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Leets Manganese Mine

Past Producer in Campbell county in Virginia, United States with commodity Manganese
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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. Ore body information
  10. Controls for ore emplacement
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  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 10082535
MRDS ID W055378
Record type Site
Current site name Leets Manganese Mine
Alternate or previous names Mount Athos, Smithson, Trent, Whitman

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -79.04114, 37.39006 (WGS84)
Elevation 199
Relative position 1/4 MILE E NE JUNCTION OF ROUTE 609 AND 659

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Campbell(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Kelly(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Roanoke(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 Campbell

Comments on the location information

  • 1/4 MILE NE OF ROUTE 659 ALONG TRAIL (PADLOCKED ENTRANCE); 300 W OF ARCHER CREEK

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • OTHER ANALYSIS FROM 1880'S: MN 43.58, 45.87, 44.18; FE 5.24, 5.34, 6.64; P 0.32, 0.26, 0.27; SI02 7.15, 7.77, 7.73 (FROM WATSON, 1907 ANALYSIS 1880'S ?) (FURCRON, 1935, P.106)

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Psilomelane Ore

Analytical data

Result MN 45.2%, FE 5.0, SILICA 11.8 (1933-1955)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Mt Athos Formation, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group
    Rock description Mt Athos Formation, Alligator Back Formation, Lynchburg Group
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -79.04114, 37.39006
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N 20-30 E
    Dip 80-90 SE (300 FT LEVEL)

Controls for ore emplacement

  • May Originally Have Been Controlled By Submarine Paleorift Or Rift-Related Fractures In Marine Basin.

Comments on the geologic information

  • 300 FT SW OF MINE SHAFT ON CREST OF HILL "769" 2 PITS, 15 AND 20 FT DEEP SHOWING BROWN AND BLACK MN MINERALIZATION AND BRECCIA WITH SCHIST CLASTS. OTHER PITS WITHIN AREA OF 100 YARDS SQUARE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1867
Discoverer James E. Mills (?) Furcron, 1954, P.81
Year of first production 1880
Year of last production 1935

Mining district

District name James River-Roanoke River Mn, Fe And Ba District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Southern Mines And Metal Co. 1933-1935, Smithson Operator
  • Type Owner
    Owner J. B. Trent
    First year 1954

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION IN 1880'S PROBABLY HIGHER (WEEKS, 1886)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 38.1M
    Overall depth 95.1M

Comments on the workings information

  • PROSPECT TRENCHES AND PITS 300 SW OF MAIN SHAFT AND ABOUT 1000 FT NE OF ROUTE 859 NOW FILLED IN WITH TRASH (1987). OPPOSITE PADLOCKED GATE FOR TRACK LEADING TO MINE ON SW SIDE OF ROUTE 859, 100 FT OFF 859 40' TRENT PROSPECT SHAFT; UP TO 400 SW OF 859 PROSPECT PITS TRENCHES 20-30' DEEP FILLED WITH TRASH.

Comments on development

  • ORE SHIPPED TO NATIONAL PAINT AND MANGANESE CO., LYNCHBURG 1933-35 RECORDED PRODUCTION: 1880-1888, 216 TONS; 975 LONG TONS WASHED ORE (45.2%), 1933-1935. PRODUCTION DURING 1880'S PROBABLY HIGHER (WEEKS, 1886). MOST OR ALL OF 1880'S PRODUCTION SHIPPED TO ENGLAND FOR MANUFACTURING OF CHEMICALS. PARTICULARLY CHLORINE GAS FOR BLEACH POWDER.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ESPENSHADE, G.H., 1954, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE JAMES RIVER-ROANOKE RIVER MANGANESE DISTRICT, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1008, 155P.

  • Deposit

    HEWETT, D.F., 1934, FIELD NOTES ON LEETS MINE IN FILES OF U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

  • Deposit

    FURCRON, A.S., 1935, JAMES RIVER IRON AND MARBLE BELT, VIRGINIA, BULLETIN 39, VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 124P. (P.105-106).

  • Deposit

    CONLEY, J.F., 1985, GEOLOGY OF THE SOUTHWESTERN PIEDMONT, VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES PUBLICATION 59, 33P. (GENERAL GEOLOGY).

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 4 ORE ZONES AT 300 FT LEVEL WITH MOUNTAIN AS STREAKS, SLABS IN MICACEOUS CLAY HOST ROCK: FELDSPATHIC QUARTZITE WITH CHLORITE SCHIST; RICHEST ZONE ON SE IS 15-20 FT THICK, OTHER 3-4, 1-2, 4-6 FT, MOST OF ORE TAKEN 1933-1935 WAS FROM 200-230 FT LEVEL; AVERAGE WIDTH SAID TO BE 4 FT (BRITTON, 1881).
Deposit BLUE RIDGE STONE QUARRY (OPERATING 1987 ARCH MARBLE) BETWEEN 1/4 AND 1/2 MILE NE OF MAIN SHAFT; NORFOLK AND WESTERN RAILROAD BED TORN UP NOW GRAVEL ROAD. MT ATHOS SCHOOL NO LONGER EXISTS; AREA OF SHAFT AND PROSPECTS USED FOR DUMPING. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
Deposit Discovery Year: LATE 1860'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-87 AS 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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