1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Simsbury Newgate Prison Copper Mine

Past Producer in Hartford county in Connecticut, United States with commodities Copper, Sulfur
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  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 10067483
MRDS ID W000258
Record type Site
Current site name Simsbury Newgate Prison Copper Mine
Related records 10216492

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -72.74552, 41.96198 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hartford(county)

Connecticut(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Windsor Locks(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Hartford(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hartford(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Farmington River(hydrologic unit)

Lower Connecticut(hydrologic accounting unit)

Connecticut(hydrologic subregion)

New England(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Connecticut Hartford

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Sulfur Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Mine Opened About 1707 On Chalcocite Ore; Ownership Problems With State, Owned By State As Prison 1765 To 1830. From 1830 To 1835 Mined By Phenix Mining Compnay, Main Shaft 50 Feet Deep On Ore Bed Mostly 2 Foot Thick, In Places Thicker. Ore Mostly Disse
  • MINE OPENED ABOUT 1707 ON CHALCOCITE ORE; OWNERSHIP PROBLEMS WITH STATE, OWNED BY STATE AS PRISON 1765 TO 1830. FROM 1830 TO 1835 MINED BY PHENIX MINING COMPNAY, MAIN SHAFT 50 FEET DEEP ON ORE BED MOSTLY 2 FOOT THICK, IN PLACES THICKER. ORE MOSTLY DISSEMINATED CHALCOCITE, SOME CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE AND MALACHITE. STOPE DRIFTS ABOUT 50 FEET LONG EXTEND EITHER SIDE OF SHAFT. ORE BED TRENDS NORTH-SOUTH, DIPS 25 DEG. EAST. ORE MINED FROM FOUR SHAFTS. IN 1955 GILBERT HALE DRILLED FOR URANIUM. RESULTS UNECONOMICAL FOR MINING.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Coffinite Ore
Uraninite Ore
Malachite Ore
Azurite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Brochantite Ore
Sandstone Gangue

Analytical data

Result ASSAY BCT 203 SHOWS AG 200PPM, BA 1000PPM, CU 20000PPM, LA 50PPM, PB,15PPM, SR 1000PPM, V 50PPM, Y 70PPM, ZN NPPM.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 87
USGS model code 23
Deposit model name Basaltic Cu (BC name is Volcanic redbed Cu)
Mark3 model number 118

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -72.74552, 41.96198
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Dip 25 DEGREES EAST
    Thickness 0.91M
    Depth to top 15.24M
    Depth to bottom 15.85M

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geol.Desc: Mineralization In Fine-Grained Yellowish Sandstone Bed of Lower Shuttle Meadow Formation; Areal Extent of Bed Appears To Be Two Or Three Square Miles
  • GEOL.DESC: MINERALIZATION IN FINE-GRAINED YELLOWISH SANDSTONE BED OF LOWER SHUTTLE MEADOW FORMATION; AREAL EXTENT OF BED APPEARS TO BE TWO OR THREE SQUARE MILES

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Year of first production 1707
Production years 1707-1767, 1830-1835

Mining district

District name Lower Connecticut Valley

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Phenix Mining Co. From 1830 To 1835.
  • Type Owner
    Owner State As Prison
    First year 1765
    Last year 1830

Comments on the production information

  • 1ST COPPER MINE WORKED IN US; IN 1831 PICKED ORE FROM FOUR SAMPLES AVERAGED CU 10.3%. DIFFICULT TO SMELTER BECAUSE OF SANDSTONE GANGUE. PROBABLY ONLY MEDIUM AMOUNT OF ORE PRODUCED.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FIGURES LACKING, PROBABLY ONLY MEDIUM AMOUNTS OF HIGH-GRADE COPPER ORE AVAILABLE FROM THIN ORE BED.

Comments on development

  • TOTAL$: US

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WEED, W. H., 1911, "COPPER DEPOSITS OF APPALACHIAN STATES", USGS, BULL. 455, PG. 35, 36

  • Production

    SHEPARD, 1837

  • Deposit

    Weed, W. H., 1911, "Copper Deposits Of Appalachian States", Usgs, Bull. 455, Pg. 35-36Weed, W. H., 1911, "Copper Deposits Of Appalachian States", Usgs, Bull. 455, Pg. 35-36

  • Deposit

    Schnabel, R. W., And Eric, J.H., 1964, "Geol. Map Windsor Locks Quad.", Usgs, Gq-388, Short TextSchnabel, R. W., And Eric, J.H., 1964, "Geol. Map Windsor Locks Quad.", Usgs, Gq-388, Short Text

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Schnabel Geol. Map At 1:24,000, Mine Located By Symbol. Newgate Mine Assay Sample, "USGS Lab File", Sample No. Bct 203 In Hm 3336. ; Info.Src : 1 Pub Lit
Deposit SCHNABEL GEOL. MAP AT 1:24,000, MINE LOCATED BY SYMBOL. NEWGATE MINE ASSAY SAMPLE, "USGS LAB FILE", SAMPLE NO. BCT 203 IN HM 3336. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1972 Windolph, John F. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 19-MAR-2003 Nicholson, S.W. U.S. Geological Survey Combined This Record With Information From Record W100265: Then Deleted Record W100265
Updater 20-AUG-1997 Mchone, Nancy Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey Added Model_Num And Model; Noted Duplicate Record Number W100265
Reporter 01-NOV-1983 Whitlow, S. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site