Tip Top Mine
Custer, South Dakota
43.7155°N 103.6697°W
Mine Overview
The Tip Top Mine is near Custer, South Dakota. Historically the site has been associated with the Custer Mining District which is now part of the Black Hills National Forest. The site was first discovered in 1880 by William Nevin. The Tip Top Mine was closed at the time of data entry with no known plans to re-open. Production size when active was considered to be small. Mine operations consist of surface and underground workings. There is one known shaft. Subsurface depth reaches a maximum of 12 meters (40 feet). The ore mined is composed of amblygonite, muscovite and beryl with waste material consisting primarily of cleavelandite, apatite and purpurite. The ore is found in dikes 60 meters (200 feet) in width. The mineralization at this location is from the Neoproterozoic era 1.00 to 0.54 billion years ago. The Black Hills of the Interior Plains characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding area.
Site identification and general characteristics. Learn about USGS mines.
Owner Name and Address
International Minerals & Chemical Corporation (Imc)
P.O. Box 71 Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220- Type
- Operator
William Nevin
Custer, South Dakota- Type
- Owner
Commodities
Additional textual information about a site or mine.
- Commodity Type Importance
- Feldspar Non-Metallic Primary
- Beryllium Metallic Secondary
- Lithium Metallic Secondary
- Mica Non-Metallic Secondary
Workings
Workings at the site.
Workings #1
- Type: Surface and Underground
- Surface Length: 45.72 Meters
- Surface Width: 15.24 Meters
- Sub Surface Depth: 12.19 Meters
Workings
THERE ARE TWO CUTS DRIVEN NORTH. ONE (35 X 15 FEET) HAS A SHAFT 35 FEET DEEP WITH SHORT DRIFTS.
Orebody
Characteristics of the ore body.
- Width: 60.96 meters (200.00 feet)
- Strike: north 45 west
- Dip: 40 southwest
Rocks
Geological materials at the site.
- Class? 1st Order Name? 2nd Order Name? 3rd Order Name? 4th Order Name? Most Specific Name? Begin Time End Time Description?
- Associated Rock Plutonic Rock Pegmatite - - Pegmatite Neoproterozoic Neoproterozoic -
- Host Rock Metamorphic Rock Schist Mica Schist - Mica Schist - - -
- Mineralization - - - - - Neoproterozoic Neoproterozoic -
Structure
Geologic structural features affecting or characterizing the site or mine.
- Scale Description
- Local Ridge-Like Hill
- Regional Black Hills Uplift
Physiography
Physiographic area where the resource is found.
- Division Province? Section
- Interior Plains Great Plains Province Black Hills
Nearby Deposits
Other deposits in the same region.
-
Pleasant Valley Mine
- Feldspar commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- 0.71 miles
-
Pleasant Valley Mine
- Feldspar commodity Site type Prospect status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface And Underground
- 0.71 miles
-
Tom Carroll Claim
- Feldspar commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface
- 1.01 miles
-
Tom Carroll Claim
- Beryllium commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- 1.12 miles
-
New York Mine
- Beryllium commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface And Underground
- 1.23 miles
-
Big Tom Mine
- Feldspar commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- 1.29 miles
-
Helen Beryllium Mine
- Beryllium commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- 1.35 miles
-
Helen Beryllium Mine
- Niobium (Columbium) commodity Site type Prospect status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface And Underground
- 1.37 miles
-
Ruberta Mining And Milling Company Mine
- Gold commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface And Underground
- 1.42 miles
-
Big Tom Mine
- Feldspar commodity Site type Mine status
- Custer, South Dakota
- Surface And Underground
- 1.55 miles
Nearby Places
- Custer (5.00 miles away)
- Pringle (8.30 miles away)
- Hill City (15.71 miles away)
- Keystone (17.66 miles away)
- Hot Springs (21.91 miles away)
Nearby Mining Districts
- Custer Mining District (0 miles away)
- Pringle Mining District (4.30 miles away)
Nearby Lands
- Black Hills National Forest (0 miles away)
Footnotes
* Mine bounds on map indicate the general area that a mine occupies. For an detailed map, refer to the overseeing BLM field office.
** The mine central point is based on an average of the mine's bounding box(es) and does not necessarily fall on the claim itself.
1 World-class significance is determined by total endowment of the contained commodity. This includes all past production and remaining reserves. Each commodity is considered separately and commodities cannot be combined to arrive at a significant size. The tonnage thresholds are from the mine model grade-tonnage studies. As of June 2008, many entries were classified as significant under less strict rules.
Mining Claim News From The Diggings™
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Understanding Location Data
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Understanding Townships
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Deposit
ONE UNPATENTED CLAIM. GIANT CRYSTALS OF POTASH FELDSPAR ARE CONCENTRATED NEAR THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE PEGMATITE. PEGMATITE IS COARSE TO VERY COARSE GRAINED. NOT ZONED.