Stony Point Mine

Past Producer in Albemarle county in Virginia, United States with commodities Iron, Copper, Sulfur-Pyrite, Gold, Silver
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080134
MRDS ID W031220
Record type Site
Current site name Stony Point Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.34416, 38.11894 (WGS84)
Elevation 152
Relative position ABOUT 2.4 KM (1.5 MI) ENE OF STONY POINT.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Albemarle(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Keswick(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 Albemarle

Comments on the location information

  • OFF BOTH SIDES OF STATE ROAD 640 ABOUT 0.2 KM (0.125 M1) NORTHWEST OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH STATE ROAD 20.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Copper Secondary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary
Gold Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Malachite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Hematite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Chalcopyrite To Goethite

Analytical data

Result SAMPLES OF CHALCOPYRITE WERE ASSAYED WITH REPORTED YIELDS OF $5.00 PER TON IN GOLD AND 15 PERCENT IN COPPER. SAMPLE OF ORE FROM MINE WAS ASSAYED BY NORTHEAST GEOCHEMICAL AND ASSAY CO., YARMOUTH, ME IN AUGUST, 1986. ASSAY INDICATED <0.0005 OZ. AU/TON AND <0.1 OZ. AG/TON.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Swift Run Formation
    Rock description Swift Run Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.34416, 38.11894

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend, Blue Ridge Anticlinorium
Type of structure Local
Structure description A Fault Trending Nw-Se Lies About 152 M 1500 Ft) Ne Of The Mine

Ore body information

  • Strike N 35 DEG E
    Dip 55 DEG S
    Width 2M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1878
Discoverer Major Mason
Year of first production 1885
Year of last production 1990

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Major Mason

Comments on the production information

  • SOME OF THE GOSSAN ORE WAS ASSAYED AT 75% FE IN CARLOAD LOTS CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT 2,500 CARLOADS OF ORE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 40M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSISTED OF AN INCLINED SHAFT 40 M (130 FT) DEEP WITH DRIFTS, OPENCUTS AND PITS. IN 1982, A SHAFT ABOUT 7.6 M (25 FT) DEEP AND 9 M (30 FT) SQUARE, SEVERAL SMALLER PITS FILLED WITH TRASH, SEVERAL MORE PITS STILL OPEN, THE LARGEST OF WHICH IS ABOUT 6.1 M (20 FT) SQUARE AND 4.6 M (15 FT) DEEP, 2 CAVED TUNNELS, ONE OPENCUT AND DUMPS WERE EVIDENT.

Comments on development

  • THE GOSSAN WAS DISCOVERED IN 1878 BY MAJOR MASON. HE BEGAN MINING IN 1885 AND BY 1890 HAD MINED 2,500 CARLOADS OF GOSSAN IRON ORE AND SHIPPED IT TO THE PITTSBURG FURNACES. MINING CEASED SOON THEREAFTER DUE TO INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SILICA AND CHALCOPYRITE. FROM 1917 UNTIL 1922 THE OHIO SULPHUR MINING CO. CLEANED OUT THE OLD SHAFT AND PROSPECTED FOR A COPPER ORE ZONE, BUT FAILED TO LOCATE A ZONE. IN 1926, J.E. PERKINS ATTEMPTED TO REOPEN THE MINE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. IN 1936, THE AMERICAN METAL CO. DRILLED 3 CORE HOLES, FOUND A CONSIDERABLE QUANTITY OF SIDERITE AND QUIT EXPLORATION WORK. THE PROPERTY HAS NOT BEEN WORKED SINCE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    NELSON, W.A., 1962, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES BULLETIN 77, 92 P.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    TAZELAAR, J.F., 1958, A GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY OF STONY POINT, VIRGINIA, IRON-COPPER DEPOSIT: UNPUBLISHED M.A. THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

  • Deposit

    1885 DIREXPL MAJOR MASON: WORKED THE GOSSAN UNTIL 1890, SHIPPED 2500 CARLOADS OF ORE, BUT STOPPED WORKINGS DUE TO HIGH SILICA, AND INCREASING CHALCOPYRITE CONTENT MADE THE ORE UNSUITABLE FOR SMELTING (WEED, 1911)

  • Production

    WEED (1911)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GOSSAN RESULTED FROM ALTERATION OF CHALCOPYRITE VEIN. GOSSAN OUTCROP WAS TRACED ALONG THE SURFACE FOR 1.2 KM (0.75 MI).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-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.