Hoover Iron Pigment Mine Number 52

Producer in Pulaski county in Virginia, United States with commodities Iron, Manganese
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. 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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067241
MRDS ID VA01726
Record type Site
Current site name Hoover Iron Pigment Mine Number 52

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -80.72063, 36.94174 (WGS84)
Elevation 658
Location accuracy 1000(meters)
Relative position 0.8 MILE ENE OF ALLISONIA, Est Not Field Checked, Est Not Field Checked, Est Not Field Checked

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pulaski(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Hiwassee(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Galax(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winston-Salem(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper New(hydrologic unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic subregion)

Ohio(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Pulaski

Comments on the location information

  • 1.1 MILE NORTH ON ROUTE 693 FROM CHURCH AT ALLISONIA, TURN RIGHT (SOUTH) ON PRIVATE DIRT ROAD FROM R 693 CROSS RAILROAD TRACK AND PROCEED 0.7 MILE SOUTH

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Manganese Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SIENNA: 25-75% FE2O3; MNO2 (SMALL); 10-35% SIO2; 10-20% AL2O3 OCHERS: 17-60% FE2O3, MNO2 (NIL), 35-50% SIO2, 10-40% AL2O3 (SIEGEL, 1960). LOSS ON IGNITION: 10-20% FOR ALL GRADES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Goethite Ore
Hematite Ore
Lepidocrocite Ore
Limonite Ore
Psilomelane Ore
Pyrite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Shady Dolomite Altering To Kaolinite Clay; Pyrite To Limonite

Analytical data

Result UMBERS CONTAIRN 37-60% FE2O3, 11-23% MNO2, 16-35% SIO2, 3-13% AL2O3

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Shady Dolomite;Erwin Quartzite
    Rock description Shady Dolomite;Erwin Quartzite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) Erwin and Hampton Formations

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Hiwassee Thrust, Powatan Thrust Area Of Imbricate, Deteched Thrust Sheet
Type of structure Local
Structure description Chimney Syncline, Delton Cross Fault, Reed Island Anticline

Ore body information

  • General form PINCH AND SWELL, IRREGULAR PODS
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Residual Weathering

Comments on the geologic information

  • AT OR NEAR CONTACT OF ERWIN QUARTZITE AND SHADY DOLOMITE TOP OF ERWIN IS SANDY ("WHITEWALL SAND"), THEN SIENNA, THEN UMBER, THEN CLAY WITH KAOLINITE IN SHADY. IRON MAGANES RICH SEDIMENTS ("UMBER")STRATIGRAPHICALLY ABOVE LEANER "SIENNA."

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1875

Mining district

District name New River - Cripple Creek

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner W. David Hoover, And Charles E. Hoover, Jr.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Hoover Color Corp.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Unknown
    Length 304.8M
    Overall depth 0M
    Overall length 914.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT STRIP MINE ON STRIKE AND NEARLY CONTINUOUS WITH HOOVER COLOR NUMBER 52 AND 55 PIGMENT MINES

Comments on development

  • MINING FOR IRON IN SW PULASKI COUNTY DATES TO AT LEAST 1868 WITH NEARBY RADFORD FURNACES AND BOOM FURNACE (1882 TO 1906)(HOLDEN, 1907). MINING FOR IRON OXIDES FOR USE IN PIGMENTS WAS FORMERLY DONE BY IMPERIAL COLOR AND CHEMICAL DEPT., HERCULES POWDER COMPANY WHICH WAS PURCHASED BY THE HOOVERS IN 1973. PIGMENT MINED FROM ABOUT 1921.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MCDOWELL, R.C., 1968, STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY OF MACK'S MOUNTAIN AREA, VIRGINIA, PHD DISSERTATION, VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTIT., 144 P.

  • Deposit

    JOHNSON, S.S., 1964, IRON AND TITANIUM PIGMENTS IN VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA MINERALS, VOL. 10 NUMBER 3, P. 1-6.

  • Deposit

    HOLDEN, R.R., 1907, PART IV IRON IN MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA, T.L. WATSON, J.P. BELL, LYNCHBURG, VA., 1907.

  • Deposit

    HOOVER, C.H., JR., 1988, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION.

  • Deposit

    READ, J.F., 1825, CARBONATE PLATFORM FACIES MODELS: AM. ASSOC. PETROLEUM GEOL. BULL. V. 69, NUMBER 1, P. 1-21.

  • Deposit

    PHEIL, R.W. AND READ, J.F., 1980: CARBONATE PLATFORM FACIES IN THE SHADY DOLOMITE, SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA, U.S.A., JOURN. SED. PET., VOL. 50 NUMBER 1, P. 91-115.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit "MOUNTAIN IRON ORE"
Deposit PIGMENT SEPARATED AND GRADED BY HAND AT MINE SITE, THEN TRUCKED TO PROCESSING PLANT AT HIWASSEE WHERE IT IS BROKEN BY HAMMER MILL, DRIED AT LOW TEMPERATURES IN A CONTROLLED STEAM TUBE DRIER AND GROUND IN RAYMOND IMPACT GRINDERS TO -325 MESH, GRADED IN CYCLONE SEPARATORS AND PACKAGED IN PAPER BAGS FOR SHIPMENT. SOME RAW IRON OXIDES ARE CALCINED AT PLANT BEFORE GRINDING, CALCINING IS DONE IN 35 FOOT LENGTH ROTARY KILN. MORE THAN 100 COLORS ARE PRODUCED BY BLENDING RAW, BURNT, AND BLENDED OCHERS, SIENNAS, AND UMBERS. NO FILLERS OR CHEMICALS ARE ADDED. PIGMENTS ARE USED FOR PAINTS, PRINTING INKS, FERTILIZERS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS. SYNTHETIC PRECIPITATES HAVE RESTRICTED USE AND HAVE ONLY SPECIALIZED USE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 5 PERS COMM
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1800'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-88 AS Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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