1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Cooper Magnetite Mine

Past Producer in Avery county in North Carolina, United States with commodity Iron
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10026379
MRDS ID K004786
Record type Site
Current site name Cooper Magnetite Mine
Related records 10127280

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -81.98651, 36.14592 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 MILE SSW OF CENTER OF ELK PARK
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States North Carolina Avery

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Magnetite Ore
Epidote Gangue
Hornblende Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss
    Rock unit name Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Rock description Cranberry Granite; Complex Of Intertonguing Rock Types Including Migmatite, Granitic Gneisses, Monzonite, Quartz Diorite, Greenstone, Mica And Hornblende Schists, Abundant Granitic Pegmatite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Gneiss

Nearby scientific data

(1) -81.98651, 36.14592
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional Northwesterly
Local Granite Becomes Less Platy And Interfoliated Gneisses Become Less Abundant As Distance From Vein Increases.

Ore body information

  • General form LINEAR, PINCH AND SWELL, LENS
    Strike NW
    Dip 33 S
    Thickness 3.05M

Comments on the geologic information

  • NITZE (1893) DESCRIBED THE DEPOSIT AS "...A BODY OF ORE, AND MIXED ORE AND GANGUE VARYING IN THICKNESS, AS VISIBLE AT PRESENT NEAR THE OUTCROP, FROM 5 TO 10 FEET, WITH A DIP OF ABOUT 33 DEGREES SOUTHWEST..." THE ORE IS DESCRIBED AS RESEMBLING "...THAT OF THE CRANBERRY MINE IN EVERY PARTICULAR."

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1884
Discovery method Ore-Mineral In Place
Year of first production 1884

Mining district

District name Cranberry Magnetite District

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 12.19M

Comments on the workings information

  • BAYLEY (1923) NOTES THAT THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF MINING WAS SEVERAL LARGE DEPRESSIONS REPRESENTING THE OLD CUTS. NITZE (1893) STATED THAT THE WORKINGS INCLUDED A 40 - FOOT SHAFT, A CUT, AND A 15 - FOOT ADIT.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: THE MAGNETITE IS EASILY SEPARATED FROM GANGUE AND IS EXCEPTIONALLY LOW IN PHOSPHOROUS, TITANIUM, AND SULFUR.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS K004786

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STUCKEY, J. L., 1965, NORTH CAROLINA: ITS GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES: RALEIGH, N. C., NORTH CAROLINA DEPT. CONSERV. AND DEVEL., 550 P.

  • Deposit

    BAYLEY, W. S., 1923, THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: TENNESSEE DIV. GEOLOGY BULL. 29, 252 P.

  • Deposit

    KLINE, M. H., AND BALLARD, T. J., 1948, CRANBERRY MAGNETITE DEPOSITS, AVERY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND CARTER COUNTY, TENNESSEE: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. RI 4274, 85 P.

  • Deposit

    NITZE, H.B.C., 1893, IRON ORES OF NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. NO. 1, 239 P.

  • Deposit

    1893 OTHER NITZE, H. B. C., N. C. GEOL. SUR. BULL. 1

  • Deposit

    1923 OTHER BAYLEY, W. S., TENN. DIV. GEOL. BULL. 29

  • Deposit

    GOLDICH, S. S., AND WEDOW, HELMUTH, JR., 1943, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MAGNETIC IRON ORES OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN - FILE REPORT.

  • Deposit

    1965 COMPILE STUCKEY, J. L., N. C. DEPT. CONS. & DEVEL.

  • Deposit

    1966 COMPILE BRYANT AND REED, GEOL. SURV. CIR. 521

  • Production

    NITZE, 1893, P. 180.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ACCORDING TO BAYLEY (1923), "THE VEINS IN WHICH THE ORE OCCURS COMPRISE MORE OR LESS BANDED MIXTURES OF PEGMATITE, EPIDOTIC GNEISSES, HORNBLENDE SCHISTS AND LENTICULAR MASSES OF A MIXTURE OF HORNBLENDE AND MAGNETITE, IN PLACES CUT BY SMALL VEINS OF MAGNETITE."

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1975 Hale, Robin C. U.S. Geological Survey