Melbourne

Location: Florida, United States (28.068, -80.556 approx.)

Commodities: ilmenite; rutile; zircon; rare earth elements (in monazite)

Deposit model: coastal heavy-mineral sands

Geology

“In 1940 the Riz Mineral Co. began mining ilmenite, zircon, and rutile from monazite-bearing sands along the modern beach near Melbourne in the central part of Florida's eastern coast. A little later the company began to recover monazite, as well as ilmenite, rutile, and zircon, from dune sand near Vero Beach about 30 miles to the south (Overstreet, 1967, p. 125). This operation was more or less continuous until 1946 and then intermittent until 1948, when the company was reorganized under the name Florida Ore Processing Co., Inc., with a mineral separation plant at Palm Bay. This company ceased mining in early 1955 but continued processing concentrates dredged by the Florida Minerals Co. until October 19, 1955, when the plant burned. A new plant built near Winter Beach began operations in February 1956 (Overstreet, 1967, p.125). The Winter Beach plant ceased operations in 1965 (Stamper, 1966, p. 940).” (Staatz and others (1980)) “In 1940 a small amount of ilmenite, zircon, and rutile was selectively mined from monazite-bearing beach sand near Melbourne, Brevard County, by the Riz Mineral Co. Shortly thereafter the company began to separate monazite from the Melbourne beach sand and to recover monazite, ilmenite, rutile, and zircon from dune sand near Vero Beach, Indian River County. After more or less continuous operation until 1946 and intermittent production to 1948 the company was reorganized under the name Florida Ore Processing Co., Inc., with a mineral separation plant at Palm Bay. Shortly after this reorganization the company began to process concentrates dredged by the Florida Minerals Co. from dune deposits just south of Vero Beach and dunes west of Winter Beach. In 1955 the Florida Ore Processing Co. discontinued mining but continued to treat the concentrates from the Florida Minerals Co. until October 17, 1955, when the Palm Bay plant burned. A new plant was put up near Winter Beach and the recovery of ilmenite, rutile, zircon, garnet, and monazite was resumed in February 1956.” (Overstreet (1967)) In 1940 the Riz Mineral Co. began mining ilmenite, zircon, and rutile from monazite-bearing sands along the modern beach near Melbourne in the central part of Florida's eastern coast. (Staatz and others (1980))

Exploration and site history

• Active — Operated by Riz Mineral Co.; Products were ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and monazite, 1939–1943 (Elsner (1997))

Record imported from USGS USMIN ver. 4.0 (June 2019). Developments after that date appear on facility records, not here; see the methodology.