Cold Springs Talc Mine

Past Producer in Cherokee county in North Carolina, United States with commodity Talc-Soapstone
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. 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 10102349
MRDS ID K002619
Record type Site
Current site name Cold Springs Talc Mine
Alternate or previous names Bourne Mine
Related records 10184454

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -84.04102, 35.08955 (WGS84)
Relative position 0.4 MILE NW OF US 64-19-129 BRIDGE OVER THE HIWASSEE RIVER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Cherokee(county)

North Carolina(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Murphy(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cleveland(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chattanooga(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Hiwassee(hydrologic unit)

Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(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 Cherokee

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Talc-Soapstone Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Talc Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Metadiorite, Dark-Green, Locally Porphyritic, Pyroxenite & Amphibolite. Van Horn ( 1948 , P. 15 ) Terms These Rocks Metadiorite Because He Considers Them To Be Metamorphosed Diorites That Have Lost Their Feldspar & Quartz Through Metamorphism
    Rock description Metadiorite, Dark-Green, Locally Porphyritic, Pyroxenite & Amphibolite. Van Horn ( 1948 , P. 15 ) Terms These Rocks Metadiorite Because He Considers Them To Be Metamorphosed Diorites That Have Lost Their Feldspar & Quartz Through Metamorphism
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble

Nearby scientific data

(1) -84.04102, 35.08955

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Northeast-Trending Strike Belts Defining A Major Syncline

Ore body information

  • General form LENS

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fracture Zone; Bedding

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE DUMP MATERIAL REPORTEDLY CARRIES A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF IMPURITIES SUCH AS TREMOLITE, QUARTZ, AND PYRITE. THE TALC VARIES IN COLOR FROM WHITE TO DARK GRAY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Murphy Marble Belt

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Francis C. Bourne
    Home office Asheville, N.C.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Tennessee Valley Authority

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 19.81M

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO SHAFTS WERE SUNK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROAD; THE SOUTHERN SHAFT CONNECTED TWO 25-FOOT INCLINES ALONG THE TALC BODY. VAN HORN (1948) STATES THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND GEOLOGY WAS TOO CONFLICTING TO WARRANT REPORTING.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: POOR GROUND CONDITIONS, EXCESSIVE WATER, INSUFFICIENT RESERVES OF TALC

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE WHITE, FINE-GRAINED, DOLOMITIC MARBLE ZONE WHICH LOCALLY CONTAINS TALC DEPOSITS IS AT THE APPROXIMATE STRATIGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE FORMATION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1974 Hale, Robin C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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