Boyd-Smith Mine

Past Producer in Louisa county in Virginia, United States with commodities Sulfur-Pyrite, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Lead
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. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10067659
MRDS ID W000458
Record type Site
Current site name Boyd-Smith Mine
Alternate or previous names Groome Mine, Smith Mine, Lennig Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -77.89138, 38.04505 (WGS84)
Elevation 101
Relative position 3.95 KM (2.45 MI) NNE OF MINERAL.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Louisa(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mineral(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Fredericksburg(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Washington(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Pamunkey(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Louisa

Comments on the location information

  • 30 M (100 FT) SW OF DIRT ROAD, 0.6 KM (0.4 MI) NW OF JUNCTION WITH US HWY 522. JUNCTION IS 4.0 KM (2.5 MI) BY ROAD NNE OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 618 IN MINERAL.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Sulfur-Pyrite Primary
Copper Secondary
Iron Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • GOSSAN WAS MINED FOR ORE IN 1845.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Goethite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Felsic Metamorphic Rock
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -77.89138, 38.04505

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Reg.Trends: Northeast-Southwest

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS
    Strike N. 20-35 DEG E
    Dip STEEPLY TO SE

Comments on the geologic information

  • CORE LOG DELINEATED IN HICKMAN (1947) ; GEOL.DESC: GEOLOGY SIMILAR TO THE ARMINIUS MINE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1845
Year of first production 1845
Production years ITEM 1 = EARLY 1880'S, ITEM 2 = AROUND 1845

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Boyd-Smith Mines, Inc.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Boyd-Smith Mines, Inc.

Comments on the production information

  • ITEM 1 PRODUCED SPORADICALLY FROM EARLY 1880'S TO 1922.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 91M

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1906, THERE WERE 3 SHAFTS (DEEPEST WAS 91 M), 5 WORKING LEVELS AND A MILL. IN 1973, 2 CAVED SHAFTS, ONE WOODEN STRUCTURE, SEVERAL FOUNDATIONS, A WASTE DUMP AND THE FORMER TAILINGS POND WERE ALL THAT REMAINED OF THE OPERATION.

Comments on development

  • GOSSAN MINED IN 1845 FOR IRON, BUT DURATION OF MINING NOT RECORDED. IN 1880 MESSRS CHAS LENNIG AND BOYD SMITH MINED PYRITE AND COPPER, APPARENTLY CEASING PRODUCTION IN 1884. MINE OWNED AND OPERATED BY US FIDELITY GUARANTEE CO DURING PERIOD, 1886-1906. IN 1913, BOYD-SMITH MINES BOUGHT MINE AND BEGAN OPPERATING IT IN 1915. THE MINE WAS CLOSED IN 1922. IN 1946, USBM SANK A 121 M DIAMOND-BIT HOLE AND CONDUCTED GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS. ; ECON.COM: COMPETITION FROM THE GULF STATES AND SPAIN CLOSED THE PYRITE MINES IN VIRGINIA.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GAIR, J E (ED), 1978, MASSIVE SULFIDES OF VIRGINIA FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CORRELATION PROGRAM, PROJECT NO 60, 112 P

  • Deposit

    HICKMAN, R C, 1947, PYRITES, MINERAL, LOUISA COUNTY, VA: US BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 4116, 3 P .

  • Deposit

    LUTTRELL, G W, 1966, BASE- AND PRECIOUS-METAL AND RELATED ORE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, MINERAL RESOURCES REPT 7, 167 P

  • Deposit

    POOLE, J L, 1973, IRON SULFIDE MINES IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA MINERALS, V 19, NO 3, 29-33.

  • Deposit

    GAIR, J.E., 1978, MASSIVE SULPHIDES OF VIRGINIA FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CORRELATION PROGRAM, PROJECT NO. 60, 112 P.

  • Deposit

    1845 DIREXPL GROOME MINE: GOSSAN MINED FOR IRON.

  • Deposit

    1880 DIREXPL LENNIG AND SMITH: PRODUCED PYRITE AND COPPER.

  • Deposit

    1946 DIREXPL US BUREAU OF MINES: CONDUCTED EXPLORATION AND DRILLING.

  • Production

    LUTTRELL (1966), GAIR (1978)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1972 Wright, Nancy A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1979 Meintzer, Robert E. (Le Van, D.C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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