Iron Ridge Mine

Past Producer in Carroll county in Virginia, United States with commodities Iron, Pig Iron, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Lead, Arsenic
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10106170
MRDS ID W030857
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Ridge Mine
Alternate or previous names Great Outburst Mine, Monarat Mine, Huey Pit, Bumbarger Pit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -80.92453, 36.71536 (WGS84)
Elevation 786
Relative position 5.7 KM (3.6 MI) NORTH OF GALAX.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Carroll(county)

Virginia(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Galax(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Galax(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Winston-Salem(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper New(hydrologic unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kanawha(hydrologic subregion)

Ohio(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Virginia Carroll

Comments on the location information

  • 0.15 KM (0.1 MI) SE OF STATE ROAD 607, 2.2 KM (1.3 MI) BY ROAD NNE OF JUNCTION WITH STATE ROAD 721. LOCATION IS FOR BUMBARGER PIT, HUEY PIT IS 0.6 KM (0.4 MI) TO THE SW (UTM +17, N 4062570, E 506430).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron, Pig Iron Primary
Copper Primary
Iron Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Arsenic Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ORE IS PREDOMINANTLY PYRRHOTITE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Covellite Ore
Cubanite Ore
Galena Ore
Goethite Ore
Hematite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Actinolite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Graphite Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rutile Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) (Almandine)-Medium Grade Regional Metamorphism Has Converted Pyritic Mass To Pyrrhotite During Arcadian (?) Orogeny.

Analytical data

Result AVG GRADE: 35% FE, 1.5% ZN, 0.5% CU, 0.1% PB, 25% S AND 37.9% GANGUE (WT%).

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 91
USGS model code 24b
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, Besshi (Japanese deposits)
Mark3 model number 30

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Lynchburg Formation
    Rock description Lynchburg Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Arkose

Nearby scientific data

(1) Ashe Formation - Biotite gneiss

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Blue Ridge Anticlinorium, Ne-Sw Trend, Gossan Lead Overthrust, Fries Overthrust, Main Sulfide Zone Strikes N. 45 Deg. E. And Dips 30-60 Deg. Se.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Foliation Strikes Ne, Dips 15-30 Deg. Se.

Ore body information

  • General form POD/LENS
    Strike N. 45 DEG. E.
    Dip 45 DEG. SE
    Thickness 5M
    Depth to top 0M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1789
Year of first production 1789

Mining district

District name Iron Ridge Segment/Gossan Lead District/Southern Section - Blue Ridge Province

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pulaski Mining Co. Of General Chemical Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Allied Chemical Corp.

Production statistics

  • Year 1900
    Period 1880-1900
    Material FE
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Ore: 41-42% Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Iron Iron 42wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • * INCLUDES PRODUCTION FROM GOSSAN MINE, PROBABLY ABOUT 15% OF PRODUCTION CAME FROM HUEY AND BUMBARGER PITS.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • COMBINED FIGURE FOR IRON RIDGE & BETTY BAKER MINES.

Comments on the workings information

  • HUEY PIT ABOUT 30 M DEEP, BUMBARGER PIT ABOUT 40 M DEEP. IN 1973, NUMEROUS OPEN TRENCHES AND PITS, SEVERAL FOUNDATIONS, HOIST BUILDING, AND EXTENSIVE DUMP WERE EVIDENT.

Comments on development

  • AREA FIRST WORKED ABOUT 1789 FOR EXTRACTION OF IRON FROM GOSSAN; DURATION OF OPERATION UNKNOWN BUT APPARENTLY SHORT. FROM 1850 TO 1859, SUPERGENE COPPER ORE (SMUT) MINED BY WISTAR COPPER MINING CO.; MINE KNOWN AS THE GREAT OUTBURST. IN 1880, THE VIRGINIA MINING CO BEGAN MINING GOSSAN IRON ORE. BY 1900, THE GOSSAN WAS DEPLETED. IN 1905, GENERAL CHEMICAL CO. (LATER SUBSIDIART OF ALLIED CHEMICAL CORP) ACQUIRED THE MINE AND OPERATED IT UNDER THE PULASKI MINING CO. FOR PYRRHOTITE (FOR ACID PRODUCTION) PRIMARILY AND ALSO FOR BY PRODUCT IRON. THE HUEY PIT WAS BEGUN IN 1905 OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE BUMBARGER PIT WAS DEVELOPED SOMETIME AFTERWARDS. THE PITS WERE WORKED UNTIL 1925 WHEN GOSSAN (UNDERGROUND) MINE WAS OPENED. ; MILL.CAP: 190 ; ECON.YEAR: 1962 ; ECON.COM: MILL ERECTED IN 1938.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CURREY, R.O., 1859, A GEOLOGICAL VISIT TO THE VIRGINIA COPPER REGION: KNOXVILLE, TENN., BECKETT HAWS AND CO.; REPRINTED IN PART UNDER THE COPPER AND IRON REGION OF THE FLOYD-CARROLL-GRAYSON PLATEAU OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN VIRGINIA ETC.: THE VIRGINIAS, 1880, V. 1, P. 62-64, 69-71, 74-77, 80-81, 95.

  • Deposit

    GAIR, J.E. (ED.), 1978, MASSIVE SULFIDES OF VIRGINIA FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOK: INTN'L GEOL. CORRELATION PROGRAMME, PROJECT NO. 60, 112 P.

  • Deposit

    GAIR, J.E. AND SLACK, J.F., 1978, STRATABOUND MASSIVE SULFIDE DEPOSITS OF THE U.S. APPALACHIANS: REVIEW OF STRATABOUND APPALACHIAN-CALEDONIAN SULFIDE DEPOSITS: IRELAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (IN PRESS).

  • Deposit

    WRIGHT, R.J. AND RAMAN, N.D., 1948, THE GOSSAN LEAD, CARROLL COUNTY, VIRGINIA: U.S. GEOL. SURV. OPEN FILE REPORT, 19 P.

  • Deposit

    1789 DIREXPL EARLIEST MINING OF GOSSAN FOR IRON

  • Deposit

    1850 DIREXPL WISTAR COPPER MINING CO.: MINING OF SUPERGENE COPPER.

  • Deposit

    1880 DIREXPL VIRGINIA MINING CO.: MINING OF GOSSAN FOR IRON AND COPPER, LATER MINING OF PYRRHOTITE

  • Deposit

    1911 RECON W.H. WEED: BULL. 455.

  • Deposit

    1935 RECON C.S. ROSS: PROF. PAPER 179.

  • Deposit

    1948 RECON R.J. WRIGHT & N.D. RAMAN: OPEN-FILE REPORT.

  • Deposit

    WRIGHT AND RAMAN (1948), GENERAL CHEMICAL DIVISION (1962). NOTE REFERENCE LIST BELOW AND FOR GOSSAN MINE AND GOSSAN HOWARD MINE.

  • Production

    POOLE (1973)

  • Reserve-Resource

    GAIR, & SLACK (1978)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THICKNESS ABOVE MEASURED IN WALL; PROBABLY IN MIDDLE OF PIT, LENS WAS THICKER.
Deposit UNDERGROUND WORKINGS IN REGION KNOWN AS AND LISTED UNDER "GOSSAN MINE". MODERN DAY OPERATIONS LISTED UNDER GOSSAN HOWARD MINE. FOR REFERENCES CONSULT LISTINGS UNDER A FOREMENTIONED MINES AS WELL AS THOSE LISTED BELOW. GOSSAN LEAD INITIALLY KNOWN AS THE "NORTHERN LEAD" AND AS THE "COPPER LODE." NOTE: THIS MINE IS ERRONEOUSLY LISTED AS THE "IRON KING" MINE IN HENRY, D.K., CRAIG, J.R., AND GILBERT, M.C., 1979, ORE MINERALOGY OF THE GREAT GOSSAN LEAD, VIRGINIA: ECON. GEOL., V. 74, P. 645-656. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1979 Meintzer, Robert E. (Le Van, D.C.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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