Kaolin mine, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Kaolin mine | Group of Workingses (Abandoned) |
| Sharon | Town |
| Litchfield County | County |
| Connecticut | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 53' 52'' North , 73° 23' 26'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Locality type:
Group of Workingses (Abandoned) - last checked 2008
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Falls Village | 538 (2017) | 6.8km |
| Sharon | 729 (2017) | 7.4km |
| Lakeville | 928 (2017) | 8.5km |
| Millerton | 940 (2017) | 11.7km |
| Amenia | 955 (2017) | 14.8km |
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 | 44km |
| Mid-Hudson Valley Gem and Mineral Society Inc. | Poughkeepsie, New York | 49km |
Workings where kaolin, from the weathering of the Dalton Formation, was mined during the late 19th to early 20th century. Some processing was also done here and some of the ruins are still visible. Mining was sporadic and in 3 phases. In the initial phase sand-rich kaolin was dried and used to mold pigs at blast furnaces. In the last phase washed kaolin was turning into a slurry using high pressure water and was sent through wooden pipes down the mountain to Housatonic River and then onto freight cars. It was used in the paper industry and in ceramics and pottery. The last phase included shafts and tunnels deep into the deposit, plus large drag-line bucket machinery that stood there until scrapped during World War II.
Sanford and Stone (1914) incorrectly place the workings in West Cornwall. That village is where the kaolin slurry was piped to.
The weathering is apparently pre-Pleistocene and is similar to kaolin layers in the Dalton Formation found with the goethite iron ore at the Kent Mine.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 Colour: white Description: White clay deposits visible around beaver ponds in the flooded mining pits. Reference: Kirby, Ed. (1998), Echoes of Iron in Connecticut's Northwest Corner. Sharon Historical Society: 105-6.
|
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
References
Sort by
Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)Dana, James D. (1884) On the decay of quartzyte and the formation of sand, kaolin, and crystallized quartz: American Journal of Science: series 3, 28(163): 448-452.
Loughlin, Gerald Francis. (1905) The Clays and Clay Industries of Connecticut: State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut Bulletin 4.
Sanford, Samuel and R. W. Stone (1914) Useful Minerals of the United States. U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 585: 52.
Starr, Edward C. (1926) A history of Cornwall, Connecticut, a typical New England town: The Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor Company, New Haven, Connecticut.
Heermance, Edgar L. (1935) The Connecticut Guide, What to See and Where to Find It. Emergency Relief Commission, Hartford: 89.
Kirby, E. (1998) Echoes of Iron In Connecticut's Northwest Corner: Including a Field Guide to the Iron Heritage Trail. Sharon Historical Society, Connecticut, USA: 105.
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Laurentides DomainDomain
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Kaolin mine, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA