Report

IRON AND MANGANESE.
During the past year special attention has been attracted to the American iron industry,
both by its remarkably prosperous condition and also by the publicity which has been
given to attempts to efl'ect a merger of important southern iron interests. Another feature
worthy of note has been the commencement of active exploration work on western iron
deposits. In both these fields the Survey has taken up detailed work during 1905, and
preliminary reports on the results of some of this work are presented in the following
papers:
THE CLINTON OR RED ORES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA.
By EDWIN C. ECKEL.
Introduction. During the fall of 1905 detailed work w'as commenced on the iron ores of
Alabama. The Clinton or red ores were examined in the district along the flanks of Lookout
Mountain, from the Georgia line to Attalla and Gadsden; and the brown ores of the Anniston
and Talladega districts were also surveyed. The present'preliminary report contains notes
on the developments in the red-ore districts covered.
In view of the practical importance of the subjects, descriptions of the ores of this district
will be prefaced by brief notes on the origin and character of the red ores ia general.
ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF THE CLINTON ORES.
THEORIES OF ORIGIN.
For many years the origin of the oolitic and fossil ores which occur in rocks of "Clinton"
age has been a much discussed subject. Minor points of difference being disregarded, it
may be said that the various theories which have been advanced to account for the origin
of these ores can be reduced to two. These two opposing theories are, briefly stated, as
follows:
(1) Original deposition. The ores were formed at the same time as the rocks which
inclose them, having been deposited in a sea or basin along with the sandstones and shales
which now accompany them.
(2) Replacement. The ores are of much later origin than their inclosing rocks, having
been formed by the replacement of original beds of limestone by iron brought in by per-
colating waters.
PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTION.
In addition to the questions of purely geologic interest which are connected with the
differences of opinion as to the origin of the Clinton ores, the matter has a very distinct
practical bearing on the working of the ores. This phase of the subject may be stated as
follows:
If the ore deposits are due to the replacement of a limestone we can expect them to
rapidly decrease in value with depth, becoming lower in iron and higher in lime, until at
no great depth the bed will consist entirely of unaltered limestone.
If, on the contrary, the ore deposits are original, no such regular decrease in richness is
to be expected as the mines are driven deeper. Patches of low-grade ore may be struck,
but these will be due to original differences in the richness of the ore, and a slope might
pass downward through such a patch of lean ore into.another zone of high-grade ore.
172
CLINTON OK BED ORES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA. 173
PROBABLE METHOD OF ORIGIN.
In the present report no attempt will be made to discuss the arguments that have been
advanced on both sides of this question, though such a discussion will be given in the final
report on the district. For this paper, however, it will be sufficient to say that in the
writer's opinion the ores unquestionably originated at the same time as their inclosing
sediments, and that, except immediately at the surface, they have been subjected to no
later alterations or enrichments. As pointed out above, this theory of origin implies that
the ore bodies are practically continuous in depth and that they could be followed down
the dip, in a syncline or basin, until the dips changed and the workings reached the surface
on the other side of the fold. The practical importance of this is obvious, for it implies
that the ore bodies can be traced and measured as exactly as if they were coal seams or
limestone beds. The amount of Clinton ore in any area can probably be determined by
a geologist within 5 or 10 per cent, and estimates of red-ore reserves can be made by com-
petent men with a degree of accuracy impossible in dealing with the magnetite, hematite
or brown ores of other districts.
"HARD" AND "SOFT" DUES. i
The terms "hard" and "soft," as applied to the two principal varieties of Clinton ores,
are hardly expressive of the facts, for the distinction between the two varieties in question
is based on differences in their chemical composition gather than on differences in hardness.
The red ore of Alabama is, in its typical or "hard" variety, a highly limey ore. The
ore beds are usually underlain by comparatively impervious shales and in most places
dip at fairly high angles. These conditions favor the penetration of the ore, near the
surface, at least, by percolating water. The result is that near the outcrop and for some dis-
tance down the slope the lime carbonate of the original ore is largely or entirely leached out.
This removal of one constituent of course increases the relative percentages of the remain-
ing less soluble constituents, while it renders the ore more porous and friable. The result-
ing "soft ore" is therefore very low in lime and correspondingly high in iron oxide. A
secondary effect of the change, shown best when the cover is heavy and the dip low, is that
the overlying shales settle down slightly as the bulk of the ore is reduced, so that on the
outcrops the ore bed often appears to be less than its true underground thickness.
RED ORES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA.
GEOLOGY OF THE DISTRICT.
The geologic section found in this district is as follows, from above downward:
Geologic section in northern Alabama.
Formation. Age. Thickness.
Feet.
1 500-800
1 100-250
20-30
f 400-800
{ GOO-1,800
2,000-4,000
Along the western side of Lookout Mountain, in Little Wills Valley, the rocks dip at low
angles'(10° to 30°) toward the mountain; on the eastern side the rocks dip steeply toward
the mountain and are often almost vertical. The crest of Lookout Mountain is composed
of the Coal Measures, and the Bangor limestone outcrops on the flanks of the mountain and
underlies Little Wills Valley. The ridge northwest of this valley the "Red Mountain"
shows the Fort Payne chert along its southeastern face, while the Rockwood beds, including
the ore seams, form its crest and northwestern flank.
174 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1905.
ORE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE DISTRICT.
The Clinton ores have been carefully traced throughout this district by Dr. C. W. Hayes
and the writer, and in the final report large-scale maps will be included, showing the exact
location of the ore-bearing formation. Since such maps can not be presented here, atten-
tion will be confined to a description of the developed ore deposits of the region. These will
be described in geographical order, from Battelle south to Attalla, after which the chief
facts concerning the Gadsden and Gaylesville deposits will be briefly noted.
Battelle.~The mines of the Ragon Mining Company, which supply the furnace of the
Lookout Mountain Iron Company at Battelle, are located about one-fourth mile west of
the furnace, on the northwest side of Red Mountain. Four ore beds are shown in the section
here, with following dips and thicknesses and approximate distances apart:
Section showing ore beds near Battelle, Ala.
Dm
(south- Thick-
east). ness.
. 0
Feet.
Bed 1 (top) .........................................................'.................. 23-45 44
Shale. ..........................................................'...................... 40
Bed 2.. ....................................:.......................................... 25-45 2
300
Beds...............:........-.............-..............-.......-................... 85 3
200
^Gd^... ............................................ ^................................. 85 u
Of these beds, however, the second is too sandy to be workable and the third seems to
be a very local development which can not be traced many feet from its outcrop. The
first or top bed is worked by three slopes, each of Avhich is no\7 down about 200 feet; the
fourth bed has two small and almost vertical openings.
The soft ore has been practically worked out, and the mines are now entirely in a hard,
very limy ore. The following analyses, by Mr. I. P. Todd, chemist of the Lookout Moun-
tain Iron Company, will serve to show the range in composition of the ore from the different
beds and slopes:
Analyses of ores from mines near Battelle, Ala.
Silica
(SiO2) and Metallic Lime Magnesia
alumina iron (Fe). (CaO). (MgO).
(AlsOs).
( 11. 80 27.50 22.08 2.50

90 v\ 99 87 n. d.
[ 10. CO 29.40 22.40 n. d.
r 7.20 31.18 22.54 n. d.
[ 8.40 31.30 23.04 n. d.
15. GO 24.15 23.45 n. cl.
12.00 24.80 24.20 n. d.
12.90 23. 25 26.05 n. d.
15. 00 25.30 22.90 . n. d.
Bottom bed, slope 4. ................................. 9.80 32.57 20.04 n. d.
10.10 31.77 20.54 n. d.
CLINTON OK BED GEES 0V NORTHERN ALABAMA. 175
The difference in the ore from the different slopes on the upper bed is.rather marked,
for slope 2 averages 31.24 per cent of metallic iron, while slopes 1 and 3 average only about
27 per cent. This is accounted for by the fact that the ore from slopes 1 and 3 passes
through a crusher, while that from slope 2 is hand picked and sledged over bars. The ore
from the bottom bed, as will be seen, is somewhat better than even the best ore from the
upper bed.
Mr. Todd furnished, the following average analysis of all the hard ore, as fed to the
1 furnace:
Average analysis of hard ore from mines near Baltelle, Ala.
Silica (Si02)................................................................. 9.20
Alumina (AljOg)................ ............................................ 3.08
Metallic iron (Fo)............................................................ 27.00
Manganese (Mn)............................................................. .13
Lime (CaO).................................................................. 22.54
Magnesia (MgO).................................:........................... 1.22
Phosphorus (P)............................................'................. .370
Fort Payne. McCalley a quotes the section shown by a well driven at Fort Payno
furnace, probably about 1890. Rearranged slightly, this section is as follows:
Section of well at Fort Payne furnace, Alabama.
Thick-
ness. Depth.
Feet. Feet.
Soil ................................................................................. 25 0-25
190 25-215
12 215-227
"Clinton" green and gray shales. ................................................... 340 227-507
18 507-585
50 585-035
180 035-815
50 815-805
40 805-905
905-
The well section given above can be compared directly with the following section, meas-
ured in 1905 by Mr. L. N. Christensen and the writer through the gap back of Fort Payue
furnace.
Section through gap hick of Fort Payne furnace, Alabama.
Feet.
Fort Payne chert.
Chattanooga shale............................................................ 24J
Sandstone and shale................................. 4 ......................:. 306
Ore..........:................................................................. 2-2J
Shale parting................................................................... 1J-2J
Ore............................................'............................... 2J-3
Shale......................................................................... 270
Covered interval, probably mostly limestone................................. 240
Chickamauga limestone.
Readings taken at a number of points in this gap gave a very uniform dip varying
only from 13^° to 15° to the southeast.
o Report on the Valley Regions of Alabama, pt. 2, p. 154,
Bull. 285 06 12
The mines formerly worked to supply the Fort Payne furnace are located about half
a mile northwest of the furnace, in the gap above mentioned. The original report on this
property gave the following analyses for the ore from the mines:
Analyses of ores from mines near Fort Payne, Ala.
Soft ore. Hard

<*, ore.
10.37 4.11
55.34 25. 39
Lime (CaO) ........................................................................ 1.07 30.13
.40 .34
While these analyses are quoted from a prospectus and the name of the analyst is un-
known, the analysis of the hard ore at least seems to contain internal evidence as to its
accuracy, for no prospectus writer would imagine a 25 per cent ore.
Analyses by J. L. Beeson « of samples from old surface cuts near the Fort Payne mines
gave the following results:
Analyses of ore from surface cuts near Fort Payne, Ala.
Soft ore. Hard

ore.
SiliCca (SiOs) ...........................'........................-................... 7.93 3.97

56.02 20.41
Lime (CaO) ........................................................................ n. d. 29.80
.52 .80
It will be seen that these.check closely with the reported analyses of the Fort Payne
furnace ores.
Portersville. The Portersville mines of the Southern Steel Company are located about
three-fourths of a mile northwest of Portersville station, near the northwestern flank of
Red Mountain. A switch track from the mines-to the Alabama Great Southern Railroad
passes on a very easy grade through a convenient gap in the red ridge.
The principal openings at present are on the north side of this gap, though extensive
stripping is now in progress on the south. The main slope shows a section about as follows:
Section in main slope of mine near Portersville, Ala.

Inches.
Shales.
Ore........................................................................... 24
Shale......................................................................... 12-18
Ore............................................................................ 24
This slope is now down 400 feet on the dip of the ore, which is 15° SE.; and below
cover the ore beds thicken slightly in places to give a total thickness of 4£ feet. Owing
to the heavy shale parting between the seams the stripped ore is hardly as clean as that
of the Crudup mines.
On the south side of the gap 5 to 30 feet of stripping (soft greenish shale) is being
removed so as to get back to a point where the roof is firm enough to permit undergrouad
mining.
oMcCalley, Report on the Valley Regions of Alabama, pt. 2, p. 153.

CLINTON O.R RED OEES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA. 177
Measurements of the ore here gave the following results:
Sections on south, side of yap near Portersville, Ala.
1. 2.
Inches. Inches.
Ore.....................-.........................................-.....:.............. 20 23
14 8
17 20
About 50 feet vertically below this main ore bed a thin seam of ore, perhaps averaging
1 foot in thickness, shows in the road. This is not worked, and no other ore scams have
been found.
The following -analyses by M. C. Shannon cover the results on a large number of car-
loads of the Portersville hard ore:
Analyses of Portersville hard ore. . .
Aver-
1. 2. ' 3. 4. 5. 0. 7. 8. age.
Silica (Si02)................ 1 r r. e
\ 5. 56 4.94 5. GO 9.18 C. 42 7.80 5.80 5.02 6.29
33. 05 33.72 25.52 38. 00 30. 35 31.20 31.95 32.00 31.98

25.20 22.90 30.82 10.04 25.88 23.71 20. (12 24.22 24.80
Phosphorus (P) .........;.. n. d. n. d. n. d. n. d. n. d. n..d. n. d. n. d.
Crudup. The Lacey-Buek Iron Company operates mines on an exceptionally heavy

ore bed at Crudup, the ore being mostly shipped to the furnaces at Trussville, Ala. The
ore bed is from 5 to 7 feet thick, without any shale parting. At the mine the bed dips
26° SE. The mines were formerly worked as open cuts, but now practically all the ore
comes from a single slope. No analyses of ore from these mines are at present available,
but McCalley quotes the following as an average of the ore from a group of old workings
near Crudup:
Average analysis of ore from old workings near Grudup, Ala.
Silica........................................................................ 10.51
Metallic iron................................................................. 42. 45
Phosphorus-anhydride...................................................... 1.017
Attalla. In the immediate vicinity of Attalla two mining companies are now operating
on the red ore, the mines being located west and northwest of the town, on and near Moragne
Mountain.
The mines of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company are located near a gap at
the northeast end of Moragne Mountain, about half a mile north of Attalla. The ore here
is from 3 to 4 feet thick, dips 30° to 35°, and has been worked down on the slope for almost
a thousand feet without marked change in character. This fact is worth noting, for the
surface developments at this mine caused Russell to consider the Clinton ore to be merely
a surface deposit. This early error has been followed by most text-book writers on economic
geology, despite the fact that even a casual personal acquaintance with the district in its
present condition would suffice to prove that it is an error.
Soft ores from surface workings near this gap gave McCalley the following results:
Analysis of soft ores near Attalla, Ala.

Silica.......................................................................... 8.39
Metallic iron. ................................................................. 53.92
Phosphorus anhydride ....................................................... 1.55
The hard ore from the Alabama Consolidated mines is still of very high grade for this
district.
The Northern Alabama Mining Company has several surface cuts and. one slope located
on Morague Mountain. The ore here varies from 34 to 40 inches in thickness, without
parting, and dips' at an angle of 23° to 26°. At some points soft ore has been found as far
down as 300 feet, measured on the slope, equivalent to a vertical depth of 75 feet below
the ground surface. The larger part of the ore now shipped is, however, hard ore.
The following analyses of hard and soft ores frorn the Moragne Mountain mines of the
Northern Alabama Mining Company are by chemists of the Woodstock Iron Company:
Analyses of ores from mines at Moraine Mountain, Alabama.
Soft ores. Hard ores.
Silica (Si0 2) ......................................... 10. 74 7.10 8.40 8. 70 9.26 8.40

2.00 n. d. n. d. n.d. n.d. n.d.
51.02 52.56 51.90 52.75 43.88 38.05
n.d. n.d. n.d. n.d. 17.86 27.00
Red ore has been exposed by a prospecting pit on the Rhea place, about 2 miles west of
Attalla. The ore at the outcrop is 27 inches thick, but much of it seems to be very sandy.
The ore bed at this point strikes N. 10° E. and dips 80°-88° W.
Gadsden (Shinbone Ridge). Several small mines were formerly worked at Gadsden, but
the workings now in operation are located respectively 2 and 3 miles northeast of the
town, on the southeast flank of Shinbone Ridge. The mine nearer town shows an ore bed
3£ to 4 feet thick, on which workings have been carried down about 200 feet. The farther
mine (Etowah No. 2) shows an ore bed 2£ to 3£ feet thick, dipping 80° NE. and striking
N. 42° E. This slope is now down about 200 feet. Both mines ship their product to the
furnace of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company at Gadsden.
Southeast of Gadsden red ores have been worked in earlier days on the ridges north and
south of Rock Springs station. The beds here are usually 14 to 18 inches thick, though
one opening is said to have shown a 3-foot ore'seam. The ore lies above the heavy sand-
stone which caps these ridges.
Gaylesville (DirtseUer Ridge). Extensive work is being carried on by the Southern Steel
Company along the southeast flank of Dirtseller or Tuckers Ridge about 2 miles north of
Gaylesville. Working slopes and prospect pits have developed the ore for a distance of 2
miles or so along the strike and give an excellent opportunity for its examination.
The northernmost slope the Skeen slope is at present the principal working. This
slope is driven in the direction S. 40° E. and is run in on the dip of the ore, which is here 20°.
The section exposed was as follows:
Section in Slceen slope, near Gaylesville, Ala.
Inches.
Good solid ore.................................................................. 20
Mixed (shaly) ore............:.................................................. 7
At the southernmost series of openings the dip is still 20° SE., but the ore bed is split by a
heavy shale parting into two seams. Sections measured here are as follows:
Sections at southernmost openings near Gaylesville, Ala. .
1. 2.
Inches. Inches.
O re .................................................................................... 4 4
Shale. ................................................................................. 8 10
Ore.................................................................................... 19 18
CLINTON OR RED ORES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA. 179
The three sections above noted are, it is believed, fairly- representative of the conditions
existing in this portion of Dirtseller Ridge. In places the ore thickens locally to 3 or even
5 feet, but on the other hand local thinning occurs at other points on the outcrops. It is
probably safe to assume that the average thickness over the whole outcrop is between 20
and 24 inches.
As this particular area had never been worked to supply ore for the old charcoal furnaces,
the Southern Steel Company has been able to secure a very large amount of soft ore of good
grade from this property. Analyses of- representative shipments of this soft ore by M. C.
Shannon follow:
Analyses of soft ore from Dirtseller Ridge, Alabama.
1. 2.
Silica (Si0 2) ............................................................. ............. 13.70 15.87

Alumina (A1203) ....................................................................... 5. 80 5.87
Metallic iron (Fe) ...................................................... ..... ......... 49 70 49.55
2.35 2. 61
.44 n.d.
Most of the workings have now been driven deep enough to have passed through the soft
ore into the hard, of which no analyses are available. Northeast of the Southern Steel
Company's holdings red ore has been mined near Dewey post-office and at other points
across the Georgia line.
THE IRON ORES OF BATH COUNTY, KY.«
By E. M. KINDLE.
Introduction. Bath County is located in the northeastern portion of the State just out-
side the blue-grass region. The topography of the southeastern portion is of the bold, hilly
type characteristic of the Kentucky mountain districts. Rugged, steep-sided hills and
ridges left by the dissection of the Lower Carboniferous sandstones are the dominant
features of this section. These command a broad sweep of hilly but somewhat less elevated
country which comprises the northwestern two-thirds of the county. The deeply incised
and widely meandering channel of Licking River receives the drainage of the county and
forms its .northeastern boundary. Within the limits of this county occur all the main
divisions of the geologic column which are developed in the State of Kentucky. The
oldest rocks are the Ordovician, which outcrop in the northwestern part of the county.
These are carried downward by a moderate southeasterly dip, resulting in a series of deeply
scalloped belts of successively'younger beds which cross the county in a northeasterly-
southwesterly direction. The Coal Measures, which are the youngest rocks in the area, cap
some of the hills near the southeastern boundary.
Geologic relations and character of the ores. Iron ores occur at three distinct geologic
horizons in Bath County. The Lower Carboniferous beds contain the highest or youngest
of these ores. These Carboniferous ores he in very thin beds, sometimes seven or eight in
number, occurring usually as scattered kidney-shaped masses of iron carbonate in the shales.
They have generally a thickness of only a few inches, but occasionally reach 1 or 2 feet.
These ores are carbonates of low grade.
The expense of mining ores of this character, which, unlike the other ores of this county,
can not be stripped, together with their rather high sulphur and phosphorus content, will
probably make profitable mining of them impossible for some time to come.
The ores which were mined for many years at the Preston ore banks lie in a Devonian
horizon, & holding a position between the Black shale and the Silurian beds. Iron ore is
reported to occur locally at this horizon in small amounts to the southwest of Bath County
in Montgomery, Boyle, Lincoln, and Casey counties. In Ohio, about 50 miles' northeast of
Bath County, the writer has observed iron ore which was formerly mined occurring at the
same horizon southeast of Peebles. The belt of occasional ore deposits to which the Preston
ore banks belong has therefore an extent of about 150 miles along the southeast flank of
the Cincinnati geanticline. The Preston ore is an exceptional development of the thin
lenticular and usually worthless ore masses occurring occasionally at this horizon. This
ore was reported by Mr. Linney e to have a thickness of from 7 to 15 feet. It is a limonite
and carries from 52 to 80 per cent of oxide of iron, according to Doctor Peters's analysis.^
The third and lowest ore horizon occurs in the Clinton shales. This ore bed seldom
exceeds 4 feet and is frequently less than 2 feet in thickness. Several thousand acres to
the east and southeast of Owingsville are probably underlain by the ore bed. Considerable
a The author is indebted to Mr. W. C. Phalen for the use of notes on the mines of the Rose Run
Company.
& Report on Bath and Fleming counties, Kentucky Geol. Survey, 1886, p. 25.
c Report on the Geology of Bath and Fleming counties, Kentucky Geol. Survey, 1886, p. 28.
<J Rept. Kentucky Geol. Survey, old series, vol. 4, p. 62.
180
IRON" ORES OF BATH COUNTY, TCY. 181
areas occur where the land is sufficiently flat and the iron near enough to the surface to
permit mining by stripping the overlying shales and shaly sandstone. This ore is a hema-
tite of oolitic structure, the particles composing it being quite small and lenticular or flattened
in shape. It does not anywhere appear to be a "fossil ore," the few fossils occurring in it
being generally minute forms. A chemical analysis of the specimens of the Clinton ores
made by Doctor Peters's a showed the following results:
Analyses of Clinton iron ores, Kentucky.
l. 2. 3.
47. G30 51. 430 58.570

5.408 5.132 3.720
16.500 13.0SO 15. 100
9.974 9.444 4.528
1.202 1.138 1.010
Silica.................................................................... 7.160 7.800 G.9GO
1.143
10. 805 11.283 8.444
100. 000 100. 000 100. 000
33. 341 3G.001 40 999
The iron which this ore produces is described as a "soft fluid foundry iron, somewhat
cold shoii."
Development. The Bath County ores are of some historic as well as economic interest.
As early as 1791 an iron furnace was in operation on Slate Creek, 2 miles south of Owings-
ville. Here charcoal iron was produced for nearly half a century and shipped down Licking
River to various trade centers of the Mississippi Valley long before railways had become
factors in the commerce of the Central West. The iron produced here, owing to the high
percentage of phosphorus in the ore, was a hard but not very tenacious metal. Cannon
balls which were made from Bath County iron for the, war of 1812 may still be seen in some
of the curio collections of Owingsville. On the expiration of a lease this furnace went out of
blast and was never reopened. The old furnace is still standing a monument to the part
played by Kentucky in the early development of the iron industry.
At a later period vthe Preston ore banks, which supplied this furnace, were reopened by the
Slate Creek Iron Company, which shipped the ore for smelting until the supply was exhausted.
In 1838 a furnace was erected on Caney Creek. Iron was made here from the Lower Car-
boniferous ores for some years, charcoal being used as a fuel. The venture does not appear
to have been a profitable one, and no attempt has been made to utilize these ores in recent
years.
At the time of the survey of this county by the Kentucky Geological Survey in 1885 the
Clinton ores had not been developed. These ores have since been extensively mined and
are at present the only ores worked in Bath County. The Rose Run Iron Company is
engaged in mining them. The mines are located about'3£ miles east of Owingsville, and
are connected by switch with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Olympia. The ore is
stripped, a part of the stripping being done by a steam shovel. Formerly the ore was
smelted at the mine, at present it is shipped for reduction. The ores are transferred from
the mine breast to the tipple by a small locomotive and cars. Fifty men are employed, and
an average of about 125 tons of ore per day are produced. The ore is used for pig iron, and
is shipped to various points for reduction. Some of the furnaces which are using it or have
used it are located at Ashland, Ky.; Iron ton, Ohio'; Lowmoor, Va., and Big Stone Gap, Va.
a Report on Bath and Fleming counties, Kentucky Geol. Survey, 1884, p. 19.
Approximately 25,000 tons of ore were produced during the year 1905. The mine section
as exposed at one point shows the following beds:
Section at mine of Rose Run Iron Company near Owingsvitte, Ky.

Feet.
Yellow surface clay..........................................................:.. 2
Thin-bedded sandstone and shale.............................................. 6
Blue clay shale.............;................................-................... 6
Iron ore........................................................................ 4
The ore varies in thickness from 1$ to 5 feet, 2 feet being perhaps an average. About 5
inches of green ore generally overlie the red ore. This 5-inch band carries a percentage of
sulphur, which necessitates roasting before it can be used. It was formerly roasted at the
mines, but at present it is thrown out. The high percentage of lime in the ore makes it
unnecessary to add lime for fluxing. A series of 5 analyses, made by different parties, show
the lime content to run from 8.86 to 11.91 per cent, and the silica from 4.19 to 8.73 per cent.
The same analyses show the iron to run from 35.7 to 38.6 per cent; magnesia, 4.08 to 5.84
per cent; alumina, 3.54 to 6.80 per cent, and phosphorus, 0.43 to 0.61 per cent.
About 15 acres of the ore have been worked out. The yield of ore per acre is estimated
at about 3,000 tons per foot of thickness. The Clinton ore which has been mined may
therefore be estimated at approximately 125,000 tons. There are probably several thousand
acres of the Clinton ore of about the same grade and thickness as that which has been
mined. Only a small percentage of.this can be mined by stripping, however.
With the rapid exhaustion of the supply of high-grade ores and the consequent increase
in the demand for ore of this grade which may be expected in the future, much of the Clinton
ore which can not now be profitably mined may eventually be utilized.
THE ORISKANY AND CLINTON IRON ORES OF VIRGINIA.
By EDWIN C. ECKEL.
INTRODUCTION.
During the year 1905 work was carried on by the United States and Virginia Geological
Surveys, acting in cooperation, on the iron ores of Virginia. This work was placed in
charge of the writer, who also did most of the actual field work on the Oriskauy and Clinton
ores, while Mr. R. J. Holden, of the Virginia Survey, did all the work on the New River-
Cripple Creek brown ores and spent some time in the Oriskany district. Mr. J. S. Grast}7
carried out areal mapping in the Oriskany district, covering a few small areas left unmapped
by Prof. H. D. Campbell, who in previous years, and largely at his own expense, had made
detailed maps of most of this region. Professor Campbell kindly placed these earlier results
at my disposal, and exercised general supervision over Mr. Grasty's field work.
Detailed reports on the work above mentioned are now in preparation and bulletins on the
iron ores of Virginia will be issued independently by the Federal and State Geological
Surveys as the field work in the different districts is completed . In the following pages brief
notes are given on the work so far accomplished in certain important districts. The rela-
tions of these various pieces of field work to one another can be best understood if the
reports are prefaced by an introductory statement as to the ore districts of Virginia.
IRON ORES OF VIRGINIA.
Considered from either an industrial or geologic view point, the iron ores of Virginia fall
in to 6 groups:
I. Magnetites and specular hematites of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont districts.
II. Red hematites (Clinton ores, "fossil ores," "oolitic ores") of the foothills of the Allegheny
Mountains.
III. Brown hematites (Oriskany ores) of the Goshcn-Longdalc-Lowmoor-Oriskany district, mostly
in Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Alleghany, and Craig counties.
IV. Brown hematites of the New Hi ver-Cripplc Creek district, mostly in Wythe and Pulaski counties.
V: Brown hematites of the Roanoke, Shenandoah, and Page valleys.
VI. Brown henfatites ("gossan ores") of Carroll and Floyd counties.
During last season detailed field work was done on the ores of classes III and IV, the ores
of class II were examined in less detail at several localities, while on those of classes I, V, and
VI no field work was done. It is planned to complete the work during 1906 by examination
of the ore deposits not visited during 1905.
ORE RESERVES AND IRON PRODUCTION.
The most striking fact brought out by the work of last year is the small amount of work-
able ore now in sight. Few of the furnaces are in an entirely satisfactory position as
regards ore reserves, while several have only a few years' supply available. Most of-the
brown-ore districts worked ten years ago are now within measurable distance of exhaus-
tion and new deposits are not being developed rapidly enough to offset the drain on the
older beds. Several rich deposits of the Oriskany brown ore have been opened within
the last year or-two, but elsewhere little of promise has been uncovered.
183
In the face of such conditions as to brown-ore supply, it would seem wise to commence
active and careful exploration of the other two classes of ore known to exist, in workable
quantities, in the State. These are (l).the Clinton red or fossil ores of western Virginia,
and (2) the magnetites of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont districts. Neither of these classes
of ore has as yet been given proper consideration.
At present from 100,000 to 200,000 tons of ore are shipped into Virginia furnaces from
Tennessee, North Carolina, and the Lake Superior districts, a fact which must be borne in
mind when comparing the iron-ore and pig-iron statistics given later. Lake Superior ores.
cost from 8 to 10 cents per ton per unit of iron when they reach the Virginia furnaces, as
compared with 3 to 5 cents per ton per unit for the native brown ores.
The following data in cost of iron production in various States have been calculated from
figures given in the reports of the Twelfth Census (1900). The total costs as here given
include raw materials (ore, fuel, flux, etc.), wages, salaries, and repairs.
Cost of production of coke iron, per ton, 1900.

Alabama. .12
Tennessee..................................................................... 9.97
Illinois........................................................................ 10.12
Pennsylvania................................................................. 11.23
Virginia................:..................................................... 12. 12
The Alabama and Virginia costs above given have been checked with a number of
detailed cost sheets kindly furnished by several companies in those States, and.it is believed
that the averages given can be accepted as correct enough for present purposes. They may,
at any rate, be profitably compared with the estimates to be found in prospectuses.
The iron-ore and pig-iron production of Virginia are summarized for the years 1899 to
1905, inclusive, in the following table:
Iron-ore and pig-iron production of Virginia and West Virginia.
Year. Brown ore. Redtite.

hema- Magnetite. Total iron
ore.
Total pig
iron.
1899....................................... 908, 143 17,173 1,100 986, 470 365; 491

1900....................................... 918, 157 3,664 921,821 490, 617
1901....................................... 910, 214 13, 156 2,024 925, 394 448,662
1902....................................... 953, 128 31,677 3,153 987,958 537,216
1903....................................... 31,009
1904....................................... 528,853 17,952 3,448 550, 253 310, 526
1905....................................... 0702,000 145,000 « 3, 000 a750,000 510, 210
Estimated. All other figures are exact.
dRISKANY BROWN ORES.
In the counties of Allegheny, Augusta, Rockbridge, Bath, Botetourt, and Craig, and, to
a less extent, in other areas of central-western Virginia, large deposits of brown iron ore arc
associated with certain beds of the Silurian rocks. The deposits are frequently overlain by
the Oriskany sandstone, and most observers have considered the ores to be original deposits
in that formation, so that the term "Oriskany ores" has come into common use. Careful
examination, however, shows that the ores are replacements, mainly of the "Helderberg"
or Lewistown limestone, but also of the adjacent beds of the Oriskany. As a matter of
convenience the term "Oriskany ores" may well be retained, even though it is somewhat
misleading.
Early in the field season of 1905 the writer commenced work on the ores of this district,
studying their occurrence, character, and origin. After" the completioaof this general work,
Mr. R. J. Holden, of the Virginia Geological Survey, was detailed to map certain of the more
important ore deposits on a large scale, while Mr. J. S. Grasty took up general geologic
ORISKANY AND CLINTON IRON ORES OF VIRGINIA. 185
mapping of several adjoining areas. Prof. H. D. Campbell, of Lexington, Va., kindly gave
the use of his geologic maps of the district, and in addition exercised general supervision
over the areal work of Mr. Grasty.
General geology of the district. The rocks exposed in tins district are of Devonian and
Silurian age, the ores being associated with the uppermost Silurian and basal Devonian
formations. The formations are as follows:
Geologic formations in Oriskany district.
Thickness
in feet.
Devonian black shales.................................................. 1,000-2,000
Oriskany sandstone and siliceous limestone............................ 50- 250
Lcwistown (" Helderberg ") limestone................................. 300- 800
Rockwood (' Clinton") shale and sandstone........................... 300- COO
Clinch ("Medina") qimrtzite......:.................................... 50- 150
The above generalized section will cover the variations in thickness shown in different
parts of the district. It may profitably be compared with a carefully measured section
shown at a point near the middle of the ore-bearing area.
FIG. 8. Generalized section at Iron Gate, Va.
The following section was measured in 1905 by E. 0. Ulrich at Iron Gate, Va.:
Section at Iron Gate, Va.

Thickness
infect.
Devonian black shales.......................................................... (?)
a. Calcareous sandstone......................... 50
b. Siliceous limestone, with many beds of chert.. 54
Oriskany. c. Bluish-gray limestone, with sandy beds in up- 209
per part..................................... C5
d. Quartzitic sandstone, with two shaly beds.... 40
Lewistown (''Helderberg") .Thin-bedded shaly limestone shalas.............. 322
a. Heavy sandstone.............................. 42
b. Alternating sandstone and shale.............. 125
llockword ("Clinton").. c. Sandstones and shales, overlying a red' and .452
white mottled shale; with a heavy ferrugi-
nous sandstone ("block ore") near base.... 115
d. Shales, with fossil ore bed near top............ 170'
Clinch ("Medina ").........Hard, massive white sandstone................... 50
Structure of the district. In the Oriskany district the rocks above described have been
thrown into a series of parallel folds, trending about N. 35° E. These folds are not sym-
metrical, for they show low dips (5° to 25°) toward the southwest, while the northeastward
dips are steep from 60° to vertical, and sometimes even overturned slightly. After this
folding erosion removed the less resistant beds from the more exposed portions, so that now
the crests of the ridges are made up of the hard "Clinton" and "Medina" quartzites and
sandstones, while the "Helderberg" and Oriskany beds outcrop on the slopes and in the
valleys are covered by the Devonian shale. These structural conditions, as will be seen
later, exercised a very marked influence on the localization of the ore bodies.
186 CONTBIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1905.
Occurrence of the ores. The iron ores of this district are brown ores, occurring in bed-
shaped deposits, continuous in length on the outcrop for considerable distances.
The ore bodies usually outcrop on the southeast flanks of the ridges, from 200 to 400 feet
above the valley bottoms. Near the outcrop they are overlain either by sandstones of
Oriskany age or else directly by the Devonian black shale. They are immediately underlain
in most cases by a bed of cherty clay, which in turn rests upon "Clinton" sandstone or
shale. As the ore bodies are followed deeper it is found that they thin somewhat and that
limestone appears in one or both walls of the deeper workings. It is to be expected that
finally the ores will entirely disappear in depth, their place being taken by continuous beds
of limestone.
When for any reason the Lewistown ("Helderberg") limestones appear in several parallel
outcrops, the ore bodies are likely to be similarly duplicated.
At the lower or southwest end of the Dolly Ann property northeast of Covington, for
example, the ore beds are seen to occur in three parallel synclinal basins, thus giving six
distinct lines of outcrop of the ore. Farther northeast only the easternmost of these basins
persists, the other two dying out owing to cross folding. Similarly, to the southwest the
easterly basin is cut off by limestone near Jackson River, but occurs again south of the
river, while the two westerly basins are cut off some distance north of the river and do not
reappear. The ore in this area varies from 3 to 32 feet in thickness, probably averaging
about 12 feet over the entire property. It lies on a foot wall of loose chert or cherty clay,
which is usually about 1 foot thick, but in places 5 to 6 feet. In most of the openings the
ore is capped by 10 to 20 feet of yellow sandstone, which is in turn overlain by the black
Devonian shale.
Opposite the company store the remains of the old Dolly Ann furnace stand on an ore
bank which shows the following section:
Section at ore bank near Covington, Va.

Feet.
Pebbles, gravels, etc........................................................... .6
Bluish to black shale.......................................................... 4
Yellow-brown crumbling sandstone.......................................... 18
Brown ore..................................................................... 10 +
Origin of the ores. The Oriskany ores have been usually described as being original depos-
its or as having originated through the weathering and hydration of carbonates which were
deposited with the limestones and sandstones that now inclose the brown ores.
In the final report on these ores the question of origin will be taken up in some detail and
the reasons for the writer's conclusions will be stated more fully. Here it is possible only
to state the main results briefly.
The workable ores are undoubtedly of much later origin than the rocks which. now
inclose them; and the ore deposits occupy spaces formerly filled by Lewistown and Oriskany
limestones and sandstones.
There seems to be little reason to believe that much of the ore has originated by the
replacement of limestone by iron carbonates and the subsequent hydration of this carbonate.
It is true that iron carbonate has been found at several points in the deeper portions of
the Longdale mines and it may be found in other mines of the district. But in general
it seems certain that the ore was deposited directiy as brown hematite. The deposition
was in part simply a filling of .cavities in the limestone, but most of the deposition probably
followed the solution of the limestone so closely as to amount practically to a replacement
process.
Character of the ores. The ores usually range from 32 to 36 per cent of metallic iron
and are commonly very high in silica.
An analysis of the Dolly Ann ore, by H. L. Morris, follows. It is typical of the material
shipped to Lowmoor furnace, and is fairly representative of the Oriskany ores in general.
. ORISKANY AND CLINTON IRON ORES OF VIRGINIA. 187
Analysis of ore front Dolly Ann property, near Covinyton, Va.

Silica (SiO2)................................................................ 33.20
Alumina (A120 3)............................................................. 5.20
Iron oxide (Fc2 0 8) ........................................................... 52.86
Manganese oxide (MnO) ...................................................... .01
Lime (CaO).................................................................. .28
Sulphur (S).................................................................. .014 '
Phosphorus anhydride (PaOs)............................................... 1.312
Carbon dioxide (CO2)........................................................ .21
Water (H20)................................................................ l. 90
LIST OF REFERENCES ON THE ORISKANY ORES OF VIRGINIA.
CAMPBELL, J. L. The mineral resources and advantages of the country adjacent to the James River
and Kanawha Canal and the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway. The Virginias, vol. 1, pp. 2-8.
1880.
The geological features of, the Arcadia iron property. The Virginias, vol. 1, pp. 104-105.
1880.
The geology, etc., of the Rich Patch, Va., iron region. The Virginias, vol. 1, pp. 185,188-189,
192-193. 1880.
The Purgatory iron property, Botetourt County, Va. The Virginias, vol. 1, pp. 150-158
1880.
The resources of Brocks Gap, Virginia. The Virginias, vol. 1, pp. 140-141. 1880.
Rich Patch iron region. The Virginias, vol. 2, p. 7. 1880.
Report on the mineral prospects of the St. Mary iron-property. The Virginias, vol. 4 pp.
19-20. 1883.
CHANCE, H. M. The Rich Patch iron tract, Virginia. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 29, pp. 210-223.
1900.
DAKTON, N. H. Staunton folio, Virginia-West Virginia. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 14. 1894.
Montercy folio, Virginia-West Virginia. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 01. 1899.
F.IRMBTONE, H. Note on a deposit of caclmia in a coke furnace. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol.7,
pp. 93-90. 1879.
HUNGERFORD, W. S. Mining in soft ore bodies at Low Moor. Trans.'Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 17,
pp. 103-107. 1889.
JOHNSON, G. R. Methods of working and surveying the mines of the Longdale Iron Company,
Virginia. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 20, p. 90. 1892.
Ore washer at Longdale, Va. Trans. Am. Inst. Miu. Eng., vol. 24, pp. 34-40. 1895.
JOHNSON, J. E., jr. Origin of the Oriskany limonites (Va.). Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 70, pp. 231-232.
Aug. 15,1903.
LYMAN, B. S. Geology of the Low Moor, Va., iron ores. 'Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 14, pp.
801-809. 1880.
MEANS, E. C. The flue dust of the furnaces at Low Moor, Va. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol.17,
pp. 129-131. 1889.
PECIIIN, E. C. The iron ores of Virginia and their development. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng.,
vol. 19, p. 101G. 1891.
Virginia Oriskany iron ores. Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 54, p. 150. 1892.
Report on the property of the Rich Patch Iron Company. 12°. 1-3 pp. Staunton, Va., 1892
The Oriskany ores at Rich Patch mines, Virginia. Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 01, pp. 113,134,
159-100. 1890.
TAYLOB, W. W. A blast-furnace problem with zinc. Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 07, p. 409. 1899.
THE CLINTON, RED, OR FOSSIL ORES.

The Clinton ores of Virginia are not particularly well developed, as regards'either quality
or thickness, and so far have attracted little attention. But the gradual exhaustion of
the supply of good brown ores is operating to create interest in the Clinton ores at present.
The Clinton ores have recently been opened by the Lowmoor Iron Company along
the southeastern face of Horse Mountain, about 3 miles southwest of Lowmoor station.
The ores here outcrop near tha crest of the ridge and dip about 10° into it. When visited
by the writer in June, 1905, several slopes had been run in, the workings having progressed
for 100 to 130 feet in each slope. Sections of the ore and associated rocks were carefully
measured at the entries of two of these slopes, with the following results:
Section on slope 1, near Lowmoor, Va.

Ft. In.
White quartzite............................................................. 35
Shale........................................................................ 2
Sandstone.......................'............................................ 3
Shale........................................................................ J
Sandstone................................................................... 3
Shales and thin sandstone................................................... 10
Fossil ore, brown and porous................................................ 7
Fossil ore, red and fairly hard ................................................ 14
Ochery clay.................................................................. 6
Shales....................................................................... 2
The brownish fossil ore in this section was said to average about 40 per cent and the
red ore about 56 per cent without washing. Another slope gave the following section:
Section on slope 2, near Lowmoor, Va.

Ft. In.
White quartzite............................................................. 30
Shales....................................................................... 2
Red fossil ore................................................................ 1 4
Ochery shales and thin sandstones.......................................... 1
Shales and sandstones..................................;..............'...... 2
The ore is hand picked at the mines to clear it of slate, and then run down an incline
to the cars°below. An analysis of the red ore from these mines, by H. L. Morris, chemist
of the Lowmoor Iron Company, is as follows:
Analysis of red ore from mines near Lowmoor, V a.-

Metallic iron (Fe).^........................................................... 57.00
Manganese (Mn).............................................................. .15
Silica (SiOs)........................................:......................... 7.12
Aluminum (AhOs) ............................................................ 6.31
Lime (CaO).....:............................................................. 1.46
Magnesia (MgO)....:........................,,............................... .08
Phosphorus anhydride (PsOs)................................................ 1.54
Carbon dioxide (COz)......................................................... 1.23
Water (H20)................................................................. 1.18
From this analysis it can be seen that the ore so far handled is a thoroughly leached
ore a "soft ore," to use the Alabama term. Its lime carbonate has been almost entirely
removed and in consequence its iron percentage is relatively high. Farther under cover
the ore will become hard and probably fall to 35 per cent or less of metallic iron.
The Clinton ore has been mined in the river gap at Iron Gate, but the beds are very
thin and irregular and the unleached ("hard") ore is of very low grade. The following
analyses have been furnished by the Longdale Iron Company:
Analyses of Clinton ore from Iron Gate, Va.

Metallic iron........................................................... 46.5 46.0
Insoluble.............................................................. 19.90 20.24
Phosphorus............................................................ .49 .48
The beds examined here are rarely over 8 to 12 inches thick, and as practically all the
soft or leached ore has been used, the deposits can hardly be regarded as of commercial
value.
OEISKANY AND CLINTON IRON OEES OF V1EGTNIA. 189
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Of the reports listed below, those by McCreath and Moore contain detailed discussions-
of the iron ores, while the folios by Campbell present large-scale maps of the distribution
of the "Clinton" formation in various areas. The remaining papers and reports are of
far Ib3s satisfactory character, from either an industrial or a geologic point of view.
BOYD, C. R. The mineral wealth of southwestern Virginia. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 5, pp.
81-92. 1877. Idem, vol. 8, pp. 338-348. 1880.
Resources of southwest Virginia. 8°. 321 pp. New York, 1881.
The economic geology of the Bristol and Big Stone Gap section of Tennessee and Virginia.
Trans. Amor. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 15, pp. 114-141. 1887.
Middlesboro, Ky. Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 49, pp. 171-173. 1890.
CAMPBELL, M. 11. Estillville folio, Virginia-Kentucky-Tenncssee. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 12.
1894.
Pocahontas folio, Virginia-West Virginia. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 20. 1890.
Tftzcwell folio, Virginia-West Virginia. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 44. 1898.
Bristol folio, Virginia-Tennessee. Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 59. 1899.
COURTIS, W. M. Report on the properties of the American Association (Limited). 12°. 8pp. Mid-
cllesborough, 1891.
DAVIS, 0. W. Prospectus of the Cumberland Gap Iron Company. 12°. 12 pp. Middlesborough,
1891.
MCCREATH, A. S., and D'!NVILLIERS, E. V. Mineral resources of the upper Cumberland Valley of
southeastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia. 8°. 152pp. Louisville, 1902.
MOOEE, P. N. Report on the iron ores in the vicinity of Cumberland Gap. Rcpt. Kentucky Gcol.
Survey, new ser., vol. 4, pp. 241-254. 1878.
PROCTOR, J. R. On the resources of the Middlesfeorough district. In the Iron and Steel Institute
in America in 1890, pp. 485-492. London, 1891.
RICHARDS, S. A. Report on the properties of the American Association (Limited). 12°. Cpp. Mid-
dlesborough, 1891.
SHALER, N. S. Preliminary report concerning the resources of tho country adjacent to the line of
the proposed Richmond and Southwestern Railway. 4°. 54 pp. Cambridge, 1880.
SCHMITZ, E. J'. A section of Rich Patch Mountain at Iron Gate, Va. Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng.,
vol. 25, pp. 477-481. 1896.
THE BROWN ORES OF THE NEW RIVER-CRIPPLE
CREEK DISTRICT, VIRGINIA."
By R. J. HOLDEN.
Location. The New River-Cripple Creek area includes most of the limonites of the valley
region. The area in which ores are now mined lies chiefly in the southwestern part of
Pulaski County and the southern part of Wythe County. It is a narrow strip of territory
about 3 miles wide and 55 miles long and lies on the southeastern side of the Great Valley
near the foot of the mountains.
Geology. The rocks with which most of these ores are associated are of Cambrian and
Ordovician age. The chief rock is the Cambro-Ordovician limestone, which is here dolo-
mitic through many of its phases and which contains considerable interbedded red shales.
While in a major way this formation conforms to the structure described later, in a minor
way it is complexly folded and somewhat faulted, so that its thickness is difficult to deter-
mine. Its southeastern border is only a few hundred feet thick, while toward the center
of the valley it attains a great thickness. This formation furnishes the chief surface rock
of the valley, which is here from 6 to 12 miles wide. Underlying the limestone is a Cam-
brian quartzite and under this in turn a shale. These latter formations are probably to be
correlated, respectively, with the Erwin quartzite and the Hampton shale of the Cranberry
folio. They form the main portion of the mountains to the southeast and appear in the
valley in a few places as anticlinal ridges.
Structure. Structurally the region is characterized by thrust faults, with the fault planes
dipping to the southeast. These faults are apparently not very closely spaced, yet are
sufficiently so to give to the strata their prevailing southeastward dip. The most con-
spicuous faults are those at the margins of the valley. On the southeast side the quartzite
is locally faulted over onto the limestone. On the northwest side the limestone is thrust
over onto the Devonian and Lower Carboniferous sediments. While faulting has been the
dominant type of deformation, folding has not been unimportant. The Cambrian shows a
number of anticlines. The mountain to the southeast is in the main anticlinal, as is also
Lick Mountain, a valley ridge. There are a number of anticlinal ridges which extend
into the valley as spurs of the main mountain. However, these anticlines show a tendency
toward faulting on their northern sides.
Relief. The region in which the ore territory lies is one of considerable relief. The
crests of the ridges are from 500 to 1,500 feet above the valley floor and New River and its
branches have cut down 200 to 300 feet below the general level of the valley. The topog-
raphy is controlled by the rock structure, the southeastward dips having produced
northeast-southwest ridges and valleys. The exception to this is the modifying influence
of New River, which is an antecedent stream, cutting directly across the trend of the
mountains. In the valley, while the streams have cut down several hundred feet, erosion
has cut back from the stream courses in the softer strata, making the valley surface a
series of oval domes.
a This report is the result-of cooperative work carried on in 1905 by the Virginia and United States
Geological Surveys, and is here presented by permission of Mr. T. F. Watson, State geologist of Vir-
ginia. The relations of this particular area and report to the general problem are discussed on pp. 183-184
190
BROWN ORES OF VIRGINIA. 191
Occurrence and character of (lie ores. The residue from the decay of the limestone shows
considerable variation in depth. In places it is so thin that the limestone is exposed every
few feet, while in other places mining has shown it to have a depth of 80 feet. Where the
residue is protected by overlying strata from the weight of other material, it can frequently
be traced, stratum for stratum, into the limestone. It is perfectly certain that this material
has its origin in the limestone. Solution of the limestone takes place very irregularly, and
in consequence the surface of the unaltered rock is very uneven. Commonly these irregu-
larities take the form of pinnacles or domes, varying from those which are small and closely
spaced to larger ones 20 feet in diameter and 50 feet in height. The residue lies between
these limestone "horses" and forms a cover over them from 5 to 20 feet thick.
In this iron-ore region the residue contains a large percentage of iron oxide. Most of
this is in the form of fine particles, which give to the residue its deep-red color. Where the
iron oxide takes the form of granules of such size that they will.not pass a screen which
has 12 meshes to the inch and the particles are present in an appreciable quantity, it
becomes an iron ore. The individual pieces of ore may va.ry from the minimum size up to
lumps several feet in diameter. Much of the ore consists of angular fragments which have
been broken and moved from the position in which they were deposited from solution. A
smaller portion of the pieces of ore have the form and position which they assumed when
they were precipitated. The form of the pieces varies with the environment in which the
precipitation occurred. The clay derived from the limestone is relatively pervious. Ores
deposited in this material assume irregular shapes and, where the aggregates are of sufficient
size, are generally cellular; frequently inclosing clay in the cavities. In a few instances
the ore has been precipitated on the surface of the limestone itself. In such cases the ore
laminae are one-half inch or less in thickness and sometimes form closed spaces, including
rectangular blocks of limestone an inch or so on a side. The residue from shale is relatively
impervious. Iron oxide precipitated in or above this material, instead of having cavernous
or honeycomb structure, is apt to occur in sheets of compact material 2 inches or less in
thickness or in irregular, compact masses of greater size. Not only do these ores have a
different physical appearance, but the impurities which they hold give them a somewhat
different chemical composition. The ores occurring in the limestone residue are locally
known as "limouites;" the shale and sandstone ores as "mountain" ores. There are a
few mines whose ores have characteristics intermediate between these two classes and such
ores are known as "semilinionites." Analyses furnished by the companies« operating
these ores show the following content:
Analyses of iron ores from New River-Cripple Creek district, Virginia.

Semi-
Limonites.a linionites.'' Mountain
ores.c
43.70 40.72 37.86

Silica ............................................................. 13. 52 20. 12 18.60
1.79 » 1.81 2.32
.17 .31 .40
.58 .83 l."49
a Average of 50 analyses from 12 mines.

b Average of 15 analyses from 5 mines,
c Average of 17 analyses from 4 mines.
The " limonites" are relatively high in.iron and low in silica, phosphorus, and manganese,
The three first named are fairly constant from mine to mine, while the manganese varies
between 1 and 0.1 per cent. The alumina values are bases on few determinations. These
values will vary according to the thoroughness with which these ores are washed. In the
"mountain" ores there are lower values in the iron content, while the silica, phosphorus,
and manganese are higher. The manganese here varies between wider limits than in the
a Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company; Pulaski Iron Company; New River Mineral Company.
Bull. 285 06 13
"lirnonites." The "limonites" are throughout the more desirable ores. The ratio of the
amount of ore to the total material of the bank varies widely. In some of the " mountain"
ore mines the ore constitutes the larger portion of the material. In the "lirnonite" mines
the ore content of the bank varies from 20 to 4 per cent. In other words, it is necessary to
handle from 5 to 25 yards of bank to get 1 yard of ore. Samples taken by the writer from
20 mines show an average content of iron, computed to ferric oxide, of 44.59 percent, with
a variation between 63 and 23 per cent.« These samples were washed by hand and the
fine material, which was removed in suspension, showed an average of 30 per cent ferric
oxide.«
. Origin of the ores. It seems probable that these ores are concentrations of the iron which
was originally disseminated in the Cambro-Ordovician limestone. It has been previously
recognized b that the ores are associated with "the lower measures of this limestone. In
order to determine the possibility of the limestone being the source of the iron, it was sam-
pled in the immediate vicinity of a producing mine, 190 samples being taken through a
vertical thickness of 600 feet of the lower measures of the limestone. The average of the
analyses c of these gave the following results for the more insoluble constituents of the rock:
Silica, 1.74 per cent; metallic iron, 0.66 per cent; alumina, 0.50 per cent.
The following table shows a comparison between these analyses and that of the residue
in the mine, including the ore. . The percentages of the limestone analyses are reduced to
the basis of 100.
Comparative analyses of limestone and residue from New River-Cripple Creelc mines, Virginia.
Insoluble
matter in
GOO feet of Residue.
limestone.
30 34
Silica. ........ .........^..... ..................................................... 54 46
16
The above comparison shows that, with the per cent of iron in the limestone as indicated
by.t'.iese analyses, a thickness of 600 feet of the limestone will contain a quantity of iron
equal to that in the mine, the latter being estimated from the above analyses of the residue
and from its thickness. As in this case S|veral times 600 feet of limestone has been weathered,
it is unnecessary to look farther for the source of the iron. Systematic Sampling of the
limestone has not been done over the region, but scattered analyses indicate similar condi-
tions in regard to the iron content. In order to make a comparison with a region not iron-
bearing samples were taken through about 300 feet of limestone at Staunton, Va. The
analysis of this material shows that ferric oxide here constitutes 7 per cent of the insoluble
portion of the limestone. This corresponds to the 30 per cent given for the Foster Falls
region, which is iron bearing. The average content in ferric iron of twelve "limonite"
mines is found t6 be 39 per cent. This is somewhat higher than at Foster Falls.
It is evident that there has been concentration of the iron in the residue by at least two
methods. The first is essentially chemical. The body of the residue has a deep-red color,
while tfie upper two feet are usually dark colored, but not red. This difference in color is
believed to be due to the loss of iron by the upper portion. The reducing action of plant
roots changed the ferric oxide to the ferrous condition and rendered it soluble. Percolating
waters carried this down a few feet to a point where it was oxidized and precipitated.
Erosion removed the leached portion until the ferric oxide was again within reach of the
influence of vegetation. The process was repeated many times. Where iron was especially
"Analyses by .1.11. Gibboney.

6 McCreath, A. S., and d'lnvillicrs, E. V., The New River-Cripple Creek Mineral Region; a report to
the president of the Norfolk and Western Railway, 18S7.
«Analyses by J. H. Gibboney. .
BROWN ORES OF VIRGINIA. 193
abundant or on steep slopes where erosion was particularly rapid, reduction and solution
coulcl not keep pace.with the erosion and the red residue appeared at the surface. The
process outlined above resulted in a concentration of the iron, which was removed from the
sphere of surface erosion, while the other insoluble substances were exposed to it.
The other method of concentration in the residue was mainly mechanical. It is recog-
nized by some of the leading mining men of the district that areas where limestone sinks
are abundant are favorable for deep ore deposits. When the roof of a cavern in the lime-
stone falls in the residue follows and a funnel-shaped depression is created. Into this the
surface waters pour and remove in suspension the fine material and leave the lump ore.
Abundant waterworn pebbles of a rccrystallized quartzite occur normally at the surface of
the residue. These arc found at' the bottom of the deepest mines. Apparently in some
cases limestone sinks have been an important means of concentration of the ore.
If it is conceded that the " limonite" ores have their origin in the limestone, it is not neces-
sary to go beyond this source for the origin of the ores which are now associated with the
shales and sandstones. In this case all traces of the limestone except the ores have been
removed and the ores let down upon the underlying rocks.
There are other ores in this region. On both margins of the limestone small deposits
occur along the faults. The faults furnished a little better channel for water circulation,
and the fault planes became the locus of a deposit, but these ores need not be distinguished
in origin from the other ores with which they are associated.
At lladford Furnace, near the southeastern edge of this area, there is a deposit of limonite
ore which, at one place at least, is associated with an iron carbonate. This ore may be the
oxidized outcrop of a bedded carbonate. The mines have not been worked for some time,
and the present limited showing prevents definite statements in regard to this point.
.In Draper Mountain, on the northwestern border of this area, five mines are now in opera-
tion. This mountain is made up largely of Devonian and Lower Carboniferous sediments,
chiefly sandstones and shales. Some of these ores are different in form, mode of occurrence,
and chemical composition from the other ores. The Lower Carboniferous contains coal
measures and considerable disseminated iron. This may be looked to as the source of the
iron ore. The iron was carried in solution and deposited in favorable situations, which
varied in their nature in the individual cases.
Near Abingdon are scattered deposits of ferruginous limestone, hematite, and magnetite
which have been mined in a small way. The limestone as mined carried about 30 per cent
of metallic iron. The deposits occur at the top of the Cambro-Ordovician limestone.
Athens shales « lie in synclines of the limestone. The ores occur at the outcrop of the con-
tact. Iron leached from the shale has been precipitated in the limestone as hematite and
magnetite. At one place the limestone has been much brecciated, and here the iron has
been irregularly deposited in the limestone both as ferrous and as ferric iron. The ferrous
iron is clearly a replacement of the limestone.
Summary. The iron ores of the valley region of southwestern Virginia, with one excep-
tion, are limonite. They, occur in the residual clay and usually constitute about 7 per cent.
of this material.
Classified according to their probable origin, there are four classes of ores. Named in
order of their importance they are as follows: .
1. The limdnite ores of the valley, associated with the limestone. Iron originally
disseminated in the limestone.
2. The limonite ores of Draper Mountain. Iron leached from the Lower Carboniferous
sediments.
3. The limonite ore at Had ford Furnace. Oxidation in situ of carbonate of iron.
4. Hematite, magnetite, and ferruginous limestone near Abingdon. Iron leached from
Athens shale.
Classes 1 and 2 are mined at present, and the average monthly production for the last half
of 1905 was 20,000 tons b for the New River-Cripple Creek area.
"Campbell, M. R.,Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 59, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1899.

''This figure is based on records of ore shipments kindly furnished by the Norfolk and Western
Railway.
IRON ORES OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES AND
BRITISH COLUMBIA.
By C. K. LEITH.
INTRODUCTION.
An insignificant part of the iron-ore production of the United States has come from west
of Mississippi River in recent years about 2 per cent. Nevertheless, in that vast region
there are many ore deposits known and doubtless more to be discovered. Present eco-
nomic conditions demand that the nature, extent, and availability of the ores of this region
should be generally known. The present writer has given attention primarily to the geo-
logical relations and origin of the ores as affording a basis of comparison with present pro-
ducing districts of the United States rather than to estimates of tonnage and study of
present commercial conditions, although some incidental attention has necessarily been
paid to these matters. In the fall of 1903 the iron ores of Iron County, southern Utah,
were examined and a brief report published in the Economic Bulletin for that year.a
The work of the past two field seasons, including detailed mapping of the Utah deposits, is
summarized below.
GENERAL RECONNAISSANCE.
HARTVILLE, WYOMING.
In 1904 the deposits at Sunrise, in the Hartville district of Wyoming, were looked over.
The facts observed correspond with the description by W. S. Tangier Smith in the folio on
this district.b The ores occur in the Whalen group of limestone, quartzite, and quartzose
schist, extending along the west side of Whalen Canyon, south and west of Fredericks, to
Sunrise and Hartville. Ore is mined at present only at Sunrise. Here an open pit, with
terraces rising toward the north, exposes the ore and its associated rocks. The foot wall
on-the west consists of banded calcareous and siliceous schists and cherts. Smith describes
these as schistose quartzites. The writer's examination, both in the field and with the
microscope, disclosed no positive evidence of their sedimentary origin, though he has no
reason to doubt that Smith's conclusion is correct. These grade up into the ore through
phases which in the Lake Superior country would be called ferruginous cherts. The hang-
ing wall is of much the same nature. The structure of both the foot and hanging walls,
whether it be bedding or schistosity, dips steeply to the east. Immediately 1;o the east of
the deposit, near the power house, and also to the southwest, are limestones of the Whalen
series. Resting unconfonnably upon the ores and associated rocks are Carboniferous lime-
stones and sandstones, forming an amphitheater, opening to the southwest, about the ores
and associated Whalen rocks. The lateral extent of the ore to the northwest is hidden by
the capping of Carboniferous sandstones and limestones. Drilling is said to have shown the
extension of the ore beneath these rocks to a considerable distance. Here it will have to
be won by underground methods.
"Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 225, 1903, pp. 229-237.
b Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 91, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1903.
194
IKON ORES OF THE WEST. . 195
The ores are soft and hard hematite somewhat similar to those of the Chandler mine, in
I/he Vermilion district of Minnesota. There is present also a considerable amount of massive
blue ore like that of the Soudan mine, in Minnesota. An abundance of botryoidal quartz,
stringers of malachite and azurite, yellowish chert phases, and ferrous aluminum-silicate
rocks appear as minor constituents of the ore. The iron content grades from 45 to 65 per
cent. According to Mr. Ahbe, superintendent, there is some difficulty in close grading of
the ores for shipment. The phosphorus is. for the most part near the Bessemer limit.
Some of it will run above 0.1 per cent.
Smith describes the ores as in the form of lenses in the Whalen beds. Several phases of
the ore and rock possess striking similarity to altered carbonates in exhibiting irregular and
spotted areas of limonite. These facts, together with the nature of the foot wall and hang-
ing wall observed at the mine, and the presence of ferruginous cherts, suggest that the ore
has developed by either the replacement or alteration of lenses of a carbonate formation
within the Whalen beds. In this connection Smith says that the limestone of the belt to
the southwest contains a considerable amount of ferrous iron. Detailed studies should be
made of the relations of the ore to the limestones and so-called schistose quartzites and the
true nature and structure of the series determined* For purposes of folio mapping Smith
was obliged to treat the Whalen beds as essentially a structural unit, though its petro-
graphic phases were described and their approximate distribution outlined.
This deposit is the only one the writer has seen in the West which suggests possible simi-
larity in lithology, origin, and relations of adjacent rocks to certain of the Lake Superior
ores.
WASHINGTON.
Visits were, made in 1904 to ore deposits in Stevens County, northeastern Washington.
Southeast of Northport, near Deep Creek Lake, both northeast and southwest of the lake,
yellow porous limonite occurs associated with limestone, resting on the flank of the moun-
tains. The ore is exposed in a considerable number of pits and drifts. On the way to the
area the cores of the mountains were observed to be granite flanked by limestone. No
igneous rock was observed near the ore, but presumably, from the general structure of the
region and analogy with other districts, it occurs not far away.
About 14 miles west of Valley is a shaft 75 feet deep from which have been thrown out
fine dense hematite, coarse amphibolitic nmrtite ore, and gradations between the two;
also green schistose rocks whose relations to the ore were not determined. To the east
sericitic slates may be seen dipping under the shaft and to the west are limestones, pre-
sumably forming the hanging wall.
To the southwest, on the Rogers's claim, several drifts were observed penetrating lime-
stone with a small amount of hematite near the surface, suggesting a surface replacement
of the limestone. Higher up the hill ferruginous slate and inagnetitic slate, locally called
jasper and indeed somewhat resembling jasper, are exposed.- The relations to the lime-
stone are unknown. Diorite was observed along the road in such relations as to indicate
its lower stratigraphic position. From what the writer observed and from discussion with
local prospectors, there is apparently in this region more or less ferruginous alteration of the
limestone near its base, where it rests on slate. The occurrence of diorite intrusives in the
vicinity suggests a possible genetic relation. *
About 6 miles east of Valley limonite occurs between andesite forming the core of the
large hill and limestone resting upon its flank. The ore is in general soft, hydrated hema-
tite and'limonite of red and brown colors, and very porous. Locally the ore seems to dip
toward and under the andesite, which is spoken of as the hanging wall. There is evidence
here also of some brecciation, faulting, and folding, some of it later than'the formation of
the ore. Near the contact with the ore both the andesite and the limestone are much
altered and are represented by clay showing the texture and structure of the original rock.
Stringers of the ore run both into the limestone and into the andesite. For the most part
the contacts are very sharp. The extent and shape of the deposit has not been determined.
A thickness of 20 feet was observed in one place and less in others.
196 CONTRIBUTIONS .TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1905.
VANCOUVER AND TEXADA ISLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA.
The best-known sources of iron ore for the northwestern United States are Texada Island
and the west side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, especially near Barclay Sound.
The furnace at Port Townsend, Wash., has drawn its ore from the first of these localities
and in plans for the use of this ore American capjtal has largely figured. Each of these
localities was visited in 1904.
Without going into detailed descriptions, it may be reported that these ores are largely
magnetite, carrying usually considerable amounts of iron and copper sulphides, apatite,
amphibole, and garnet. At the surface is an oxidized zone, usually a few inches thick, of
limonite and white sulphate. The metallic-iron .content averages from 35 to 60 per cent
and above in different deposits, the Texada ores and a part of those on Barclay Sound hav-
ing the higher percentages. The sulphur content is for the most part high, requiring that
the ores be roasted. The copper content is also high, particularly in the Texada ores (2 per
cent). The phosphorus in the higher grade ores is mainly below the Bessemer limit.
The ores occur at or near the contact of acid igneous rocks with limestone and are obvi-
ously replacements of limestone. In some instances the ore may be seen entirely surrounded
by igneous rock, evidently a replacement of limestone intruded by and caught up in igneous
rock near the contact. « The contacts of the igneous rock with the ore are characteristically
sharp and present no gradation features that would accord with the view that the ore repre-
sents segregations from igneous rocks. The abundant occurrence of lime garnet, however,
both in the ore and in the crystalline limestone adjacent to the igneous contact, suggests
the concentration of the deposit under the influence of igneous intrusion. The shape, size,
and vertical extent of the deposits have for the most part not,been determined, but it is
obvious that a large tonnage of iron ore is here to be obtained. In- the Barclay Sound area
several pits and tunnels have penetrated ore from a few feet to a maximum of 110 feet hori-
zontally and approximately the same amount vertically. In Texada Island belts have a
maximum thickness of about 100 feet and in one place a belt has been cut by a tunnel 300
feet below the surface. Here the ore is as wide and apparently of as good a grade as at the
surface.
COLORADO.
In company with C. R. Van Hise a reconnaissance was made in 1905 of the iron ores south
of Ashcroft, in Pitkin and Gunnisoii counties, near White Pine, Gunnison County; and in
the Cebolla district, also in Gunnison County.
About 6 miles south of Ashcroft iron ores appear on both sides of the Elk Mountains
divide, near its junction with the Saguache Range, in Pitkin and Gunnison counties. At
"Cooper's," on the northwest side of the divide, at an elevation.of between 11,000 and
12,000 feet, the iron lies on the steep face of the ridge. It is apparently underlain and
overlain by limestone, and stringers of it may be seen extending into the limestone. The
dip of the iron belt seems to be down the slope. Eight tunnels have been driven into the
iron, the longest one 122 feet and the shortest 40 feet in iron. The vertical distance between
the highest and lowest tunnels is between 75 and 100 feet. The greatest distance between
the tunnels along the slope is 300 feet. The iron may be seen to extend along the slope for
about 500 feet. These figures are not exact. Specimens taken at random showed a
metallic-iron content varying from 30 to 64 per cent, phosphorus 0.007 to 0.069 per cent,
and sulphur 0.077 to 0.970 per cent. The bulk of the ore is high in iron and sulphur and
low in phosphorus. The iron at the surface is magnetite, with cavities filled with secondary
limonite and quartz. Back in the tunnels the ore becomes harder and contains unaltered
sulphides, garnet, epidote, and feldspar, suggesting original concentration under the influ-
ence of igneous rocks, which appear on the adjacent ridges.
On the southeast side of the divide the iron ores, supposedly continuous with those of the
northwest side, extend in a belt along the east side of Taylors Peak and reappear on Crystal
Peak and Mount Tilton. They were examined at Taylors Peak, the principal occurrence,
IRON ORES OF THE WEST. 197
where they lie both parallel and transverse, mainly the former, to the bedding of Carbon-
iferous and Silurian limestones and shales dipping westward into the mountain. These
rocks are underlain by a thin layer of Cambrian quartzite and this in turn by the "Sawatch"
granite, which appears on the lower parts of the steep erosion slopes of the mountain. The
overlying rocks are fine-grained diorites of recent age. The ore probably occurs in more
than one layer, but how many the explorations do not show. At Taylors Peak a vertical
pit 40 feet deep has been sunk in the ore. The dip of the ore while probably westward, wits
not determined at the pit, so that the thickness of the belt can not be estimated. The ore
is here mainly a magnetite containing iron sulphide and chloritc. At the surface it is
oxidized to limonite, which appears abundantly on the lower slopes. A single specimen
collected here to show the nature of the ore carries 48.36 per cent of iron, 0.007 per cent
phosphorus, and 5.88 per cent sulphur, but the average of the hole is said to show better-
grade ore. A.tunnel is now being driven into the underlying blue limestone in search for
silver and lead. .
Like the ore on the northwest side of the divide, the concentration of this ore under the
influence of igneous rocks is apparent. It is said to be continuous with the ore on the north-
west side; indeed, ore can be seen extending to the divide on each side. This would give
the belt an approximate length of a mile, with a maximum width of 122 feet, as shown in
one of the tunnels on the northwest side of the divide, but with an average width probably
much less. The depth is unknown.
A visit was made to the iron-ore deposit about three-fourths of a mile northeast of the
village of White Pine, Gunnison County. It occurs on the east slope of the valley, on a spur
of the Saguache Mountains. The ridge has a granite core and carries on its slope Canibro-
Silurian quartzite and limestone, dipping westward down the slope. The ore is at the con-
tact of the limestone and quartzite, apparently replacing both. The dip of the ore seems
to be parallel to the slope, although locally it dips into the hill, perhaps as a result of creep.
Six tunnels crossing the ore were examined. One tunnel showed two seams 14 and 75 feet
in width. The ore was not followed along the strike for any great distance, but'it is said
to extend to Marshall Pass, several miles away. The ore is crystalline magnetite and hema-
tite containing epidote, garnet, and some iron sulphide, but not in large amount. At the
surface it is altered to limonite, hematite, and clay. In some of it fragmental quartz grains
may be seen. A sample analyzed by Ghauvenet averaged 58.75 per cent in iron and 0.04
per cent in phosphorus. An average analysis of (en samples published by Birkinbine gives
59.32 per cent in iron, 0.036 per cent in phosphorus, and 7.9 per cent in silica.
Iron ores were examined along the north side of Cebolla Creek, about 15 miles south of
lola station, on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Here there is an amphitheater of
granite opening out to the southeast diagonally across the creek, partly inclosing quartzite
and above this limestone, iron carbonate, and iron'ore. On the northwest trachyte flows
cap both the granite and the sedimentary rocks. The limestone, iron carbonate, and iron
ores appear principally in three small east-west hills arranged en dohelon north of the creek.
The limestone may be seen to grade iip into iron carbonate or ferriferous limestone or dolo-
mite, which constitutes most of the central hill, the west end of the western hill, and an
unknown part of the eastern hill. This iron carbonate varies from fine to coarse grained
and is intimately interbanded with magnetite and hematite, suggesting contemporaneous
origin. Whether the iron carbonate and its associated iron oxide consists of an original
sedimentary formation conformable with the limestone below or is a result of subsequent
alteration aided by igneous agencies was not determined. In favor of the former is its fine
grain in places and apparent conformability with the limestone, in favor of the latter is
its local coarsely crystallized character and the occurrence of this coarser carbonate in dis-
tinct veins. At the surface the carbonate is altered to limonite and clay, with the develop-
ment and introduction of chlorite, chalcedony, and manganese oxide. One specimen here
taken runs 45.92 per cent in manganese. This alteration is confined principally to the
localities adjacent to the overlying trachyte capping, especially near the east ends of the
western and central hills. Solution cavities here are almost certain evidence that waters
heated by the trachyte, similar to those now coming from it on the south side of the gulch
and in one spring depositing limonite, were the agents of the alteration.
The limonite and other alteration products of the iron carbonate, together with the resid-
ual magnetite and hematite which were originally associated with it, constitute the ores of
this area. The principal showing of.ore is on the east end of the western hill. Here several
drifts have been run into the hill. The ore may be seen to extend along the hill for 500 or
more feet, and into the hill horizontally for £0 feet. The ore consists of nodules and irreg-
ular masses of limonite, magnetite, and hematite lying in an iron-stained matrix of clay
and carrying abundant secondary chlorite or talc. It is much broken and contorted.
Beneath the surface the harder nodules disappear and the ore is principally soft limonite
or hematite, wiih clay and some magnetite. The best of the ore is said to run 55 or 60 per
cent metallic iron, but the average published by Birkinbine is 35 per cent. Several pub-
lished analyses show phosphorus below the Bessemer limit, but much of the.ore is said to
run higher. Sulphur is low in both the main body of the ore and (,he oxidized portion.
On the central iron-carbonate hill several tunnels have been driven into the hill to a dis-
tance of 100 or more feet. The oxidation of the iron carbonate may be seen to extend but
a few feet into the hill.
In two localities titaniferous magnetite was observed. One is to the northeast of the
central hill, between this hiil and the trachyte, where it is shown in a pit associated with
an altered greenish rock now represented only by large mica plates and some feldspar in a
clayey matrix. The other locality is across the creek from the springs just east of the
bridge, where there is a belt fully 50 feet wide apparently running up the slope for 100 feet
or more. This has been opened at one place. One specimen taken here showed 42.71 per
cent iron, 0.002 per cent phosphorus, 0.009 per cent sulphur, and 4.15 per cent titanic acid.
No associated rocks arc visible, but the magnetite contains narrow bands of greenish
amphibole, partly altered to asbestos. It may be that the associated rock is the basic
granite to be seen in the creek bottom beneath the bridge.
CALIFORNIA.
A visit was made to the Cave Canyon iron area, about one-fourth of a mile north of Scott
station, on the San Pedro Railroad (Cave Canyon mines). It lies on the south side of the
hills, between a complex of acid and intermediate rocks on the north and coarsely crystal-
line marble on the south, dipping southward at about 30°. The iron is mainly along the
contact, but apparently projects into the igneous complex below and into the marble above.
Little patches of marble were seen in what was taken to be iron ore. The exposure is
much broken and covered by desert varnish, with the result that the surface distribution
is not at once obvious. While the iron-ore ddbris covers the slope, in several places the
igneous rocks appear through it. The ore occurs in two belts, one along the trend of the
other, but separated by an erosion valley. The western belt is about 2,000 feet long and
the eastern 1,700 feet long. The width of outcrop reaches a maximum of 450 feet. Its
average width for the \\es.ern belt may be 300 feet and for the eastern belt 100 feet. The
true thickness of the ore body, assuming that it follows approximately the contact of the
limestone, is probably less than half the width of.outcrop because of the southward dip of
the formation and the fact that the erosion slope follows the dip. Four tunnels are reported
on the property. Two were seen in ore, the longer one 30 feet in length. The ore is mainly
red hematite and limonite, soft and broken, showing limestone bedding. In one of the
western tunnels green iron silicates were observed in the ore. The ore was not sampled.
Commercial analyses from two sources show a percentage of iron above 60 per cent and
phosphorus within the Bessemer limit.
IKON OKES OF THE WEST. 199
DETAILED MAPPING IN UTAH.
During the summer of 1905 detailed mapping of the iron ores of Iron County, Utah, was
begun by C. K. Leith, with the assistance of E. C. Harder and F. J. Katz, who continued
the work independently during -the fall. The iron ores, extending in narrow and discon-
tinuous belts for a distance of about 18 miles northeast and southwest, were mapped with
plane table on the scale of 250 feet to the inch, all pits and exposures (numbering 700 to
800) being shown. The total area so mapped was 5£ square miles. Pits and tunnels
were measured and an attempt made to estimate tonnage. On the completion of the
topographic base, the .geology of a somewhat wider area will be mapped during the present
winter and the report and maps will be submitted at an early date thereafter.
The ores appear on the erosion surface at or near the contact of intrusive andesite lac-
colites with limestone and sandstone and in one instance conglomerate; also in veins in the
andesite itself. The ore is clearly a replacement of the limestone or an infiltration in veins
in the other rocks. Evidences of two and perhaps three periods of concentration were
observed. Under the influence of intrusion of the andesite laccolites iron carbonate, iron
Sulphide, and magnetite developed locally along contacts. During the subsequent erosion
there seems to have been a further concentration, consisting in alteration of the carbonate
and sulphide to hydrated oxide and perhaps further replacement of limestone by the
hydrated oxide. These two concentrations have not yet been certainly separated and
there is a possibility that they are really but one. The last and most conspicuous concen-
tration occurred.under the influence of later lavas which were poured out upon the eroded
edges-of the series, resulting in the coarse recrystalization of the ores, the development of
magnetite and siderite, and the deposition of apatite and quartz, leaving the ores substan-
tially as we now find them, though in the subsequent weathering they had been broken
down and covered with desert varnish.
The ore at the surface is thus, because of the last concentration, predominantly mag-
netite and hematite containing chalcedonie quartz and a considerable amount of apatite in
crystals sometimes reaching a length of 2 or 3 inches. Beneath the surface the ore becomes
a soft blue and red hematite with subordinate quantities of magnetite. The average per-
centage of iron varies widely from 45 to 66. A large tonnage will average above 50 per
cent. The phosphorus, for the most part, averages above 0.1 per cent.
The depth to which the ores extend along the inclined (30°) contact of the andesite and
limestone is not yet known. Pits have shown it to extend for 150 feet in depth. Along
the strike the ores pinch out in lens fashion. The longest lens in the district reaches 2,000
feet.
The relations of the ores to the adjacent rocks are complicated by faulting of block type,
characteristic of the basin region. The main directions of the fault planes are a little west
of north and north of east. The planes are vertical. The district lies about 15 miles west
of the great Hurricane fault, marking off the high plateau region from the basin region to
the west, where the displacement is down on the west side.
CONCLUSION.
The ores of the Hartvillc district of Wyoming seem to have certain features in common
with Lake Superior ores, but much work remains to be clone on them.before their origin
can be definitely stated. With this exception the iron ores of the western United States
seen by the writer and other deposits of which he has seen reports occur along or near the
contact of limestones with intrusive igneous masses, both acid and basic, often laccolitic
in form, and are frequently associated also with surface eruptives. The ores are clearly
replacements of limestone and to a minor extent vein fillings in the limestone or igneous
rock. Their association with igneous rocks and frequent content of metamorphic min-
erals point clearly to their development and concentration under the influence of igneous
rocks and in some cases to more than one concentration. The precise nature of the influence
of the igneous rocks can not now be stated. They may have contributed hot waters bear-
ing the iron ore; they may have contributed hot waters which have leached the ore from
the intruded limestones; they may have contributed only heat necessary to make meteoric
waters highly effective in concentration; or probably there was some combination of these
factors.
The ores are predominantly magnetic, particularly in their upper portions. Locally,
as in Utah, they grade down into hematite. The magnetite sometimes shows a thin sur-
face alteration to limonite. In places the ore is largely limonite. The iron content locally
runs up to,65 or 66 per cent, but the average is lower. A considerable proportion of the'
ores may average above 50 per cent. The phosphorus content is variable but usually
high. The phosphorus often occurs in apatite in large crystals, making it possible to effect
a rude separation of high phosphorus ores by hand sorting. A considerable proportion
of the ores' contain iron or copper sulphides or both to such an extent as to require roasting,
though to this there are important exceptions.
The exposures are such that the. horizontal dimensions of the ores may be ascertained.
The vertical extent down the usually inclined contact surfaces has for the most part not
been determined. Depths of more than 300 feet are known, and the geological structure
makes greater depths probable. Neither is it known how rapidly the deposits narrbw
below. Until these facts are known, satisfactory estimates of tonnage can not be made.
While no single western district has yet been shown to be comparable both in quantity and
quality of ores with any one of the Lake Superior districts, it is still certain, from the facts
now known, that the West will in the aggregate furnish a large supply of iron ore and that
the expenditure of money for exploration and exploitation is warranted. This does not
mean that all of the western iron ores may become immediately available, for the grade
and quality of the ores, together with their distance from consuming centers, may make
it necessary to hold them for many years.
SURVEY PUBLICATIONS ON IRON AND MANGANESE.
A number of the principal papers on iron and manganese ores published by the United
States Geological Survey or by members of its staff are listed below:
BARNES, P. The present technical condition of the steel industry of the United States. Bulletin
No. 25. 85 pp. 1SS5. (Out of print.)
BAYLEY, W. S. The Menoininee iron-bearing district of Michigan. Monograph XLVI. 513pp. 1904. .
BuiKiNBiNE, ,T. American blast-furnace progress. In Mineral -Resources U. S. for 1883-84, pp.
290-o .11. 1885.
1 The iron ores east of the Mississippi River. In Mineral Resources U. S. for 1880, pp. 39-08.
1887.
1 The production of iron ores in various parts of the world. .In Sixteenth Ann. Kept., pt. 3,
pp. 21-218. 1894.
Iron ores. In Nineteenth Ann. Kept., pt. 0, pp. 23-03. 1808.
Manganese ores. In Nineteenth Ann. Kept., pt. 0, pp. 91-125. 1898.
BOUTWELL, J. M. Iron ores in the Uinta Mountains, Utah. In Bulletin No. 225, pp. 221-228. 1904.
BuRCUAiin, E. F. Tho iron ores of the Brookwood district, Alabama. In Bulletin No. 200, pp.
321-334. 1905.
CIIISOLM, V. F. Iron in the Rocky Mountain division. In Mineral llesources U. S. for 1883-84,
pp. 2S1.-280. 1885.
CLEMENTS, J. M. The Vermilion iron-bearing district of Minnesota. Monograph XLV. 463 pp.
1903.
CLEMENTS, J. M., SMYTH.-H. L., BAYLEY, W. 8., and VANHISE, C. 11. The Crystal Falls iron-bearing
district of Michigan. Monograph XXXVI. 512 pp. 1899.
DILLER, J. S. Iron ores of the Redding quadrangle, California. In Bulletin No. 213, pp. 219-220.
1903.
So-called iron ore near Portland, Oreg. In Bulletin No. 2f.O, pp."343-347. 1905.
ECKEL, E. C. Utilization of iron and steel slags. In Bulletin No. 213, pp. 221-231. 1903.
Iron ores of the United States. In Bulletin No. 2(iO, pp. 317-320. 1905.
Limonitc deposits of eastern New York and western New England. In Bulletin No. 200,'
p,). 335-342. 1905.
Iron ores of northeastern Texas. In Bulletin No. 2(10, pp. 348-354. 1905.
The Clinton hematite. In Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 79, pp. 897-898. 1905.
The iron industry of Texas, present and prospective. In Iron Age, vol. 70, pp. 478-479. 1905.
HA YES, C. W. Geological relations of the iron ores in the Cartersville district, Georgia. In Trans.
Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 30, pp. 403-419. 1901.
Manganese ores of the Cartersville district, Georgia. In Bulletin No. 213, p. 232. 1903.
HAYES, C. W., and ECKEL, E. C. Iron ores of the Cartersville district, Georgia. In Bulletin No. 213,
pp. 233-242. 1903.
IRVING, R. D., and VAN HISE, C. R. The Penokee iron-bearing scries of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Monograph XIX. 534pp. 1892.
KEITH, A. Iron-ore deposits of the Cranberry district, North Carolina-Tennessee. In Bulletin
No. 213, pp. 243-240. 1903.
KEMP, J. F. The titaniferous iron ores of the Adirondacks [New York]. In Nineteenth Ann. Rept.,
pt. 3, pp. 377-422. 1899.
LEITJI, C. K. The Mesabi iron-bearing district of Minnesota. Monograph XLIII. 310 pp. 1903.
Geologic work in the Lake Superior iron district during 1902. In Bulletin No. 213, pp. 247-250.
1903.
Tho Lake Superior mining region during 1903. In Bulletin No. 225, pp. 215-220. 1904.
Iron ores in southern Utah. In Bulletin No. 225, pp. 229-237. 1904.
Genesis of the Lake Superior iron ores. In Economic Geology, vol. 1, pp. 47-00. 1905.
SMITH, E. A. The iron ores of Alabama in their geological relations. In Mineral Resources U. S.
for 1882, pp. 149-161. 1883.
SMITH, GEO. 0., and WILLIS, B. The Clealurn iron ores, Washington. In Trans. Am. Inst. Min.
Eng., vol. 30, pp. 350-300. 1901.
SPENCER, A. C. The iron ores of Santiago, Culm. In Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 72, pp. 033-034. 1901.
Manganese deposits of Santiago, Cuba. In Bulletin No. 213, pp. 251-255. 1903.
201
SWANK, J. M. The American iron industry from its beginning in 1019 to 1880. In Mineral "Resources
U. S. for 1880, pp. 23-38. 1887.
Iron and steel and allied industries in all countries. In Sixteenth Ann. Kept., pt. 3, pp.
219-250. 1894.
VANHISE, C. R..BAYLEY, W. S., and SMYTII, II. L. The Marquette iron-bearing district of Michigan,
with atlas. Monograph XXVIII. 008 pp. 1897.
VAN HISE, C. R. The iron-ore deposits of the Lake Superior region. In Twenty-first Ann. Rept.,
pt. 3, pp. 305-434. 1901.
WEEKS, J. D. Manganese. In Mineral Resources U. S. for 1885, pp. 303-350. 1880.
: Manganese. In Mineral Resources U, S. for 1887, pp. 144-107. 1888.
Manganese. In Mineral Resources U. S. for 1892, pp. 109-220. 1893.
WOLFF, J. E. Zinc and manganese deposits of Franklin Furnace, N. J. In Bulletin No. 213, pp.
214-217. 1903.
YALE, C. G. Iron on the Pacific coast. In Mineral, Resources U. S. for 1883-8'4, pp. 280-290. 1885.
In addition to the papers listed above, iron deposits of more or less importance have
been described in the following geologic folios (for location and further details sse pp. 8-13):
Nos. 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10,'11,12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 40, 43, 44,
55, 56, 59, 61, 62, 64, 70, 72, 78, 82, 83, 84,115,116,118,120,124,125,126, -129.

Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Report

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

IRON AND MANGANESE.

THE CLINTON OR RED ORES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA.

PROBABLE METHOD OF ORIGIN.

Formation. Age. Thickness.

ORE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE DISTRICT.

Section showing ore beds near Battelle, Ala.

( 11. 80 27.50 22.08 2.50

Section of well at Fort Payne furnace, Alabama.

Analyses of ores from mines near Fort Payne, Ala.

Soft ore. Hard

Analyses of ore from surface cuts near Fort Payne, Ala.

Soft ore. Hard

SiliCca (SiOs) ...........................'........................-................... 7.93 3.97

Section in main slope of mine near Portersville, Ala.

oMcCalley, Report on the Valley Regions of Alabama, pt. 2, p. 153.

Sections on south, side of yap near Portersville, Ala.

Analyses of Portersville hard ore. . .

33. 05 33.72 25.52 38. 00 30. 35 31.20 31.95 32.00 31.98

Crudup. The Lacey-Buek Iron Company operates mines on an exceptionally heavy

Analysis of soft ores near Attalla, Ala.

Soft ores. Hard ores.

Silica (Si0 2) ......................................... 10. 74 7.10 8.40 8. 70 9.26 8.40

Silica (Si0 2) ............................................................. ............. 13.70 15.87

Analyses of Clinton iron ores, Kentucky.

47. G30 51. 430 58.570

100. 000 100. 000 100. 000

33. 341 3G.001 40 999

Section at mine of Rose Run Iron Company near Owingsvitte, Ky.

IRON ORES OF VIRGINIA.

ORE RESERVES AND IRON PRODUCTION.

Cost of production of coke iron, per ton, 1900.

Iron-ore and pig-iron production of Virginia and West Virginia.

Year. Brown ore. Redtite.

1899....................................... 908, 143 17,173 1,100 986, 470 365; 491

Estimated. All other figures are exact.

dRISKANY BROWN ORES.

FIG. 8. Generalized section at Iron Gate, Va.

Section at Iron Gate, Va.

Section at ore bank near Covington, Va.

Analysis of ore front Dolly Ann property, near Covinyton, Va.

LIST OF REFERENCES ON THE ORISKANY ORES OF VIRGINIA.

THE CLINTON, RED, OR FOSSIL ORES.

Section on slope 1, near Lowmoor, Va.

Section on slope 2, near Lowmoor, Va.

Analysis of red ore from mines near Lowmoor, V a.-

Analyses of Clinton ore from Iron Gate, Va.

Analyses of iron ores from New River-Cripple Creek district, Virginia.

43.70 40.72 37.86

a Average of 50 analyses from 12 mines.

"Analyses by .1.11. Gibboney.

"Campbell, M. R.,Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 59, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1899.

VANCOUVER AND TEXADA ISLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA.

DETAILED MAPPING IN UTAH.

You might also like