Mars Hill deposit (Rev. Corn Monazite deposit), Mars Hill, Madison County, North Carolina, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mars Hill deposit (Rev. Corn Monazite deposit) | Deposit |
| Mars Hill | Hill |
| Madison County | County |
| North Carolina | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
35° 46' 59'' North , 82° 34' 59'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mars Hill | 2,256 (2017) | 5.7km |
| Marshall | 876 (2017) | 9.2km |
| Weaverville | 3,936 (2017) | 9.8km |
| Woodfin | 6,349 (2017) | 16.7km |
| Asheville | 88,512 (2017) | 20.4km |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association (MAGMA) | Asheville, North Carolina | 20km |
| Southern Appalachian Mineral Society | Asheville, North Carolina | 20km |
A former REE (monazite) mine located about 4 miles SW of Mars Hill, about 4,900 feet S of Bull Creek school. Discovered in 1891 (first mentioned by Genth).
Mineralization is a pegmatite hosted in biotite granitic gneiss (Unit 1) (Craneberry Granite). The ore body is irregular in form at a thickness of 4.57 meters and a length of 30.48 meters. The pegmatite is roughly concordant to the layered biotite-granitic gneisses.
Workings in clude surface and underground openings over an area of 0.016 hectares and achieved an overall depth of 13.72 meters, a length of 22.86 meters and an ovetrall width of 7.62 meters. There is one vertical shaft, now completely filled. There are several exploration pits and dumps in the vicinity of the shaft.
Analytical data results: From Overstreet (1967): RE2O3: 63.29%, ThO2: 6.55%, U3O8: 0.036%, P2O5: 23.44%, SiO2: 2.03%, Al2O3: 1.64%, Fe2O3: 1.74%, CaO: 0.80%, MgO: 0.15%, Pb: 0.179%, MnO: 0.16%, H2O: 0.28%, H2O+: 1.22%, insoluble residue: 0.40%, total: 101.91%.
Schaller performed mineralogical work on the largest crystal of monazite found here (31.5 x 26 x 18.5 cm). This was possibly the largest monazite crystal in the world.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ 'Biotite' Formula: K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ Ilmenite Formula: Fe2+TiO3 |
| ⓘ 'K Feldspar' |
| ⓘ Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 References: |
| ⓘ Monazite-(Ce) Formula: Ce(PO4) |
| ⓘ 'Monazite Group' Formula: REE(PO4) Habit: Crystals to 18.5cm |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Zircon Formula: Zr(SiO4) |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ | Ilmenite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2+TiO3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Monazite-(Ce) | 8.AD.50 | Ce(PO4) |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Zircon | 9.AD.30 | Zr(SiO4) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Biotite' | - | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ | 'Monazite Group' | - | REE(PO4) |
| ⓘ | 'K Feldspar' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| O | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| O | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Monazite Group | REE(PO4) |
| O | ⓘ Monazite-(Ce) | Ce(PO4) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Monazite Group | REE(PO4) |
| P | ⓘ Monazite-(Ce) | Ce(PO4) |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| Ti | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Ti | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| Zr | Zirconium | |
| Zr | ⓘ Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| Ce | Cerium | |
| Ce | ⓘ Monazite-(Ce) | Ce(PO4) |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10026480 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Great Smoky Mountains Rift BasinBasin
- Laurentides DomainPassive Margin
USA
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References
Genth, Frederick Augustus (1891) The minerals of North Carolina. Bulletin 74. US Geological Survey doi:10.3133/b74
Schaller, Waldemar T. (1933) A large monazite crystal from North Carolina. American Mineralogist, 18 (10) 435-439
Mars Hill deposit, Mars Hill, Madison County, North Carolina, USA