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Pitt Spring Mine

Past Producer in Page county in Virginia, United States with commodity Iron
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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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080143
MRDS ID W031230
Record type Site
Current site name Pitt Spring Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -78.65779, 38.56393 (WGS84)
Elevation 549
Relative position 6.4 KM (4 MI) EAST OF TENTH LEGION AND 2.1 KM (1.3 MI) WEST-NORTHWEST OF CATHERINE FURNACE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Page(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Tenth Legion(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Front Royal(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charlottesville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Shenandoah(hydrologic unit)

Potomac(hydrologic accounting unit)

Potomac(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

George Washington National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

George Washington and Jefferson National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Page

Comments on the location information

  • 2.1 KM (1.3 MI) WEST ON STATE ROAD 685 FROM ITS SOUTHERN INTERSECTION WITH U. S. ROUTE 340, TURN SOUTH (LEFT) ONTO NATIONAL FOREST ROAD FOR 0.8 KM (0.5 MI), TURN RIGHT AT FORK AND CONTINUE WEST-NORTHWEST FOR 2.4 KM (1.5 MI) TO PITT SPRING. MINE EXTENDS FROM JUST SOUTH OF THE SPRING NORTHWARD ON THE HILLSIDE TO THE EAST OF THE NATIONAL FOREST ROAD FOR ABOUT 0.8 KM (0.5 MI). THE TUNNELS ARE VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE FURNACE SLAGS ARE REPORTED TO CONTAIN CONSIDERABLE ZINC.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Goethite Ore
Limonite Ore

Analytical data

Result IRON ORE: FE-40.14%, SIO2 - 21.58%, P- 0.36%, MN - 1.06%

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Bloomsburg Formation
    Rock description Bloomsburg Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Silurian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -78.65779, 38.56393
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend, Massanutten Mountain Synclinorium
Type of structure Local
Structure description Anticlines, Synclines-Unnamed

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Comments on the geologic information

  • FOR GEOLOGY SEE ALLEN, 1967.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1845
Year of first production 1847

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Alleghany Ore And Iron Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner George Washington National Forest

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1982 WORKINGS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL PITS, ONE CAVED SHAFT, EIGHT CAVED TUNNELS, AND DUMPS. THE SHAFT WAS ABOUT 3.7 M (12 FT) IN DIAMETER AND 1.2 M (4 FT) IN DEPTH.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS OPENED BEFORE 1907 AND PRODUCTION OF IRON ORE RESULTED. THE ORE WAS TAKEN TO THE CATHERINE FURNACE. THE ALLEGHANY ORE AND IRON CO. WAS THE OPERATOR IN 1907.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    SRC.REF: HOLDEN, R.J., (1907).

  • Deposit

    HOLDEN, R.J., 1907, IRON, IN WATSON, T.L., MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA: LYNCHBURG, VA., J.P. BELL CO., P. 402-491.

  • 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

    MORRILL, P., 1972, VIRGINIA MINES AND MINERALS: ROCKS AND MINERALS MAGAZINE, VOL. 47, NO. 6, P. 369-371.

  • Deposit

    CHERRYWELL, C. H., 1982- PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

  • Deposit

    ALLEN, R. M., JR., 1967, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF PAGE COUNTY: VA. DIV. MIN. RES. BULL. 81, 78 P.

  • Deposit

    1960 RECON A.V. HEYL, JR.: NOTED ZINC IN SLAG

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL ALLEGHANY ORE AND IRON CO.-MINED IRON

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1840'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1980 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-JUN-1982 Trimble, David, C. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources

Beyond USGS

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

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