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Balmat - Edwards District

Producer in St. Lawrence county in New York, United States with commodities Zinc, Lead, Silver, Mercury
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10073156
MRDS ID W019003
Record type Deposit
Current site name Balmat - Edwards District
Alternate or previous names Balmat - Edwards - Hyatt Zinc Mines

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Centroid
Geographic coordinates: -75.33292, 44.28331 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 2000(meters)
Relative position Location is for the approximate center of the SW part of the Balmat Edwards district, a 14 km long group that includes the Balmat, Hyatt, and Edwards mines, but exclude the Pierrepont group to the NE., 2000, 2000, 2000

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

St. Lawrence(county)

New York(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Edwards(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Gouverneur(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Ogdensburg(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States New York St. Lawrence

Comments on the location information

  • This is the DISTRICT record for the Balmat - Edwards zinc district. The district is in upstate New York, about 15 km east to southeast of Grouverneur, NY. There are four mines in Saint Lawrence county, New York that are included in the district; Balmat mines (#2, #3, and #4), Edwards, Hyatt, and Pierrepont. The Balmat - Edwards district extends for 45 kilometers from Sylvia Lake and Balmat, northeasterly to the Pierrepont mine.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Critical Primary
Lead Secondary
Silver Secondary
Mercury Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Sphalerite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Marcasite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Hematite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Diopside Gangue
Tremolite Gangue
Serpentine Gangue
Talc Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Anhydrite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Ilvaite Gangue
Grossularite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Dolomitization And Silicification

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 208
USGS model code 31a
Deposit model name Sedimentary exhalative Zn-Pb
Mark3 model number 13

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble
    Rock unit name Upper Marble Formation
    Rock description Upper Marble Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Proterozoic

Nearby scientific data

Centroid (1) -75.33292, 44.28331
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure name Numerous folds, cross folds, drag folds, fault zones
Structure description Numerous Folds, Crossfolds, Drag Folds, Fault Zones
Type of structure Local
Structure name Sylvia Lake syncline
Structure description Sylvia Lake Syncline
Type of structure Regional
Structure name Ore deposits in overturned limb of an anticlinorium
Structure description Ore Deposits In Overturned Limb Of An Anticlinorium
Type of structure Regional
Structure name Fowler trend

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR, POD SHAPED, TABULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Stratigraphic Control

Comments on the geologic information

  • Ore consists primarily of pyrite-sphalerite-galena replacements of metasedimentary rocks of the Proterozoic Grenville Supergroup that were metamorphosed and deformed during the Grenville orogeny. The ore bodies are found in siliceous dolomitic marbles of the Upper Marble Formation and, while massive stratabound and stratiform, are localized in channels of microbrecciations. Numerous folds, crossfolds, drag folds, and fault zones. Ore deposits are in the overturned limb on an anticlinorium.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1838
Discoverer E. Emmons, State Geologist
Year of first production 1915
Year of last production 2008

Comments on exploration

  • The first hole drilled by OntZinc (OTZ-V) on the Northeast Fowler trend in upstate New York has cut a 2.8-metre interval averaging 19.5% zinc and 6.2% lead beginning at a depth of 412 metres. (Northern Miner, 5/17/2004)

Mining district

District name Balmat - Edwards district

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner St. Joe Minerals Corp.
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner ONTZINC (parent) St Laurence Zinc (subsidiary)
    Year 2004

Production statistics

  • Year 2001
    Period 1915-2001
    Material zinc ore
    Ore mined 43037000mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major zinc Zinc Zinc 10wt-pct

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Name Balmat
    Estimate year 2003
    Proved 4000000mt
    Remarks diluted, recoverable.\nONTZINC press release Dec 17, 2003.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc 12.9 wt-pct Zinc Primary 2003
  • Type In-situ
    Name Balmat
    Estimate year 2003
    Probable 1600000mt
    Remarks diluted, recoverable.\nONTZINC press release Dec 17, 2003.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc 11.7 wt-pct Zinc Primary 2003
  • Type In-situ
    Name Balmat
    Estimate year 2003
    Inferred 3100000mt
    Remarks diluted, recoverable.\nONTZINC press release Dec 17, 2003.
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc 13 wt-pct Zinc Primary 2003

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Significant reserves remain in the area. The three most recent discoveries (New Fold [1997], Mahler [2000], and Northeast Fowler [2004]) may establish a fourth mining "cluster" ? the Balmat No. 5 Mine. At the Hyatt cluster, the West Branch and Taylor orebodies were discovered in 1993 and 1995, respectively (Knight, 2005).

Comments on development

  • Balmat discovered 1838, drilled 1927, productive period 1930-2001, 2004-2008.
    Edwards discovered 1903, productive period 1915 - 1980.
    Hyatt discovered 1917, productive years 1918-22, 1930-49, 1974 - 1983.
    Pierrepont discovered 1979, productive years 1982 - 2001.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LEA, E.R., AND DILL, D.B., JR., 1968, ZINC DEPOSITS OF THE BALMAT-EDWARDS DISTRICT, NEW YORK: IN RIDGE, J.D., ED., ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES 1933-1967 (GRATON-SALES VOLUME) V. 1: AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING, METALLURGICAL AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERS, P. 20-48.

  • Geology

    Foose, M.P., 1979, A reinterpretation of the structural and stratigraphic setting of the Balmat-Edwards zinc deposits, northwest Adirondack lowlands, New York: Economic Geology, Scientific Communications, September, 1979, pp. 130-133.

  • Geology

    Foose, M.P., 1981, Geology, geochemistry, and regional resource implications of a stratabound sphalerite occurrence in the Northwest Adirondacks, New York:, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1519, 18 p.

  • Commodity

    MCKNIGHT, E.T., NEWMAN, W.L., AND HEYL, A.V., JR., (COMPILERS), 1962, ZINC IN THE UNITED STATES EXCLUSIVE OF ALASKA AND HAWAII: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INVESTIGATIONS RESOURCE MAP MR-19, SEPARATE TEXT, 18 P.

  • Geology

    BROWN, J.S., 1936, STRUCTURE AND PRIMARY MINERALIZATION OF THE ZINC MINE AT BALMAT, NEW YORK: ECONOMIC GEOOGY, V. 31, NO. 8, P. 233-258.

  • Deposit

    BROWN, J.S., 1947, POROSITY AND ORE DEPOSITION OAT EDWARDS AND BALMAT, NEW YORK: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN, V. 58, P. 505-546.

  • Deposit

    DELORRAINE, W.F., DILL, D.B., KNIGHT, R.H., AND JOHNSON, J.T., 1993, GEOLOGY OF THE BALMAT ZINC MINES, ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK: IN THOMPSON, T.B., ED., SELECTED MINERAL DEPOSITS OF VERMONT AND THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS, NEW YORK: SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGISTS GUIDEBOOK SERIES, V. 17, P. 26-48.

  • Deposit

    OntZinc drills Balmat, The Northern Miner 5/17/2004

  • Deposit

    ONTZINC Corporation Announces St. Lawrence Zinc Company To Commence US$1.1 Million Underground Diamond Drill Program: Dec 17, 2003 press release.

  • Deposit

    Knight, Richard H., 2005, Recent zinc ore discoveries in the Balmat-Edwards district, northwest Adirondacks, New York state: a case history: Paper No. 20-6, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 37, No. 1, p. 64.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OREBODIES 0.5 TO 15 M THICK, 15 TO 250 M LONG.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-75 Wedow, Helmuth U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 06-JAN-94 Beougher, Dee U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-JAN-77 Schruben, Paul G. and Wedow, H. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 20-NOV-03 Woodruff, Laurel G. U.S. Geological Survey Work done in Filemaker

Beyond USGS

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

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