Dracut Nickel Mine (Nickel Mine Hill), Dracut, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USAi
Regional Level Types | |
---|---|
Dracut Nickel Mine (Nickel Mine Hill) | Mine |
Dracut | Town |
Middlesex County | County |
Massachusetts | State |
USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
42° 40' 23'' North , 71° 14' 44'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Mine - last checked 2023
KΓΆppen climate type:
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 |
---|---|---|
Nashoba Valley Mineralogical Society | Westford, Massachusetts | 19km |
North Shore Rock & Mineral Club of Massachusetts | South Hamilton, Massachusetts | 31km |
Boston Mineral Club, Inc. | Boston, Massachusetts | 38km |
Mindat Locality ID:
15157
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:15157:4
GUID (UUID V4):
93f69b02-ad0d-44af-a637-608a51e2a37a
One of the earliest mining ventures in the United States, possibly worked as early as the mid-1600s for iron (Skehan 2001). Nickel was first mined here in 1876. The deposit consists primarily of amphibolite containing nickel in disseminated copper and iron sulfides.
Hovey (1879) provided the following description of the mine:
"Tradition has it that this mine was discovered and worked about two hundred years ago and recent discoveries fortify the truth of the tradition. In some of the old deeds conveying the property, allusion is made to the 'valuable mineral deposits' which were then supposed to be gold and silver. Nickel which resembles silver in external appearance, was not known till 1751 - more than half a century after this mine is supposed to have been opened.
On the table before you there are two large fragments of a drill which is supposed to have been used at that time, and also an 'assay' undoubtedly made at the same period and as no silver was found, the disappointment resulted in the abandonment of the work. Both the 'assay' and the drill were taken in their present condition from the freshly-opened mine. Upon examination in 1876 it was found that a shaft about eight feet in diameter had been sunk to a depth of forty three feet. It was nearly half filled with earth and debris, including timbers, indicating that it had once been covered with a building.
The chartered company owning this mine and the surrounding acreage under which it is presumed nickel exists in large quantities, has quietly pursued its operations of development for fully two years. It has sunk the shaft to a depth of sixty-one feet and has made drifts of varying lengths to all the cardinal points, so as to settle beyond question that the metal exists there in such quantity and quality as to warrant a large expenditure for its development and production. Plans are now in preparation for apparatus and buildings for working the mine on a large scale."
Nickel Mine Hill is now home to a massive quarry run by Brox Industries for the manufacture of road asphalt.
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 Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
β Ilmenite Formula: Fe2+TiO3 |
β Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
β Marcasite Formula: FeS2 |
β Pentlandite Formula: (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
β Polydymite Formula: Ni2+Ni3+2S4 |
β Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe1-xS |
β Violarite Formula: Fe2+Ni3+2S4 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
---|---|---|---|
β | Pentlandite | 2.BB.15 | (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
β | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
β | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
β | Polydymite | 2.DA.05 | Ni2+Ni3+2S4 |
β | Violarite | 2.DA.05 | Fe2+Ni3+2S4 |
β | Marcasite | 2.EB.10a | FeS2 |
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
β | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
β | Ilmenite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2+TiO3 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
O | Oxygen | |
---|---|---|
O | β Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
O | β Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
S | Sulfur | |
S | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
S | β Marcasite | FeS2 |
S | β Pentlandite | (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
S | β Polydymite | Ni2+Ni23+S4 |
S | β Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
S | β Violarite | Fe2+Ni23+S4 |
Ti | Titanium | |
Ti | β Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
Fe | Iron | |
Fe | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
Fe | β Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
Fe | β Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
Fe | β Marcasite | FeS2 |
Fe | β Pentlandite | (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
Fe | β Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
Fe | β Violarite | Fe2+Ni23+S4 |
Ni | Nickel | |
Ni | β Pentlandite | (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
Ni | β Polydymite | Ni2+Ni23+S4 |
Ni | β Violarite | Fe2+Ni23+S4 |
Cu | Copper | |
Cu | β Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Ganderia DomainDomain
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