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Wassum Mine

Past Producer in Smyth county in Virginia, United States with commodity Barium-Barite
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Ownership information
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067263
MRDS ID VA01752
Record type Site
Current site name Wassum Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.5815, 36.85175 (WGS84)
Elevation 689
Relative position 3.7 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN MARION

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Smyth(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Marion(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Wytheville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

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

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Holston(hydrologic unit)

French Broad-Holston(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Tennessee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Smyth

Comments on the location information

  • 2800 FEET S 72 DEGREES 2 FROM WASSUM VALLEY CHURCH, 2500 FEET N 43 DEGREES W FROM THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 664 AND 658, 1000 FEET EAST OFWASSUM CREEK ON THE HILL SIDE. GENERAL LOCATION GIVEN BY E. CROUSE (PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, 1985). FIELD EXAMINATION CONDUCTED 10/9/85. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1986)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Beekmantown Formation
    Rock description Beekmantown Formation;Residual Clay

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.5815, 36.85175
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northeast-Southwest Trending Thrust Faults.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Mine On The Western Flank Of The Marion Dome, 800 Feet East, Southeast Of Hungry Mother Creek Fault.

Ore body information

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

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fractures In The Dolomite

Comments on the geologic information

  • BEEKMANTOWN IS SUGARY DOLOMITE AS FOUND ON THE DUMPS. GOOD QUALITY BARITE CLUSTERS FOUND. REGIONAL GEOLOGY FROM C. BUTTS (1933), B. COOPER (1936), AND B. FRENCH (1967),

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1875
Year of first production 1875
Year of last production 1906

Mining district

District name Smyth County Barite Belt

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Wassum Family - Who Owned The Property Before Crouse.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Elmer Crouse And Others

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall length 60.96M
    Overall width 22.86M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF ONE LARGE OPEN CUT (APPROXIMATELY 120 FEET LONG, 20 FEET WIDE, AND UP TO 10 FEET DEEP) AND NUMEROUS SMALL PITS 5 TO 6 FEET IN DIAMETER AND 3 TO 5 FEET DEEP, AND SCATTERED DUMP MATERIAL. MOST OF THE WORKINGS HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY FILLED IN WITH ROCK DEBRIS AND GRADED OVER. A SMALL CAVED ADIT (?) OR SHAFT (?) MAY BE AT EDGE OF WEST NORTHEAST PIT.

Comments on development

  • NO RECORD OF THIS MINE IN THE LITERATURE. PROPERTY OWNER (CROUSE, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION) REPORTED THAT BARITE HAD BEEN MINED HERE (NORTH OF FARTS MINE) AT LEAST 90 YEARS AGO (1890'S).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BUTTS, CHARLES, 1933, GEOLOGY MAP OF THE APPALACHIAN VALLEY OF VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 42

  • Deposit

    COOPER, B.N., 1936, STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURE OF THE MARION AREA, VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 46-L.

  • Deposit

    EDMUNDSON, R.S., 1938, BARITE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 53

  • Deposit

    FRENCH, B.E., 1967, THE GEOLOGY OF THE MARION DOME, V.P.I. MASTERS THESIS (UNPUBLISHED).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ONLY SMALL FLOAT PIECES OF BARITE AND LIMESTONE/DOLOMITE FOUND ON THE DUMPS. DEPOSIT NOT EXPOSED NOR DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE. DESCRIPTION IS BASED ON SIMILAR DEPOSITS IN THE DISTRICT. MOST LIKELY, BARITE OCCURS AS SMALL VEINS AND REPLACEMENT MASSES IN FRACTURED BEDROCK, AND AS IRREGULAR FRAGMENTS IN THE RESIDUAL SOIL.
Deposit THIS IS A NEW MINE LOCATION, NOT PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE. ; INFO.SRC : 3 FIELD OBSERV; 5 PERS COMM; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1987 Lovett, James A. (Sweet Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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

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