.9:1

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 16
USGS model code 8b
Deposit model name Podiform chromite (major)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Tallulah Falls Formation;Tallulah Falls Formation
    Rock description Tallulah Falls Formation;Tallulah Falls Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
    Rock unit name Democrat Dunite Body
    Rock description Democrat Dunite Body

Nearby scientific data

(1) -82.49792, 35.78593

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description East Of Brevard Fault Zone
Type of structure Local
Structure description Fractures And Joints

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Dip }
    Length 2255.52M
    Width 182.88M
  • General form TABULAR
    Dip }

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Magmatic Crystallization Processes

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Canton-Democrat Area

Comments on the production information

  • DEPOSIT IS NOT WELL SUITED FOR OLIVINE PRODUCTION ALONE. SMALL PLACER PRODUCTION OF CHROMITE IN 1917-1918

Comments on the workings information

  • RESIDUAL OVERBURDEN MAY BE AS MUCH AS 20 FT THICK LOCALLY. CHROMITE PROSPECTED BY PITS AND TWO SHAFTS, 50 AND 75 FT DEEP

Comments on development

  • PROSPECTED FOR NICKEL IN EARLY DAYS AND IN 1967 BY GEOCHEMICAL STREAM-SEDIMENT SAMPLING

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    LIPIN, 1984; HUNTER AND MURDOCK, 1942

  • Deposit

    HUNTER, C.E., 1941, FORSTERITE OLIVINE DEPOSITS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA: NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES BULLETIN 41, P. 61-63.

  • Deposit

    LARRABEE, D.M., AND SWEENEY, J.W., 1968, OLIVINE, IN MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE APPALACHIAN REGION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 580, P. 326-327.

  • Deposit

    CARPENTER, R.H., AND HALE, R.C., 1967, NICKELIFEROUS SOILS AND STREAM SEDIMENTS ASSOCAITED WITH PERIDOTITES NEAR DEMOCRAT, NORTH CAROLINA: SOUTHEASTERN GEOLOGY, V. 8, NO. 1, P. 9-18.

  • Deposit

    LIPIN, B.R., 1984, CHROMITE FROM THE BLUE RIDGE PROVINCE OF NORTH CAROLINA: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, V. 284, P. 507-529.

  • Deposit

    HUNTER, C.E., AND MURDOCK, T.G., 1942, CHROMITE DEPOSITS OF NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES BULLETIN 42, P. 5-7.

  • Deposit

    1941 GEOLMAP TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITE, REPORT

  • Deposit

    1967 GEOCHEM TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITE, REPORT

  • Reserve-Resource

    HUNTER, 1941

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FLEDSPAR IS IN PEGMATITES THAT CUT DUNITE BODY. NICKEL SILICATE MINERALS ARE FOUND IN CRACKS, JOINTS, AND AS INCRUSTATIONS. THIS DEPOSIT PROBABLY CONTAINS AS MUCH CHROMITE AS ANY IN THE ENTIRE OLIVINE BELT. THE CHROMITE IS DISSEMINATED THROUGHOUT THE OLIVINE, FORMS MASSIVE LENSES AND VEINS, AND IS PRESENT AS PLACER AND RESIDUAL ACCUMULATIONS. DEPOSIT EXTENDS 1.5 MI SOUTHWEST FROM IVY CREEK. IT IS ABOUT 600 FT WIDE AT ITS NORTHERN END, TAPERING TO A NARROW BELT AT THE SOUTHERN END

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1974 Fagan, James M. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1993 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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