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Arthur Barite Mine

Past Producer in Pittsylvania county in Virginia, United States with commodity Barium-Barite
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10080192
MRDS ID W031290
Record type Site
Current site name Arthur Barite Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.34476, 37.12146 (WGS84)
Elevation 195
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 2.93 MILES WNW OF ALTAVISTA FROM ROANOKE RIVER GAGING STATION, ROUTE 29 (BUSINESS)., Acc. Main Workings May Be Farther South If Edmundson (1938) Is Correct. The Location Described Here May Be Cluster Of Prospect Pits.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pittsylvania(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Altavista(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Roanoke(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Roanoke(hydrologic unit)

Roanoke(hydrologic accounting unit)

Chowan-Roanoke(hydrologic subregion)

South Atlantic-Gulf(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Pittsylvania

Comments on the location information

  • 500 FEET DUE WEST OF FARM ROAD IN WOODED DEPRESSION FROM A POINT 0.4 MILE NORTH OF ROUTE 924. FARM ROAD IS ON ABANDONED PROPERTY OF CLYDE ARTHURE (DECEASED), CURRENTLY OWNED BY WYLIE CONNER. ENTRANCE TO FARM ROAD IS 0.15 MILE NORTH OF INTERSECTION OF R 665 AND R 924. FARM ROAD IS PADLOCKED. OLD WORKINGS REACHED BY OVERGROWN LOGGING ROAD. CHAINED WATCHDOG ON PREMISES NEAR LOGGING ROAD TO WORKINGS. LOGGING ROAD IS WEST OF FARM ROAD AT GATE WITH NEARBY BLUE GASOLINE PUMP.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Barium-Barite Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore
Marble Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Quartzite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist > Mica Schist
    Rock unit name Mt. Athos Member, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group
    Rock description Mt. Athos Member, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.34476, 37.12146
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Bowen'S Creek Fault
Type of structure Local
Structure description Faulting?

Ore body information

  • General form VEINS AND LENSES. STRATABOUND
    Strike N 35 DEG E
    Dip 60 DEG SE
    Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Originally, Statabound From Precipitation Of Metal Rich Brines.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1850
Discoverer E.T. Howell
Year of first production 1850

Mining district

District name James River-Roanoke River Manganeses, Iron, And Barite District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner First Operator E. T. Howell; Clyde Arthur May Have Operated Mine.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Clyde Arthur (Deceased). Wylie Conner, Alta Vista.

Comments on the production information

  • LARGE QUANTITIES WERE RECOVERED BUT EXACT FIGURES AND YEARS OF PRODUCTION ARE UNKNOWN.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 0M

Comments on the workings information

  • FIVE SMALL PITS IN A SMALL NORTH TRENDING DEPRESSION, PITS ARE FILLED IN WITH LOGS AND OVERGROWN WITH ALDER SAPLINGS. AREA OF PITS IS DENSELY OVERGROWN. NO EXPOSURES VISIBLE. MILKY QUARTZ BOULDERS WITH BLACK MNO2 STAINS NOTED.

Comments on development

  • MINE WAS OPENED IN THE 1800'S BY E.T. HOWELL. SEVERAL "DEEP" SHAFTS AND OPEN CUTS WERE DEVELOPED. HOWELL IS DESCRIBED AS THE ORIGINAL OPERATOR WHICH IMPLIES THERE MAY BE A LATER OPERATOR AFTER HIM. THE AMOUNT OF PRODUCTION IS UNKNOWN, BUT IT WAS RELIABLY REPORTED THAT LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH-GRADE BARITE WERE RECOVERED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    EDMUNDSON, R.S., 1938, BARITE DEPOSITS OF VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 53, 85 P

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL ? - MINED?

  • Deposit

    DIREXPL E.T. HOWELL-DUG SHAFTS, OPEN CUTS, MINED

  • Production

    EDMUNDSON (1938)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BARITE OCCURS IN BLACK CLAY (UMBER) DERIVED FROM MARBLE UNDERLYING MICA SCHIST. THE CLAY RESIDUUM RETAINS THE FOLIATION PLANES OF THE ORIGINAL ROCK AND THE BARITE OCCURS IN VEINS AND LENSES, AVERAGING LESS THAN ONE INCH IN THICKNESS, ALONG THE FOLIATION PLANES.
Deposit Discovery Year: 1800'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-80 Trimble, David C. (Sweet, Palmer C.) Virginia Division of Mineral Resources
Updater 01-OCT-87 Good, Richard S. 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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