Logo The Heaton Cuts
Corundum Mining Operations at Buck Creek
Clay Co., NC - March 2024
All Text & Images:
Copyright (2024)

British-born Charles Heaton and Martin Heaton owned a number of grants in the Buck Creek area.   In the late 1800s - early 1900s, they leased a number of these properties to local miners, while mining others themselves.   The operations known as the Heaton Cuts (consisting of 3 major cuts) were worked in the early 1900s.   They were not reopened during the 1943-1945 US Bureau of Mines investigations, but were referenced in the team's reports.

1 - NE Heaton Cut
"The more easterly of the two larger cuts is on the contact between amphibolite and dunite.   Specimens on the dump include edenite-amphibolite, troctolite, and anorthosite.   Anorthositic amphibolite with grains of deep-red corundum is similar to some rocks in the Maney cut.   White or pale-pink corundum occurs with margarite and pale-blue kyanite(?)."   The cut is now thickly grown over with briars, rhododendron and shrubs.   It is in the form of a long, deep V-shaped trench(es), with several small pits in between...


NE_Cut_hole_entry
Opening at the head of one of the NE trenches


NE_Cut_hole
Peeking in, the hole led off to ? from under the collapsed rock.


NE_Cut
Overgrown trench


NE_Cut
Trench near the head of one of the "V" legs
This was actually one of the cleaner areas.



NE_Cut
Section of overgrown trench
After I'd knocked down a bunch of dead branches...



NE_Cut
Overgrown trench


NE_Cut_Waste_pile
One of the cut's waste rock piles


NE_Cut_Waste_pile
Another of the NE Cut's waste rock piles



2 - NW Heaton Cut
"The western of the two larger cuts exposes a lens of troctolite-amphibolite 6 to 8 feet thick, trending east-west and dipping 50 degrees north.   No corundum was seen, but some red corundum is reported to have been found there."   This cut was barely 100 yards from the previous area, but in a nice, clean open woods.


NW_cut
Approaching the NW Cut from the NE Cut area


NW_cut
Closer view


NW_cut
This "cut" consisted primarily of two large pits, a northern
one at lower right and a southern one at upper left.



NW_cut
Looking into the northern pit from the rim btween the two pits.


NW_cut
Inside the northern pit


NW_cut
View down into the southern pit


NW_cut
Southern pit


NW_cut
View up into the southern pit from below


Waste_pile
Upper waste rock pile


Waste_pile
Lower waste rock pile



3 - Southern Heaton Cut
"The southern cut is in troctolite-amphibolite with distinct layering dipping 15 to 20 degrees northeast.   A specimen on the dump shows white corundum and zoisite veinlets in edenite-amphibolite, but no corundum was seen in place."   This was the smallest of the main Heaton Cuts.


South_Cut
South cut - southern end


South_Cut
South cut - northern end


South_Cut
South cut - northern end



The three Heaton cuts are all within a short distance of each other, but I was
surprised by the difference in ground cover / vegetation between the areas.


Woods
The NW and S Cuts were in a fairly open young hardwood forest.


Transition_Woods
Walking up to the NE Cut, I passed through a transition
zone with grassy / graminoid ground cover.



Grassy_Woods
Which soon became very grassy.


Rhododendron
And then suddenly turned into a briar and rhododendron thicket!
I didn't take a pic of the briars, as I was too busy fighting my way through them!




Buck Crk Mining Index Corundum Knob Index
Buck Creek Index Natural Environments