Lambert's Mine (Maltby Lakes Mine), West Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Lambert's Mine (Maltby Lakes Mine) | Group of Mines |
| West Haven | City |
| New Haven County | County |
| Connecticut | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 18' 22'' North , 72° 58' 57'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Mines
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| New Haven | 130,322 (2017) | 4.6km |
| Orange | 13,956 (2017) | 4.7km |
| West Haven | 54,927 (2017) | 5.0km |
| Woodbridge | 9,355 (2017) | 5.6km |
| Woodmont | 1,505 (2017) | 8.7km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| New Haven Mineral Club | New Haven, Connecticut | 5km |
| Lapidary and Mineral Society of Central Connecticut | Meriden, Connecticut | 30km |
| Danbury Mineralogical Society | Danbury, Connecticut | 41km |
| Bristol Gem & Mineral Club | Bristol, Connecticut | 41km |
A state-wide map by Pearre (1957) showing old mines and quarries marks the Maltby Lakes mine, but the resolution at its scale is poor. The shafts and prospects are shown a geologic map of the Maltby Lakes in Deasy at al (2015), which maps a hard chlorite-rich epidote-amphibole mylonite around the mines and prospects. This rock and massive milky quartz are abundant in the dumps. Traces of goethite and malachite are present. The locality has never made it into any of the rock hound collecting guides probably because the very small scale workings found little of consequence. Various 19th century references discuss these mines.
Lambert's History of the Colony of New Haven:
Shepard (1837) says:
The mention of "silver" is typical of galena deposits in the state and does not denote native silver, but potentially (more typically wishfully) argentiferous galena. The location is obscure, but the "old country road" is likely today's state Route 34 (Derby Turnpike) and the "central part of town" at that time was much farther east than at present because West Haven was part of Orange until 1921. (Orange was formed from North Milford and West Haven parish of New Haven in 1822). Thus it may in fact be the same place just west of the Maltby Lakes mentioned by Schairer (1931) and described by Harte (1945), though the dates do not quite match:
Dana (1891) mentions 3 places, though it is difficult to understand the geography with all the discussion of various paths so they have been numbered here:
He mentions that in 1840 no gold was found in a test of a 40-pound sample from location 3.
Location 1 is a small prospect at 41.305865 -72.982409. Location 2 is the major group of shafts and pits at the coordinates for this mindat page. A series of small shafts and scratch pits following a generally E-W trending quartz vein for a couple of hundred meters. Location 3 is a cluster of small pits at 41.301181 -72.983691, although this is situated south of state Route 34 (the Derby road). If it was north of Route 34 it may have been obliterated by widening of that highway as there is little space between it and the south shore of the western lake.
Lambert's History of the Colony of New Haven:
In this parish, about twenty years ago (1818), a deposit of galena and silver was found on land now owned by Mr. John Lambert, lying on the old country road. It was discovered by David Lambert, the father of the present owner, by digging in a fox burrow. He obtained a considerable quantity of ore, but having a large farm which required his attention, he did not long continue to work it.
Shepard (1837) says:
...an ochre, rarely embracing portions of undecomposed [pyrite] ore, occurred disseminated through a quartz vein several feet in width, in the central part of the town at Lambert's mine....
Near a place called Lambert's mine, where a surface-accumulation of galena was discovered many years ago, a quartz-vein containing [pyrite], nearly a foot in width, has been worked down to a depth of ten or fifteen feet. Iron-pyrites [pyrite], as was the most abundant ore present, but the yellow copper-pyrites [chalcopyrite] evidently improved as the workings continued. With it were associated variegated copper [bornite], and faint arborizations of native copper. The rock through which the vein cuts is a hard, chloritic trap. The explorations at this place however, are for the present suspended...
Near a place called Lambert's mine, where a surface-accumulation of galena was discovered many years ago, a quartz-vein containing [pyrite], nearly a foot in width, has been worked down to a depth of ten or fifteen feet. Iron-pyrites [pyrite], as was the most abundant ore present, but the yellow copper-pyrites [chalcopyrite] evidently improved as the workings continued. With it were associated variegated copper [bornite], and faint arborizations of native copper. The rock through which the vein cuts is a hard, chloritic trap. The explorations at this place however, are for the present suspended...
The mention of "silver" is typical of galena deposits in the state and does not denote native silver, but potentially (more typically wishfully) argentiferous galena. The location is obscure, but the "old country road" is likely today's state Route 34 (Derby Turnpike) and the "central part of town" at that time was much farther east than at present because West Haven was part of Orange until 1921. (Orange was formed from North Milford and West Haven parish of New Haven in 1822). Thus it may in fact be the same place just west of the Maltby Lakes mentioned by Schairer (1931) and described by Harte (1945), though the dates do not quite match:
Schairer’s Maltby Lakes mine is said to have been operated by an Englishman prior to the Revolutionary War, but being suspected of Tory leanings he was jailed by the Committee of Safety. In 1807 Dr. Eneas Munson took a group of Yale students - Professor Silliman’s class in geology - to study it, and from time to time unavailing efforts were made to lease or purchase the property, until 1852, when it was leased to Nelson H. Gaston of New Haven. Six years later the lease was taken over by “The Orange Copper Mining Company,” with an authorized capital of $50,000 in 2,000 shares of $25.00 each. It is said that several “experts” analysed the ore and made the traditional favorable reports, and $1,500 was spent on tools, buildings and labor, but as with practically all of Connecticut’s mining ventures, other than the capitalization and that the “experts” are said to have made glowing reports, very little is known other than it soon joined the rest of the failures.
Dana (1891) mentions 3 places, though it is difficult to understand the geography with all the discussion of various paths so they have been numbered here:
Passing the causeway south of the northern lake a place may be seen north of the path, shortly before reaching the north-and-south path above mentioned, where a quartz vein was mined for copper ore [1]. The expectant miner - it was soon after the California fever broke out - got nothing except a few flattering specks of ore. A few rods north of the north-and-south path, a branch path goes eastward up to one of Mr. Maltby's lookouts. On the north side of the path near the top, there is another old mine in a quartz vein, and here two shafts were sunk 10 or 12 feet and much quartz thrown out [2], and, it is reported, that one piece of ore as large as the hand was obtained. The ore is the yellow chalcopyrite - of a gold-yellow color. Small pieces are now often found in the broken quartz, especially in the rusted pieces; and besides the chalcopyrite, traces of malachite and azurite are met with and some pyrite. Pure chlorite is found in cavities in the quartz, as in other quartz veins of the park.
On the south shore of the western lake, between it and the Derby road, there is another spot which was once worked for copper [3]. In the many fragments of quartz about the spot, traces of copper ore, and also of the common lead ore, galena, are occasionally found.
On the south shore of the western lake, between it and the Derby road, there is another spot which was once worked for copper [3]. In the many fragments of quartz about the spot, traces of copper ore, and also of the common lead ore, galena, are occasionally found.
He mentions that in 1840 no gold was found in a test of a 40-pound sample from location 3.
Location 1 is a small prospect at 41.305865 -72.982409. Location 2 is the major group of shafts and pits at the coordinates for this mindat page. A series of small shafts and scratch pits following a generally E-W trending quartz vein for a couple of hundred meters. Location 3 is a cluster of small pits at 41.301181 -72.983691, although this is situated south of state Route 34 (the Derby road). If it was north of Route 34 it may have been obliterated by widening of that highway as there is little space between it and the south shore of the western lake.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Bornite Formula: Cu5FeS4 |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 References: |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS |
| ⓘ Goethite Formula: Fe3+O(OH) References: |
| ⓘ Malachite Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Native Copper Formula: Cu |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Description: forms the vein matrix |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Copper | 1.AA.05 | Cu |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Bornite | 2.BA.15 | Cu5FeS4 |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Goethite | 4.00. | Fe3+O(OH) |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Bornite | Cu5FeS4 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Native Copper | Cu |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Ganderia DomainDomain
- GranderiaPassive Margin
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Lambert's Mine, West Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA