LI S T

OF TIIJo;

ORES AND MINERALS

\ ..

OF

INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE

OCt'URRIXG IX ALAB.L\L\ ..

BY

E t• G E X E A . S ::\I IT H , 1> n . n . , State Geologist.

)fOXTGO:\JERY, ALA.: IIARRET'r & CO., ST.\TE PRI:\TEH~ .\SD ROOK·DJ'>DERl'i.

1887.

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LIST

OF THE

ORES AND MINERALS

OF

INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE,

OCCURRI XG IX ALAB.UL\ ..

BY

EUGEXE A. S~IITH, Pn. D., State Geologist.

~IOXTGO~IERY, ALA.: BARRETT & CO., STATE PRINTERS AND BOOK· BINDERS.

1887.

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ORES, :MINERALS AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES OF IXDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE AND KXOW~ OCCURREXCE IX ALABA)IA.*

Mineral­ogical Name

(By Eugene A. Smith, State Geologist.)

Common Name. •

===== RE)!ARKS.

Asbestus ... Asbestus ... Near Corundum deposits, Du<lleyville, Talla­poosa county.

Barite ...... Barytes hea- Elyton, Jefferson county; Pratt's Ferry, Bibb vy spar. county; :Maguire's Shoals, Cahaba River;

Several places in Talladega county; near Whiting Station, Shelby county; R. String­fellow's (T. 20, R.l, E.), Clay county; Che­wacla Lime Works, Lee county; Old Ben­ton Iron \Vorks, Calhoun county; near Ca­lera, Shelby county. Nowhere mined.

Cassiterite .. rrin ore, tin-Two miles southeast of Ashland, Clay county; stone. works erected here; not now in operation

for tin. Rockford, Coosa county, loose crys­tals in granitoid gneiss.

Coal.var.bit-Coal, bitum-The coal fields of Alabama were diYided by uminous. I inous coal. Prof. Tuomey into three areas, drained by

the Coosa, Cahaba, and Warrior riYers re­specti \·ely, and named from these riYers.

There is good reason for thinking that these three fields were once continuous, separated after their deposition by foldings and dislo­cations of the strata. Under this supposi­tion we should expE-ct to find the same coal seams in all three fields. McCalley counts 53 seams in the Warrior field, and Squire makes out 40 seams in the Cahaba field.

This rliscrepancy may possibly be due to the difference in the amount of denudation which the two fields haYe suffered, but it seems more probable that with fuller knowl­edge of the two fields these differences will be found to be apparent rather than real. We shall probably soon be able to construct a correct vertica I section of the coal meas­ures of the State. The data below gi,·en concernin~ the Cahaba and Warrior fields haYe been" furnished by J oseph Squire and Henn· )IcCalleY. who ha,·e deYoted all their time for the past three or four years to these fields.

We haYe much less mAterial for an account of the Coosa field than of either of the others.

The Coosa field contains two or three ~C'ams, 3 feet and upwards in thickness. Mines in

--------------------~.~~~ *Revised, corrected and enlarged, from J. C. Smock's list in Williams'

Mineral Resources of the United States.

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l\1ineral­ogical Xame

Common Name.

REMARKS.

upper part of field in the Broken Arrow region. ThE\;OCk and coal seams in this field appear to be more faulted and broken than in the others.

The Cahaba field extends from the south prong of Canoe creek, in St. Clair county, to Haysop creek, in Bibb county, its form very closely resembling the human foot and leg, Montevallo being dol'-e to the heel, and the part representing the toe being on Hay­sop crerk, 4 or 5 miles west of Scottsville. The field begins to widen at Helena, and widens out gradually as it continues south­ward, until it attains a maximum width of fifteen and a half miles on a line due east and west from Blockton, the length of the field on an air line is sixtv miles.

The southern end of the Cahaba field bas a greater thickness of measures, has more of the upper coal measures and a greater num­ber of coal seam!'> than any other part of the coal fields of Alabama. Above the Brock's Gap seam there are -!,000 feet of measures containing 39 seams of coal, eleven of which are oYer two and a half feet in thickness, the eleven having an aggregate thickness of 40 feet of marketable coal.

The synclinal of the Cahaba, like the main synclinal of the Warrior, descends to t.he south and southwest, the Cahaba synclinal sinking deeper at the south end of the field than the Warrior does, consequently bring­ing the highest measures to the surface.

The seams of the Cahaba field are less inter­larded with slate generally than those of the Warrior field. The Cahaba contains less of what are termed "flat measures" than the Warrior. The seams of this field are worked extensively at four different points : the "Mammoth Seam," by H. F . DeBardeleben, at the H enryellen Mines, on the Georgia Pacific R. R. ; the " H elena Seam," by the Pratt C. & I. Co., at their slope near Helena, on the S. & N. Ala. R. R. ; the "Montevallo Seam," by T. H. and W. F. Aldrich, near Montevallo, on the E. T., Va. & Ga. R. R.; the "Underwood Seam," by the Cahaba Coal Mining Co., at Blockton, near the Ala. Great Southern R. R. The coals from the above seams all bring high prices, especially the Montevallo.

The Warrior field comprises all the coal meas­ures of Alabama northwest of the line of the Ala. Great Southern R . R., and drained

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Mineral­ogical Name

..

Common Name. RE)!ARKS.

by the Warrior and Tennessee ri\'ers. Its area has been estimated at about 7,800 square miles. It consists of a plateau ancl a basin area. The measures ·of thi~ field thicken from northeast to southwest, and are hence thickest at the southwf'stcrn end, near in Tuskaloosa county, where they be­come cove1·ed by a newer formation and are over 3,000 feet in thickness. The number of coal seams also increases in the same sense from one or two in the northeast corner of the State to fortv or more in Tus­kaloosa county. These coal seams range in thiCkness from a few inches to fourteen feet. and have an average combined thickness of about 125 feet of coal.

Of these seams, 25 have a thickness of IS inches and upwards; of these 25 seams, 14 haYe a thickness of two and a half f~:et and upwards each; of these 14 seams, 9 ha,·e each a thickness of -! feet and O\'Cr of dean coal ; and of these 9 seams, 3 have each o\·er six feet of marketable coal.

The coal in this field is extensh·ely mined at

j the following localities: at Warrior, on the S. & ~. Ala. R. R., by several parties; at and near Jefferson 1\Iines, and at Xewcastle, on the same railroad; at Pratt ~fines, west of Birmingham; at Woodward's mines, southwest of Birmingham; at Dudley, on the A. G. S. R. R.; at Corona and se,·eral other places in its Yicinity, on the Ga. Pa-cific R. R., in Walker county; at Coal burg and other localities in that vicinity, north of Birmingham, on the same road. Besides these places, coal is mined on a small scale at many points in Tuskaloosa county, and mines have also been opened at several places in the plateau region northeastward of HuntsYille.

Covellite .... Indigo, S. 2-!, T. 19, R. 7 E., Clay county, with pyrite Copper. and quartz in small quantity.

Clu~lcopy­rlte.

Copper pyr- Woods' ~lines in Cleburne county, a bedded ites, yellow lode with pyrite in mica schist; Smith's copper ore. :i\Iine, near Woods, Cleburne county; T. 21,

R. 6 E., in Clay county, with pHite in quartz rock; T. 20, R. 7 E., and afso near Ashland, Clay county; T. 23, R. 22 E., Tal­lapoosa county; and in small quantities at many other localities in Talladega. Ran­dolph, Clay, Tallapoosa, and Coosa counties.

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~[inNal­ogical Xamc

Common X a me.

RE)IARKS.

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Corundum .. Emery.

Smelting works erected at Wood's Mine, not now in operation .

. . . . Near Dudleyville, Tallapoosa county, and 10 to 15 miles to southwest; nPar 1\It. Olive, Coosa county. Veins or seams appear to be generally broken down, and too much altered to be utilized.

Fire clay ... So-called fire clav is common in the Coal Measures, below the coal seams. Fire bricks are manufactured at Bibbville, Bibb county, which are extensively used; but a first-class fire clay is yet to be discovered in Alabama.

Flagging In the yellow sandstone of Red l\Ioun~ain Stone. group, bordering the valley from Bucksv1lle,

northeastward to Georgia; at Pratt's Ferry, on Cahaba · river. ~andstone flags of the Coal ~:leasures at Plank Shoals on North river, Tuskaloosa county.

Thin-bedded limestones in Lower Silurian and in $ub-Carboniferous groups. Also gneisses and mica-schists of metamorphic region.

Fine quarries at Tallassee falls on Tallapoosa riYer, in Siliceous slates (itacolumite). Same rock quarried at Farrell's :1\Iill and other localities in Ieee county. Many local­ities opened for local supply, especially for head stones, &c.

Galenite . . . Galena, lead Near the Old Benton Iron Works in Calhoun ore. county; also in T. 14, R. 7 E.; ned Gun­

tersville, on Tennessee river, in Marshall county; near Elyton, Jefferson county. Kowhere in workable quantity. In every part of the State galena is found in lumps on the surface.

Gold . ... ... Gold ....... Arbacoochee and Chulifinnee l\Iines in Cle-burne county ; Riddle Mine, Talladega coun­ty; Stewart's :1\Iine, and other localities on Weoguffka and Hatchet creeks, Coosa coun­ty; Pinetucky Mine, and other openings in Randolph county; Haral's 1\:line in Clay county; Gold ville, Tallapoosa county; Rip­ito Mines, Chilton county. In all the coun­ties above named gold is found both in quartz veins, and in surface gravels. The gold bearing gravels seem to have been pretty thoroughly worked over forty years ago. The quartz veins have been worked

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Mineral- Common ogical Name Name.

Graphite . . .

in stamp mills at several places rorontly, e . I!· near Arbacoochee, at Chulifi nnee, and at Pinetucky, &c., but there is , I believe, no mill now in operation.

Gold has also been found in quartz pebble beds in the Coal Measures, ncar Fayette Court House, Fayette coun ty, and nrar Gold Mine, Marion c-ounty; those locali ties are at a considerable distanc·o from any re­gion where gold bearing rocks are in situ, and the gold is associated wi th the Drift gravel brought from a distance.

Granite .... . Many local ities in the Metamorphic Rrgion. Worked for local supplv only. Near Brad­fo rd, and Rockford, in Coosa county; Xota­sulga, l\Iacon county; Auburn and Che­wacla, Lee county ; Tallassee, in Tallapoosa county; )lilltown, Chambers county; Blake's Ferry, Randolph county. These are not tr ue granites, but thick-bedded gneisses.

Plumbago, 1In many loca lities in Chilton, Coosa, Clay,

black lead. Cleburne, Randolph , Chambers and Talla­poosa counties. Dug near Miller\' ille, Clay county ; near Milltown, Chambers county; and between \Vedowee and Louina, in Randolph county, for use in lubricating axles, cotton press screws, &c. Occurs in black graphitic schists ; also, impregnating argillaceous schists.

Halloysite . . Porcelain Near Sulphur Springs station, in DcKalb clay, in part. county, where it is extensh·ely mined for

manufacturers of fine pottery. Also, found southeast of Stevenson, in Jackson county; both ocoorrences in the cherty strata of lower Sub-Carboniferous, as probably also a similar material found near Calera, in Shelby county.

H ematite . . Fossil ore, Interstratified with the shales and sandstones dyestone ore of the Clinton group of the Lower Silurian, red iron ore. along each border of the anticlinal Yalleys

of the State.

In Brown's Yalley, extending from Reid's Gap northeastward to Tennessee line-the red ore makes its appearance at a few local­ities in Marshall and Jackson counties. I n Murphrees' Valley from Village Springs northeastward , on both sides of the valley,

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~Tiner:tl- Common ogical Xame Xame. RE)!ARKS.

are beds of this ore of extraordinary thick­ness and good quality, not yet utilized be­cause of inaccessibility . In Roups' and J ones' Valley, extending from Big Sanely creek, near Clements' 1\Iill, in 'rnscaloosa county, to Yillage Springs and Springville, this ore is seen in the Red Mountains on both sides of the valley. From Bucks ville to Jonesboro, on tho western side of the valley, the Red Mountain is duplicated, and the duplicate, known by the name of Mc­Shan Mountain, holds a fine bed of ore, in which mines are worked. On the eastern side of the valley-mines are also worked at Sloss', Hi\man's, E ureka Mines, &c., southwest of Birmingham. Above Birming­ham, mines have been opened just west or south west of Spring\·ille.

In the Cahaba Valley, between Cahaba and Coosa Coal fields, the ore is on the eastern side of the Yalley-not mined. In Coosa Valley, lying northeast of Cahaba Coal field, and east of Lookout )fountain, are many fine beds of ore. On the western side of the Yalley, mines are worked near Spring\'ille, and at Attalla, at the entrance of Wills ' Valley. Further to the east are two red ore ridges, running parallel to each other, and east of Ash ville, St. Clair coun­ty, with a northeastern trend-not yet mined.

A. red ore ridge runs parallel with the east­ern edge of Lookout Mountain from Gads­den to the Georgia line-now mined near Gadsden.

East of this, other red ore ridges extending from Round Mountain in Cherokee county to Geofj!ia, worked at Round Mountain, and Gaylesville, in Cherokee county. In Wills' Valley, from Attalla northeastward to Ris­ing Fawn in Georgia, red or~> ridges on both sides of the valley, usually conspicu­ous only on one side. Mines at Portersville and one or two other points.

Another horizon of oolitic red ore is just below the Trenton limestone ; the bed is only a few feet in thickness. It bas been seen near Pratt's Ferry, in Bihb county, and at se\·eral places in Jones' Valley, southwest of Birmingham, and can no doubt be found

I

at many other points. Hematite occurs, also, in thin crystalline

scales, impregnating crystalline in Coosa, Clay, Talladega, and Tallapoosa counties.

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ORES, MINERALS, AND MINERAL SuBSTANCEs-Continued.

Mineral­ogical Name

Common Name . RE)JARKS. ..

Kaolinite ... Kaolin, por-Near Jacksonville, Calhoun county, ancl near celain clay Louina, Randolph county (Tuomcv). Ab o

near Socopotoy, in Coo!:!a county; in the two last named localities, the result of al­t{'ration of feldspar. Not yet util i?.cd. [See, also, Halloysite) .

Lignite ..... Brown coal, In the Cretaceous formation , trunks of trees wood coal. converted into lignite are not uncommon in

the strata underlying the Rotten limestone. No bed of lignite yet observed; localities : Pickens, Greene and H ale counties.

In the Tertiary formation arc several beds of lignite of consideral!lc thickness in Sumter, Choctaw, Marengo, Wilcox and other coun­ties . Xot yet utilized in this State. "Burn­ing cut, " i n Sumter county, and Coal Bluff, on Alabama river , a re well known localities.

Limonite . .. Brown iron Occurs as ' 'gossan" at outcrop of pyritous ore, brown ores in Cleburne, Clay, Coo!'a and other

~It hematite. counties in the Jfetamorphic region. .\lso, in concret ionary masses associatrcl with hornblendic rocks in sa1ne rt'gion, fo rmerly worked at se\·eral localities in Talladega, Clay and C hilton counties.

In concretionary masses in the clays &c., as­sociated with the lower Silurian (Calcife­rous) limestones of the great \·alleys of the State . In the Coosa\' alley this ore has been mined at Yarious localities from Shelby county north-eastward to Ge01·gia-as at Columbiana, Shelby county; Alabama F ur­nace (J enifer), Talladega coun ty; Wood­stock F urnace, Calhoun county; on Cane creek , in western part of Sf. me coun ty; sev­eral localities in Cherokee county, ior Stone­wall, Rock Run and Tecumseh furnaces.

In Cahaba Valley, this ore occurs at inter­vals from near Centreville, in Bibb county, north-eas tward through Shelby and St. Clair counties to Gadsden, in E towah county.

In Roup's and J ones' Yalley, ore at many places in Bibb, Tuskaloosa nnd Jefl'erson counties ; mines near Woodstock, Green­pond, Ta nnehill , &c. In ) I urphree's Yal· ley no mines worked for lack of transporta­tion, but many fine ore banks in this valley in Blount county.

In \Vilis' Vallev, mines at several points be-tween Attala ·and Georgia line .

li n Brown' s Valley this ore occurs nt several

places in Marshall and Jackson counties . The cherty limestones of the Sub Carbonifer-

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:'lrineral- I Common O!!ical Xnme Kame.

!\1agneti te .. )lagnetic ore.

!\!anganese Manganese. ore ( Pyrolu-

site) .

RE)lARKS.

ous formation usually hold a large amount oi limonite. In the narrow nntidinal valleys of middle Alabama, the ore is rarely found in banks of economical importance, but in the Tennessee Valley in North Alabama are banks of greHI im portancc, formerly worked, for many years n e~lectcd, but now again about to be brought into usc. The best known of these banks are in Franklin county in Russell's Valley; near Cedar creek, Russellville and Newburgh; others of less importance in Lawrenre county, &c.

Possibly of same geological ago, but associa­ted with Dr~ft dPposits, is the ore bank near Yernon, Lamar county, which once sup­plied a furnace.

o,·erlying the uppel·most cretaceous and lower­most Tert~ary strata in Alabama, we find some extensh·e beds of limonite, much of it "needle ore." As typical localities may be cited, near Fort Deposit, in Lowndes coun­ty, a nd the northern part of ~tier, south­ern part of )Jontgomery county, and vicin­ity of Eufaula, Barbour county. None of these deposits have as yet come into use. They have usually been considered as of Drift age, but they follow very closely the outcrop of the upper cretaceous limestones and may be connected with these.

Southward from the line thus indicated are numerous local occurrences of limonite, sometimes in considerable, and perhaps workable quantity, in Pike, Covington and other counties. These are associated with the drift deposits, but may be derived from the underlying Tertiary. None as yet util­ized.

Impregnating eandstones, at Odom's Mill, and Pope Mountain, Talladega county: in loose blocks, fragments of a seam, near Kenne­dy's, Clay county; near Fredonia, and near Oak Bowery, in Chambers county: T. 24, R. 20, E, in Coosa county, in crystals; south of Wedowee, in Randolph county; Millers­ville, Clay county. Nowhere mined.

X ear Greenpond and other localities in Tus­kaloosa and Bibb counties : Anniston, in Calhoun county, where it has been used by the Woodstock Iron Company in the manu­facture of ferro-manganese; near Kelly's creek P. 0. St. Clair county, and in many • other localities of occurrence of )ower Silu-

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Mineral­ogical Name

Common Name. RE)JARKS.

rian limonites. ~See above.) .\lso, in the Metamorphic reg10n, south of Candutchkee, in Clay county.

Marble ..... White crystalline marble oc~urs four miles west of Talladega, and at many points to­wards the southwest, near Syllacauga, in Talladega county. This is the well known "Talladega" ma!,'ble, obtained at Nix's, Taylor's, Herd's, and Gantt's and other quanies. A black marble has been ob­tained at several places in southwestern Talladega. White, crystalline marble of the composition of dolomite, at Chewacla Lime Works, Lee county, and at other places northeast and south west.

Much of the non-crystalline, fossiliferous, limestone of the Trenton formation, occur­ring in Bibb, Shelbv, and the other coun­ties named as loca)ities of hematite; will take a good polish and would serve as mar­ble. A variegated marble of this kind, red and white, is found near Bucksville, in Jef­ferson county.

A compact, gray, non-crystalline, and non­fossiliferous limestone of calciferous age, has been quarried near Pratt's Ferry, in Bibb county, used in the court house at :\!arion, Perry county.

Some of the limestones of the Clinton forma­tion (Red :\Iountain) are beautifully varie­gated, and will probably some day be util­ized.

Variegated fossiliferous limestones of the lower Sub-Carboniferous formation, occur­ring at many localities in Colbert, Lauder­dale, Sumter, Franklin, :i\Iadison, Lawrence, and other counties in the Tennes;:;ee \'allev make fine marbles. Works at Dickson, ii1 Colbert county.

The mountain limestone at many points in Alabama is of great purity, and would make good marble.

Some of the limestone of the Ripley group of the upper Cretaceous, is firm, and crystal­line; and a yellow and white cn·stalline limestone of Tertiary age is mentioned in Tuomey's Report as occurring 11t Gaines­town, in Clarke county. If found in blocks of sufficien t size, both the Cretaceous and Tertiary limestone might sen·e as marbles.

Marls ...... Under this head we include not only the marls proper, but also all the greensands

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:'!Iint.'ral· Of.(k:tl ::"faml.'

Common X am c.

and other mater ials which may be valuable as fertilizers.

l. Greensand ma1·Zx.-These occur at several horizon" in the Cretaceous formation-the most important yet known, is that lying just below the Rotten Limestone, since it con­tains from five to ten per cent. of phosphoric acid. Its thickness varies-average perhaps three feet : occurs in P ickens, Greene, Hale, Perry, Autanga, Elmore, and Macon coun· ties. In the strata underlying the above, • greensands nlso occur at several hori7.ons, not utilized. I n the Tertiary fo1 mation are likewise several important beds of green­sand, occur ring in Choctaw, Marengo, Clarke, 'Vilcox, Monroe, Butler, Conecuh, Coffee, Pike, Crenshaw, Russell, Bullock, and Barbour counties. One belt at least of these contains a considerable percentage of phosphoric arid.

'2. Tnu• marls (phosphatic).-ln the upper strata of the Cretaceous formation, near the summit of the Rotten Limestone, the clayey limestones, in disintegrating yield marls of great \·alue, especially as they hold consid· erable phosphoric acid. These marls occur at Livingston, Coatopa, and at other locali­ties across the State to Fora, in Bullock county.

The clayey limestone of the Jacbon group of the Tertiary formation also yields a mar on disintegration, and forms the basis of the "Lime Hills" region of the State . This marl in places, perhaps generally, contains a large percentage of phosphoric acid, as at St. Stephens, in Washington county, and near Grove Hill, in Clarke coun ty.

3. Shell mark-Beds of partially decomposed shells-Yaluable as calcareous manure- oc· cur both in Cretaceous and Tertiary forma­tions. Among the most important are the Xanafalia and Claiborne beds, which out· crop in seYeral counties, Butler, Clarke, )fonroe, etc.

-!. Gypsum.-This material is found in Choc· taw and Clarke counties, in quantities which appear to be of commercial impor· tance. Also in the upper part of Cretaceous formation in Dallas county gypsum has re­cently been found.

:\Iarls have heretofore been very spar ingly used in this State, but since the discovery of the phosphatic character of many of them, there is no doubt that they will hereafter be

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Mineral­ogical Name

Common Name. RrmARKS.

Melaconite . Black oxide

much more generally used, and to the great advantage of the regions in whic·h they occur.

of copper, This ore is found with other orC'S of ropper at black cop'er Wootl's Copper :\lines, in Cldmrnc c·ounty;

also in T. 20, R. 7 E., Clay county. (Copper Mine).

Millstones & grindstones. At the base of the Coal ":"\feasures in Alabama,

is a conglomerate, Romctimes known m; Millstone grit. This has hcen quarrit><l for millstones at many pointR along its outerops on both sides of the anli-din:tl valleyfl of the State.

A ferruginous conglomerate, apparently of Drift Age, is extensh•ely used for this pur­pose in )!arion county.

A siliceous rock (Buhrstone) of the Lower Eocene in Choctaw, Clarke, \\'ilcox, :\Ion­roe, Butler, Crenshaw and Pike counties, bas sometimes been used as millstnne.

Granite of Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chamber:< and Randolph counties is made into millstones at most of the "flat rock" outcrops.

A porphyritic gnebs is quarried for milbtones near Chewacla, Lee county.

A sandstone of Lower Silurian or Cambrian age is used for grindstones in southwestern part of Talladega county. Whetstone::; are made from Coal Measures san<.btonc near Eldridge, Walker county.

Muscovite .. Mica ....... Some mining done recently, T. 22, R. 16 E., Chilton county; Old "i\Iines in T. 18, R. 11 E., Randolph county, and in T. 20, R. 6 E., Clay county, and near Bowden, Clay eounty.

In North Carolina, similar old mines, wh<'n re-opened, have never failed to yield the best quality of mica.

Ochres ..... Red ochre of good quality is founcl some dis­tance southeast of Fayette C. II ., and al!>o east of Talladega, in Talladega county. (Composition-Ferric oxide, 82.6; Alumina, 4.4; Silica, 11.8).

Yellow ochre is mined to some extent near Coosada Station, in Elmore county. Xumer­ous other localities for ochre arc known, as near Bucksville, in Jefferson county, etc., but it is not mined.

PhosphatesThe recently discovered phosphates of Ala­bama occur both in Cretaceous and 'l'ertiary

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:'>lineral- Common ogical :1:\ame Name. RK)tARKS.

formations and at four d istinct geological horizons, at least. There are, 1° at the base of the Rotten Limestone and 2° at the sum­mit of the same, in the Cretaceous ; and 3° at the Nanafalia, and 4° at the St. Stephens horizons in the Tertiary.

Cretaceous-The phosphatic material occurs (a) in irregular nodules (coprolites, pseudo­coprolites) of nearly pure phosphate of lime; (b) impregnating green sands; and (c) impregnatin~J siliceous limestones. In the pure form ot nodules, the average content of phosphoric acid is about 25 per cent. If found in sufficient quantity these will be of great commercial value. The phosphatic greensand occurs in several counties (see above under marls), and is in sufficient quan­tity, and contains phosphoric acid enough to make it a most valuable fertilizer. In fer­tilizing effect it will not fall behind the New Jersey greensand, which has wrought such a revolution in the agriculture of that State.

The phosphatic limestone also occurs in many counties across the State. In places it is disintegrated into a phosphatic marl ("Hill Prairie Region"); and at many localities in Sumter, :.'IIarengo, Dallas, and other coun­ties. doubtless holds phosphoric acid enough to justify the burning of the rock for agricultural purposes.

Te1·tiary.-The occurrence of the phosphatic material in the Tertiary is similar to that of the Cretaceous. (a) In nodulE's of nearly pure phosphate of lime, which if abundant enou!!h will doubtless be largely exported. (b) Impregnating the calcareous rocks and giving rise to the formation of phosphatic marls. Much of the "Lime Hills" region possesses soil fertilized naturally by marls of this kind.

The discovery of phosphates in Alabama is of so recent a date that neither their extent nor their commercial value have as yet been clearly set forth. Enough, howevet·, is al­ready known to show that the agriculture of Alabama will be profoundly modified by this discovery.

Pyrite ... . .. Pyrites .. .. . Smith's and Wood's Copper Mines, Cleburne county; with copper ores: T. 19, R. 7 E., Clay county, a thick bed accompanied by Covellite. Montgomery Copper Mines, Clay county, in very large quantity; also T. T.

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15

ORES, MINERALS AND MINERAL SuBSTANCEs-Continued.

Mineral­ogical Name

Common Name . RE~L\RKS.

2Q-21, and R. R. 7-7 E., Clay county, with copper pyrites.

In small quantity, concretionary masses, &c., . it is found in every part of the Stale.

Pryolusite ....... ... .... (See Manganese ore.) Quartz ..... Quartz ..... T. 22, R. lo E., Chilton county, occurs a friable

quart;, rock, of the appearance of loaf sugar; also in Randolph, Tallapoosa, northwest Macon, Lee, Chambers, and other counties.

In the Tennessee \ 'alley the ~i liceous (cherty) rocks of the Sub-Carboniferous formation yield, at many places, a fine white pulYcru­lent silica, that might be used as material for glass making.

Sandstone .. Potsdam sandstone in Calhoun, Cherokee, and Talladega counties. A ripple marked sand­stone is quarried near Red Gap, Jefferson county, for curbstones, flags, &c. In De­Kalb county, Wills' Y alley, a yellowi~h sandstone trom Clinton formation is used in building.

A fine-grained, light gray sandstone of Coal Measures is quarried ncar Cullman, and quite extensiwly used for buildin:r purposes. Some of the trimmin!.(S in the new go\'Crn­ment building in Montgomery arc of this material.

Siderite . ... Spathic iron The variety known as clay iron !'.tone, or kid­ore. Carbon- ney orf> , is quite common in our Coal :'IIe:u;­ate of iron. . uresin .Jefferson, Walker and otlwr counties,

and will some day possibly be utilized, after the red and brown orcs of the \'alley be­come scarce.

Siderite (2). Black band. Newcastle Station and Warrior Station, in Jefferson county, and at several other local-

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ities in Walker and J efferson and Tuska­loosa counties. This ore has been tested, with satisfactory results, at !W\'erHI places, but it is nowhere at presenL n•gularly mined.

Slate .. . .. .. T. 21, R. 3 E., in Tallade:ra eounty; Buxa-(forroofing). hatchee creek, in Shelby county; T. 19, R.

7 E., Clay county; also, ncar .\.nniston, Calhoun county. ~ o quarries worked.

Sphalerite .. Zinc blende. Wood's Copper ?.line, Cleburne county.

Talc ....... Soapstone, Dudleyville and for se,·eral miles southwest, Steatite. in Tallapoosa county; Onk llowery, Cham­

bers county, quarried for lining of lime kilns; T. 23, R . 25 K, in Chamber"> county, worked into headstones, &c., at .Jac·kson'B Mills; Randolph nnd Clay c·ountics; An­cient excaYations in Tallapoosa, Chamber:;, Coosa, Clny, and Lee counties.

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