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Culpeper Mine

Past Producer in Culpeper county in Virginia, United States with commodity Gold
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10105454
MRDS ID W000412
Record type Site
Current site name Culpeper Mine
Alternate or previous names Hempstead Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -77.71498, 38.37504 (WGS84)
Elevation 79
Relative position 1.9 MI (3.1 KM) NW OF ELEYS FORD.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Culpeper(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Richardsville(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Fredericksburg(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Washington(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Rapidan-Upper Rappahannock(hydrologic unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Chesapeake(hydrologic subregion)

Mid Atlantic(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Culpeper

Comments on the location information

  • 0.95 MI (1.46 KM) OFF WEST SIDE OF STATE ROAD 610 AT ITS CROSSING OF HAZEL RUN ABOUT 0.4 MI (0.6 KM) NE OF RAPIDAN RIVER AND 0.1 MI (0.2 KM) NW OF MINE RUN.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Kaolin Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sericite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result GRAB SAMPLE FROM CAVED PORTION OF THE TUNNEL INDICATE 0.61 OZ/TON OF GOLD AND 0.2 OZ/TON OF SILVER AS ASSAYED BY IRON KING ASSAY, HUMBOLDT, AZ IN MARCH 1985.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Chopawamsic Formation
    Rock description Chopawamsic Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Early Cambrian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -77.71498, 38.37504
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ne-Sw Trend, Columbia Syncline

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR
    Strike NE-SW
    Dip ALMOST VERTICAL
    Width 9M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THIS MINE AND THE LOVE AND EMBREY MAY BE LOCATED ON HE NORTHERN CONTINUATION OF THE SHEAR ZONE ON WHICH THE MELVILE MINE IS LOCATED. ; GEOL.DESC: HOST ROCK IS FOLIATED AND DARK GRAY, WEATHERS TO LIGHT GRAY. HOST ROCK STRIKES N. 32 DEG. E AND DIPS PRACTICALLY VERTICALLY TO THE EAST. THE QUARTZ VEIN IS STRONG AND MASSIVE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discoverer Mr Hempstead(?)
Year of first production 1831

Mining district

District name Auriferous Pyrite, Native Gold

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Sooner Corp

Comments on the production information

  • ITEM 1 PRODUCED DURING 1 WEEK IN 1854. COMPLETE PRODUCTION IS NOT KNOWN. SOME POCKETS CARRIED VALUES AS HIGH AS $100/TON. THE VEIN AVERAGED $6 PER TON OVER ITS ENTIRE WIDTH?

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THERE IS PROBABLY STILL A SMALL AMOUNT OF ORE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 162M
    Overall depth 37M

Comments on the workings information

  • IN 1974, FOUR WATER-FILLED AND CAVED SHAFTS, ABOUT FIVE LARGE CUTS AND CAVED PITS, A CAVED TUNNEL, CONCRETE AND ROCK FOUNDATIONS, AND DUMPS WERE EVIDENT. IN 1836 THERE WAS A 17 M (57 FT) DEEP SHAFT WITH 162 M (531 FT) OF TUNNELS, ADITS, AND CROSS CUTS. IN THE LAST DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROPERTY THERE WERE TWO SHAFTS 30.5 AND 36.6 M (100 AND 120 FT) DEEP, AND AN OPEN CUT ABOUT 12 M (40 FT) DEEP (IN 1850'S). SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM A CAVED PORTION OF THE TUNNEL IN 1982. IN OCTOBER, 1987, TWO POWER SHOVELS REMAINED ON THE WESTERN PART OF THE PROPERTY - REMNENTS OF THE 1976 ATTEMPT AT REOPENING THE MINE.

Comments on development

  • OPERATIONS BEGAN BEFORE 1836, AND THEREAFTER OPERATIONS WERE INTERMITTENT WITH GREATEST ACTIVITY BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. IT WAS LAST WORKED IN 1905, THOUGH AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO REACTIVATE THE WORKINGS IN 1976, BUT IT WAS REBUFFED BY THE CULPEPER PLANNING COMMISSION. IN 1854 THE MINE EMPLOYED 24 MEN AND OPERATED WITH EXPENSES OF $120 PER WEEK. A TWELVE STAMP MILL AND TWO CHILEAN MILLS WERE USED IN TREATING THE ORE. THE MINE PRODUCED 3400 DWTS? (170 TOZ) OF GOLD IN SEVEN WEEKS IN 1854.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LONSDALE, J.T., 1927, VA. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 30, PP. 76-77.

  • Deposit

    LUTTRELL, G.W., 1966, VA. MIN. RES. REPORT 7, P. 39.

  • Deposit

    SWEET, P C, 1980, GOLD IN VIRGINIA: VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES, PUBLICATION 19, 77 P

  • Deposit

    GALLAHER, R, 1976, GOLD FEVER COOLED IN CULPEPER: RICHMOND, VA, TIMES-DISPATCH, MARCH 28.

  • Deposit

    PARDEE, J.T., AND PARK, C.F., 1948, GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT: USGS PP 213, 152 P.

  • Deposit

    SILLIMAN, B., 1837, REMARKS ON THE GOLD MINES AND ON PARTS OF THE GOLD REGION OF VIRGINIA: AMER. JOUR? SCI. AND ARTS, VOL. 32, P. 98-130.

  • Deposit

    WATSON, T.L., 1907, GOLD AND SILVER, IN MINERAL RESOURCES OF VIRGINIA: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, T.P BELL CO., P. 549-567.

  • Deposit

    1836 DIREXPL CULPEPER MINING CO: FIRST MAJOR DEVELOPMENT

  • Deposit

    1974 RECON VA DIV MIN RES: LOCATED WORKINGS

  • Deposit

    1976 OTHER VIRGINIA GOLD MINING CORP: ATTEMPTED TO REACTIVATE WORKINGS

  • Production

    LONSDALE REF.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE VEIN WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 2.4 TO 9 M (8 TO 30 FT) WIDE AND TO DIVIDE AND REUNITE ALONG ITS COURSE, BUT IN GENERAL CONFORMS TO THE STRIKE OF THE SERICITE-QUARTZ SCHIST COUNTRY ROCK. THE ORES WERE PYRITIC AND WERE WORKED BY JAW CRUSHER, GRINDING MILL, TABLES, AND AMALGAMATION AFTER FIRST BEING ROASTED.
Deposit MINE ACTIVELY OPERATED IN 1836. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A 57 FT. SHAFT AND 531 FT. OF TUNNELS, ADITS, AND CROSS CUTS. VEIN WAS 8-30 FT. WIDE. IN 1854 THE MINE EMPLOYED 24 MEN, HAD A 12 STAMP AND 2 CHILEAN MILLS, AND HAD EXPENSES OF $120/WEEK. THE MINE WAS LAST WORKED IN 1905. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1972 Wright, Nancy A. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-DEC-1987 Sweet, Palmer C. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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