Mineville Group

Location: New York, United States (44.088, -73.524 approx.)

Commodities: iron; rare earth elements

Deposit model: iron oxide-apatite · low Ti-Fe-oxide, Cu-Au-U-REE

Geology

In Old Bed ore the persistence of apatite, independent of the variations in percentage of other minerals, is notable. There is no obvious relation between percentage of magnetite and apatite; some apatite is always present, even where all other gangue minerals are absent. The apatite content of small blocks of ore, measuring less than about 1,000 tons, ranges widely. This is apparent both by radioactivity measurement and visually. Blocks of ore larger than 1,000 tons tend to have about the same average apatite content. Coarse-grained high-grade ore generally contains the least percentage of apatite and other gangue minerals. Medium- to fine-grained ore (magnetite grains less than 2 mm across) contains apatite-rich layers and stringers, as well as disseminated apatite. (McKeown and Klemic (1956)) “Apatite was first mined in 1852 by the Moriah Phosphate Company with the intention of producing fertilizers. The mine initially exploited the outcrop, and the amount of apatite from the surface was greater than it was from the underground works (Maynard 1874). The phosphate came to the attention of the State Geologist, Professor Ebenezer Emmons who supervised the American Mineral Company formed in 1853. The company mined mainly apatite for fertilizers and iron as by-product, but because the market did not react very well to their products, the company had to lease their properties and mineral rights to Port Henry Iron Ore Company.” (Lupulescu and Pyle (2008))

Record imported from USGS USMIN ver. 4.0 (June 2019). Developments after that date appear on facility records, not here; see the methodology.