Babb Fault System
Crittenden and
Livingston Counties
By GEORGE C. HARDIN, Jr.

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKYGEOLOGICALSURVEY

BULLETIN

1012-BA detailed description of thegeology and fluorspar deposits

n' UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1955^

CONTENTS
Abstract_ _______________________________________________________

Page
7

Introduction __--__-__-_--_---__-------_-___-__---___-___-_-__-____
8
Location and general features_-___-____-_-_---_____-___--___-___
8
Field work....------------_______.__._._..________.8
Earlier work-___-_____-_______--____-__-_____-_-__________' 8
Recent geologic and exploratory work..______________________
9
Acknowledgments..._ _ _________________________________________
11
Geology._________________________________________________________
11
Sedimentary rocks--__-__-_--_--_-_________--_.-_--__-_-_____-11
Structure. ____________________________________________________
14
Ore deposits______--__-____-_-_-__-__--_-__-_---__.-__-__________
18
General features of the fluorspar deposits.________________________
18
Mineralogy___________________________________________________
19
Ore mmerals--_--------_-------i------------_------------19
Fluorite__-.___-.'___-._________________
19
Sphalerite...__._______________________
20
Galena----_-_-_---_--__---------------_---_-_-_-...
21
Other minerals---___-_-_-_-___-_-__------_-- -_-__--_____
21
The veins, ore bodies, and wall rock____________________________
22
Localization of ore bodies.._______-____-___---_-__--__-_----_-__
24
Structural control____________-_-_______-_____________'____
24
Curved fault planes-_-_____---_-_---___-__-____-_______
24
Later-formed fractures and cross faults.__________________
25
Fault junctions_-_--_-_____-____-___--__-_-_-________ ' 26
Lithologic control________________________________________
26
Competent and incompetent beds..______________________
26
Effects of shale and shaly gouge.__---___.__-_-__--____-26
Susceptibility of formations to replacement____--_--______
27
Concentration in the oxidized zone___-___-___-.________.___
27
Vertical extent of the ore.____--__-_--___--_----_____.___--_
28
Origin__.-_.-___-.._.__.______..__._._____!_._____________

28

Description of properties___---___--___-___--___-__.-_-_-__________
Guill---.-.-.-.._--.__-.------------.-_.---.--..---___.__---.
Kentucky-Babb....___________________________________________.
Delhi-Babb................___......._......_..._...._........
Eagle-Babb._-__-.---..-.........___________._.____
Barnes _______________________________________________________
E. Champion and Gid Taylor-___-______-____.___._____._.___.__
Literature cited_______._______._._.__._____.__.____.___.____.._..

28
28
30
32
33
34
36
36

Index.___________________________________________________________

37

in

IV

CONTENTSILLUSTKATIONS[Plates are in pocket]
Page

PLATE 1. Geologic map of the Babb fault system, Crittenden and Livingston Counties, Ky.
2. Geologic map of levels in the Kentucky-Babb and Eagle-Babb
mines.
3. Longitudinal projections and maps of workings.
4. Geologic sections across the Ba,bb fault system.
FIGURE 1. Index map of western Kentucky showing location of the Babb
fault system, Crittenden and Livingston Counties __________,..
9

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKYBABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND
LIVINGSTON COUNTIESBy GEORGE C. HARDIN, JR.
ABSTRACTThe Babb fault system in the central part of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar
field is a northeastward-trending complex of steeply dipping normal faults. It
is one of the most highly mineralized fault systems in the field, having yielded
more than 175,000 tons of fluorspar.
Movement along the faults displaced the relatively flat-lying limestones, sandstones, and shales of the Chester and Meramec groups of Mississippian age.
Movement was principally vertical, and stratigraphic displacements range from a
few feet to more than 750 feet. Detailed geologic mapping of the surface andrather extensive underground exploration and diamond drilling have revealed
that the system includes at least 18 faults, 6 of them known to contain fluorspar
deposits of economic value. Core drilling between 1942 and 1945 indicated 49,000
tons of commercial fluorspar, and an additional 100,000 tons is inferred fromgeologic data obtained from the drilling. Data obtained from the workingssuggest an additional 125,000 tons of fluorspar.
The principal vein minerals are fluorite, calcite, sphalerite, and galena. Quartz,
marcasite( ?), barite, bitumen, smithsonite, lirnonite, gypsum, and sulfur occur
in minor quantities. Fluorite and calcite were deposited thoughout the periodof mineralization, whereas the other hypogene minerals were generally depositedrather late in the period.
Two general types of veins occur in the area; most of the veins are composedof calcite with fluorspar lenses; some veins are mainly fluorspar with little calcite. The two types intergrade. A few bedding-replacement deposits of fluorspar
also have been mined in the Babb area.
The widths of the veins were influenced by both structural and lithologic
features. Veins generally widen in the steeper segments of the normal faults.
In the Babb area the widest veins are composed largely of calcite and may
contain very little fluorspar. Sphalerite-rich fluorspar deposits appear to havebeen localized along fractures that were opened after the main period of fluorite
deposition, and the later adjustments probably were partly controlled by crossand subparallel faults that intersect or join the main faults. In at least twoplaces, vein widths are appreciably greater at fault junctions. The lithologicalcharacter of the rocks to some extent influenced the dip of faults, thereby
affecting vein widths. Veins are generally absent or very narrow where shaly
gouge is abundant.
296346 55-

8FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

Mining activity started in the Babb area about 1899, and fluorspar has been
produced from 5 of the 7 properties that comprise the Babb group. Most'of'the
fluorspar has come from the Kentucky-Babb, Delhi-Babb, and Guill mines, which
are in the southwestern half of the mapped area.
INTRODUCTION
LOCATION AND GENERAL FEATURES

The Babb fault system in Kentucky is one of the six fault systems in
the Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar field that prior to 1945 produced morethan 100,000 tons of finished fluorspar. It includes a group of mineralized faults about 2 miles north of Salem, Ky. Several of the fluorspar properties in the area were owned formerly by the Eaymon Babb
heirs, hence the mines along this fault system are known locally as the"Babb" mines. Prospecting and mining activity in the Babb area
apparently started about 1899, and the mines along this fault system
are among the most productive in Kentucky. It is estimated that morethan 175,000 tons of fluorspar has been produced from the area.
Like most of the Kentucky-Illinois field, the area in the vicinity of
the Babb fault system is characterized by rolling hills, wide valleys,
and moderate relief, the maximum being about 175 feet. The locationof the area is shown on the index map (fig. 1). It is reached by agravel road that leaves U. S. Highway 60 at Salem, Ky., and extends
approximately north about 2 miles. Most of the fluorspar from theBabb mines was transported by truck to Marion, Ky., a distance of 13
miles, then shipped to market via the Illinois Central Eailroad.
FIELD WORKEARLIER WORK

Norwood (1876) studied the Kentucky fluorspar district in 1876 but
did not describe the Babb area. The Babb area was first mentioned ingeologic literature by Smith (1905, p. 201-202) who discussed briefly
the Raymon Babb, Tom Babb, Morse, and Guill prospects. In Smith's
descriptions, the Kaymon Babb refers to two of the shallow pits just
SOUtllWeSt from the Eagle No. 1 shaft on the Eagle-Babb property 5 theTom 13abb refers to two of the DOW Caved pits ]USt HOrth Of th.6

Bachelor shaft on the Delhi-Babb property; the Morse refers to ashaft that WaS apparently near the Kentucky No. 1 shaft but could not
be found by the. writer; and the Guill refers to two of the pits southwest of the Guill No. 1 shaft.

At the time of Smith's study, fluorspar

had been shipped only from the Kaymon Babb and Guill prospects.
These prospects were then considered to be on a single, fissure, but
Smith attempted no specific interpretation of the geologic relations.
Currier (1923, p. 115) mentioned the Bachelor mine (then known

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES0VFIGURE 1. Index map of western Kentucky showing location of the Babb fault system In
Crittenden and Livingston Counties.

as the Two Bachelors or Babb mine) on the Delhi-Babb property, and
the Guill mine. Both mines were inaccessible at the time of his visit.
In 1922-23 Weller (1927, p. 106-107; 1951) studied the geology inthis area and, mainly on surface evidence, mapped 6 faults, 5 of which
he designated Nos. 21, 22, 23, 25, 27. The sixth fault, a cross fault,
was not numbered. The Babb group of mines is located on Weller's
fault 22, which is actually a complicated fault system rather than asingle fault. Weller's stratigraphic designations have been followed
for the most part by the writer.
RECENT GEOLOGIC AND EXPLORATORY WORKThe Babb fault system was one of the areas in the KentuckyIllinois field specifically recommended for detailed study by L. W.
Currier and J. S. Williams as a result of their preliminary investigation of the fluorspar situation in June 1942. During the summerof 1942, O. M. Bishop of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, also visited thearea and prepared a confidential engineering report on the mines.

10
The Babb fault system was one of the first areas to be mapped andstudied by the Geological Survey field party stationed in Kentucky
from 1942 to 1946, and the results obtained are described and interpreted in this report. Most of the mapping was done in September
1942 by G. C. Hardin, Jr., W. R. Thurston, R. D. Trace, and H. E.
Rothrock. A preliminary report with maps was prepared in June
1943 and released for public inspection in open files in August 1943.
The surface map (pi. 1) was extended somewhat in November 1944
by G. C. Hardin, Jr., R. T. Russell, and D. A. Warner. Undergroundmapping, study of drill cores, and general surface and undergroundstudies of the area were made concurrently with drilling by the Bureauof Mines and private companies and continued intermittently until
January 1945. Some data obtained from private drilling in theautumn of 1945 were added by H. J. Klepser of the Geological Survey.
In July 1943 the U. S. Bureau of Mines (Swanson and Starnes,
1950) started to explore by core drilling in some of the promisinglocalities recommended by the Geological Survey in its preliminary
report. The drilling was under the supervision of A. S. Swanson 1
until October 1943; from then until the completion of the projectin May 1944, the work was under the supervision of X. B. Starnes. 1
Twenty-eight holes totaling more than 8,000 feet in length were
drilled (see pis. 1 and 2). According to the Bureau of Mines, datafrom this drilling indicated that there was 49,000 tons of fluorspar
ore in this area. The Geological Survey has inferred from the drilling data that there is 100,000 tons of fluorspar in addition to this indicated ore. Data obtained from the workings suggest that additional reserves totaling approximately 125,000 tons of fluorspar in
the measured, indicated, and inferred categories exist in the area.
The present geologic report is based upon surface, underground,and drill-core data and almost continuous observation over a periodof more than 2 years. In contrast to the 6 faults previously believed

to'cross the area, recent study has revealed the presence of at least
18 faults, 6 known to be well mineralized. The fault system strikes
approximately K. 50° E. and crosses the road from Salem to Irma
1.8 miles north of Salem, Ky.

The deposits are being developed ill

active mines along the strike of the fault system for 1.4 miles.
Properties described in this report
Name of property
Owner or lessee of mineral rights in 1949
Guill_________________________- Inland Steel Corp.

Kentucky-Babb_____________ Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co.
Delhi-Babb____________________ Ozark-Mahoning.Co.

Eagle-Babb _ __-Alcoa Mining Co,

Barnes____________________- Inland Steel Corp.
E. Champion_________________. -Eli H. Brown.
Gid Taylor___________
___ _
Do.
1 Mining engineer, U. S. Bureau of Mines.

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

:i<

*+
v
>

11

The Guill and Kentucky-Babb properties are in Livingston County,
and the other five properties are in Crittenden County. They are listedfrom southwest to northeast along the fault system.
In order to facilitate location of points in the Kentucky part of thefluorspar field, a system of coordinates was established. The
U. S. Geological Survey bench mark set in the concrete sidewalk
approximately 40 feet west of the southwest corner of Grassham's
garage at the corner of North Hayden and West Broadway Street(US 60) in Salem, Ky., was chosen, as the zero point, and coordinatelines were extended north, south, east, and west from this point. The
coordinates used on the maps of the Babb area (pi. 1) refer to thispoint.

>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*>

Thanks are due to the operators in this area for their splendid
cooperation, particularly to Mr. Robert Frazer, operator of the Kentucky-Babb property, and to Mr. L. F. Hearne with whom the geologic
problems at the Eagle-Babb property were discussed in detail. Suggestions made by Prof. J. M. Weller in the field influenced the interpretation of the surface geology in several places. Mr. A. H. Reed, Sr.,
consulting mining engineer and geologist, furnished information
about the inaccessible workings of the Delhi-Babb mine and certain historical information and property maps. The problems of ore
localization were discussed with Prof. H. E. McKinstry, who offeredhelpful suggestions. Mr. C. S. Ross and Miss J. J. Glass checked thepetrographic work on thin sections of wall rock and fluorspar. Mr.
J. S. Williams and later Mr. R. E. Van Alstine supervised the Strategic Minerals Investigation program on the Kentucky-fluorspar
project and, with the help of Miss Helen Duncan and Mr. C. P. Ross,
assisted the author in collecting and compiling the data included inthis report, and in preparing the report for publication.

>
,.y
*
'»
*

GEOLOGYv

The rocks exposed in the Babb area are limestones, sandstones, andshales of the Meramec and Chester groups of Mississippian age. No
igneous rocks are known to occur in the Babb area. The sedimentaryrocks are essentially horizontal but are broken by at least 18 normal
faults. In general the fault pattern in the Babb area consists of several minor subparallel and cross faults associated with one main fault(fault 1, pi. 1) that splits into a complex series of 9 faults in the northeastern part of the area.

**

^
V.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS^

The formations in the Babb area include the sequence of beds fromthe St. Louis limestone to the Palestine sandstone, all of Mississippianage. Over most of the area exposures are very poor, and few outcrops

12

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

are available for study except in the northern part of the mapped
area. Detailed information on the thickness and lithologic characterof most formations was obtained from drill cores. Complete sectionsof the Hardinsburg, Golconda, and Cypress formations were not penetrated in the drilling, however, and none of the drill holes cut thePalestine sandstone, the youngest formation exposed in the Babb area.
The St. Louis limestone, the oldest observed formation in the area,
is exposed only in mine workings. It is a medium-gray, fine- tomedium-grained limestone containing blue-gray chert nodules. Theselithologic features are typical of the formation throughout the region.
The Levias and Fredonia limestone members of the Ste. Genevieve
limestone are mainly whitish-gray and oolitic, though they containsome light-gray sublithographic beds. The Fredonia member is about
200 feet thick in the Babb area, whereas the Levias member is notknown to exceed 20 feet in thickness and may be entirely absent insome localities. The Rosiclare sandstone member, which separates
the two oolitic members of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, is generally
very fine grained and calcareous. It ranges from 10 to 15 feet in thickness. The rather massive Eosiclare sandstone member is exposed in asmall sump northeast of the Guill No. 3 shaft. In holes drilled fromthe footwall side of fault 1 on the Eagle-Babb property, a sandy zone
penetrated near the surface is considered to be Bosiclare. Although
this sandy zone was not recognized in sinking the Eagle No. 2 shaft, itis probably present but not readily distinguishable. An oolitic limestone which may be either the Levias or the Fredonia member underlies the Renault formation in this shaft. As the Rosiclare sandstone
member is known to be present elsewhere in the area, the oolitic limestone is believed to be the Levias member.
A sequence of limestone and shale formations alternating with sandstones constitutes the Chester group in the region. Several of thesandstones are very similar lithologically, and it is difficult, if not

impossible, to distinguish some of the limestone and shale formations
unless their characteristic fossils are found. The section of Chester
formations that occur in the Babb area and the thicknesses observed are
as follows:
Feet
Palestine sandstone, partly eroded_____________________ 30
Menard limestone __________________
70
Waltersburg sandstone___-_______________________ 15
Vienna limestone_:_____________________:______________ 50
Tar Springs sandstone______________________ ___ 115
Glen Dean limestone__________________________________________

90

Hardinsburg sandstone__ ____________________ 95-105
Golconda formation__________________________ 120-130
Cypress sandstone_______^_______________ 90-110
Paint Creek shale___L ___ _ ______________________________ 10
Bethel sandstone_______________________________ 45
Renault formation________________________________ 70

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES13The Kenault formation is composed of medium- to light-gray, commonly medium-grained, crystalline limestone containing some darkgreenish-gray shale beds. The light-gray limestone beds are commonly slightly oolitic, and the shales are generally highly f ossilif erous.
The Paint Creek shale is a thinly bedded medium-gray slightly sandy
shale.
The Golconda, Vienna, and Menard formations consist of thinly
bedded black shales and dense dark-gray limestones. The upper 25-30
feet of the Vienna formation is entirely black shale, and the lower 25
feet is dark dense limestone. In general the limestones of the Vienna
and Menard formations are denser than the limestone of the Golconda,
the latter formation also being distinguished by its greater thickness
and by diagnostic fossils. In small exposures, however, if no diagnostic fossils are found, it is sometimes very difficult to distinguishamong the three formations. Fortunately both the Golconda andMenard formations are very f ossilif erous.
The Glen Dean limestone consists of light- to medium-gray mediumgrained crystalline limestone with relatively thin beds of medium-grayshale. It is distinguished from the other limestone and shale formations in the area by its lighter color, greater crystallinity, and the presence of many small fossils. The Glen Dean contains very little dark
limestone.
The Bethel; Cypress, and Hardinsburg sandstones cannot be distinguished by physical appearance. These three formations consist oflight-gray medium-grained massive sandstone with a few thin shaly
beds. Neither the Bethel nor the Hardinsburg sandstone contains
appreciable quantities of shale, and no shale was observed in the
Cypress sandstone in those places where it is exposed or in the drill
cores. The sandstones are generally intensely silicified in the vicinityof the faults. As these three formations are essentially without fossils
and cannot be differentiated on lithologic characteristics, positive identification depends upon determination of the underlying or overlying
limestone and shale formations.
The Tar Springs sandstone consists largely of black shale, blacksandy shale in thin layers alternating with bands of light-gray finegrained sandstone, and thinly bedded fine-grained sandstone. The
alternating beds of shale and sandstone generally are about a quarterto half an inch thick, and the effect of differential compaction is very
well shown by the lenticularity of the beds.
The Waltersburg sandstone consists of fine-grained medium- to darkgray sandstone interbedded with black shale. Both the upper and thelower contacts of the Waltersburg are gradational through a distanceof 5 feet or more.

14

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

Only the lower part of the Palestine sandstone is exposed on some ofthe hills in the northern part of the Babb area, where it forms weathered iron-stained outcrops.
STRUCTURE

The Babb fault system is part of the same northeastward-trending
faulted zone that contains the Commodore fault system (Weller, 1927,
p. 104). The geology of much of the area along these fault systems
has not been mapped in detail, but the structure of the whole zone isprobably as complicated as the parts already mapped. As more detailed geologic work is done it becomes increasingly evident that thestructure of the fault system is much more complex than was formerly
believed. Many of the faults originally mapped as long simple fractures are really complex zones composed of several associated faults.
The main Babb fault (fault 1) strikes in general N. 50° E., but theassociated subparallel and cross faults strike from N. 25° E. to N. 70°
W. (See pi. 1.) The displacement on fault 1 at the point of maximum
dislocation is about 750 feet. The stratigraphic displacement on auxiliary faults, however, ranges from a few feet to as much as 500 feet.
Outcrops are very poor in the area, so it is impossible to determine
the detailed structure from surface exposures. The inaccessibility of
the upper workings of several of the mines renders information unavailable that would be very helpful. Recent diamond drilling hasdone much to clarify the structure, however, and faults 3, 6, 7, 9, and15, which were penetrated by drills, could have been found only bydrilling or underground exploration.
The footwall block of the Babb system, that is, the block southeastof all mapped faults, consists mainly of the Ste. Genevieve limestone.
In the northeastern and southwestern parts of the area, the higher
hills are capped with Bethel sandstone, and the Renault formation

forms the slopes. Exposures of the Ste, Genevieve limestone are excellent in the sinkhole area northeast of the Howard mine on the
Barnes property. A few small outcrops of the Renault formation also
are present in the same general locality.

*

v

<

^

-<

^

V)
-+
' ^

^
-*

On the northwest side in the hanging-wall block of the system (§66
pi. 1) the Glen Dean, Tar Springs, Vienna, Waltersburg, Menard, andPalestine formations are at the surf ace. Kelativelv good exposures ofseveral Chester formations are found at the northwest end of the area^

near f ault 14.
The Hiain faUltS in the legion Were formed contemporaneously,-*

though some of the branch and cross faults may have resulted irOHl.

later adjustments along the faulted ZOneS. Most Of the dislocation
occurred before the fluorspar veins were formed, but some of the movement was postmineral. The movement was essentially vertical.
Stratigraphic separation is commonly of considerable magnitude;^'BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

15

horizontal offset is negligible; dragged beds dip in directions normal
to the strikes of the faults; and wherever slickensides were observed
underground, they are vertical or nearly so. In the Babb system, thestratigraphic displacement between the Ste. Genevieve limestone in
the footwall and the Menard limestone in the hanging wall is approximately 750 feet. In many places this entire displacement wasalong fault 1, but in others the displacement was distributed amongas many as five step faults. It is difficult to establish the continuityof some northeastward-trending faults through the structurally complex areas where auxiliary fractures branch from or rejoin the main
faults and where cross faults interrupt the primary trends. In mapping the faults, therefore, segments that have the same general alinement on either side of junctions or intersections were arbitrarily
identified as parts of the same fracture and are labeled so on themap (pi. 1).
Extreme brecciation accompanied the faulting. The rocks in the
hanging-wall blocks were especially affected, and the broken zones
bordering the faults are as much as 75 feet wide. The footwall blocks
were generally more stable and are less broken. Considerable quantities of gouge are associated with the breccia in many places.
Geologic data for mapping the faults were obtained from several
sources: underground workings that follow or cut the faults; diamond-drill cores; exposures of fault walls on the surface or in caved
pits and shafts; outcrops or large boulders of highly brecciated, silicified, and slickensided sandstone (material of this type occurs onlyin the immediate vicinity of faults in this district) ; and stratigraphic
studies that revealed juxtaposition of formations not in normal sequence. Many details are omitted in the description of the faults
inasmuch as the information is presented graphically by maps andillustrations. Some specific details, however, are noted in the discussion of individual properties (pp. 28-36).
Fault 1 is traceable throughout the southwestern part of the areaby rather extensive mine workings. South of fault 12, which apparently offsets fault 1, the presence of fault 1 is indicated by large
exposures of silicified brecciated sandstone that is probably in place.
On the Delhi-Babb property, the footwall of this fault is well exposedin the caved area between the Croft and Incline shafts. In that locality the fault dips Y5°-80° NW. The sandstone hanging wall is
exposed about 200 feet southwest of the Eagle No. 1 shaft in a caved
pit where the fault is almost vertical. At the Eagle No. 2 shaft, acrosscut on the 200-foot level was driven southeast to fault 1 (pi. 4,
sec. E-E'}. At the place where the crosscut penetrated the fault,
fault 1 lies within the Fredonia limestone member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. The breccia zone is only 2 or 3 feet wide and contains
a calcite vein 6-8 inches wide.

16
The location of fault 1 is uncertain in the area north of the Howardshaft on the Barnes property between coordinates 5,000 E. and 6,000E. (see pi. 1). On the E. Champion and Gid Taylor properties andnortheastward through the Barnes property, a fault was traced bothby outcrops and by very large boulders of intensely brecciated silicified sandstone. This fault is inferred to be the northeast extension of
fault 1, although it is possible that this fault dies out southwestward
in the Ste. Gene vie ve limestone and is not actually continuous acrossthe southern part of the Barnes property as shown on plate 1. If thisinterpretation is correct, fault 16 should be called fault 1 in this partof the area, and the fracture now labelled fault 1 should be given a
different number. No outcrops were found in the southern part ofthe block between faults 1 and 16. If this alternative interpretationof the structure is found to be correct, the Renault and Ste. Genevieve
formations must be present in this locality.
A small pit has been sunk in steeply dipping massive sandstone
near the northeast end of the area mapped. Fault 1 passes within a
few feet of this pit.
Fault I A, a small fracture that diverges from the main fault, is
exposed in the Kentucky-Babb mine workings. The fluorspar vein isfound along fault 1A for a short distance into the hanging-wall block
where it pinches.
Fault 2 diverges from fault 1 at some point between drill holes 1
and 3 on the Eagle-Babb property. It strikes northeastward and isoffset slightly by fault 5. Fault 2 does not crop out in the area, but its
presence is indicated by abundant brecciated sandstone along the hillnear the Howard shaft 011 the Barnes property and by an exposure ofhighly dipping sandstone in a gully on the next hill north of the
Howard shaft. The main mine workings from the Eagle No. 2 shaft
and the Howard shaft are in this fault. The fault was cut by several
drill holes on the Eagle-Babb and Barnes properties, and some fluorspar was found in it. The cross fault 2A is between drill holes 3 and4 on the Eagle-Babb property, and although its exact position is uncertain, it lies between the Golconda and Tar Springs formations.
Fault 3 does not crop out and is known solely from diamond drill
holes. It is sparsely mineralized and relatively short. Fault 4 diverges from fault 1 north of the Bachelor shaft on the Delhi-Babb
property and joins fault 2 north of the Howard shaft.

"j
^
^
v
y
, *

^
_4
~*~"

^
^
*
"^
.#
*
*
^

The faxtlt+

does not crop out but has been cut by several diamond drill holes anda crosscut on the 125-foot level from the Eagle No. 1 shaft. Somefluorspar was found in these drill cores. Fault 5 is a cross fault known,yOnly from the underground workings from the Eagle No. 2 shaft.

This fault slightly offsets fault 2, and the brecciated area near theintersection is highly mineralized with fluorspar.

K-BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LJVINGSTON COUNTIES

17

Faults 6, 7, and 9 are not apparent at the surface and are known
only from drill cores. Fault 8 is a cross fault lying between drill holes
31 and 38 on the Guill property. The strike of the fault is indicatedby an outcrop of dipping Tar Springs standstone near the junction
with fault 1.
Fault 10 shown on the Kentucky-Babb property does not crop out andhas not been penetrated in drilling. An outcrop of Bethel sandstone
on the hill southwest from the Kentucky No. 3 shaft indicates somedisplacement between that outcrop and the Kentucky No. 4 shaft,which was started in the Ste. Genevieve limestone. The C. Babb shaft
was started in sandstone, and the limestone and shale on the dump
at this shaft apparently came from the Renault formation. Fault 10,
therefore, is inferred to be present here to account for the juxtaposition of the Bethel and Ste. Genevieve formations. The strike of thefault is uncertain but is suggested by the topography.
Fault 11 is a subparallel fault east of fault 1 between the Croft andBachelor shafts on the Delhi-Babb property. This fault does not cropout, but its presence is indicated by the exposures of Bethel sandstone
in the block between fault 1 and the Ste. Genevieve limestone of the
footwall. Several drifts have been driven along this fault from theIncline and Croft shafts, and considerable fluorspar has been minedfrom it. The sandstone block between faults 1 and 11 is highly
brecciated and contains many fractures filled with fluorspar.
Fault 12 offsets fault 1 on the Guill property near the southwesternend of the map area. Fault 12 is not exposed in the area mapped but
was identified southwest of the area. It was cut by drill hole 39 on
the Guill property. The fault is not mineralized in the Babb area,
but the Eagle Fluor Spar Co. mined some ore from it southwest of thearea near the point at which the road from Salem to Lola crosses thefault.
Fault 13 lies within the Menard limestone on the hanging-wall sideof the system and is not apparent at the surface. It is exposed underground where it diverges from fault 1 in the northeastern end of the
Kentucky-Babb mine workings (see pi. 2). The stratigraphic sectionin the New Delhi shaft is displaced about 50 feet with reference to thesection exposed in mine workings from the Croft shaft.
Fault 14 is not exposed but was cut by a drill hole. Near the point
where the fault leaves the area mapped, the Waltersburg and Tar
Springs sandstones crop out about 200 feet apart; the fault is shown
between these outcrops.
Fault 15 on the Barnes property was cut by two drill holes, but
indications of it at the surface are lacking. The trace was plottedfrom topographic evidence.

18

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

Fault 16 apparently diverges from fault 1 east of the Howard shaft
and rejoins fault 1 near the northern end of the area mapped. Thisfault crops out on the hill northwest of the Gid Taylor and E. Champion property corner, and its northeasterly trend is marked by abundant silicified brecciated sandstone. Northeast of these outcrops thecourse of the fault is not so well defined. If the strike observed persists
northwestward, fault 16 should join or be cut off by fault 1.
ORE DEPOSITS
GENEBAL FEATURES OF THE FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS

A large tonnage of fluorspar has been produced from the minesof the Babb fault system. A small quantity of galena also has been
recovered as a byproduct in the milling of the fluorspar. Lack ofadequate milling facilities for selective flotation in the district prohibited the utilization of ore containing fine-grained sphalerite thatis found in some places. The small quantities of sphalerite andgalena have been considered objectionable in the ore because of thelower price received when the finished product is sold for metallurgical-grade fluorspar.
In the Babb area most of the fluorspar has come from deposits inveins, but the Guill property and the southwestern part of the Kentucky-Babb property have yielded some so-called gravel spar, andelsewhere a little fluorspar has been mined from bedding-replacement deposits. The term "gravel spar" refers to residual fluorspar
concentrated in the overburden by weathering and removal of thegangue minerals and wall rock.
The vein deposits have not been mined to any great depth, andonly deeper exploration will determine the ultimate extent of thefluorspar ore. The fluorspar is believed to have been deposited byascending hydrothermal solutions derived from a deep-seated magmatic source. There is evidence of fissure filling, wall-rock replacement, and replacement of minerals deposited earlier.
The attitude of the Babb fault system apparently exercised control
over the width of the veins. In general where the faults steepen,
the veins become somewhat wider, but the localization of fluorspar
bodies cannot be correlated with vein widths because the veins may
be composed almost entirely of calcite. The sulfides, which are distributed sporadically in faults 1 and 2, were deposited during thelate stages of fluorite mineralization in fractures that were formed
Still later and were related to the cross and subparallel faults.

The.

lithotomy of the wall rocks influenced the localization of the fluorspar
Ot/along the faults, for the favorable wall rocks are competent rocks
that are found only in certain formations.

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES19

MINERALOGY

The mineralogy of the fluorspar deposits is relatively simple. Fluorite, calcite, sphalerite, and galena are the most abundant minerals.
Barite, marcasite (?), quartz, and bitumen are less common. Limonite,
gypsum, smithsonite, and sulfur, are present.in small quantities in theoxidized parts of the veins.
The following paragenetic sequence is based on underground observations in the Babb area and preliminary laboratory studies of
specimens from the veins. Except for some early-formed quart/,
calcite seems to have been the first vein mineral deposited, and its
deposition continued throughout the period of mineralization. Fluorite deposition started early and was relatively persistent; some of
the fluorite was deposited very late. The deposition of galena andsphalerite started sometime after the first fluorite was formed. The
quartz and bitumen are of two generations; one was formed early in themineralization period, the other late, but both are contemporaneousin part with the fluorite. Marcasite(?) and barite were depositedlate. Smithsonite, limonite, gypsum and sulfur were formed as alteration products.
Calcite replaces limestone; fluorite replaces calcite, limestone, and,to a slight extent, quartzite; quartz replaces fluorite, calcite, and sulfides; sulfides replace calcite, limestone, quartz, and fluorite; and barite
replaces fluorite and calcite. These observations agree in general withthose of Currier (1920; 1923, p. 59-Yl) and Bastin (1931).
ORE MINERALSFLUORITE

The most abundant ore mineral is fluorite (CaF2 ). Much of thefluorite taken from the Kentucky-Babb mine has been clear or white,and considerable amounts of optical fluorite and almost chemicallypure fluorite have been marketed. The fluorite in the other mines andto some extent in the Kentucky-Babb mine is generally light brownor clear, but fluorite having various shades of purple, yellow, andwhite, also occurs. The latest-formed fluorite, with the exception ofsome light-colored cellular material, is deep purple, and purple fluorite
commonly is found in thin veinlets in the wall rock near the marginsof the veins. Because of its marginal position the occurrence of
purple fluorite is considered by some to indicate the beginning of apinch in the vein.
Cubic crystals of purple and colorless fluorite are common in vugsin the vein material and the country rock. Many of the larger crystals
contain inner phantom crystals indicating at least two distinct periodsof growth. In the specimens noted, both the phantom crystal and theouter crystal had forms identical in minute detail. These shadow

20

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

crystals may be composed of fluorite of different color or may be outlined by bituminous matter that accumulated before the second periodof growth commenced. Some of the cubic crystals are incrusted withsmall crystals of calcite, sphalerite, and barite.
Etched fluorite crystals are common. In the Howard mine, several
crystals incised with a complex network of small trenches about 1
millimeter deep were noted. Some of these trenches follow cleavage
directions in the crystals, but others cut across and parallel the crystal
faces of the cubes. Possibly a system of incipient fractures determined the orientation of these trenches; the etching probably was
accomplished by the action of meteoric waters containing sulf uric acidderived from the oxidation of marcasite (?) and other sulfides.
Part of the'colorless fluorite in the Kentucky-Babb mine contains
small crystals of galena. Some of the fluorite is intergrown withsphalerite, and crystals containing inclusions of a mineral thought
to be marcasite are frequently found.
A small amount of light-colored cellular fluorite was deposited asa coating on purple fluorite crystals. This cellular fluorite is believed
to be supergene, probably having been dissolved and redeposited bycirculating meteoric waters.
Bedding-replacement or "coon-tail" fluorspar ore occurs on the 135and 200-foot levels of the Eagle No. 2 mine and has been noted on the
100-foot level from the Bachelor shaft. The term "coon-tail" isderived from the resemblance of the ore in cross section to the banded
tail of a raccoon. The ore is composed of alternating light-coloredbands of relatively pure fluorite and dark bands of fine-grained fluorspar containing fluorite, quartz, calcite, and locally sphalerite. The
light-colored bands as a rule are fluorite combs two sets of crystals
growing .toward each other from opposite directions whereas thedark bands may be rich in sphalerite, thus forming zinc-rich coontail ore, or free of sphalerite in the zinc-free variety. The bands range
in width from an eighth to half an inch,
SPHALERITE

Next to fluorite, sphalerite (ZnS) is the most abundant ore mineral.
It is bright reddish-brown and occurs in veinlets and masses intergrown with calcite and fluorite and finely disseminated through them.
It is commonly found near the margins of the fluorspar veins.
Sphalerite also fills small fractures in the brecciated wall rock or isdisseminated through and replaces the limestones. Most sphalerite is
Very fine grained j however, small crystals, generally distorted tetrahedra, were found at the Eagle No. 2 mine. Although most of thesphalerite occurs marginally, in some places it is finely disseminatedthroughout the fluorspar and constitutes as much as 25 percent of the

.4 ,

-«
*.

y*

21
total vein material. In the dark bands of the zinc-rich coon-tail ore,
it is one of the main constituents, generally forming 5 to 15 percent of
the ore.
GALENA

With the exception of sphalerite the only conspicuous sulfide mineral is galena (PbS). It is commonly found in the fluorspar in small
masses and cubes. Some fluorite crystals contain inclusions of galena.
OTHER MINERALSThe most abundant mineral in the veins is milky-white to gray massive calcite (CaC03 ). It also fills many small fissures adjacent to theveins and replaces the country rock. Strongly brecciated zones generally contain considerable quantities in irregular masses. The calcite
is, in general, coarsely crystalline and massive and commonly contains
veinlets of fluorite and sphalerite. Distorted crystals, however, arecommonly found in vugs.
Fine-grained quartz (Si02 ) and chalcedony are disseminatedthrough the wall rock, but only one quartz vein is known in the Babbarea. This vein is in the St. Louis limestone (footwall of fault 1) near
the bottom of the Eagle No. 1 shaft. It is composed of massive whitequartz intergrown with calcite and is about 18 inches wide at the bottorn of the shaft, but pinches out at a point about 3 feet above. In thelight-colored bands of coon-tail ore several small doubly-terminatedclear quartz crystals a fourth to half an inch long were found between
combs of fluorite, and perpendicular to the banding.
A pale bronze-yellow sulfide mineral believed to be marcasite(FeS2 ) occurs sparsely in the veins and wall rock. It forms small
veinlets and aggregates or coats fluorite crystals. In the KentuckyBabb mine, it coats slickensided calcite surfaces. Infrequently, thismineral forms small clusters of crystals in comb structure. As no
X-ray or mineragraphic studies have been made of this mineral, thepossibility remains that it may be chalcopyrite or pyrite. Grogan(oral communication, .November 1944) reports that sulfide inclusions
in some fluorite crystals from Illinois give an X-ray diffraction pattern for chalcopyrite.
Barite (BaSO4 ) was probably the last hypogene mineral oleposited.
It is not common but locally occurs in massive aggregates and small
tabular crystals coating fluorite. It is white to light gray and generally somewhat granular. Barite replaces fluorite and calcite to asmall extent.
A small amount of black sticky .bitumen coats many calcite andfluorite crystals.
Smithsonite (ZnC03 ), limonite (2Fe203.3H20), and gypsum(CaSO4.2H2O), are found in the oxidized upper parts of the veins.
The smithsonite is in massive and collular cream-colored to gray

22

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

aggregates and is commonly associated with the sphalerite fromwhich it was derived. Limonite is formed by the oxidation of themineral believed to be marcasite, and the two minerals are commonly
associated. Gypsum occurs as tabular crystals that probably were
deposited by circulating ground water.
Mine waters pouring through drill holes, cracks, and larger fissuresin the walls of drifts are depositing small quantities of light yellow
sulfur.
THE VEINS, ORE BODIES, AND WALL BOCKThe fluorspar veins in the Babb area are fissure fillings and in part
replacement deposits along the faults. Vein widths range from 2
inches to approximately 30 feet and probably average 8-10 feet. The
veins in the area are of two general types: those that are composed
principally of calcite and are fairly continuous, and those in which
calcite is much less prevalent and the ore is in pockets. In the first
type the fissures are thought to have been filled first with calcite, thenreopened by later fracturing that permitted the entrance of fluorinebearing solutions. Deposits of the second type are thought to havebeen largely the result of replacement of the wall rock by fluorite.
Throughout the southwestern part of the area, the vein in fault 1 ispractically continuous. High-grade fluorspar lenses occur within thewider calcite vein, and fluorite replacing calcite is very common. In
the northeastern part of the area, the vein in fault 2 seems to havebeen formed principally by replacement of the wall rock. The ore
pinches out in short distances and in only a few places is continuous
for more than 250 feet. The two types of veins are illustrated in plate
2. The map of the 450-foot level of the Kentucky-Babb mine illustrates the first type, and the map of the 200-foot level of the Eagle13 abb mine, the second.

The grade of fluorspar varies not only from one ore body to anotherbut also within a specific ore shoot. Some .ore from the Guill, Kentucky-Babb, and Delhi-Babb mines has been sold as acid-grade fluorspar (98 percent CaF2 and less than 1 percent Si02 ) after being
washed in a log washer, whereas other ore contains high percentagesof sphalerite and calcite. Because of the wide range in composition,

it would be necessary to take many closely spaced samples in order todetermine accurately the grade of fluorspar in any one mine. In general the crude ore mined has averaged about 50 percent of CaF2.
Though vein widths probably average 8-10 feet, ore widths probably do not average more than 5 feet. Ore bodies as much as 23 feetwide, however, have been mined.

Fluorspar occurs throughout theveins in lenses that range in length from 15 to 350 feet but generally
average about 200 feet. Because of the great variation in length andBABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

23

width of the veins (see pi. 3), it is difficult to make any generalizationon the size of ore bodies.
As far as is known, the veins persist in depth. In January 1945
the deepest exploration in the area was the 550-foot level from the
Kentucky No. 3 shaft. The vein on this level is 25-30 feet wide but
contains much calcite. Between the 550-foot level and 450-foot level,
however, the fluorspar is 3-10 feet wide and of high grade.
On the Kentucky-Babb property the fluorspar lenses generally
have been found near the hanging wall of the fault; however, orebodies are not confined to this section of the vein. Two lenses offluorspar were cut by drill hole 35, one in the middle of the 30-footvein and the other near the hanging wall.
The distribution of sphalerite in the veins is sporadic. In someplaces the veins contain as much as 25 percent of sphalerite, whereas
other segments are essentially zinc-free. It is believed that the distribution of sphalerite is controlled to some extent by the cross andsubparallel faults. In fault 1 southwest of its junction with fault 8,
the fluorspar contains little or no sphalerite (see pis. 1 and 3). In thesegment between fault 8 and the most southwesterly point at which
fault 10 leaves fault 1, the ore contains 5-25 percent of sphalerite.
Northeast of this point where fault 10 leaves fault 1, the fluorspar
is practically zinc-free, and very little sphalerite occurs in the wallrock. In the section of the fault zone between the southwestern junction of,faults 1 and 13 and the northeastern junction of faults Land11, the fluorspar contains 3-15 percent of sphalerite, and the wall rockis impregnated with sphalerite for several feet on each side of thevein. Along fault 1, between its northeastern junction with fault 11
and its junction with fault 2, the vein material is essentially zincfree. In the Eagle No. 2 mine, the fluorspar in fault 2 contains 3-10
percent of zinc, but the fluorspar in fault 5 northeast of its junction
with the northeastern segment of fault 2 is practically zincfree (see pi. 2). The change in zinc content is very abrupt at thejunction of the two faults. On the Barnes property at the northeast
end of the area studied, the fluorspar below the oxidized zone contains 3-8 percent of zinc. The deposition of sphalerite and the lateformed fluorite with which it occurs is believed to have been
simultaneous.
Galena commonly occurs in small pockets distributed at irregularintervals throughout the vein material.
The vein walls consist of strongly brecciated and drag-folded rocksof the enclosing sedimentary formations. The shales of the Chester
formations in the hanging wall generally ,are strongly drag foldedand contributed to the formation of abundant gouge. In the mines,

24

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

very little wall rock can be seen because of the abundant calcite
gangue, gouge, and fault breccia. Shaly quartzitic sandstones of thehanging wall have been dragged more strongly than interbedded
massive limestones and in many places lie between the fault and thelimestones.
Much silica, both as fine-grained quartz and the cryptocrystalline
variety, was seen in thin sections of the limestone wall rock. The
quartz is in small doubly terminated crystals and clusters of small
distorted crystals replacing the limestone and in crystal aggregatesfilling small fissures. Cryptocrystalline quartz (chalcedony) occurs
in small masses replacing limestone and filling openings in it. It isestimated that 5-20 percent of silica has been added to most limestones within 10 feet of the veins.
Sandstones near the veins have been converted to quartzites. The
sandstone grains interlock to a considerable extent, but secondary
silicification appears to have been of more significance than pressurein the conversion of sandstone to quartzite. Fine-grained quartz andchalcedony were added along fractures in the sandstone as well as in
the interstices between the grains. Silicification seems to have occurred
before some of the fluorite was deposited because silica veinlets are cutby fluorite veinlets in many places.
LOCALIZATION OF ORE BODIESThe effects of both structural and lithologic control are apparent
in the localization of veins and ore shoots along the faults of the Babb
system. As has been noted in other mining districts, the attitude of
the fault plane is one of the main factors controlling vein widths.
Cross faults were effective in the localization of ore at junctions andto some extent controlled later movement along certain segments ofthe main veins. Lithologic control might also be regarded as stratigraphic control inasmuch as the formations have rather characteristic
lithologic features.
STRUCTURAL CONTROLCURVED FAULT PLANES

Studies of the structural features of ore deposits have shown that

commonly where normal faults steepen, greater vein widths may befound along the steeper segments (McKinstry, 1941; NewKouse, 1942;

Emmons, 1943). This condition is found in the Babb area. In mostplaces where sufficient data were available to determine the dip ofthe fault plane, the vein was definitely wider in the steeper segments,

Much of the early prospecting may have been unsuccessful because theshallow shafts were not deep enough to penetrate the steeper segmentsof the faults where the ore was localized. The localization of fluor-

25
spar bodies cannot be correlated with vein widths, however; some of
the widest veins are composed almost entirely of calcite. The fluorinebearing solutions evidently were introduced after the faults were reopened subsequent to the main calcite mineralization, and the fluorspar
bodies were localized along new fractures principally within the
calcite.
Veins increasing in width as the fault plane steepens were observedat the Croft shaft on the Delhi-Babb property and at the Eagle No. 2
shaft on the Eagle-Babb property (see pi. 4, sees. C-C' and E-E').
At the Croft shaft, the vein dips 80°-85° NW. from the surface to adepth of 350 feet where it steepens and becomes essentially vertical.
Through this interval the vein ranges from 1 to 15 feet in width andaver ages.between 5 and 6 feet, whereas on the 400-foot level, where thevein is vertical, vein widths range from 3 to 23 feet and average 10
feet. At the Eagle No. 2 shaft, the vein dips 80°-85° NW. to a depthof about 160 feet where it becomes almost vertical. No vein was foundin the fault above the 160-foot depth, but where the fault plane steepened, 8 feet of fluorspar ore was found on the 200-foot level; a drill
hole penetrated 12 feet of fluorspar ore at a depth of 325 feet.
Some exceptions are known to the general rule that veins widen insteeper segments of the faults. For example, drill hole 23 on the
Barnes property cut 3 feet of fluorspar ore at a depth of 246 feet, but
drill hole 36, which cut the fault 100 feet beneath drill hole 23, cut thefault at a point where the vein pinched, although the fault plane isessentially vertical between the two holes.
LATER-FORMED FRACTURES AND CROSS FAULTS

After the early period of calcite and fluorite deposition, new fractures were opened within the Babb veins along which both fluorineand sulfide-bearing solutions rose. The fact that certain parts of theveins contain sphalerite, whereas adjacent sections are sphalerite-free,suggests that the fractures that were mineralized later were concentrated along segments of the main faults (faults 1 and 2) in which
the adjustments took place. The ends of these segments appear to
be at points where the main faults were intersected by cross faults or
joined by subparallel fractures. For example, an abrupt change fromzinc-rich to zinc-free fluorspar was noted at the exact line of thejunction of fault 5 with the northeastern segment of fault 2 in the
Eagle No. 2 mine (see pi. 2). Inasmuch as some fluorite was deposited
simultaneously with the sphalerite, the localization of this later deposition of fluorspar was also affected by the later-formed fractures andcross faults.
As the cross faults in the area have scarcely been explored, thepossibilities of ore bodies in them have not been determined.

26

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY
FAULT JUNCTIONS

111 the Babb area fault junctions are not always mineralized, but
in at least two localities, one at the Eagle No. 2 shaft where faults
2 and 5 join, and the other south of the Kentucky No. 4 shaft wherefaults 1 and 8 join, very wide ore bodies have been found. In otherplaces, as at the junctions of fault IA and of fault 13 with fault 1>
such structural relations seem to have had little effect on the localization of mineralized material within the vein. In general, however,
fault junctions or intersections in the Babb area are considered by thewriter to be more favorable sites for ore bodies than a single fault.
LITHOLOGIC CONTROL,

Lithologic character was of considerable influence in the localization of some of the ore as it affected both structural features andchemicophysical factors. Inasmuch as certain types of sedimentaryrock are confined largely to specific formations, however, the control
is ostensibly stratigraphic. For example, shale which tends to pinch
off the veins, is more abundant in the formations of the middle andupper Chester. Readily replaceable oolitic limestone occurs mainly in
the Ste. Genevieve limestone, though replacement deposits are knownin other formations as well.
COMPETENT AND INCOMPETENT BEDS

In the Babb area, the upper Chester formations are composedlargely of shales and are, rather incompetent. Lower in the Chester
group, the formations contain less shale and are more competent.
In general the faults tend to steepen as they pass from the shaly
upper Chester rocks into the lower Chester and Meramec limestones.
As lithologic character affects the attitude of the fault plane and thisattitude in many places controls the vein width, the stratigraphic
sequence is an important controlling factor.
EFFECTS OF SHALE AND SHALY GOUGE

In the mines of the Babb group and particularly in the Eagle No. 2

mine, where large quantities of shale or shaly gouge occur in the faultsand fractures, veins are narrow or absent. This condition is particularly noticeable in the zone southwest of the ore body at the Eagie NO.
2 shaft.

In general the formations lying above the Bethel sandstone

in the Babb area are incompetent and contain considerable quantities

of shale as well as thinly bedded sandstones and shaly limestones.
Fault fissures in rocks of this type ordinarily are filled with gouge anddrag-folded rock and. contain little vein material.

Some competentrocks do occur above tKe BetKel sandstone, however, and where they
form at least one wall of the fault, ore bodies may be found. This istrue in fault 4 on the Eagle-Babb property where drilling revealed ore

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

27

between the massive Hardinsburg sandstone and the shaly Golconda
formation, both lying above the Bethel sandstone. Another example isin fault 1 at the place where ore occurs between the massive Ste. Genevieve limestone and the shaly Golconda and Tar Springs formations.
Ore rarely has been found, however, where both walls of the fault are
in shaly rocks.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF FORMATIONS TO REPLACEMENT

In fault 2 much of the ore is probably the result of replacement of
the limestone wall rock. The susceptibility of the wall rock to replacement by mineralizing solutions had a definite influence upon the localization of some of the ore bodies. A bedding-replacement deposit
occurs at a depth of 135 feet at the Eagle No. 2 shaft in the top of theLevias member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. A small amount ofbedding-replacement ore was also noted in the Fredonia limestone
member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone on the 100-foot level northeastof the Bachelor shaft. The Fredonia limestone member was replaced
considerably on and above the 200-foot level from the Eagle No. 2 shaft
where the fluorspar contains 3 to 8 percent of zinc. In general, replacement deposits are most common in the oolitic Fredonia and Levias
limestone members of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, but they are knownin other rocks in other areas.
Replacement deposits in the Babb area are very spotty, and it is
impossible to predict their extent. Two winzes that started in ore
from the 200-foot level from the Eagle No. 2 shaft penetrated unreplaced limestone beds a few feet beneath this level. Diamond drilling,
however, has shoAvn that high-grade ore exists at a depth of 125 feetbeneath the 200-foot level.
CONCENTRATION IN THE OXIDIZED ZONE

Fluorspar commonly is concentrated in the oxidized zone by weathering, thus forming gravel spar. The porous oolitic limestone andbrecciated shaly sandstone bordering the veins in some localities havecomparatively little resistance to weathering and are decomposedand disintegrated to considerable depths. Fluorspar is resistant tochemical decomposition but breaks down mechanically into large lumps
and small fragments. As a result it is left as a residual concentratein the overburden. The fluorspar content of a vein that originallyextended 100 feet or more in depth may. be concentrated to a residual
deposit 20-30 feet thick. Gravel spar is not formed to an appreciable
extent in localities where the surface formations are very resistantto weathering.
Smithsonite has been found in the upper parts of the Howard mineon the Barries property. No commercial deposits of this mineral are
known in the Babb a,rea, but it is not unlikely that they exist. The

28

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

oxidation products of galena (cerussite, pyromorphite, and anglesite)
have not been noted in the Babb area but are known elsewhere in the
Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar field.

*

VERTICAL EXTENT OF THE ORE

There has not been enough deep exploration in the Babb area towarrant conclusions regarding the depths to which the ore bodies
may extend. The apparent bottoming of a deposit should not necessarily be attributed to the depth factor as a fault may be filled locallyby shaly gouge or calcite, or a decrease in dip of the fault in places
may cause a pinch in a vein. At the Kentucky No. 3 shaft, the drift
on the 550-foot level (the deepest workings in the Babb area when
the field work was being done) was driven in vein material ranging
from 20 to 30 feet or more in width but having a fluorite content ofless than 30 percent. Fluorspar a few feet above this level was highgrade ore, and it is reported that fluorspar ore 5 feet wide was cut
in sinking a sump in the vein. Only deeper exploration in this area
will determine the limiting depth for fluorspar ore bodies. No relation between depth and concentration of sphalerite has been observed.
OEIGINThe veins were filled first largely with calcite; then renewed movement opened new fractures along which fluorine-bearing solutions
moved. Fluorite replaced the calcite and limestone country rock andwas deposited in open spaces, possibly as a result of fluorine-bearing
solutions reacting with waters containing calcium bicarbonate in solution (Schwerin, 1940).
The mineralizing solutions are believed to have been derived from amagmatic source. Lamprophyre dikes are exposed in the KentuckyIllinois field but are not known in the Babb area; they appear to havebeen intruded prior to the period of fluorspar mineralization. It IS
possible that the dikes and the fluorine-rich solutions were derived

k

~*
_^
.

~*

V

^

-v

*

*

from the same magma and that the mineralizing solutions were given

off at a later stage of differentiation,

1

The bedding-replacement deposits of fluorspar in the Eagle No. 2
and Bachelor mines closely resemble those of the Cave in Kock area in
Illinois and are believed to have had the same mode of origin; namely,
replacement of favorable limestone (Currier, 1937).

<*

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTIES

t-

GUILL

^

On the Guill property two shafts had been sunk 190 feet apartin fault 1 prior to 1905 (Smith, 1905, p. 201-202). The northeastern
shaft was 85 feet deep, and the southwestern one was 60 feet deep.

>BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

29

These shafts are now caved, and their sites could not be located. Someshallow mining was done by the Eagle Fluor Spar Co. in 1900, but noattempt was made to mine on a larger scale until 1924, when thiscompany started sinking the Hearne shaft in the footwall of thevein. The shaft, now caved, was abandoned at a depth of 225 feet
before any crosscutting was done, and the Guill No. 1 shaft was started
in the vein. The Guill No. 1 shaft was sunk to a depth of 300 feet,
and a fluorspar body about 300 feet long was mined. A drift on the
300-foot level was driven in the vein (see pi. 3) about 310 feet northeast from this shaft; it is reported that the fluorspar in this drift wasof too low grade to be mined under conditions then prevailing. A
winze 40 feet deep was sunk in the vein 90 feet southwest from the
Guill No. 1 shaft; it is reported that the vein pinched a few feetbelow the 300-foot level and that the winze was continued in blackshale of the Golconda formation. Approximately 40,000 tons offluorspar was produced from workings above the 300-foot level before
mining stopped in 1929.
In 1928 the small prospect shaft (shown as a pit on pi. 1) northeast of the small creek was sunk to a depth of 40 feet and a crosscut
driven to the vein, which was barren at that point.
In 1942 Perry and Loyd, a fluorspar mining company of Marion,
Ky., sank the Guill No. 2 shaft to a depth of 100 feet in the hanging
wall of fault 1 and mined the fluorspar disseminated in quartzite of
the Tar Springs sandstone. In 1943, planning to mine the ore left in
the walls of the abandoned stopes, they sank the Guill No. 3 shaft inthe vein to a depth of 80 feet. The old stopes were found to be almost
closed by subsidence and only small openings remained. Fluorspar
ore averaging 5 feet wide was mined above the 80-foot level. The
shaft was deepened to 120 feet, and a drift was driven about 200
feet southwestward. The property was then sold to Hillside Fluor
Spar Mines of Eosiclare, 111. This company sank the Guill No. 3
shaft to a depth of 170 feet, drifted 250 feet northeast on the 120foot level, and was proceeding with development in January 1945
(see pi. 3). The property was held more recently by Inland SteelCorp., successor to Hillside Fluor Spar Mines in June 1945. Probably
3,000 tons of fluorspar has been produced from this mine between its
reopening in 1942 and 1945.
Faults 1, 6, 8, and 12 cross the Guill property, but only fault 1 has
been prospected extensively. The characteristics of faults 6, 8,12, andof fault 1 south of fault 12 are not shown. Faults 6 and 8 and fault 1
south of its intersection with fault 12 were inferred to explain differences in altitude of the same stratigraphic horizon. The positionsof the traces of these faults on plate 1 are uncertain. More detailed
exploration in this vicinity probably will reveal the presence of more
faults.

30

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

The fluorspar mined from the Guill No. 3 shaft is composed of colorless to brown fluorite in a calcite gangue. Much of the fluorite is clear
but very dark and has a bituminous odor. The fluorite is largely massive and apparently replaced calcite to a considerable extent. The
fluorspar ore contains very little sphalerite or galena.
On this property, the vein is essentially vertical (see pi.4,sec. A-A')
and is 20-30 feet wide along that part explored by mine workings.
Southwest of the mine workings, three core drill holes have exploredabout 400 feet of strike length along fault 1 and fault 12. In this section the brecciated zone is 20-40 feet wide, but with the exception of afew stringers of calcite and fluorite in the country rock, no vein was
revealed by the drilling. Core recovery was so poor, however, thatdefinite conclusions about the presence or absence of fluorspar bodies
are not justifiable. The attitude of the fault marked by the breccia
zone is not known.
Two drill holes explored that part of the vein between the mine workings and the Kentucky-Babb property line. Hole 44 entered a cavity
in the fault, and hole 35 cut 20 feet of vein material including 4 feetof high-grade fluorspar.
KENTUCKY-BABB

The Morse prospect discussed by Smith (1905, p. 202) is a caved piton the Kentucky-Babb property. Many shallow shafts and pits,
among them the C. Babb shaft which was reported to be 80 feet deep,
were sunk prior to 1930, but no fluorspar was marketed. In 1930
the Eagle Fluor Spar Co. sank the Kentucky No. 1 shaft to a depth of
40 feet and crosscut to the fault but found it barren. In 1935 the

*

-*

A
^

*

Kentucky Fluor Spar Co. reopened this shaft and sank it to a depthof 154 feet, where some fluorspar was mined. The Kentucky No. 2
shaft was sunk in 1936, and the Kentucky No. 3 and No. 4 shafts in
1939. The Kentucky No. 3 shaft, the deepest shaft in the Babb area,
was the only one being used in January 1945 when mining was being
done at a depth of 550 feet (see pi. 3). The property is now held by*^

the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co,*

4

Faults 1, 1A, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 13 cross the Kentucky-Babb property.

In addition to the rather large production from fault 1, a small amountof fluorspar has been mined from faults -LA. ana is near their junctions with fauit i. At tke junction of faults 1 and Li, fluorspar is

1*

fOUnd along fault 1A for a short distance from the junction. At the^junction of faults i and is, the ore widens slightly but pinches in bothfaults a few feet from the junction. Faults 7 and 9 were cut by drill
holes, but no vein material was penetrated. Fault 8 was not cut by adrill hole, but a hole penetrated fault 1 near its junction with fault 8

W

31
and revealed a 20-foot lens of fluorspar. It is reported that a horizontal hole was drilled southeast from fault 1 on the 340-foot level ofthe mine. This hole probably cut fault 10, but no fluorspar was foundand no record of the hole is available. The locations of the faults andthe geologic formations exposed are shown on plate 1, and the stratigraphic and structural relations at the Kentucky No. 3 shaft are illustrated on plate 4, sec. B-B''.
In general the fluorspar and the character of the vein are rather
uniform throughout the accessible parts of the mine. The vein ranges
from 10 to 30 feet in width and contains fluorspar lenses from 2 inches
to 12 feet wide. The fluorspar is generally massive white to brownand of high grade; it contains a small amount of galena but essentiallyno sphalerite. Many of the fluorspar lenses contain very little calcite;furthermore the calcite, which constitutes most of the vein material,
rarely contains more than 10 percent of fluorite. The contact between
the high-grade fluorspar lenses and the almost barren calcite may bemarked by a small fault or a thin film of gouge, or it may be graduallytransitional.
That part of the 340-foot level southwest from the Kentucky No. 3
shaft was inaccessible in 1944, but a mine map of the drift was furnished by Mr. Kobert Frazer, operator of the mine. According to thismap and reports of miners who worked in the drift, the vein ranged
from 1 to 10 feet in width and contained no fluorspar bodies wider
than 4 feet (pi. 3). A series of assays shows that part of the drift
was driven in 3-4 feet of vein material containing 8-10 percent of zincoccurring as sphalerite.
The distribution of zinc-free fluorspar ore and calcite in the fault
zone on the 450-foot level from the Kentucky No. 3 shaft is shown onplate 2.
On the 550-foot level from the Kentucky No. 3 shaft, the vein
ranges from 10 to 30 feet or more in width but consists largely of
calcite with stringers of fluorite; however, fluorspar ore 6 feet wide
was reported to have been found in a sump sunk in the vein near theshaft. In stopes immediately above the 550-foot level, high-grade
fluorspar ore has been mined.
That part of the fault lying between the Kentucky No. 4 shaft and
the Guill property line (pis. 1 and 3) was explored witH 4 core drill
holes. Hole 25 cut 8 feet of sphalerite-fluorspar ore averaging 13 percent of zinc and 20 percent of CaF2. The other 3 holes penetrated
veins ranging from 15 to 40 feet in width and indicated the presenceof an essentially zinc-free fluorspar ore body ranging from 4 to 20
feet in width. The greatest width of the vein was cut near the junction of faults 1 and 8.

32
DELHI-BABB

The first reference to workings on the Delhi-Babb property was
made in 1905 by Smith (p. 202) who mentioned that the Tom Babb
prospect consists of two holes 200 feet apart; the northeastern hole
was about 240 feet S. 54° W. from the Raymon Babb shaft, which issouthwest of the present Eagle No. 1 shaft. These holes probably are
represented by two of the caved pits northeast of the Bachelor shaft.
The next recorded work on this property was done in 1918, when the
Bachelor shaft was sunk and some fluorspar was mined. This shaft
was not accessible when Currier (1923, p. 115) visited the property in
1921, but since then the mine has been operated intermittently fromthis shaft. Mr. A. H. Eeed, Sr., acquired the Delhi-Babb property
and in 1934 sank the Incline shaft in the vein of fault 1. The Delhi
Fluorspar Co. next acquired the property and sank the Croft shaft
in 1933- Mining from the Croft and Incline shafts continued until
May 1943, when the mine was closed pending the sinking of the New
Delhi shaft. Since that time, contractors did some mining from the
Croft, Incline, and Bachelor shafts; none of this work went below adepth of 100 feet (pi. 3). The Delhi-Babb property in 1946 was soldto the Ozark-Mahoning Co.
The Delhi-Babb mine was examined by the writer before it wasclosed in 1943, but many of the mine openings were inaccessible becauseof caving. The vein in fault 1 was examined on the 350- and 400-footlevels from the Croft shaft, and high-grade fluorspar ore was observed.
On the 350-foot level the vein ranges from 1 foot to 15 feet in widthand on the 400-foot level it ranges from 3 to 22 feet; the maximum
width occurs where a fracture striking N". 30° E. extends from fault 1
into the hanging wall. The vein consists largely of high-grade fluorspar that contains from 3 to 10 percent of zinc occurring as sphalerite.
Drifts along faults 1 and 11 and in the brecciated block separatingthese faults were examined on the 70-foot level from the Incline shaft.
Veins ranging from small stringers to as much as 8 feet in width consist chiefly of high-grade fluorspar containing some sphalerite, calcite,
and wall rock. The fluorspar in the fissures in the brecciated block

between faults 1 and 11 contains considerable quartzite.
Faults 1, 4, 11, and. 13 extend across the Delhi-Babb property, but

only faults 1 and 11 have been explored, Fault 1 dips approximately
80° NW. to a depth of 350 feet, where it becomes essentially vertical.

Exploration along fault 11 has not been systematic enough to reveal
the structural details of the fault. The surface trace of fault 11 joins

fault 1 northeast of the Croft shaft. Fault 11 is exposed in the crosscut on the 270-foot level from the Croft shaft where it lies 15 feetsoutheast of fault 1, but it is not perceptible in the crosscut on the 350foot level (see pis. 3 and 4, C-C'). The drift in fault 11 on the 270-

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

33

foot level passed through small pockets of fluorspar, but no ore bodies
were found.
At the Bachelor shaft, the 100-foot level northeast of the shaft was
mapped. A small fluorspar ore body about .40 feet long and averaging
4 feet in width occurs on this level. Banded ore of the beddingreplacement type was noted in the northeast face of this drift (seepi. 3).
EAGLE-BABB

Smith (1905, p. 201) stated that the Raymon Babb mine consistedof two shafts and several small prospect pits. These openings are
identified by the writer with the series of pits lying southwest of theEagle No. 1 shaft. Between June 1899 and August 1900, the groupwas worked by the Eagle Fluor Spar Co., and more than 1,000 tonsof fluorspar was mined above the 80-foot level. Later, the present
Eagle No. 1 shaft was sunk to a depth of 125 feet in the footwall offault 1 and a crosscut driven 125 feet through fault 1 to fault 4. A
vein consisting largely of calcite was found in fault 1, but no vein waspresent in fault 4 where is was intersected.
No more work was done on this property until 1942 when, following the discovery of fluorspar on the Barnes property, sinking of theEagle No. 2 shaft and a program of core drilling were started (pi.
1). Six core holes totaling 2,300 feet in length were drilled. Two of
the holes cut sphalerite-fluorspar ore in faults 3 and 4, and the crosscut to fault 2 from the Eagle No. 2 shaft cut sphalerite-rich fluorspar
8 feet wide. In 1943 the Eagle No. 1 shaft was reopened and sunkto a depth of 300 feet. A short crosscut was driven to fault 1, anda drift was started in the vein. Not much work was done from thisshaft between then and 1945. About 6,000 tons of ore has been produced from this property during the two periods of operation.
Faults 1, 2, 2A, 3, 4, and 5 extend across the Eagle-Babb property,
and fluorspar ore is known to occur in all except fault 2^4, which has
not been prospected. At the Eagle No. 1 shaft the vein in fault 1 is
10 feet wide but is mainly calcite. At the Eagle No. 2 shaft there isessentially no vein in fault 1. The veins in faults 2, 3, and 4 are
lenticular, and their character changes within very short distances;
they contain chiefly sphalerite-rich fluorspar. The vein in fault 5 isabout 7 feet wide and is composed essentially of sphalerite-free fluorspar and calcite. In addition to the ore found in the veins, a beddingreplacement deposit of the "coon-tail" type of ore has been mined at a
depth of 135 feet from the Eagle No. 2 shaft (pi. 3). The locations of
the faults and the geological formations exposed are shown on plate 1.
Two sections across the fault zone on the Eagle-Babb property are
given on plate 4, sees. D-D' and E-E''.

34

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

Most of the ore occurring on this property is in pockets and wasformed mainly by wall-rock replacement. The ore body in fault 2 at
the Eagle No. 2 shaft is about 180 feet long but ranges from 1 foot to
16 feet in width. At the widest places, the fluorspar has replaced theFredonia limestone member in the footwall. The drift southwest fromthe Eagle No. 2 shaft on the 200-foot level was driven in sphaleriterich fluorspar for a distance of 110 feet to a point where the vein
pinched abruptly. The drift was continued for 220 feet but was driven
largely in black shaly gouge between slickensided limestone andquartzite walls (pi. 2). The drift northeast from the Eagle No. 2 shaft
on the 200-foot level was driven in fluorspar ore for about 60 feet. The
vein pinched abruptly in fault 2, northeast of the junction of fault 5
and the northeastern segment of fault 2, but continued in fault 5.
Much of the vein material in fault 5 is calcite, and the fluorspar ore
was spotty. Two winzes were started in fluorspar on the 200-foot level,
but both penetrated unreplaced limestone beds and were abandoned
later.
The bedding-replacement deposit mined on the 135-foot level was
about 30 feet wide, and the thickness ranged from 6 feet near the fault
to a feather edge southeast of the Eagle No. 2 shaft (pi. 3). The fluorspar was distinctly banded and closely resembled the ore from thebedding-replacement deposits of the Cave in Rock area, Illinois.
The U. S. Bureau of Mines drilled 10 holes from underground stations to explore faults 3 and 4 (pi. 4, sees. D-D' and E-E'}. The coresshowed that sphalerite-rich fluorspar occurs in faults 3 and 4, but thevery pockety nature of the deposits renders it almost impossible toestimate the quantity of ore. One hole was drilled to intersect fault 2
at a point 125 feet below the 200-foot level and was continued to cut
fault 4. This hole indicated the presence of a high-grade fluorspar
vein about 12 feet wide in fault 2 on this level and some fluorspar infault 4 (szc.E-E'}.

In 1946 the Eagle FlUOr Spar Co, Sold the Eagle-Babb property to
the Aluminum Ore Co., now the Alcoa Mining Co.
BARNESIn 1904 "Doc" Radcliff sank the shaft (snOWll RS cl pit Oil pi, 1) SOlltllof the Howard shaft to a depth of 90 feet. This is the nrst work

known to have been done on. the Barnes property. ShOlt drfftS Weresaid to have been driven northeast and southwest from the shaft andfluorspar stringers found.

In 1941 Claude Fletcher of Marion, Ky.,sank the shaft now known as the Howard Shaft approximately 00
feet; at about the same time, John Barnes sank the pit near drill hole

BABB FAULT SYSTEM, CRITTENDEN AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES

35

40 of the U. S. Bureau of Mines to a depth of about 30 feet. Both ofthese; shafts were abandoned. Later in 1941 Ray Howard and associates leased the property, reopened the Howard shaft, and sank it toa depth of 130 feet. Some fluorspar was found in crosscutting to thevein at that depth. The shaft was deepened to 171 feet, and considerable mining was done on this level. In 1943 the shaft was deepened
to 234 feet, but very little work had been done on this level by January 1945 (pi. 2). Later in 1945 the Inland Steel Corp. further explored the property by core drilling northeastward along the strikeof the fault system.
On the 171-foot lever from the Howard shaft the vein is weathered,and fluorspar occurs as large boulders in red clay. Considerable work
has been done on this level and from a shallow winze, but the fluorspar'ore has been spotty. On the 234-foot level faults 2 and 4 are clearly
defined, and a 4-foot vein occurs in fault 2. The vein is largely calcite
but contains about 35 percent of CaF2.
Faults 1, 2, 4, 14, 15, and 16 extend across the Barnes property.
With the exception of fault 16, all these faults were penetrated inrecent diamond drilling by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. None of the
Bureau's prospecting was done on the northeastern part of the property (pi. 1). Subsequent core drilling by the Inland Steel Corp.
explored fault 16 at several points, as well as faults 1 and 2 farther
northeast along the strike. Fluorspar ore has been mined from fault
2. The broken zone between faults 2 and 4 contains stringers offluorite and sphalerite, but no ore had been found, in the other faults
on this property by January. 1945. Because of the stratigraphy andthe character of the fault, it is believed that fault 2 offers the best
possibilities for prospecting farther northeast on the Barnes property. Section F-F' on plate 4 illustrates the structural and stratigraphic relations inferred to exist in the area northeast of the present mine workings.
/ ...
Three diamondrdrill holes explored the parts of faults 2 and 4
southwest-of the Howard shaft. -Hole 19 cut a calcite vein about
30 feet wide in the fault zone. Holes 21 and 40, however, cut a vein
3 feet wide containing sphalerite-rich fluorspar ore in fault 2 but noore in fault 4. Six holes were drilled northeast of the Howard shaft
by the Bureau of -Mines. Approximately 3 feet of fluorspar was cut
in holes 23 and 28; but the other holes, including hole 36, which was
drilled beneath hole 23, cut the faults at barren places. The coresfrom drilling done by the Inland Steel Corp. in the autumn of 1945
were not studied by the Geological Survey. According to reports,
however, some fluorspar was found, and the drilling revealed evidenceof faults not shown on plate 1.

36

FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS IN WESTERN KENTUCKY
E. CHAMPION AND GID TAYLOE,

As far as is known, only fault 1 extends across the E. Champion
and Gid Taylor properties, and only a short length of it is within theproperty boundaries. This part of the Babb area is not known to havebeen prospected.
LITERATURE CITED

Bastin, E. S., 1931, The fluorspar deposits of Hardin and Pope Counties, III.:111. Geol. Survey Bull. 58, p. 14-38.
Currier, L. W., 1920, Fluorspar; lead, and zinc, in Weller, Stuart, and others,
Geology of Hardin County, 111.: 111. Geol. Survey Bull. 41, p. 259-260.
1923, Fluorspar deposits of Kentucky: Ky. Geol. Survey, ser. 6, v. 13.
1937, Origin of the bedding replacement deposits of fluorspar in the
Illinois field: Econ. Geology, v. 32, no. 3, p. 364-386.
Emmons, W. H., 1943, Certain ore shoots on warped fault planes: Am. Inst.
Min. Eng. Tech. Pub. 1545.
McKinstry, H. E., 1941, Structural control of ore deposition in fissure veins:
Am. Inst. Min. Eng. Tech. Pub. 1267.
Newhouse, W. H., 1942, Ore deposits as related to structural features: Princeton
Univ. Press, p. 17.
Norwood, C. J., 1876, Report of a reconnaissance in the lead region of Livingston,
Crittenden, and Caldwell Counties: Ky. Geol. Survey Bepts. of Progress,
ser. 2, v. 1, p. 449-493.
Schwerin, Lenher, 1940, Fluorspar its chemical arid industrial applications:Jour. Chem. Education, v. 17, no. 4, p. 161.
Smith, W. S. T., 1905, Ore deposits and mines, pt. II in Ulrich, E. O., and Smith,
W. S. T,, Lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky: U. S,
Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 36.
Swanson, A. S., and Starnes, X. B., 1950, Investigation of fluorite deposits Of
Babb vein system, Crittenden and Livingston Counties, Ky.: U. S. Bur.

Mines Kept. Inv. 4677, 30 p.
Weller, Stuart, 1927, Geology of the Cave in Bock quadrangle: Ky. Geol. Survey,ser. 6, v. 26.
Weller, Stuart, and Sutton, A. H., 1951, Geologic map of the western Kentucky
fluorspar district: U. S. Geol. Survey Min. Inv. Field Studies no. 2.

INDEX
Abstract_________
Acknowledgments_
Alcoa Mining Co___

Page
Page
7-8 Limonite________________ 19, 21-22
11 Lithologic control of ore bodies___ 26-27
8, 9
10, 34 Location of Babb mines________

Babb fault system, attitude of14, 18description
14-18
Barlte__________
19, 21
Barnes property__ 10-11, 23, 25, 27, 34-35
Bethel sandstone__
13, 14,17, 26-27
Bitumen________________ 19, 21
Brecclation_____________ 15, 23-24

Mapping
10Marcasite__ _ 19, 21
Menard formation________ 13,14-15,17
Mineralogy________________ 19-22
Mining properties, description of__ 28-36
Mining properties, owner or lessee_-10

Ore bodies, description of_______ 22-23
See also Mining properties, deCalclte_________________ 19, 21, 22
scription of.
Chalcedony ____
21, 24
localization of___ _______ 24-28
Chester group, sequence of_12vertical extent of_________
28
Competent and incompetent beds
26
18
Coon-tail ore____________ 20,21,33 Ore deposits, general features____Coordinates, system of
11 Ore minerals, fluorite__________ 19-20
galena______ 21, 23
Cypress sandstone _13
sphalerite_ __ __ 20-21
Delhi-Babb property 8-9,10-11, 22, 32-33 Oxidized zone, concentration of ore
Delhi Fluorspar Co_____________
32
in_____________ 27-28
Ozark-Mahoning Co___________ 10,32
Eagle-Babb property.. ____ 8, 10-11,
20, 21, 22, 23, 26-27, 33-34 Paint Creek shale____________
13
Eagle Fluor Spar Co____ 17, 29, 30, 33, 34 Palestine sandstone__ ______
14
Early studies of the area
8-9 Paragenetic sequence of minerals__
19
E. Champion property
10-11, 36 Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. 10, 30
Perry and Loyd, mining company
29
Fault junctions______________ 26, 30
Fault planes, curved- __ _ 24-25 Quartz____
19, 21
Faults____________ 9, 10, 14-18, 25-26
Field work________________ 8-11 Recent geologic work_________ 9-11
36
Fluorite ______________ 19-20, 22-23 References
Fluorspar deposits, general features.
18 Renault formation___________ 13,14
origin _______________
28 Replacement deposits__ 20, 27, 28, 33, 34
Fluorspar lenses.____________ 22, 23 Rosiclare sandstone member of Ste.
Genevieve limestone
12
Fluorspar reserves__________
10
Fractures, later-formed ___25
Ste.
Genevieve
limestone_
12,14-17,
26-27
Fredonla member of Ste. Genevieve
limestone___ 12,15, 27 St. Louis limestone, description____ 12, 21
Sedimentary rocks
11-14
See also Structure.
Galena____ ____ ____ 19, 21, 23
Geology of the area_
11-18 Shale, effects of____ ____ 26-27
Gid Taylor property.. ______ 10-11, 36 Sllicification_______.._ _____ 13, 15, 24
Glen Dean limestone
13,14 Smithsonite _______ __ 19, 21-22, 27
19, 20-21, 23
Golconda formation______ 13, 26-27, 29 Sphalerite__ _Gravel spar__
18, 27 Structural control of ore bodies 24-26
Guill property__ 8-9, 10-11, 18, 22, 28-30 Structure______________ 14-18
Gypsum _19, 21-22 Sulfur___________ ____ 19, 22
Hardinsburg sandstone_______ 13, 26-27 Tar Springs sandstone. 13,14,17, 27, 29
Topography
8
Hillside Fluor Spar Mines, mining__
8
company
29 Transportation ____
Howard mine_____;____ 20, 27, 34-35
U. S. Bureau of Mines, drilling by. 10, 34-35
Inland Steel Corp__________ 10, 29, 35
Veins___________-___ 22-24, 25, 28
See also Mining properties, deKentucky-Babb property--____ 10-11,18,
scription.
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 30-31_ 13,14Kentucky Fluor Spar Co_
30 Vienna formation
Wall rock________
Levias member of Ste. Genevieve limestone________ _ 12, 27 Waltersburg sandstone

o
37

_

23-24
13,14, 17