Socrates Corundum Mine

Past Producer in Transylvania county in North Carolina, United States with commodities Corundum, Asbestos
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Ownership information
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10102341
MRDS ID K002565
Record type Site
Current site name Socrates Corundum Mine
Alternate or previous names Socrates Asbestos Prospect

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -83.01376, 35.10067 (WGS84)
Relative position 0.75 MILE SOUTHWEST OF SAPPHIRE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Transylvania(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cashiers(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Fontana Lake(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Knoxville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Seneca(hydrologic unit)

Savannah(hydrologic accounting unit)

Ogeechee-Savannah(hydrologic subregion)

South Atlantic-Gulf(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Nantahala National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Croatan National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

National Forests in North Carolina(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Transylvania

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Corundum Primary
Asbestos Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Asbestos Ore
Corundum Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Nearby scientific data

(1) -83.01376, 35.10067

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Length 213.36M
    Width 60.96M

Comments on the geologic information

  • BULK COMPOSITION OF DEPOSIT IS APPARENTLY DUNITE OR PERIDOTITE THAT HAS UNDERGONE CONSIDERABLE ALTERATION. TWO TYPES OF MASS-FIBER ANTHOPHYLLITE OCCUR IN THIS DEPOSIT. ONE IS TYPICAL MASS-FIBER ASBESTOS OF THE PERIPHERAL ZONE TYPE AND THE OTHER IS A SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL ROCK COMPOSED MOSTLY OF ANTHOPHYLLITE AND OLIVINE. THE ANTHOPHYLLITE-OLIVINE ROCK OCCURS IN THE CENTRAL AREA OF THE DEPOSIT AND APPEARS TO FORM A LARGE PART OF THE BODY.THE ANTHOPHYLLITE-OLIVINE ROCK IS MASSIVE, GREENISH TO BROWNISH GRAY IN COLOR AND VERY COARSE GRAINED. FIBROUS ANTHOPHYLLITE IS THE PREDOMINANT CONSTITUENT AND OCCURS AS RANDOMLY ORIENTED, INTERLOCKING BLADES THAT ARE COMMONLY 3 TO 4 INCHES IN LENGTH.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Year of first production 1895
Production years 1880'S

Mining district

District name Lake Toxaway Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Sapphire Corundum Co.

Comments on the workings information

  • CORUNDUM WORKINGS EXTENSIVE AND CONSIST OF A NUMBER OF OPEN CUT TRENCHES DEVELOPED ACROSS AND PARALLEL TO THE CONTACT ZONE.

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT HAS NOT BEEN PROSPECTED FOR ASBESTOS BUT APPEARS TO HAVE CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CONRAD, S.G., AND OTHERS, 1963, ANTHOPHYLLITE ASBESTOS IN NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA DIV. MINERAL RESOURCES BULL. 77, 61P.

  • Deposit

    PRATT, J.H., AND LEWIS, J.V., 1905, CORUNDUM AND THE PERIDOTITES OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (REPT.) VOL. 1, 440P.

  • Deposit

    1905 RECON PRATT AND LEWIS, REPORT

  • Deposit

    1966 RECON CONRAD, REPORT

  • Production

    PRATT AND LEWIS, 1905, P. 44.

  • Reserve-Resource

    CONRAD, S.G., 1963, P. 32.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1974 Fagan, James M. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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