Canton Lead Mines (Cherry Brook lead mine; Dyer Farm zinc mine), Rattlesnake Hill, Canton, Hartford County, Connecticut, USAi
Regional Level Types | |
---|---|
Canton Lead Mines (Cherry Brook lead mine; Dyer Farm zinc mine) | Group of Mines |
Rattlesnake Hill | Hill |
Canton | Town |
Hartford County | County |
Connecticut | State |
USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 50' 9'' North , 72° 54' 47'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Mines
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
Place | Population | Distance |
---|---|---|
Canton Valley | 1,580 (2017) | 1.8km |
Collinsville | 3,746 (2017) | 2.6km |
West Simsbury | 2,447 (2017) | 6.1km |
Weatogue | 2,776 (2017) | 7.1km |
New Hartford Center | 1,385 (2017) | 7.1km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Club | Location | Distance |
---|---|---|
Bristol Gem & Mineral Club | Bristol, Connecticut | 19km |
Lapidary and Mineral Society of Central Connecticut | Meriden, Connecticut | 34km |
Connecticut Valley Mineral Club | Springfield, Massachusetts | 40km |
Mindat Locality ID:
204749
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:204749:5
GUID (UUID V4):
a68f529f-346f-415d-b4fd-c54bcd1ce4f8
Very little has been written about this old locality, most references give only the briefest mention. A 1910 postcard shows what was called the zinc mine on the Dyer Farm, Collinsville, Conn. The 1869 map of Canton shows a house owned by "D. Dyer" on the road close to the mine location. The Town of Canton web site (see link below) gives a brief history of the Dyer house and property at 1 Dyer Cemetery Road, near the same spot, that had "...a farm of six hundred acres. Over the years it had a sawmill; βsilver mineβ that produced small quantities of zinc, lead, copper and beryl..." Given the size of the farm and the proximity of the house with the mine, the mine in the postcard must be the Canton lead mine.
Shepard (1837) presaged, or perhaps inspired, the mining of lead here with this short sentence:
Rolled masses [boulders] of quartz including galena have been found in Canton near Collinsville...indicating the existence of veins of such ores in these regions.
A hydrothermal fault vein deposit, probably related to Mesozoic rifting as large-scale faults associated with the Hartford and Cherry Brook rift basins are close by. Minor amounts of galena, sphalerite, and lead secondary minerals occur here. But the locality is most famous for its amethyst, which occurs lining cavities in breccia and varies from larger lavender, mottled and translucent crystals to smaller, clearer, deeply colored druses. Colorless and milky quartz also occurs. Any beryl found must be related to a pegmatite in the host rock that the mine intersected.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
8 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
β Anglesite Formula: PbSO4 References: |
β Cerussite Formula: PbCO3 Colour: pale gray to pale yellow-orange Fluorescence: orange-yellow Description: small, irregular, resinous crystals on quartz References: |
β Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 Habit: anhedral Colour: brassy yellow Description: tiny grains in massive quartz with other sulfides References: |
β Galena Formula: PbS Habit: cubic Colour: steel-gray Description: typically cubes and masses frozen in quartz References: |
β Pyromorphite Formula: Pb5(PO4)3Cl Habit: acicular hexagonal Colour: green Description: "scanty green coatings of tiny hexagonal crystals" Schooner (1961) |
β Quartz Formula: SiO2 Habit: stubby parallel crystals or individual elongated prisms Colour: colorless to milky white to lightly smoky Description: banded columnar masses lining pockets in breccia grade into amethyst, individual elongated crystals up to 17 cm References: |
βͺ Quartz var. Amethyst Formula: SiO2 Habit: stubby parallel prisms lining pockets Colour: lavender, purple Description: Cavities in breccia are lined with parallel crystals of ordinary quartz or amethyst. Much cutting quality amethyst has been obtained there. Some is distinctly zoned. Larger crystals are typically paler colored, translucent, typically have mottled appearance. Smaller crystals typically clearer and deeply colored. |
β Quartz var. Milky Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
β Quartz var. Smoky Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
β Sphalerite Formula: ZnS Habit: massive Colour: black, brown, yellow References: |
β Wulfenite Formula: Pb(MoO4) Habit: tabular Colour: orange Description: "Tiny orange crystals are occasionally observed on quartz crystals and metallic ores...usually associated with pyromorphite" Schooner (1961) |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
---|---|---|---|
β | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
β | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
β | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
β | Quartz var. Amethyst | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
β | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
β | var. Smoky Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
β | var. Milky Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
β | Cerussite | 5.AB.15 | PbCO3 |
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
β | Anglesite | 7.AD.35 | PbSO4 |
β | Wulfenite | 7.GA.05 | Pb(MoO4) |
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
β | Pyromorphite | 8.BN.05 | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
List of minerals for each chemical element
C | Carbon | |
---|---|---|
C | β Cerussite | PbCO3 |
O | Oxygen | |
O | β Quartz var. Amethyst | SiO2 |
O | β Anglesite | PbSO4 |
O | β Cerussite | PbCO3 |
O | β Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
O | β Quartz | SiO2 |
O | β Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
O | β Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
O | β Quartz var. Milky Quartz | SiO2 |
Si | Silicon | |
Si | β Quartz var. Amethyst | SiO2 |
Si | β Quartz | SiO2 |
Si | β Quartz var. Smoky Quartz | SiO2 |
Si | β Quartz var. Milky Quartz | SiO2 |
P | Phosphorus | |
P | β Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
S | Sulfur | |
S | β Anglesite | PbSO4 |
S | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
S | β Galena | PbS |
S | β Sphalerite | ZnS |
Cl | Chlorine | |
Cl | β Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
Fe | Iron | |
Fe | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
Cu | Copper | |
Cu | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
Zn | Zinc | |
Zn | β Sphalerite | ZnS |
Mo | Molybdenum | |
Mo | β Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
Pb | Lead | |
Pb | β Anglesite | PbSO4 |
Pb | β Cerussite | PbCO3 |
Pb | β Galena | PbS |
Pb | β Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
Pb | β Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Piedmontia DomainDomain
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