Mining Operations at Mount Mica & Orchard Pit Mines, Oxford County, Maine.

Coromoto Minerals Mining Operations at Mount Mica, November, 2004



Hurlbut Pocket Zone Projection
1943 map of Mount Mica with the 2004 quarry face superimposed as the dark lines

The map above is taken from the 'American Mineralogist' article Beryl at Mount, Mica of 1953 by Cornelius Hurlbut and Henry Wenden. The article focuses on the discovery of a large pocket at Irish Pit ( upper left pit in the diagram) in 1949 that contained beryl of odd crystal habit. In the article it was concluded that the unusual habits result from subsequent beryl growth over fragments of a much larger beryl that had broken during pocket formation. In the article, the authors proposed that the 1949 pocket lay on the projection of the Mt. Mica pocket zone if it continued down dip.  Coromoto Minerals plans to explore this issue by extending the workings eastward towards and into the Irish Pit. Unfortunately, a large portion of the Irish has been back filled by Perham and Plumbago as they extended Merrill's second pit down dip. If the suggestion of Hurlburt proves to be correct, then the productive area of the Mt. Mica pegmatite will be greatly increased.  This writer believes there is a possibilty that the Mount Mica pegmatite body is flying saucer shaped and so far only the periphery has been worked.

Mount Mica workings

Diagram of the various pits at Mount Mica, November, 2004

Elbaite colors at Mt. Mica

Sketch of the color distribution of the elbaite found in the main pit in 2004

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June 2000 Beryl Group