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Damon Mound Salt Dome, Damon, Brazoria County, Texas, USAi
Regional Level Types
Damon Mound Salt DomeDome
Damon- not defined -
Brazoria CountyCounty
TexasState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
29° 16' 42'' North , 95° 45' 6'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Damon552 (2011)2.1km
Needville3,063 (2017)15.8km
Fairchilds1,027 (2017)17.2km
West Columbia3,935 (2018)18.2km
Boling1,122 (2011)18.7km
Mindat Locality ID:
30979
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:30979:1
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Damon Mound; Damon Mound oil field; Damon Mound Mine; Dresser Minerals Quarry


A salt-limestone-S-Zn-gypsum-anhydrite occurrence located at Damon on Route 36. The quarry opened in 1831, oil wells started in 1915, and Frasch sulfur mining occurred during the period 1953-1957. Operated by Dresser Minerals, Texas (1979). Owned by Dresser Industries Inc., Texas (1979). The MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 500 meters. Sour dirt, known to Native Americans and to settlers who arrived around 1831. The dome was recognized in 1901. Native S was discovered in 1916 in an oil test, followed by 14 sulfur tests. Drilled by Union Sulfur during the period 1922-1923 and by Jefferson Lake in 1932.

Mineralization is a salt dome deposit (Mineral occurrence model information: Model code: 255; USGS model code: 35a.7 (35ag); Deposit model name: Salt-dome sulfur), hosted in the Louann Limestone and salt. Local alteration includes biogenic alteration of anhydrock to limestone. The caprock outcrops. The depth to the salt is 529 feet (ca. 161 m), with a salt volume of 4.3 cubic miles to 10,000 feet (ca. 3 km) of depth. The deposit is 120 acres in areal extent. The caprock is 375 to 575 feet thick. The sulfur is hosted by gyprock and anhydrock, with little sulfur being found in the limestone. Local rocks include rocks of the Beaumont Formation, areas predominantly clay.

Local geologic structures include a piercement salt dome.

Workings include Frasch production of sulfur operations. The Damon Quarry mined limestone from 75 to 125 feet of depth, exposing 60 feet of limestone caprock.

Production data are found in Halbouty, Michel T. (1979).

Analytical data results: Limestone: 48% CaO, 7% SiO₂, 3% Al₂O₃, 0.5% Fe₂O₃, 0.27% MgO.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.


Mineral List


14 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

Anhydrite
Formula: CaSO4
References:
Aragonite
Formula: CaCO3
Baryte
Formula: BaSO4
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Habit: scalenohedra in septarian nodules and geodes; rhombohedra in the limestone and caprock
Dolomite
Formula: CaMg(CO3)2
Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
Description: clear 2-cm crystals in small aggregates
Halite
Formula: NaCl
Marcasite
Formula: FeS2
Description: oxidizes rapidly on exposure to a white to gray powdery sulfate
Melanterite
Formula: Fe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
Native Sulphur
Formula: S8
Description: small crystals and masses in the limestone caprock, also as yellow coatings where black hydrocarbon-rich shales are exposed in small gullies.
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Habit: octahedra; botryoidal coatings
Pyrrhotite
Formula: Fe1-xS
Description: Smith (1980): "The pyrrhotite nodules vary in size from 1 mm to slightly over 4 cm in diameter. The outer surface consists of platy hexagonal crystals arranged with pinacoid faces subparallel. The crystals range from less than 0.5 mm to over 5 cm in diameter and vary in color from metallic gray to bronze, but rapidly weather to a very rusty brown on exposure. Most of the nodules react weakly to a magnet. Some do not and may actually be pseudomorphs. Rarely, isolated small groups and single microcrystals occur on thin plates of massive pyrrhotite. The interior of the nodules has a somewhat foliated structure that radiates from the center. The centers of many nodules are hollow but others are filled with intergrown, clear, tabular barite crystals. Microcrystals of barite also occur in cracks. Both occurrences of barite are of secondary origin. Tiny crystals of pyrite may occur on the pyrrhotite crystals. The smaller nodules (0.5 to 1 cm in diameter) are actually flattened rosettes that occur alone or in flat aggregates. Some of the rosettes have a crude but distinct hexagonal outline. The larger nodules (1 to 4 cm in diameter) always occur alone and are rounded. These nodules may also have a crude hexagonal outline, a circular outline, or a star-shaped outline."
Siderite
Formula: FeCO3
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
Fluorescence: Deep red

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
Native Sulphur1.CC.05S8
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Pyrrhotite2.CC.10Fe1-xS
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Marcasite2.EB.10aFeS2
Group 3 - Halides
Halite3.AA.20NaCl
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Siderite5.AB.05FeCO3
Dolomite5.AB.10CaMg(CO3)2
Aragonite5.AB.15CaCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Anhydrite7.AD.30CaSO4
Baryte7.AD.35BaSO4
Melanterite7.CB.35Fe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
Gypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
H MelanteriteFe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
CCarbon
C AragoniteCaCO3
C CalciteCaCO3
C DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
C SideriteFeCO3
OOxygen
O AnhydriteCaSO4
O AragoniteCaCO3
O BaryteBaSO4
O CalciteCaCO3
O DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
O GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
O MelanteriteFe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
O SideriteFeCO3
NaSodium
Na HaliteNaCl
MgMagnesium
Mg DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
SSulfur
S AnhydriteCaSO4
S BaryteBaSO4
S GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
S MarcasiteFeS2
S MelanteriteFe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
S PyriteFeS2
S PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
S SphaleriteZnS
S Native SulphurS8
ClChlorine
Cl HaliteNaCl
CaCalcium
Ca AnhydriteCaSO4
Ca AragoniteCaCO3
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
Ca GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
FeIron
Fe MarcasiteFeS2
Fe MelanteriteFe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O
Fe PyriteFeS2
Fe PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
Fe SideriteFeCO3
ZnZinc
Zn SphaleriteZnS
BaBarium
Ba BaryteBaSO4

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10061157

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality


This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

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