Monkton Kaolinite Mine, Monkton, Addison County, Vermont, USAi

Regional Level Types
Monkton Kaolinite Mine	Mine
Monkton	Town
Addison County	County
Vermont	State
USA	Country

The Vermont Geological Survey summarizes the history of this deposit: "The Monkton deposit, discovered in 1792, was first mined in the mid 1800s. The American Kaolin Company produced about 2,000 tons per year between 1883 and 1890. The deposit was later utilized for raw material for the Rutland Fire Clay Company from 1930 to 1944. In 1956, the deposit was purchased by Vermont Kaolin. Although core drilling and augering methods indicated the deposit would produce about 23 million tons, only 9,235 tons of clay were removed between 1956 and 1966, when the facility closed. The deposit had been mined by removal of the overburden with power shovel or dozer, with the mineral itself removed by power shovel or dragline. The kaolin in this deposit has high color variability and required a high degree of processing prior to use as a paper filler. Additionally, no efficient purifying method was available for the fine-grained graphite present in the formation during the period of active mining. As a result, continued mining at this location became economically unfeasible."

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References