Maddox Mine, Stockbridge, Henry County, Georgia, USAi

Regional Level Types
Maddox Mine	Mine
Stockbridge	Town
Henry County	County
Georgia	State
USA	Country

Mining was carried on in 1914 and 1942 in a deposit 100 yd east of the old Madison Maddox farmhouse, which is 1 mile west of Miller's mill and 6 miles north of McDonough. The workings consist of a narrow open-cut 60 ft long and 30 ft in maximum depth, a small cut 100 ft to the southwest, and a pit a quarter of a mile northeast of the main cut. The pegmatite body, which is conformable with the structure of the enclosing biotite gneiss, strikes N. 63° E. and dips 80° SSE. It is 2 to 3 ft thick and contairs a discontinuous core of massive white to rose quartz that is commonly drusy. Tourmaline is associated with the quartz. The mica, which occurs along irregular fractures, is light brown, clear, flat, free splitting, and hard. The books are ruled, cracked, and locally marked by "A" structure. One 17- by 27-in. crystal was obtained.

This mine is located on the old Madison Maddox property, six miles north of McDonough and 5 miles S. 25° E. of Stockbridge, just north of the Stockbridge-Millers Mill Road. It is one mile west of Millers Mill. The mine is 100 yards north of the old Maddox home.

Early history of mica mining on this property is obscure, but it is known that the mine was first opened about 30 years ago. Considerable mica was removed during the early stage of mining. According to Galpin: "A remarkable sheet from one block is on exhibition in the Capitol Museum at Atlanta. It is of irregular outline and measures 17 by 27 inches. The properties of cleavage, elasticity and clarity of this specimen are exceptionably good." A small amount of work was done at this mine in early 1942, but at the time of the writer's visit, December 15, 1942, no mining was being done.

The opening at this mine is in the form of an open cut 60 feet long, 4-7 feet wide, and 30 feet deep at the middle. Wash from recent rains has filled the bottom of the open cut to an undetermined depth. The main pegmatite is not exposed but small stringers of pegmatite material up to one foot thick are exposed in both ends of the cut. Only small mica books occur in these stringers. About 100 feet southwest of the above-described cut, the pegmatite is exposed in a cut made by a terrace. About one quarter mile to the northeast of the open cut and apparently on the same pegmatite, a small pit has been dug in a pegmatite.

The pegmatite appears to be conformable to the enclosing biotite gneiss. It strikes N. 63° E., dipping 80° SE. Galpin states that "the exposed portions of the dike is from 2 to 3 feet wide and contains partly decomposed feldspar, quartz, and scattered books of mica. The dike cuts slightly across the sheeting or foliation of the decomposed biotite gneiss (Carolina) which forms its walls. The quartz is mainly of a massive type and it occurs more or less in stringers and irregular "horses," one of which weighs more than a ton. The quartz is often drusy. Mica books are apparently distributed along irregular planes representing lines of early fracture in the dike, but little of, this mineral is at present in sight in the small portion of the dike exposed." Small black crystals of tourmaline occur in the quartz. Numerous fragments of rose quartz occur in the dump.

The only mica seen here was that found around the mine which is flat, clear, light rum-colored, somewhat ruled and cracked, and some of it is of the "A" variety. It splits well and is hard. Some of the discarded mica in the dump would trim 2 by 2 inches. Sizes much larger than this were undoubtedly removed from the mine when it was in operation. From the past history of the work at this time and the character of the pegmatite, apparently much good mica was obtained here, although mining operations were not extensive. This mine represents one of the few properties outside of the known mica belts or areas from which good mica has been produced.