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Buckingham Mine

Past Producer in Buckingham county in Virginia, United States with commodities Gold, Sulfur-Pyrite
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  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. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079430
MRDS ID W028967
Record type Site
Current site name Buckingham Mine
Alternate or previous names Wiseman Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.46612, 37.55034 (WGS84)
Elevation 204
Relative position ABOUT 1.21 KM (0.75 MI) NW OF DILLWYN.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Buckingham(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillwyn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle James-Buffalo(hydrologic unit)

James(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Buckingham

Comments on the location information

  • 1.05 KM (0.65 MI) NE OF THE INTERSECTION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 15 WITH STATE HIGHWAY 20.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ZINC, SILVER, COPPER AND LEAD ARE REPORTED TO BE PRESENT AT THE ADJACENT LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE AND PROBABLY OCCUR HERE AS WELL. MINERALS MOST TIKELY PRESENT INCLUDE GALENA, CHALCOPYRITE, SPHALERITE, AND NATIVE SILVER.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Biotite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.46612, 37.55034
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Arvonia Syncline, Ne-Sw Trend

Ore body information

  • Strike N 40 DEG E
    Dip STEEPLY SE
    Width 6.1M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • In Veins Which Intrude Into Schist.

Comments on the geologic information

  • MUCH FINE-GRAINED MAGNETITE, MINOR PYRITE, AND PINK GARNETS LESS THAN 0.5 MM IN SIZE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1854
Year of first production 1853
Year of last production 1858

Mining district

District name Gold-Pyrite Belt

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Buckingham Gold Mining Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Ashbey Pankey

Comments on the production information

  • IN 1854 AN AVERAGE OF 20 TONS OF ORE WERE BEING CRUSHED DAILY, YIELDING 130 DWT OF GOLD PER DAY.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 723,000 TONS OF ORE CONTAINING 3.2 PERCENT ZINC, S0 PERCENT PYRITE, AND FRACTIONAL PERCENTAGES OF GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, AND LEAD HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED TO BE PRESENT ON THIS PROPERTY AND THE ADJACENT LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE, BASED ON THE DRILLING DONE IN 1953 AND 1955 BY VIMCO.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN CUTS DUG TO DEPTH OF 6 M TO 12 M; 2 SHAFTS SUNK TO CONNECT W/WORKINGS OF LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE, DEEPEST SHAFT REPORTEDLY 55 M. ABOUT 6 CAVED PITS AND SCATTERED QUARTZ REPORTED IN 1974.

Comments on development

  • THE BUCKINGHAM MINE WAS FIRST KNOWN AS THE WISEMAN MINE. THE BUCKINGHAM GOLD MINING CO. WAS ORGANIZED TO OPERATE THE PROPERTY IN 1853, AND PROCEEDED TO DEVELOP THE MINE ON A LARGER SCALE. THE EARLIEST WORK WAS LIMITED TO OPEN CUT MINING. LATER 2 SHAFTS WERE SUNK AND LEVELS WERE DRIVEN TO SOME EXTENT ALONG THE VEIN, CONNECTING WITH THE UNDERGROUND WORKINGS OF THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA MINE. MINING OPERATIONS CEASED SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. PRACTICALLY ALL THE MATERIAL TAKEN FROM THE MINES APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH THE MILLS, HENCE THE ABSENCE OF A LARGE DUMP OF TAILINGS. TWO OR MORE MILLS WERE OPERATED ON THE PROPERTY, BUT THE PRINCIPAL MILL WAS LOCATED NEAR THE BRANCH SOME DISTANCE NORTHEAST OF THE MINE. IN 1953 AND 1955 THE PROPERTY WAS DIAMOND DRILLED BY THE VIRGINIA MINING CORP., SUBSIDIARY OF BELVILLE GOLD MINES, LTD., ALONG WITH THE LONDON AND VIRGINIA PROPERTY, UNDER CONTRACTS WITH THE DEFENSE MINERALS EXPLORATION ADMINISTRATION. IT WAS REPORTED THAT 723,000 TONS
  • OF ORE CONTAINING 3.2 PERCENT ZINC, 20 PERCENT PYRITE, AND FRACTIONAL PERCENTAGES OF GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, AND LEAD WERE BLOCKED OUT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    TABER, S., 1913, GEOLOGY OF THE GOLD BELT IN THE JAMES RIVER BASIN, VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 7, 271 P.

  • Deposit

    WATSON, T.L., 1907, MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA: LYNCHBURG VA, J.P. BELL CO., 618 P.

  • Deposit

    BROWN, W.R., 1969, GEOLOGY OF THE DILLWYN QUADRANGLE VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 10, 77 P.

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., 1980, GOLD IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, PUBLICATION 19, 77 P.

  • Deposit

    CREDNER, H., 1869

  • Deposit

    REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE GOLD FIELDS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA: AMER. JOUR? MNG., VOL. VII, P. 72.

  • Deposit

    HAMMETT, A.B.J., 1966, THE HISTORY OF GOLD: KERRVILLE, TEXAS, BRASWELL PRINTING CO., 107 P.

  • Deposit

    1853 DIREXPL BUCKINGHAM GOLD MINING COMPANY: OPENED MINE.

  • Deposit

    1955 DIREXPL VIRGINIA MINING CORPORATION: DIAMOND DRILLED.

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA. DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES; SITE INSPECTED.

  • Production

    TABER (1913)

  • Reserve-Resource

    BROWN (1969)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MOST ORE IS IN UPPER 15 M. OCCURS DISSEMINATED AS SMALL CRYSTALS AND THREADS IN QUARTZ AND IRON ORE. THE ORE-BEARING VEIN VARIES IN WIDTH FROM 1 TO 6.1 M (3 TO 20 FT) ON THE NORTHEAST, BUT ONLY 1.2 TO 1.5 M (4 TO 5 FT) TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST. FOR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VEIN AND COUNTRY ROCK SEE TABER (1913).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1981 Trimble, David, C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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