. Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean . UNCONFORM ABILITY OF SLATES AND SANDSTONE. forms a wall-like mass of fragments. These, being milk-white, contrast strongly with the blackslate on each side. This quartz has preserved the surrounding slate from abrasion by currentsof water, and thus it stands at the summit of a little eminence. Numerous continuous outcrops of quartz veins of great thickness could be seen on the slopesof the higher ridges, several miles distant. Even where
. Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean . UNCONFORM ABILITY OF SLATES AND SANDSTONE. forms a wall-like mass of fragments. These, being milk-white, contrast strongly with the blackslate on each side. This quartz has preserved the surrounding slate from abrasion by currentsof water, and thus it stands at the summit of a little eminence. Numerous continuous outcrops of quartz veins of great thickness could be seen on the slopesof the higher ridges, several miles distant. Even where the surrounding rocks were buried insoil, the presence of the veins was shown by great loose blocks of the quartz lying in long lineson the surface. A quartz vein outcropping near Burns creek was associated with a bed of compacthydrated peroxide of iron, the whole being nearly twenty-five feet thick. The quartz was muchstained with iron, and the whole outcrop presented a dark chestnut-brown color, except where. REMNANT OF A STRATUM OF SANDSTONE. covered with mosses and licbens, these being of the most brilliant and various colors. Largeblocks of the iron ore, and slate permeated with it, were lying around the outcrop ; many of the QUARTZ VEINS—IRON ORE—BEAR CREEK. 15 masses being five or six feet in diameter. The ore breaks with a smooth conchoidal fracture,it being singularly compact and hard. It occurs interleaved with the slate, portions of therock being found in the ore. This bed of iron oxide appeared to be the result of the decomposition of pyrites ; and if so,the undecomposed pyrites would be reached by sinking to a sufficient depth in the vein. It isprobably auriferous, but no gold can be seen in the oxide of iron or quartz. It may, however,exist in quantity sufficient to pay for working. This vein conforms in trend and dip with theslates, which resemble those in the gold region of North Carolina and Virginia. Burns creek.—A remnant of the former elevated plain o
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