Denton Mine, Harris Creek Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Denton Mine | Mine |
| Harris Creek Mining Sub-District | Subdistrict |
| Hardin County | County |
| Illinois | State |
| USA | Country |
Denton Mine, Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, USA
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 34' 15'' North , 88° 13' 12'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cave-in-Rock | 318 (2011) | 12.3km |
| Elizabethtown | 287 (2017) | 15.8km |
| Old Shawneetown | 178 (2017) | 15.8km |
| Shawneetown | 1,164 (2017) | 16.1km |
| Junction | 122 (2017) | 17.0km |
The Denton Mine a former Ba(baryte)-fluorspar-Pb-Zn-Ag mine, operated by the Ozark-Mahoning Company between late 1979 and 1993. Although the Denton Mine had 7 shafts (Denny and Seid, 2014) the main shaft was located in sec. 9, T11S, R9E, SW¼, approximately 6.5 miles north of the town of Cave-in-Rock (Samson and Masters, 1990, Denny et al., 2013). Local rocks at the mine include the Lower Chesterian (Glen Dean – Renault) Series.
The main ore body of the Denton Mine has a depth-to-top of 191 meters and is a typical tabular replacement/ bedding replacement/stratiform deposit (Lillie, 1988, Goldstein, 1997) and shows similarities to the ore in the Cave-in-Rock Sub-district. According to Denny et al. (2013, p. 8) the ore followed northeast-southwest fractures and extended to the southwest into sec. 17, NE ¼. Like other similar deposits near the Denton Mine, the primary mode of origin of the minerals was hydrothermal activity and lead, zinc and silver were by-products of fluorspar mining here.
The ore and specimens from the Denton Mine are mainly from the Rosiclare Level and the Sub-Rosiclare Level, but some mineralization did occur at the Bethel Level as well (Denny et al., 2013). Like other mines in the district, the primary method of extraction of the ore was room and pillar. Production statistics for 1983 was 43,660 metric tons of ore; 1984 was 42,407 metric tons of ore; 1985 was 54,312 metric tons of ore and in 1986 was 60,343 metric tons of ore.
One of the more notable finds of the Denton Mine included the Bahama Ore Body, which was discovered by drilling cross sections of diamond drill holes at near right angles to the main Denton Mine trend. The Bahama Ore Body was relatively small and narrow, but rich enough to warrant driving a drift. The Bahama Ore Body was affectionately named because it was south of the main trend and according to Ross Lillie “on its way to the Bahamas”. The ore discovered here was mined both in the Rosiclare and Sub-Rosiclare Horizons (Lillie, 2010).
One of the hallmarks of the Bahama Ore Body were beautiful deep golden calcite crystals showing a wonderful glassy luster. Single crystals of 30 cm were found in cavities that measured up to 8 meters in length. Specimens from the Bahama Ore Body were mined between 1991 – 1993 (Lillie, 2010). Purple fluorite cubes were also found here.
Along with the Minerva #1 (Ozark-Mahoning #1) mine and the Annabel Lee mines, the Denton was among the most productive fluorspar mines during the last phase of mining in the Southern Illinois Fluorspar District in the 1980s and 1990s. Along with the nearby Annabel Lee Mine, it is considered part of Harris Creek District.
The main ore body of the Denton Mine has a depth-to-top of 191 meters and is a typical tabular replacement/ bedding replacement/stratiform deposit (Lillie, 1988, Goldstein, 1997) and shows similarities to the ore in the Cave-in-Rock Sub-district. According to Denny et al. (2013, p. 8) the ore followed northeast-southwest fractures and extended to the southwest into sec. 17, NE ¼. Like other similar deposits near the Denton Mine, the primary mode of origin of the minerals was hydrothermal activity and lead, zinc and silver were by-products of fluorspar mining here.
The ore and specimens from the Denton Mine are mainly from the Rosiclare Level and the Sub-Rosiclare Level, but some mineralization did occur at the Bethel Level as well (Denny et al., 2013). Like other mines in the district, the primary method of extraction of the ore was room and pillar. Production statistics for 1983 was 43,660 metric tons of ore; 1984 was 42,407 metric tons of ore; 1985 was 54,312 metric tons of ore and in 1986 was 60,343 metric tons of ore.
One of the more notable finds of the Denton Mine included the Bahama Ore Body, which was discovered by drilling cross sections of diamond drill holes at near right angles to the main Denton Mine trend. The Bahama Ore Body was relatively small and narrow, but rich enough to warrant driving a drift. The Bahama Ore Body was affectionately named because it was south of the main trend and according to Ross Lillie “on its way to the Bahamas”. The ore discovered here was mined both in the Rosiclare and Sub-Rosiclare Horizons (Lillie, 2010).
One of the hallmarks of the Bahama Ore Body were beautiful deep golden calcite crystals showing a wonderful glassy luster. Single crystals of 30 cm were found in cavities that measured up to 8 meters in length. Specimens from the Bahama Ore Body were mined between 1991 – 1993 (Lillie, 2010). Purple fluorite cubes were also found here.
Along with the Minerva #1 (Ozark-Mahoning #1) mine and the Annabel Lee mines, the Denton was among the most productive fluorspar mines during the last phase of mining in the Southern Illinois Fluorspar District in the 1980s and 1990s. Along with the nearby Annabel Lee Mine, it is considered part of Harris Creek District.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Baryte Formula: BaSO4 References: |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ✪ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
| ⓘ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| C | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10082972 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Granite-Rhyolite ProvinceMagmatic Province
- Illinois BasinBasin
- Shawnee DomainDomain
USA
- Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar DistrictMining District
- Rough Creek GrabenBasin
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References
Bradbury, J. C., Finger, G. C., Major, R. L. (1968) Fluorspar in Illinois. Circular 420. Illinois State Geological Survey p.64
Lillie, Ross C. (1988) Minerals of the: Harris Creek Fluorspar District, Hardin County, Illinois. Rocks & Minerals, 63 (3). 210-226 doi:10.1080/00357529.1988.11761839
Lasmanis, Raymond (1989) Galena: From Mississippi Valley-Type Deposits. Rocks & Minerals, 64 (1) 11-34 doi:10.1080/00357529.1989.11761726
Spry, Paul G., Koellner, Mark S., Richardson, Catherine K., Jones, Henry D. (1990) Thermochemical changes in the ore fluid during deposition at the Denton Mine, Cave-in-Rock fluorspar district, Illinois. Economic Geology, 85 (1) 172-181 doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.85.1.172
Denton Mine, Harris Creek Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USA