Doan's Lead Mine (New Britain Mine), New Galena, New Britain Township, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania, USA
Latitude: 40°19'44"N
Longitude: 75°11'8"W
Old Lead mine where the mineral deposit occurred as dolomite-rich fracture fillings in Triassic shales and argillites of the lower Lockatong Formation. Located on the North Branch Neshaminy Creek, about 3½ mile NW of Doylestown, featuring multiple openings on both sides of the creek (abandoned).
Smith, (1977, Figure 84) divided up the mining and exploration at New Galena into three mineralogically and historically distinct sectors relative to the intersection of Old Limekiln Road and North Branch Neshamminy Creek: NE Quadrant, SE Quadrant, and SW Quadrant. Coordinates below for SE Quadrant.
Galena from this deposit is both auriferous and argentiferous. The assay for Gold in Galena, conducted in the latter part of the 19th Century, showed the presence of 2¼ grains per ton (0.0026 troy oz.), then valued at about $0.10 (current value aprox. $1.88* - $1.75** per ton). The speck of Gold which was extracted from the five ounces of Galena in this assay was placed on exhibit in the cabinet of the U. S. Mint in Philadelphia. F. A. Genth's assays for Silver from Galena, also conducted in the latter part of the 19th Century, yielded 10 to 15 oz. per ton.
The presence of a small amount of gold shouldn’t be surprising because the sedimentary country rock hosting the ore deposit was organic-rich. Gold is usually leached and transported as a bisulphide complex, Au(HS)- . Bisulphide requires a moderately reducing, neutral to mildly alkaline environment, conditions that would be expected in the Lockatong formation.
NOTE: The recovery of Gold in Pennsylvania is fairly rare. The economic impact of gold recovery at New Britain was in essence, negligible. The undue level of attention payed to the auriferous nature of the Galena deposits at this mine is more likely due to the overall rarity of gold recovery in the state (and possibly even represents the encouragements of the 2nd Geological Survey of 1875 to bolster hopes of possible future gold recovery within it's borders [postulation, MRH]).
*Value approximated by using estimated value of gold per oz., averaged over period 1994 to 2004. (Ref. National Mining association.org)
**Value approximated by using estimated value of U.S. Dollar, comparing year 1875 to 2005, using the Consumer Price Index (Ref. EH.net comparison tool)
Mineral List
20 entries listed. 17 valid minerals.
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References
Genth, F.A. (1875), Mineralogy of Pennsylvania: pp. B.3, 4.B.
Gordon, Samuel S. (1922), Mineralogy of Pennsylvania: 163.
Lawler, J. P. (1981) Fluid inclusion evidence for Ore-forming Solutions: Phoenixville, Audubon, and New Galena Mine Areas, PA, unpublished M. A. thesis, Bryn Mawr College, 74 p.
Smith, II R. C. II, (1977) New Galena, Bucks County chapter in Zinc and Lead Occurrences in Pennsylvania, Mineral Resource Report 72, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th series, p. 238-247. Figure 84 is a map made by R. C. Smith, II and G. J. Smith in 1972 prior to flooding by Neshaminy Reservoir.
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