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Burra Burra Mine

Past Producer in Polk county in Tennessee, United States with commodities Copper, Gold, Iron, Lead, Silver, Sulfur, Zinc
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Mineral rights holdings
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10251584
MRDS ID W022860
MAS/MILS ID 0471390007
Record type Site
Current site name Burra Burra Mine
Alternate or previous names Tennessee Copper Company, Copperhill Operations

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -84.37932, 35.03511 (WGS84)
Elevation 547
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position 2000 FT. NORTH 10 DEG. EAST OF THE U.S. RT. 64 - TN. RT. 68 INTERCHANGE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Polk(county)

Tennessee(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ducktown(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cleveland(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chattanooga(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Ocoee(hydrologic unit)

Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee(hydrologic accounting unit)

Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee(hydrologic subregion)

Tennessee(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Tennessee Polk

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Tertiary
Gold Tertiary
Iron Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Sulfur Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE BURRA ORE BODY CONTAINED ABOUT 57 % SULFIDES. IT AVERAGED 1.6 % CU.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Actinolite Unknown
Galena Unknown
Gold Unknown
Hornblende Unknown
Silver Unknown
Tremolite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Zones Of Bleached Sericite Schist

Mineral occurrence model information

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

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -84.37932, 35.03511
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name Nw Limb Of The Burra Anticline
Type of structure Local
Structure name Local Folds Plunging 45 To 65 Deg. Ne

Ore body information

  • Strike N30E
    Dip 60E
    Thickness 7M
    Length 760M
    Width 1000M
    Area 10HA
    Depth to top 500M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 SHEAR ZONE
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Shape of Orebody #3 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control FOLDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 SERICITIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 OTHER
    Strike And Dip N30E:60E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 10
    Date of Last Modification 830718
  • General form LENTICULAR, TABULAR
    Plunge 70 DEG SE
    Length 1036.32M
    Depth to bottom 731.52M

Comments on the geologic information

  • GENERAL METAMORPHIC ROCK TYPE CONSISTS OF INTERBEDDED METAMORPHOSED GRAYWACKE & GRAYWACKE CONGLOMERATE, AND MICA SCHIST. ADDITIONAL WALLROCK ALTERATION IS RETROGRADE METAMORPHISM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1843
Year of first production 1901

Mining district

District name Ducktown District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Fee Ownership

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Tennessee Chemical Corp
    Interest 100
    Home office Georgia
    Year 1982
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cities Service Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Copperhill, Tenn., 37317
    Year 1977

Comments on the ownership information

  • THIS DEPOSIT OWNED BY TENNESSEE COPPER COMPANY FROM 1899 TO 1963. IT WAS THEN SOLD ALONG WITH THE OTHER COPPERHILL OPERATIONS TO THE CITY SERVICE COMPANY FOR 19 YEARS, UNTIL THE PRESENT OWNER PURCHASED THE COPPERHILL OPERATIONS. TENNESSEE CHEMICAL CORP. ADDRESS: 3475 LENOX RD N.E, SUITE 670, ATLANTA, GA 30326 TENNESSEE CHEMICAL PURCHASED ALL PROPERTIES IN THE COPPERHILL DISTRICT FROM CITIES SERVICE CORP IN SEPT 1982 FOR AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT.

Production statistics

  • Year 1958
    Period 1843 - 1958
    Material Ore
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Tertiary Ore Copper Copper 2wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • The Burra Burra shaft was sunk in 1899, and actual mining began in 1901. Production continued until July 1958, by which time 15,636,000 tons of ore had been removed from approximately 19,090,000 tons in place. Of this, 511,122,200 pounds was copper; 2,080,060 tons was iron (since recovery began in 1925); 196,825,000 pounds was zinc (since recovery began in 1927); and 3,485,350 tons was sulfur (since recovery began in 1907).
  • THE BURRA ORE BODY WAS MINED OUT IN 1958, EXCEPT FOR THE ORE IN THE MINE PILLARS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1968
    Indicated 3100000mt ore
    Demonstrated 3100000mt ore
    Total resources 3100000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Zinc Zn 1.2 wt-pct Zinc Trace 1968
    Copper Cu 1.6 wt-pct Copper Trace 1968

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES REMAIN IN SUPPORT PILLARS AND ARE HIGHLY UNECONOMIC TO RECOVER.

Comments on development

  • EXPLORATION BETWEEN THIS AND THE LONDON ORE BODY DETECTED THE SAME WALL ROCKS, BUT NO SULFIDE MINERALIZATION OR ASSOCIATED GANGUE MINERALIZATION ( MAGEE, 1968, P. 231 ).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    MAGEE, 1968, P. 228

  • Deposit

    BEALL, J. W., 1973, COPPER IN THE U. S. -- A POSITION SURVEY
    MINING ENGINEERING: SOC. MINING ENGINEERS, V. 25, NO. 4, P.

  • Reserve-Resource

    MAGEE, MAURICE, 1968, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE
    DUCKTOWN DISTRICT, TENNESSEE IN ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED
    STATES, 1933-1967; AM. INST. MINING, METALL., AND PETROLEUM
    ENGINEERS, V. 1, P. 207-241.

  • Deposit

    EMMONS, W. H., AND LANEY, F. B., 1926, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSIT
    THE DUCKTOWN MINING DISTRICT, TENNESSEE: U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
    PAPER 139, PP. 30-32 & 84-85.

  • Deposit

    MAGEE, MAURICE, 1968, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE DUCKTOWN
    DISTRICT, TENNESSEE IN ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1967:
    AM. INST. MINING, METALL., AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERS, V.
    P. 207-241.

  • Deposit

    MAHER, S. W., 1966, THE COPPER-SULFURIC ACID INDUSTRY IN TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY INF. CIRC. 14, 28 P.

  • Deposit

    ROSS, C. S., 1935, ORIGIN OF THE COPPER DEPOSITS OF THE DUCKTOWN
    TYPE IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION: U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
    PAPER 179, PP. 94-97.

  • Deposit

    SAFFORD, J. M., 1869, GEOLOGY OF TENNESSEE: NASHVILLE,
    S. J. MERCER, P. 470-482.

  • Deposit

    TENNESSEE COPPER COMPANY DIVISION, 1966, THE TCC STORY: COPPERHILL TENN., 3RD ED., PP. 6, 11 & 13.

  • Deposit

    TENNESSEE COPPER COMPANY, JUNE 1958, TOPICS: V. 7, NOS. 3 AN

  • Deposit

    CAMMAROTA, V. A. ET. AL. TRIP REPORT TO TENNESSEE ZINC MINE
    BUMINES MEMORANDUM, JANUARY 8, 1976, P. 3.

  • Deposit

    1968 DIREXPL MAGEE, IN GRATON-SALES VOLUME

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONTRACT NO. G0166176 ENTERED 1977/REVISED BY T Q LYDAY 1977 IRON OCCURS AS IRON SULFIDE AND MAGNETITE. SULFUR OCCURS IN SULFIDE MINERALS. DATABASE AND FILE UPDATED DURING MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, FY 1983. ORIGINAL EVALUATION IN 1977. THE DEPOSIT REVIEWED 11/78. PROPERTY UPDATED SEP 1987
Deposit THIS ORE BODY EXTENDS 3600 FEET DOWN DIP ON THE NW FLANK OF THE BURRA ANTICLINE. IT IS GENERALLY CONFORMABLE WITH THE HANGING WALL, BUT LOCALLY CUTS ACROSS THE FOOTWALL AS MUCH AS 15 DEGREES. FOLDING LOCALLY THICKENED THE ORE ZONE TO 200 FEET.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 02-SEP-87 Hartos U.S. Bureau of Mines
Reporter 01-JAN-75 U.S. Bureau Of Mines U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 01-SEP-78 Geraci, Philip J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 18-AUG-09 Illo, Diane R. Contractor

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site