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Red Rock Magnetite Mine

Past Producer in Carter county in Tennessee, United States with commodity Iron
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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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Ownership information
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10026373
MRDS ID K004777
Record type Site
Current site name Red Rock Magnetite Mine
Related records 10202247

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -82.02373, 36.17453 (WGS84)
Relative position 0.4 MILE NORTH OF RICHARDSON CEMETERY AND 2 MILES SE OF ROAN MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Carter(county)

Tennessee(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

White Rocks Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Johnson City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Johnson City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Watauga, North Carolina, Tennessee(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Cherokee 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 Tennessee Carter

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hornblende Gangue
Plagioclase Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Rock description Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -82.02373, 36.17453
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Westerly
Type of structure Local
Structure description Granite Becomes Less Platy And Interfoliated Gneisses Become Less Abundant As Distance From Vein Increases.

Ore body information

  • General form LENS, PINCH AND SWELL
    Dip 45 SW

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE DUMP CONTAINS ABUNDANT ROCK COMPOSED OF GARNET, MAGNETITE, EPIDOTE, CALCITE, AND QUARTZ AND ALSO COARSE PEGMATITE. OTHER DUMP MATERIAL CONSISTS OF A MASSIVE GRANULAR AGGREGATE OF GARNET, HORNBLENDE, AND EPIDOTE; OR HORNBLENDE AND EPIDOTE. "THE GARNETIFEROUS ROCK INCLUDES IRREGULAR LENS - LIKE MASSES OF COARSE HORNBLENDE AND CALCITE AND IN THIS AGGREGATE ARE NESTS OF ALMOST PURE MARBLE", ACCORDING TO BAYLEY (1923). IN THIN SECTION, THE CALCITE APPEARS TO BE AN ALTERATION OR REPLACEMENT PRODUCT OF PYROXENE. BAYLEY SPECULATES THAT THE ORIGINAL HOST ROCK MAY HAVE BEEN AN AUGITE SYENITE. THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS MINE AND OTHERS IN THE VICINITY IS ITS HIGH CALCITE CONTENT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Cranberry Magnetite District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pittman, Stephen
  • Type Owner
    Owner Tennessee Coal, Iron, And Railway Co.

Comments on the workings information

  • BAYLEY (1923) STATES THAT THE WORKINGS ARE VERY OVERGROWN TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO LEARN MUCH ABOUT THE ORE - COUNTRY ROCK RELATIONSHIPS.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: THE MAGNETITE IS EASILY SEPARATED FROM GANGUE AND IS EXCEPTIONALLY LOW IN PHOSPHOROUS, TITANIUM, AND SULFUR.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STUCKEY, J. L., 1965, NORTH CAROLINA: ITS GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES: RALEIGH, N. C., NORTH CAROLINA DEPT. CONSERV. AND DEVEL., 550 P.

  • Deposit

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY BULL. 29, 252 P.

  • Deposit

    KLINE, M. H., AND BALLARD, T. J., 1948, CRANBERRY MAGNETITE DEPOSITS, AVERY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND CARTER COUNTY, TENNESSEE: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. RI 4274, 85 P.

  • Deposit

    1923 OTHER BAYLEY, W. S., TENN. DIV. GEOL. BULL. 29

  • Deposit

    GOLDICH, S. S., AND WEDOW, HELMUTH, JR., 1943, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN - FILE REPORT.

  • Deposit

    1965 COMPILE STUCKEY, J. L., N. C. DEPT. CONS. & DEVEL.

  • Deposit

    1966 COMPILE BRYANT AND REED, GEOL. SURV. CIR. 521

  • Production

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, P. 122

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ACCORDING TO BAYLEY (1923), "THE VEINS IN WHICH THE ORE OCCURS COMPRISE MORE OR LESS BANDED MIXTURES OF PEGMATITE, EPIDOTIC GNEISSES, HORNBLENDE SCHISTS AND LENTICULAR MASSES OF A MIXTURE OF HORNBLENDE AND MAGNETITE, IN PLACES CUT BY SMALL VEINS OF MAGNETITE." THE MINE IS NAMED "RED ROCK" BECAUSE OF THE ABUNDANCE OF RED GARNET IN THE ORE. THIS MINE IS SIMILAR TO THE MARBLE - MAGNETITE MINE (ASHE MINING COMPANY) JUST SOUTHEAST OF LANCING, N. C., BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH CARBONATE CONTENT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1975 Hale, Robin 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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