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Hightop Mine

Past Producer in Greene county in Virginia, United States with commodity Copper
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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. 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. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080020
MRDS ID W030901
Record type Site
Current site name Hightop Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.56751, 38.31477 (WGS84)
Elevation 658
Relative position 5.23 KM (3.25 MI) S OF SWIFT RUN GAP AND ON A SPUR 2.9 KM (1.8 MI) S OF HIGHTOP MTN.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Greene(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Swift Run Gap(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rivanna(hydrologic unit)

James(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Greene

Comments on the location information

  • SEVERAL ADITS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MINE ARE CUT INTO THE TOP OF SLATER'S MOUNTAIN ABOUT 3.2 KM TO THE SOUTH UTM COORDINATES OF THESE ADITS ARE: N 4240300.,E 714150.; N 4240295., E714380.; N 4240640., E 714240.; ALL IN ZONE +17.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • MALACHITE AND AZURITE STAINS WERE MOST ABUNDANT MINERALIZATION SEEN IN 1974, BUT CHALCOCITE, BORNITE, AND CHALCOPYRITE ARE ALSO PRESENT. MINOR MALACHITE STAINING WAS ONLY MINERALIZATION OBSERVED IN ADITS ON TOP OF SLATERS MOUNTAIN.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Copper Ore
Cuprite Ore
Malachite Ore
Epidote Gangue
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrometamorphism, Epidotization

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Meta-Basalt
    Rock unit name Catoctin Formation
    Rock description Catoctin Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Meta-Basalt
    Rock unit name Catoctin Formation
    Rock description Catoctin Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.56751, 38.31477
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Blue Ridge Anticlinorium

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS, IRREGULAR
    Thickness 1.5M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fractures

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1914
Year of first production 1905

Mining district

District name Northern Section-Blue Ridge Province

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Hightop Copper Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Thomas, William M.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 80M
    Overall depth 27M

Comments on the workings information

  • DEVELOPED WORKINGS CONSISTED OF STRIPPED LEDGES, OPEN CUTS, A SHAFT WITH A CROSSCUT, A TUNNEL, AND ADITS INTO TOP OF SLATERS MTN. IN 1905. SHAFT WATER-FILLED IN 1906. SWEET AND BELL (1980) NOTED TWIN ADIT ENTRANCES 2 M TO 3 M IN DIAMETER PRESENT IN FACE OF THE MOUNTAIN OVERLOOKING BACON HOLLOW TO THE WEST; REMAINS OF A CAVED SHAFT 9 M IN DIAMETER AND 6 M DEEP, SEVERAL SMALL PITS AND CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS, AND A LARGE DUMP. 3 ADITS IN THE TOP OF SLATERS MOUNTAIN, THE LONGEST OF WHICH IS 18 M.

Comments on development

  • IN 1944, THERE WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO REOPEN THE MINE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P.C., AND BELL, P.C., 1980, METALLIC MINERALIZATION IN THE BLUE RIDGE PROVINCE OF VIRGINIA, IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO VIRGINIA GEOLOGY - IV: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES PUBLICATION 27, P. 39-52.

  • Deposit

    PHALEN, W.C., 1906, COPPER DEPOSITS NEAR LURAY, VIRGINIA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 285, 506 P.

  • Deposit

    WEED, WALTER H., 1911, COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE APPALACHIAN STATES: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 455, 166 P.

  • Deposit

    1905 DIREXPL HIGHTOP COPPER CO.

  • Deposit

    1944 OTHER UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RE-OPEN.

  • Deposit

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINERALIZATION OCCURS ALONG VEINLETS AND FRACTURE SURFACES. LARGE DUMP CONTAINS EPIDOTIZED BASALT, W/QUARTZ STRINGERS AND JASPER. SOME ORE OCCURS IN LENTICLES COMPOSED OF EPIDOTE PENETRATED BY QUARTZ VEINLETS CONTAINING DISSEMINATED BORNITE.
Deposit Discovery Year: PRE-WW1

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1979 Beaulieu, Harvey R. (Le Van, D. C.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer 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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