Phoenix Fissure Mine

Past Producer in Keweenaw county in Michigan, United States with commodities Copper, Silver
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Production statistics
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10082616
MRDS ID W060053
Record type Site
Current site name Phoenix Fissure Mine
Alternate or previous names Consolidated (1899); Phoenix Fissure (Old & New), Phoenix Ashbed Mines, Robbins Mine (West Vein), Atlas Mine, Bay State (1871), St. Clair

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -88.29476, 47.38528 (WGS84)
Relative position HOUGHTON TOWNSHIP

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Keweenaw(county)

Michigan(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Phoenix(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Hancock(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hancock C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Keweenaw Peninsula(hydrologic unit)

Southcentral Lake Superior(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southern Lake Superior(hydrologic subregion)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Michigan Keweenaw

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Michigan 058N 031W 19, 30, 31 S 1/2 OF (19) Michigan
SW OF SE (30) Michigan
NE OF NW (31) Michigan

Comments on the location information

  • LAT/LONG IS BASED ON CENTER OF SECTION FRACTION FOR 31

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Copper Ore
Silver Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 96
USGS model code Unassigned
Deposit model name Native Cu
Mark3 model number 99

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Rock unit name Portage Lake Volcanics
    Rock description Portage Lake Volcanics
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Stenian
    Chronological age 1095

Nearby scientific data

(1) Portage Lake Volcanics

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Syncline
Type of structure Local
Structure description Fissure cutting the Greenstone flow, mining activity south of flow

Ore body information

  • Name AMYGDALOID LODE WITH VARIES FISSURES

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fissure

Comments on the geologic information

  • ALTERNATE BRECCIATED BASALT FLOWS, AMYGDALOIDAL BASALTS AND/OR INTERFLOW CONGLOMERATES - VARIES WITH LOCATION

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1844
Year of last production 1931
Production years 1846-1905 FOR PHOENIX MINE 1865-1867 FOR BAY STATE MINE

Mining district

District name Keweenaw Copper

Production statistics

  • Year 1867
    Period 1865-1867
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major recovered Cu Copper Copper 1.8mt
  • Year 1918
    Period 1846-1918
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major recovered Cu Copper Copper 7910mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production from Phoenix Mine (8 MT) and Bay State Mine (2 MT).

Comments on the workings information

  • UNDERGROUND FISSURE MINING METHODS, VERTICAL SHAFTS & ADITS WITH DRIFTS INTO FISSURE OR CROSS-CUTS TO FISSURE,

Comments on development

  • LAKE SUPERIOR COPPER (1844), PHOENIX COPPER (1849) PHOENIX CONSOLIDATED COPPER CO. (1849) TO KEWEENAW COPPER IN 1923

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BUTLER, B.S., AND BURBANK, W.S., 1929, THE COPPER DEPOSITS OF MICHIGAN: USGS PROF PAPER NO. 144, 238 PP

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, H.R., 1954, BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF THE PHOENIX QUADRANGLE, MICHIGAN: USGS MAP GQ-34, SCALE 1:24000

  • Deposit

    JOHNSON, A.M. AND GROTH, E.H., 1998, INVENTORY OF UNDERGROUND MINES, KEWEENAW COUNTY, P. 23-24, 211-227, 233-235, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.

  • Production

    BUTLER AND BURBANK, 1929

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ATLAS MINE WAS NOT COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL.
Deposit OLD PHOENIX FISSURE STRIKE N 15 W; OLD PHOENIX WAS MAINLY IN SECTION 19 & 30, EVENTUALLY WORKED 5 FISSURES SUCH AS EAST PHOENIX, WARD, ROBBINS, ARMSTRONG (ALL IN SECTION 19). EARLIER MINING WAS DONE ON THE FISSURES LATER MINING WAS ON THE AMYGDALOID LODE KNOWN AS ASHBED OR PHOENIX ASHBED (5-25 FEET WIDE). NEW PHOENIX FISSURE REPORTED TO STRIKE N 5 W, 3-6 FEET WIDE, WITH 90 DIP. ROBBINS FISSURE ALSO CALLED "WEST VEIN" REPORTED TO STRIKE N 16E, DIP 90, 3-6 FEET WIDE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1995 Nicholson, Suzanne U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1997 Sutphin, D.M. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 01-MAY-1997 Mason Jr., G.T. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 05-AUG-2001 Anderson, Arlene (M. Gere) Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Beyond USGS

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