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Cliffs Shaft Mine

Past Producer in Marquette county in Michigan, 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. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10082728
MRDS ID W062078
Record type Site
Current site name Cliffs Shaft Mine
Alternate or previous names Barnum, Section 10 Exploration, Lake Superior Group

Comments on the site names

  • THE DISTINCTIVE OBELISK STYLE HEAD FRAMES OF 'A' AND 'B' SHAFTS WERE BUILT IN 1919, REPLACING THE ORIGINAL WOODEN HEAD FRAMES ERECTED WHEN THE SHAFTS WERE SUNK IN 1873.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -87.67641, 46.49139 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Marquette(county)

Michigan(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ishpeming(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Gwinn(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Marquette(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Dead-Kelsey(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 Marquette

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
T47N R27W 9 Michigan
T47N R27W 4 Michigan
10 Michigan
3 Michigan

Comments on the location information

  • LAT/LON IS FOR THE MAIN ENTRANCE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE WAS HARD, RED, BESSEMER AND NON-BESSEMER; IT WAS CRUSHED AND SCREEN TO PRODUCE LUMP GRADE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Hematite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Goethite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Some magnetite formed by replacement of ferrous iron minerals during diagenesis and most iron silicate probably formed by metamorphism of an early silicate mineral.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 241
USGS model code 34a
Deposit model name Superior Fe (BC name is Lake Superior & Rapitan types iron-formation)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Iron Formation
    Rock unit name Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Rock description Negaunee Iron-Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -87.67641, 46.49139
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Westward plunging synclinorium open at western end; regional trends are eas
Type of structure Local
Structure description Cliffs Shaft mine is generally on a syncline, but there is an anticlinal fl

Ore body information

  • General form STRATABOUND

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Hard ore commonly overlies or abuts against intrusive greenstones at cliffs shaft mine. in a few places, jaspilite beds grade along strike into chert-siderite beds, and small islands of chert-siderite iron-formation are surrounded by jaspilite (Gair, 1975).

Comments on the geologic information

  • IRON DEPOSITS OCCUR IN THE NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION OF THE MENOMINEE GROUP, PART OF THE MARQUETTE SUPERGROUP. THE IRON-FORMATION IS UNDERLAIN BY THE SIAMO SLATE, IRON DEPOSITS OCCUR IN THE NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION OF THE MENOMINEE GROUP, PART OF THE MARQUETTE SUPERGROUP. THE IRON-FORMATION IS UNDERLAIN BY THE SIAMO SLATE, A SERIES OF SLATE, SERICITE, CHLORITIC, AND FELDSPATHIC QUARTZITES, ARKOSE, AND GRAYWACKE WHICH RANGES FROM 3,000 FT THICK TO 1,000 FT IN THE SYNCLINORIUM AND DISAPPEARS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF PALMER QUADRANGLE. NEGAUNEE IRON-FORMATION IS METASEDIMENTARY ROCK WHICH CONTAINS (1) SIDERITE, MAGNETITE, IRON SILICATES, AND CHERT OR (2) MIXTURES OF HEMATITE, MAGNETITE, AND CHERT. THE IRON-FORMATION IS BELIEVED TO HAVE FORMED BY CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION OF THE PRINCIPAL IRON MINERALS AND SILICA GEL. IT IS THE SOURCE OF IRON ORE MINED IN THE MARQUETTE RANGE AND IS OVERLAIN BY GOODRICH QUARTZITE. MAJOR W- TO NW-PLUNGING FOLDS OCCUR WITHIN THE MARQUETTE SYNCLINORIUM, AND MAJOR FAULTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLDING.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1844
Year of first production 1887
Production years 1887-1950, EXCEPT FOR 1899. THE UNDERGROUND MINE CLOSED IN DEC 1967; STOCKPILE ONLY SHIPMENTS WERE MADE IN 1968; THE MINE WAS ACTIVE IN 1970 AND CLOSED AGAIN IN 1971. IT HAD THE LONGEST PRODUCTION LIFE OF ANY MINE IN THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION (1848-1967).

Mining district

District name Marquette Iron District

Production statistics

  • Year 1897
    Period 1868-1897
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 904100mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1942
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 759525mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1950
    Period 1868-1950
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 20788708mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1950
    Period 1887-1950
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 19884608mt
    Accuracy Accurate
  • Year 1967
    Period 1848-1967
    Material ore Fe
    Ore mined 29423772mt
    Accuracy Accurate

Comments on the production information

  • 1942 WAS YEAR OF HIGHEST PRODUCTION

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 381M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKED BY THE OPEN STOPE AND PILLAR METHOD. MINE UNDER THE TOWN OF ISHPEMING GOES DOWN TO 1,250 FT AT THE 15TH LEVEL.

Comments on development

  • 'C' SHAFT WAS SUNK IN 1954 TO REPLACE THE TWO SMALLER 'A' AND 'B' SHAFTS FOR MORE EFFICIENT HOISTING OF ORE. AT THE OLD VOLUNTEER, CLIFFS SHAFT, CHAMPION, AND REPUBLIC MINES AND ELSEWHERE IN THE MARQUETTE RANGE, THE MINING OF HEMATITE BODIES IN THE IRON-FORMATION BENEATH THE NEGAUNEE-GOODRICH CONGLOMERATE CONTACT HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO THE GOODRICH TO EXTRACT SUCH 'DETRITAL', 'CLASTIC' OR 'CONGLOMERATE' ORE, WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF ANCIENT PLACER HEMATITE DEPOSITS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JAMES, H. L., 1955, ZONES REG. METAMORPHISM. IN N. MICHIGAN.: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BULLETIN, V. 66, P. 1455-1488.

  • Deposit

    THE LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ASSOC., 1938, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES.

  • Deposit

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOCIATION, 1952, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES: CLEVELAND, OHIO, 2D ED., 334 P.

  • Deposit

    GRATON-SALES VOL. A. I. M. E., THE MARQUETTE DISTRICT: ORE DEPOSITS OF THE U. S., 1933-1967, P. 508-517.

  • Deposit

    LAURA, D.K., 1981, THE EARLY PROTEROZOIC PRE-IRON FORMATION, MENOMINEE GROUP SILICICLASTIC SEDIMENTS OF THE SOUTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR REGION; EVIDENCE FOR SEDIMENTATION IN PLATFORM AND BASINAL SETTINGS: JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY PETROLOGY, V. 51, NO. 2, P. 397-414.

  • Deposit

    SIMS, P.K., 1990, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE PRECAMBRIAN ROCKS OF IRON MOUNTAIN AND ESCANABA 1 DEGREE X 2 DEGREES QUADRANGLES, NORTHEASTERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISCELLANEOUS INVESTIGATION SERIES, I-2056.

  • Deposit

    BOYUM, B.H. AND REED, R.C., 1988, MARQUETTE MINERAL DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN, MINING HISTORY AND GEOLOGY, IN SCHULZ, K.J., 34TH ANNUAL INSTITUTE ON LAKE SUPERIOR GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOKS, V. 34, PART 2, P. B-1-B-15.

  • Deposit

    BOYUM, B.H., 1988, THE ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF THE HARD AND SOFT IRON ORES OF THE MARQUETTE RANGE, MICHIGAN, IN KISVARSANYI, GEZA, AND GRANT, S.K., NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON TECTONIC CONTROL OF ORE DEPOSITS AND THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EXTENT OF ORE SYSTEMS, PROCEEDINGS VOLUME: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, ROLLA, P. 301-311.

  • Deposit

    MOST ALL OF THIS DISTRICT HAS BEEN MAPPED AT 7 1/2 MINUTE QUADRANGLE SIZE. TOO MANY GEOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED TO MENTION INDIVIDUALLY. GAIR, J.E., 1975, BEDROCK GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE PALMER QUADRANGLE, MARQUETTE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 769, 159 P.

  • Production

    LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORE ASSOCIATION, 1952, LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES: CLEVELAND, OHIO, 2D ED., 75-92 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LOWER PRECAMBRIAN 'W' (OR ARCHEAN) ROCKS OVERLAIN BY MIDDLE PRECAMBRIAN 'X' (OR MARQUETTE RANGE SUPERGROUP) ROCKS. LOWER PRECAMBRIAN W CRYSTALLINE ROCKS BLOCK FAULTED AND DIFFERENTIALLY RAISED AND LOWERED; FORMING TROUGHS. MIDDLE PRECAMBRIAN 'X' (OR MARQUETTE RANGE SUPERGROUP) ROCKS AS SEMI-CONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS SLUMPED INTO THE TROUGHS. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME ENTIRE AREA WAS REGIONALLY THERMALLY METAMORPHOSED, CREATING METAMORPHIC FACIES OR NODES. THE MARQUETTE DISTRICT AFFECTED BY THE REPUBLIC NODE, WHICH GRADES FROM CHLORITE TO SILLIMANITE ZONES, EXCLUSIVE OF KYANITE ONLY. SILLIMANITE ZONE IS IN VICINITY OF AND INCLUDES REPUBLIC TOWN AND REPUBLIC OPEN PIT. REST OF ZONED AREAS ARE REGULAR SHAPED, FAIRLY ROUND WITH SLIGHT FLATTENING TO THE NORTHEAST. (JAMES, H. L., 1955, P. 1455-1488)
Deposit DESCRIPTIVE (CANNON, 1986) AND GRADE AND TONNAGE (MOSIER AND SINGER, 1986) DEPOSIT MODELS OF SUPERIOR FE ARE IN COX AND SINGER, 1986, MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN, 1693, P. 228-230. LARUE (1981) FOUND THAT CHEMICAL IRON SEDIMENTATION APPARENTLY TOOK PLACE WITH LITTLE REGARD TO BASINAL OR PLATFORM ENVIRONMENTS. BOTH ENVIRONMENTS SHOW PERIODS OF CHEMICAL-IRON SEDIMENTATION. HOWEVER, IN BOTH ENVIRONMENTS, DEPOSITION OF IRON WAS RESTRICTED TO PERIODS OF DETRITAL-SEDIMENT STARVATION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1995 Sutphin, D.M. (Cannon, W.F.) 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

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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