Etta Spodumene Mine

The Etta Spodumene Mine is a feldspar, mica, lithium, and tin mine located in Pennington county, South Dakota at an elevation of 4,560 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Etta Spodumene Mine
Secondary: Etta Claim and Ferguson Claim

Commodity

Primary: Feldspar
Primary: Mica
Primary: Lithium
Primary: Tin
Secondary: Beryllium
Secondary: Tantalum
Tertiary: Tungsten

Location

State: South Dakota
County: Pennington
District: Keystone District

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Administrative Organization: Black Hills National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Clifford And Cordes

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1898
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Interior Plains
Physiographic Province: Great Plains Province
Physiographic Section: Black Hills

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: PIPELIKE, ELLIPTICAL

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Pegmatite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Wolframite
Ore: Plagioclase
Ore: Muscovite
Ore: Beryl
Ore: Cassiterite
Ore: Spodumene
Ore: Albite
Gangue: Uraninite
Gangue: Torbernite
Gangue: Chalcocite
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Eucryptite
Gangue: Lazulite
Gangue: Olivenite
Gangue: Petalite
Gangue: Gold
Gangue: Sphalerite
Gangue: Rutile
Gangue: Biotite
Gangue: Malachite
Gangue: Molybdenite
Gangue: Galena
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Stannite
Gangue: Diopside
Gangue: Vivianite
Gangue: Corundum
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Opal
Gangue: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Bismuth

Comments

Comment (Workings): OPEN CUT, GLORY HOLE, UNDERGROUND

Comment (Geology): THE CORE IS MADE OF AN EXTREMELY COARSE MIXTURE OF QUARTZ, MICROCLINE, AND SPODUMENE, COLUMBITE-TANTALITE SPECIMENS ARE AMONG THE FINEST IN THE WORLD.

Comment (Location): SW 1/4, NW 1/4, NW 1/4, NW 1/4

Comment (Production): OVER 1,000 TONS OF FELDSPAR WERE PRODUCED IN 1962.

Comment (Development): 2 PATENTED LODE CLAIMS

Comment (Deposit): 3 ZONES, GIANT CRYSTALS THROUGHOUT THE PEGMATITE

References

Reference (Production): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1955, BLACK HILLS MINERAL ATLAS, SOUTH DAKOTA: PART 2, BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7707 / SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS REPORT 10

Reference (Deposit): SCHWARTZ, G.M., 1925, GEOLOGY OF THE ETTA SPODUMENE MINE, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 20, PP. 646-659

Reference (Deposit): FISHER, D.J., 1945, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MINERALOGY OF SOME PEGMATITES NEAR CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 50

Reference (Deposit): ROBERTS W.L., AND RAPP, GEORGE, 1965, MINERALOGY OF THE BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY BULLETIN 18 / U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, U.S.BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, AND SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1975, MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 16 / BIENIEWSKI, C.L., AND AGNEW, A.F., 1964, THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1962, SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS REPORT 10

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1955, BLACK HILLS MINERAL ATLAS, SOUTH DAKOTA: PART 2, BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7707

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.