Tip Top Lode

The Tip Top Lode is a beryllium, feldspar, mica, and lithium mine located in Custer county, South Dakota at an elevation of 5,400 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: Tip Top Lode

Commodity

Primary: Beryllium
Primary: Feldspar
Primary: Mica
Primary: Lithium

Location

State: South Dakota
County: Custer
District: Custer 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

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: W. Nevin

Owner Name: International Minerals And Chemical Corp.

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1880
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: CRESCENT-SHAPED DIKE

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

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

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Lithiophilite
Ore: Muscovite
Ore: Microcline
Ore: Beryl
Gangue: Amblygonite
Gangue: Apatite
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Purpurite
Gangue: Albite

Comments

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

Comment (Production): ITEMS 1 AND 2 PRODUCED MORE THAN 1000 LTU.

Comment (Development): ONE UNPATENTED CLAIM

Comment (Workings): 40 FT DEEP. TWO OTHER OPENCUTS 50 FT APART THAT ARE 35 FT LONG AND 15 FT DEEP. ONE SHAFT.

References

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

Reference (Deposit): FISHER, D.J., 1942, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON SOME PEGMATITES OF THE CUSTER DISTRICT, SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 44

Reference (Deposit): 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): BIENIEWSKI, C.L., AND MCGREGOR, D.J., 1965, THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1963, SOUTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS REPORT 11

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 MINERAL REPORTS 10 AND 11.

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.