WorldWide Drilling Resource

57 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JULY 2013 " ; # 511-,(2 0) 20'5&43 %9 4+(3( ,/( $/5)$&452(23 ; 08 029'0/ # ! : : $8 $,- 3$-(3 *,6(/3,/4(2/$4,0/$- &0. "(% ,4( 777 *,6(/3,/4(2/$4,0/$- &0. Mining in the USA Part 14 Compiled by Bonnie Love, Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® This month we explore the mining activities of North Virginia. Never heard of North Virginia? Well you aren’t alone, but while I was researching the history of mining in New Hampshire, I discovered it was once called North Virginia. New Hampshire was the 9 th of the original 13 colonies to join the United States in 1788. Mica was first discovered in New Hampshire in 1803 in Grafton, by Sam Ruggles. Mica mining flourished in the 1800s when it was used to make many glass items such as windows and lamps. By the 1900s, mica was used as an electrical insulator. The Ruggles Mine changed hands sever- al times, it is the oldest and largest mine of its kind in the U.S. It is part of the Littleton Formation and rich in mineral formations. Over 150 minerals such as mica, feldspar, beryl, and urani- um were mined at Ruggles for 175 years. The RugglesMine closed in the 1960s and later reopened to explorers interest- ed in visiting. Today, the historic mine is a popular tourist attraction where visitors are allowed to collect exposed minerals and visit the mine’s gift shop featuring the mine’s gemstones. Additionally, gold was discovered in Lyman in 1864. Despite several efforts, no large deposits were ever discovered. However, gold panning and dredging has been done in New Hampshire for over 300 years. New Hampshire is a gem hunter’s dream come true as it is home to numer- ous deposits of amethyst, aquamarine, quartz (rose, smoky, and white), garnet, topaz, and several other gemstones. Currently, in addition to gemstones, gravel, crushed, and dimension stone is mined in the state. The 3 rd of the original 13 colonies to join the United States was New Jersey in 1787. Since New Jersey is home to one of the oldest mines in the U.S., Sterling Hill, it should be no sur- prise a great deal of the U.S. mining laws were forged in the area. In 1730, Sterling Hill was believed to be a copper tract; however, the owners soon discovered the area was home to a large zinc deposit. By the early 1800s, the south end of the Sterling Hill deposit was mined for iron New Hampshire New Jersey Bon Ami owned and operated the Ruggles mine from 1932-1959, mining feldspar for their cleaning prod- ucts. ore. After more than 138 years of con- tinuous production, the Sterling Mine closed in 1986. It was the last operat- ing underground mine in New Jersey. Together with the nearby Franklin ore body, more than 350 different mineral species (28 of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world) were discov- ered, making Sterling Hill one of the world’s best mineral locations. Today, in addition to stone and grav- el, New Jersey mines zircon concentrates which is mainly used in ceramics. Look for more in our next issue!