Styx Mine - Styx Valley, Wichita Mountains, OK
Posted by: 
The Snowdog
N 34° 42.657 W 098° 45.353
14S E 522354 N 3841016
A vertical shaft zircon mine in Styx Valley, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, west of Medicine Park, Oklahoma
Waymark Code: WMZKXY
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2018
Views: 12
This vertical shaft mine, located in Styx Valley, is one of several in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Most were filled in by the US Fish & Wildlife Service but a few remain untouched from the 1950s and 1960s when zircon crystals were mined from the Hale Spring pegmatite found in the Cambrian-age Quanah granite that forms these mountains.
To reach this waymark requires an extensive hike over broken country. Dangerous wildlife is abundant here; particularly rattlesnakes (in the summer) and elk (year round). The nearest parking is a mile south of the mine, near the southwest corner of the wildlife refuge. The mine shaft is surrounded by brush and is difficult to see until you are right on top of it. Watch for the tailings that lead from the mine down to the creek at the bottom of the valley; follow them up to the mine shaft.
Mine Type: Abandoned Mine
Mineral Collecting: No
Material Mined: Non-Precious Metal
Operation: Opencast Mine
Surface Features: Yes
KNOWN DANGERS:
Requires an extensive hike over broken terrain; dangerous wildlife is abundant.
Any associated website: Not listed
Any Other information: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Optional photograph welcomed.
Recent Visits/Logs:
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