Professional Paper No. 36

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DlKECTOK

E. o.

(

A, Economic Geology, 46 

B, Descriptive Geology, 58 

C, Systematic Geology and Paleontology, 71

THE

LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS

OF

WESTERN KENTUCKY

BY

and W. S. TANGKLER SMITH

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1905

CONTENTS.

Page. 

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, BY C. W. HAYES...... ........................................... 5

PART I. GEOLOGY AND GENERAL RELATIONS, BY E. 0. ULRICH............................... 7

PART II. ORE DEPOSITS AND MINES, BY W. S. TANGIER SMITH ............................... 107

INDEZ.........................................J.......................................... 209

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

Washington, D. C., June 8, 1904-

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of a report on " The 

lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky," by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. 

Tangier Smith, and to recommend its publication as a professional paper. Field 

work was carried on during the summer of 1902 under cooperative agreement with 

the State Survey of Kentucky, and a brief summary of the results was published in 

Bulletin No. 213, ''Contributions to Economic Geology for 1902." Prior to the 

investigation in 1902, however, Mr. Ulrich spent the greater part of two years 

(1889 and 1890) in the same territory, while attached to the Geological Survey of 

Kentucky. The field was again visited by Mr. Ulrich in 1903, and the results of all 

these studies are brought together in this paper. The district is one of peculiar 

interest,, having a complicated fault structure and unique lithologic and mineralogic 

associations. While the report contains much matter of purely scientific interest, 

it has been prepared with especial reference to the needs of the mining industry, 

and in such form that its conclusions should be of great practical benefit in developing 

the industry in this district.

Very respectfully, C. W. HATES,

Geologist in Charge of Geology. 

Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT,

Director United States Geological Survey.

5

LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Part I.-G-EOLOG-Y AND GKENEHAL RELATIONS.

By E. O. ULRICH.

CONTENTS OF PART 1.

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. .................................................................. 15

Location and general features of the district................................................ 15

Geography and distinctive characters.................................................. 15

Topography..................x ..................................................... 15

Exploration and development............................................................ 16

Literature......................................................................... 16

Mining...........................................................................'. 20

Recent geologic work................................................................ 21

CHAPTER II. STRATIGRAPHIO GEOLOGY. ........................................................ 22

General statement...................................................................... 22

Table of formations..................................................................... 24

Devonian.............................................................................. 25

Ohio shale .................................................................... 25

Carboniferous........................................................................... 26

Tullahoma formation.............;..........................................'.... 26

Lithologic characters,....................................................... 26

Outcrops.................................................................. 27

Contemporary formations in other regions..................................... 27

Meramec group .................................................................... 28

Spergen limestone.............................................................. 28

Lithologic characters........................................................ 28

Topography................................................................ 29

Paleontology.............................:................................. 29

Distribution................................................................ 30

Nomenclature.............................................................. 30

St. Louis limestone............................................................. 31

Lithologic characters........................................................ 31

Topography................................................................ 31

Paleontology................................................................ 33

Distribution................................................................ 35

Nomenclature and correlation................................................ 36

Chester group...................................................................... 36

Character and subdivisions....................................................... 36

Generalized section............................................................. 38

Ste. Genevieve limestone........................................................ 39

General features............................................................ 39

Subdivisions........................ ...................................... 39

9
10 CONTENTS OF PAET 1.

CHAPTER II. STRATIGRAPHJO GEOLOGY Continued. Page. 

Carboniferous Continued. 

Chester group Continued.

Ste. Genevieve limestone Continued.

Fredonia oolitic member..................................................... 40

Rosiclare sandstone member................................................. 40

Ohara limestone member.................................................... 41

Sections................................................................... 41

Topography................................................................ 44

Paleontology............................................................... 45

Distribution................................................................ 50

Derivation of name and synonymy............................................ 52

Cypress sandstone.............................................................. 53

Lithologic characters........................................................ 53

Topography................................................................ 53

Paleontology............................................................... 54

Distribution................................................................ 54

Nomenclature.............................................................. 54

Tribune limestone.............................................................. 55

Lithologic characters........................................................ 55

Topography................................................'................ 56

Paleontology............................................................... 56

Distribution................................................................ 59

Nomenclature and correlation................................................ 60

Birdsville formation............................................................. 60

Lithologic characters........................................................ 60

Generalized section......................................................... 61

Topography................................................................ 62

Paleontology............................................................... 63

Distribution................................................................ 65

Nomenclature and correlation................................................ 65

Pottsville group ................................................................... 66

Mansfield sandstone............................................................ 66

Lithologic characters ....................................................... 66

Topography................................................................ 68

Paleontology............................................................... 68

Distribution................................................................ 69

Nomenclature and correlation................................................ 70

Alluvial deposits........................................................................ 70

CHAPTER III. GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. ......................................................... 71

General features........................................................................ 71

Faults................................................................................. 72

General character of faults........................................................... 72

Tracing of faults................:...............................................-... 72

Division of faults into systems........................................................ 73

Date of faulting.................................................................... 75
CONTENTS OF PART 1. 11

CHAPTER III. GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE Continued. Page. 

Faults Continued.

Detailed description of faults........................................................ 75

List of faults and dikes.......................................................... 75

Northeast-southwest faults....................................................... 76

Undetermined fault......................................................... 76

Fairview fault.............................................................. 77

Rosiclare fault............................................................. 78

Lola fault.................................................................. 78

Faulted blocks at and west of Sheridan........................................ 78

Corn fault................................................................. 79

Dyers Hill fault............................................................ 79

Latrobe fault............................................................... 80

Pittsburg fault............................................................. 80

Fault 2| miles east of Smithland.............................................. 81

Miller fault................................................................ 81

Larue fault ................................................................ 81

Glendale fault.............................................................. 82

Sandy Creek fault......................................................... '. 82

Minor fractures between the Sandy Creek and Columbia faults.................... 83

Evening Star fault.......................................................... 83

Columbia fault............................................................. 84

Memphis group of fractures.................................................. 85

Stevens fault............................................................... 85

Marion fault ............................................................... 86

Woods fault................................................. I............... 86

Hodge fault and associated fractures.....'..................................... 87

Crittenden fault............................................................ 88

Yandellfault............................................................... 89

Bibb group of fractures...................................................... 89

Tabb faults................................................................ 89

Faults bordering large sandstone hill west of Princeton.......................... 90

Princeton fault............................................................. 90

Saratoga fault.............................................................. 90

Two small faults south of Princeton........................................... 91

Friendship fault............................................................ 91

East-west faults................................................................ 91

Fredonia fault.............................................................. 91

Lowery and Marble fissures.................................................. 92

Matthews fault............................................................. 92

Clay Lick fault............................................................. 92

Skinframe fault............................................................. 93

Eddy Creek fault........................................................... 93

McGowan fault............................................................. 94

Northwest-southeast faults....................................................... 95

Tradewater fault ..............................'............^................ 95
12 CONTENTS OF PAET I.

CHAPTER III. GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE Continued. Page. 

Faults Continued.

Detailed description of faults Continued. 

Nortnwest-southeast faults Continued.

Bodard fault............................................................... 95

Dollarson faults............................................................ 96

Livingston Creek fault....................................................... 97

Hurricane fault............................................................. 97

Tolu fault................................................................. 97

Holly faults................................................................ 97

Puckett Branch fault........................................................ 98

Deer Creek faults........................................................... 98

Other small and generally unimportant faults.................................. 99

Folding................................................................................ 99

Dikes................................................................................. 99

Flanary dike....................................................................... 101

Hard dike......................................................................... 102

Walker dike........................................................................ 102

Old Jim dike....................................................................... 103

Carden dike........................................................................ 103

View dike......................................................................... 103

Caldwell Spring dike................................................................ 104

Notes on samples of dike rocks....................................................... 104
ILLUSTRATIONS IN PART I.

PLATE I. Generalized geologic map of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district, showing its

general relations to surrounding regions .............._........-..--------...---- 15

II. Geologic map of Crittenden, Livingston, and Caldwell counties, and a part of Lyon

County, Ky ................................................................... 22

III. Fossil corals of the St. Louis limestone....................._..................^.... 32

IV. Bryozoa and other fossils of the St. Louis and Birdsville limestones................. 34

V. Corals of the St. Genevieve limestone............................................. 46

VI. Blastoids and crinoids of the limestones of the St. Louis, St. Genevieve, Tribune, and

Birdsville formations........................................................... 58

VII. Pentremites of the Birdsville formation........................................... 64

13

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. I

GENP:RALJZKD GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE KENTUCKY-ILLINOIS FLUORSPAR DISTRICT

o o 10 Scale 20

f«

Dikes Devoiuani

1904

Mississippian Peauisylvanian Cixstaceous aiidTt-i-tui

JUS BIEN A CO I

THE LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF 

WESTERN KENTUCKY.

By E. O. ULRICH and W. S. TANGIER SMITH.

PART I. GEOLOGY AND GENERAL RELATIONS.

By E. O. ULRICH.

CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION.

LOCATION AND GENERAL FEATURES OF THE DISTRICT.

Geography and distinctive characters. The fluorspar, lead, and zinc deposits 

that were the subject of the investigations reported in this paper are situated hi Livings ton, Crittenden, and Caldwell, and adjacent portions of Christian, Trigg, and 

Lyon counties, in western Kentucky, and in the counties immediately across the 

Ohio River, in the extreme southern portion of Illinois. This area, constituting what 

may be aptly termed the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district, contains also lead, 

zinc, and other minerals in subordinate quantities and values. It is usually considered a minor division of the lead and zinc districts of the Mississippi Valley, 

but is in some ways rather sharply distinguished from the other districts of the 

valley. It differs from the other districts chiefly in the following respects: (1) In 

the presence of basic igneous dikes; (2) in the abundance of fluorite and its almost 

constant association with the lead and zinc ores; and (3) in the mode of occurrence 

of the ores, which are found principally in true fissure .veins that have resulted from 

fracturing and subsequent faulting. In the other districts the lead and zinc are of 

primary importance, while in this region the igneous dikes and the fluorite are the 

primary or predominant features and the lead and zinc are only incidental.

Topography. The surface of the area is generally rolling and more or less 

irregularly broken. Some comparatively level uplands occur, but they are always

15
16 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAB DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

of rather small extent. The irregularities are due primarily to conditions resulting 

from the abundant faulting to which the region has been subjected. Of these conditions the principal one is that beds with very different powers of resistance to 

erosion were brought to the same level by faulting. Among the less important 

factors that have locally determined or modified the topography is the undergrounddrainage system that prevails in the heavier limestone formations a system that is 

in some places conspicuous in its processes and results.

As a further result of the faulting it is found that none of the various topographic 

types that would have been produced under more normal conditions could attain 

more than very limited local development here. Faulting has also caused more 

frequent combinations of types than occur in unfaulted areas that expose the same 

or similar geologic formations. An interesting fact in this connection is that 

most of the downthrown blocks, which at first must have formed more or less 

sharply defined depressions, now form the most prominent hills and ridges. These 

therefore afford excellent examples of the varying effects of erosive agencies on 

rocks of different capacities to resist decomposition and removal.

Although the superficial inequalities produced by the faulting of the region may 

never have been entirely obliterated, yet it is believed that the whole area was at 

one time reduced to a nearly level or only gently undulating plain. This plain 

probably extended over a large part of the Ohio basin and, when formed, occupied 

a position near sea level. Subsequent elevation caused increased, and, according 

to the kind of rock encountered, differential erosion, the streams gradually cutting 

their channels and dissecting the plain until now only small remnants of it are left 

in the highest knobs. These remnants may be considered as outliers and projections 

from the highland run that incloses the district on the north and east sides.

EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

Literature. The earliest available published records of the occurrence of fluorspar and its associated mineral galena in the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district appeared 

in the first, second, and third volumes of the American Journal of Science, published 

in 1818, 1820, and 1821. These notices gave brief descriptions of specimens of 

fluorspar obtained from some unknown locality near Shawneetown, 111.

In 1819" Henry R. Schoolcraft described the occurrence of fluate of lime in 

association with galena, blende, and pyrites about 3 miles back of Cave in Rock, 

on the Ohio River. He found it at abandoned diggings embedded in stiff red clay 

resting on oolitic limestone, and in a second description, published two years after,^ 

speaks of it as the "detritus of preexisting veins." In the second edition of Cleveland's Mineralogy, published in 1822, other localities in southern Illinois are men-

« A View of the Lead Mines of Missouri, by Henry R. Schoolcraft, New York, p. 191.

6 Travels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley, by Henry R. Schoolcraft, U. S. 1. A., New York, 1825, pp 

18^-196.
EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT. 17

tioned where these minerals had been found "in the alluvial soil and sometimes in 

veins in limestones."

In 1846 a D. D. Owen published a paper on lead deposits in southern Illinois.

In 1852 b Prof. George J. Brush published a brief notice of his visit to the mines 

near Rosiclare, 111. He described the galena as argentiferous, his specimens having 

yielded 4 ounces of silver to the ton, and says that " an immense amount of remarkably fine quality of fluorspar could be obtained from these veins."

The preceding notices refer only to occurrences of fluorspar and galena on the 

north side of the Ohio River. Others mentioning galena only were published during 

the same period, but on account of the wide distribution of that mineral are not 

deemed of sufficient interest to be noted here. For the Kentucky side of the district 

the earliest recorded geologic investigations in which the presence of fluorite and, 

for the first time in the district, of blende, was recognized seem to be those carried 

on in 1854-1857, during the progress of the first geological survey of the State of 

Kentucky, by David Dale Owen and his assistant, Sidney S. Lyon. These investigations were merely reconnaissances incidental to the determination of the western 

margin of the western Kentucky coal field, which extends into the territory that 

forms the subject of the present report. The results of these casual examinations 

are embodied in brief notes and references which, with chemical analyses (made 

chiefly by Robert Peter) of limestones, iron ores, and other materials from the region, 

are scattered through the four reports of Owen's survey of Kentucky. The notes 

having principal interest in this connection occur on pages 86 to 88 of Volume I, 

Geological Survey in Kentucky, 1856. Here Owen speaks first of the deposits of iron 

ore, which he found to extend in a direction ranging from N. 18° to 20° E., and 

which he was inclined to believe "had their origin in fissures or lines of fracture of 

determinate course and of large dimensions, whence an inexhaustible supply may 

be obtained if ever the superficial masses fail."

Concerning the metalliferous veins he says:

"Immense veins of fluorspar, sometimes 50 feet in width, traverse the southwestern belt of the sub-Carboniferous formation. Two systems of veins are recognizable; one set having a bearing N. 18° to 21° E., and cross courses running N. 54° 

to 58° E.; the former of these systems has, therefore, the same course as the veins of 

iron ore previously noticed. Both systems of veins afford sulphuret of lead; and 

the former contains sulphuret of zinc, and probably also sulphuret of antimony. * * *

"It is important to observe * * * that the lead mines of Derbyshire are 

in a limestone underlying the Millstone grit, as in Crittenden County, and that the 

sulphuret of lead is accompanied by the same veinstones. * * *

"As yet I have not observed any trap or toadstone, either cutting the subCarboniferous limestones of Kentucky in dikes or insinuated horizontally into the

a Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc.,vol.6,p.438. b Am. Jour. Sei., 2dser., vol. 14, July, 1852, p. 112. 

10696 No. 36 05 2
18 LEAD, ZING, AND FLUOESPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

stratification of the beds. The presence of such igneous rocks in the Derbyshire 

lead region is the only important traceable difference in the otherwise strong analogy 

existing between the two formations. * * *

"The richest argentiferous galenas of this State which we have tested up to this 

time, for the percentage of silver which they contain, have yielded about one part 

in a thousand, or 32 ounces to the ton."

Of Owen's observations on the lead and zinc district of western Kentucky, 

only his comparison with the Derbyshire deposits, which perhaps are closer than 

he knew, and his recognition that the deposits occur in fissure veins, have proved 

to be of permanent value. His statement concerning the highly argentiferous 

character of the galena doubtless rests upon error. According to the best evidence 

now available the maximum amount of silver to the ton of galena is probably less 

than 5 ounces, and as a rule it seems riot to exceed 2 ounces.

A. H. Worthen, in 1866, n published a report on the geology of Hardin County, 

111., embracing the results of examinations made by himself and Henry Engelmann 

and a report by Dr. J. G. Norwood on the Rosiclare lead mines. Norwood's investigations were made several years prior to 1858, probably about the same time 

that Owen and Lyon were at work in western Kentucky. From these reports it 

appears that the first discovery near Rosiclare of a vein containing galena and 

fluorspar was made in 1839 in a well on the Anderson property at Fairview. In 

1841 the same vein, apparently, was found in digging another well, but, as in the 

first instance, little attention was paid to it. The first attempt at mining was 

begun in 1842-43, on a deposit discovered about two-thirds of a mile northwest 

of the town of Rosiclare. Desultory operations continued on this, the Pell (or 

Rosiclare) vein till the close of 1849. In the meantime some work was done on 

the Anderson or Good Hope (now Mullin's) vein, some 350 yards west of the Harrison diggings on the Rosiclare vein, but all operations in the region were suspended 

in or before 1850. Doctor Norwood's report mentions four veins in the vicinity 

of Rosiclare, bearing from N. 30° to N. 35° E., and briefly describes the work done 

on each. In conclusion, he advises "the prosecution of the work, provided a 

sufficient amount of capital can be invested to insure the veins being worked in a 

proper manner." Worthen adds certain details and also notes on other galena 

and fluorspar prospects in Hardin County. He regards the veins as "probably 

gash veins, formed by the shrinkage of the strata, and consequently as confined to 

the group or set of strata in which they appear; but as this group may be as much 

as 300 or 400 feet thick in this county, it affords an ample field for mining operations." An analysis of the galena by Prof. J. D. Whitney is said to have afforded 

silver "amounting to as much as 9 ounces to the ton of ore."

The next study of which we have any published account was made by Charles

a Geol. Survey Illinois, vol. 1, 1866, pp. 350-375.
EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT. 19

J. Norwood in 1874. a His report is entitled "Report of a reconnaissance in the 

lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties, including a sketch 

of their general wealth." The more important conclusions reached by Norwood 

are contained in the following quotations from his report:

"There appear to be two classes of veins in the lead region of southwestern 

Kentucky, both deriving their lead from the same source. In one the lead occupies 

the upper part of a true vein, as is the case at the Royal mines, Livingston County, 

and in the other the metal fills incidental cracks, fissures, and cavities in the limestone. This latter class is not so persistent in longitudinal distance as the former, 

nor is there any definite calculation to be made as to the depth to which the lead 

extends. But when at all rich in lead, they seem to be more valuable, in proportion to their extent, than the first class, in that the lead is more concentrated."

Speaking of the Columbia mines he says:

"My opinion is, however, that the lead does not occur in true vein fissures, 

as is generally supposed. We may reasonably suppose cavities and long fissures, 

extending in various directions, to have existed in the limestone previous to the 

formation of the lead deposits as they now exist. There is scarcely any other way 

to account for the fissures, and, consequently, to determine the nature of the deposits, 

than to suppose that they are due in part to shrinkage of the strata and in part to 

the action of water in washing out cavities and cutting channels through the limestones, as the rocks in which the greater portion of the lead occurs are nearly horizontal, showing no evidence of disturbance. These fissures may extend for a 

mile or more or for only a few hundred yards, and, similar to caverns, have a general 

though irregular course. From the manner in which the lead has been obtained 

at these mines I am induced to believe that the greater portion, if not all of it, 

associated with fluorspar, calc spar, and blende, occupies just such irregular fissures 

and openings in the limestone, forming what may be termed segregated veins and 

deposits. This would lead to the conclusion that the galena was originally inclosed 

in the overlying rocks, which have wasted away and allowed the lead to be precipitated in solution, filling the cracks, cavities, and fissures in the rocks below."

While a member of the Geological Survey of Kentucky the writer made an 

extended investigation of the geology and mineral resources of the field under 

consideration. This investigation began in the fall of 1888 and continued through 

the greater parts of the following two years. Unfortunately the survey was discontinued on account of lack of funds before the reports on Caldwell and Crittenden 

counties, which were nearly completed, could be submitted for publication. That 

the people chiefly interested might have some benefit from the work, arrangements 

were perfected between the management of the Crittenden Press, of Marion, Ky., 

and the writer, in accordance with which that newspaper published, December 18, 

1890, a map of Crittenden County and a brief report on the geologic formations 

and the veins and mineral deposits found in the district. Several editions of this

a Geol. Survey Kentucky, 2d ser., vol. 1, 1876, pp. 449-493.
20 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

map and report have been issued since that date. The map located nearly all of 

the principal fault lines along and in which the mineral deposits occur, and proved 

particularly useful to prospectors in Crittenden and Livingston counties.

In 1893 S. F. Emmons published an important paper on fluorspar deposits of 

southern Illinois." Beginning with a brief history of mining in the region, the 

paper then devotes nine pages to a description ot the geology of the region and a 

resume of the opinions of previous observers concerning the character, distribution, and origin of the deposits of lead and associated minerals in the Mississippi 

Valley. In the remaining eleven pages the author briefly states the results of his 

own investigations in the region and mines around Rosiclare under the following 

subheads: "Surface features," "Mines," "Underground development," "Continuity of fissures," "Manner of formation of deposits," and "Origin of vein materials." All of the original observations in this paper are interesting and most of 

them are probably of permanent value. The recognition of the breaking up of 

the general line of fracture en echelon is a discovery of some importance in the 

economic development of the whole district. The observations of this writer, 

especially those of a more theoretic nature, are discussed in some detail by Doctor 

Smith.

The above list and digest of the printed record of the discovery of minerals 

and the mining operations in this district is probably incomplete, yet it is believed 

to contain all papers or books having either scientific or economic value in the 

development of the district. Subsequent to 1893, and more especially during the 

past five years, numerous relatively unimportant newspaper articles treating of 

the district as a whole or in part and a few detailed descriptions of certain mines 

in Kentucky, notably the Old Jim,6 have/ appeared. Some of these doubtless 

exerted considerable influence in the way of interesting capital, but they are not 

of a kind to require notice here.

Mining. Lead was obtained from this region in a primitive manner by the 

early settlers, and most of the earlier mining was for this mineral, though the 

Columbia mine and the Royal mines were first worked for silver. The first fluorspar shipped was from the Yandell mine, about 1873 (?), and in the following year 

fluorspar from the Memphis mine was put on the market. Lack of transportation 

facilities, which had resulted in the abandonment of lead mining as unprofitable 

on the lowering of the market value of that mineral, soon caused the interest in 

the working of the fluorspar deposits also to abate, and it is only within the last 

five or six years that activity has been renewed. The years 1900, 1901, and 1902 

saw the organization of the majority of the companies now working in the district. 

Many of the old mines have been reopened and extended, and more or less systemaTrans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21, pp. 31-53. &Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 74, 1902, pp. 413-414.
EXPLOEATION AND DEVELOPMENT. 21

atic prospecting is being done. Further details of the past and present operations 

at some of the more important mines are given by Doctor Smith in Chapter III of 

Part II.

Recent geologic work in the district. During the summer and fall of 1902 a 

party consisting of the writer and Dr. W. S. Tangier Smith, with two field assistants, 

Messrs. A. F. Crider and F. Julius Fohs, was engaged in an extended investigation 

of the fluorite, zinc, and lead deposits of western Kentucky, and, in less detail, of 

those occurring on the north side of the Ohio River in Pope and Hardin counties, 

111. This work was carried on under a plan of cooperation between the United 

States Geological Survey and the State of Kentucky. In July, 1903h the writer 

again visited the Illinois side of the district, in company with Mr. H. Foster Bain, 

who is preparing a similar report on the Illinois mines, and then crossing over 

into Kentucky spent a final week there in the determination of doubtful points.

Prior to these investigations by members of the Federal Survey, the writer 

spent the greater part of two years (1889 and 1890), while attached to the Geological Survey of Kentucky, in the same territory. By combining the results of these 

disconnected studies it is now possible to describe in considerable detail the ore 

deposits and the systems of fractures and faults in and along which they occur, as 

well as the geologic formations and their geographic distribution. In the absence 

of satisfactory maps, especially topographic maps, some inaccuracies of delineation 

and description are to be expected. It is, however, believed that these imperfections are confined to points of minor consequence, particularly to a lack of detail 

in presentation, and that they include only a small proportion of errors of observation and interpretation of important facts.

It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge that during the course of the writer's 

recent and earlier work he has met with hearty encouragement from all persons 

interested in the development of the district. To many of them he is indebted 

for material assistance and for information that could not have been procured 

except through their kindness.
CHAPTER II.

STRATIGRAPHIC GEOLOGY.

GENERAL STATEMENT.

Although based chiefly on the fuller investigations carried on in the southern 

half of the Kentucky-Illinois lead and zinc district, the following description of the 

stratigraphic geology applies also, though in less detail, to Hardin and Pope counties, 

111. These two counties embrace the more important parts of the northern half 

of the district.

No complete section of any of the Mississippian formations, save in the Tullahoma outcrop, on the south side of the Ohio shale areas, in Hardin County, 111., has 

been observed within the region that forms the subject of this report. This is due 

partly to lack of exposures, but more especially to the extremely faulted character of 

the area. Owing to this faulting, the areal distribution of the formations is very 

irregular and patchy. By means of careful paleontologic and lithologic comparisons, however, it has been possible to determine the sequence of the disconnected 

beds and thus to construct columnar sections that, it is believed, will serve the 

purposes of fairly accurate stratigraphic work. The results of the stratigraphic 

investigations in the district have been checked with published sections of the 

formations represented in neighboring parts of Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri, 

but more particularly with the writer's own studies of the Mississippian rocks in 

the same areas and elsewhere.

No rocks older than Carboniferous outcrop on the southern side of the Ohio 

River in this district. On the Illinois side, however, Devonian black shales, doubtless representing the Ohio shale of Ohio, Indiana, and eastern Kentucky, and the 

equivalent Chattanooga shale of eastern and western Tennessee and Alabama, 

come to the surface in two small areas, apparently at the top of a dome-like 

stratigraphic elevation near the middle of the western fourth of Hardin County. 

Encircling these Devonian shales are rough hills, composed principally of siliceous shales and limestones, with very abundant layers of chert belonging to the 

Tullahoma formation, which here, as in western and middle Tennessee, constitutes 

the basal division of the Mississippian series of rocks. The Tullahoma formation 

is the oldest of the rocks outcropping in the Kentucky counties of the district, 

but even this formation has been definitely recognized at only a few points in the 

territory covered by this report. 

22
CARBONIFEROUS QUATERNARY

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y B S"t' " * {5 * c 1 g a § 1 | 1 I 3 t ^ ^ n

Birdsville foru r-1

o

<T

idiilferentialjed

O O

Mansfield san

O3 ;

Alluvial depo

O

01

LEG EN

III 8'? S 2

GEOLOGY IN GENERAL. 23

The succeeding group of rocks, for which the new name of Meramec group is 

proposed, constitutes the surface formation over several large and many smaller 

areas, all together aggregating nearly one-third the area of the entire district. In 

previous reports the rocks of this group have generally been correlated either as 

strictly equivalent to the St. Louis limestone or as equivalent to only part of it; 

but, as was shown by a study of the rocks in the vicinity of St. Louis, Mo., and 

corresponding beds elsewhere, the common broad conception of the St. Louis is 

based on faulty correlation and an unjustifiable downward extension of the limits 

originally assigned to that limestone.

Following the St. Louis limestone, which is the upper member of the Meramec 

group, came the first deposits generally oolitic limestones laid down in the greatly 

restricted sea with which the Chester age began. These earliest deposits of a 

group of rocks that subsequently attained wide geographic distribution form the 

Ste. Genevieve limestone, a formation described by Shumard many years ago from 

exposures at Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

The second formation of the Chester group is a sandstone, usually massive and 

sometimes divided into an upper and lower member by a thin limestone. To this, 

the "Ferruginous sandstone" of Swallow, have since been given several geographic 

names, the oldest of which, Cypress sandstone, of Henry Engelmann, is here adopted. 

Like the Ste. Genevieve, it also is restricted geographically when compared with 

the succeeding formations of the group.

The third formation of the Chester is again a limestone, to which the new name 

Tribune limestone is applied. So far as geographical distribution, persistence of 

lithologic characters, and volume are concerned, it is the principal limestone of the 

group. It forms a recognizable part of the stratigraphic column in most areas in 

which the Chester group has been found. In the Mississippi and lower Ohio valleys 

the Tribune limestone is a well-developed lithologic unit, with heavy sandstones 

beneath and mostly arenaceous and shaly rocks above. Along the edges of the 

Cumberland Plateau, however, it is not easily distinguished from calcareous beds 

that are equivalent to the overlying Birdsville formation.

The fourth formation of the Chester group, and the last of the Mississippian 

series, is a locally important but extremely variable succession of sandstones, shales, 

and limestones, for which the name Birdsville formation is proposed. The top of 

the formation in particular varies greatly in different sections, some containing 

at least 100 feet of strata that are lacking in others. This variation at the top 

doubtless is due mainly to erosion to which the surface was subjected prior to 

the deposition of the next succeeding strata, but also, no doubt, to shoaling 

and consequent cessation of deposition locally indicated in the final stages of the 

group.
24 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Except possible small outliers of true Coal Measures near the Tradewater River, 

in Crittenden County, Ky., the highest Paleozoic formation in the district is 

a variable, generally coarse, and often conglomeratic sandstone of Pottsville age, 

for which the name Mansfield sandstone, used in recent reports of the Indiana 

Geological Survey, is adopted.

TABLE OF FORMATIONS.

The following table shows the stratigraphic relations and the equivalents of 

the Paleozoic rocks of the district:

.Table of formations in the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district.

Carboniferous.

Pennsylvania!!.

Mississippian.

Tennesseean.

Waverlyan.

Devonian.

jsl

^ o^ >&g 

Chester group.

Me'ramec group.

|£3 8 

o &,

Kinderhook group.

Chemung 

group.

NAMES OF FORMATIONS AND MEMBERS 

USED IN THIS WORK.

Mansfield sandstone.

S d 44 c Birdsville formation.

02 O

OS +2 32 

^ .S Tribune limestone.

Cypress sandstone.

Ohara limestone. 

Ste.Genevieve Rosiclare sandlimestone. 8tone< 

Fredonia oolitic 

limestone.

St. Louis limestone.

Spergen limestone.

Warsaw formation lacking.

Tullahoma formation.

Ohio shale.

SYNONYMS AND EQUIVALENT FORMATIONS IN THE 

MISSISSIPPI AND LOWER OHIO VALLEYS. «

Mansfield sandstone of Indiana. Coal Measures conglomerate of western Kentucky.

Kaskaskia limestone of Hall. Chester limestone of authors. Huron formation of 

recent Indiana reports is same as Birdsville formation.

Aux Vases sandstone of Keyes. Probably 

also Big Clifty sandstone of Norwood.

Two upper members referred to as lower 

Chester by Worthen and Engelmann. 

Entire formation referred to as St. Louis 

by Norwood.

St. Louis limestone of most authors, but not 

of Engelmann, Shumard, and Swallow, 

who do not include two lower formations 

in the St. Louis limestone. The two upper formations equal, respectively, the 

Mitchell limestone and the Bedford oolitic 

limestone of recent Indiana reports.

Keokuk limestone. 

Burlington limestone. Harrodsburg limeVarious formations of an(J. Knobstone of 

the Kinderhook Indiana, 

group.

New Albany shale of Indiana reports. Chattanooga shale. Grassy Creek shale of 

Keyes.

« The matter in this column is generalized and incomplete. It will be given in greater detail in a work on the Paleozoic 

section in the Mississippi Valley soon to be published by the writer.
DEVONIAN ROCKS. 25

The classification of the Mississippian formations in the above table differs 

in several respects from any heretofore published. Full arguments favoring the 

innovations will be presented in a work on the Paleozoic section in the Mississippi 

Valley, now being prepared for publication. This work will contain also a discussion of all the broader stratigraphic problems, so that the following description 

of the formations embraces little matter that is not required to show their strictly 

local characteristics.

DEVONIAN, 

OHIO SHALE.

This is a black or dark-gray fissile shale that comes to the surface in two small, 

irregular, basin-like areas in the western part of Hardin County, 111. These two 

areas occur apparently at the summit of a single, dome-like elevation of the strata, 

the separation of the shale outcrops, if there are not really two subordinate summits, 

being the result of incomplete erosion, which left a ridge or divide composed of 

the rocks of the next higher formation between them. In the western of these 

areas the shale is exposed at short intervals, aggregating perhaps a half mile, along 

Hicks Branch of Grand Pierre Creek. In these exposures it seems as a rule to 

dip strongly, but the direction of the dip is so variable and the exposures are so 

limited that the total thickness of shales brought to the surface can not easily be 

estimated. According to Worthen and Engelmann* " the entire exposure does not 

exceed 20 or 25 feet in thickness," but Mr. H. F. Bain and the writer, who visited 

the locality together, estimated the thickness at not less than 50 feet and as possibly 

more than 100 feet.

At the western edge of the outcrop a layer was observed that is regarded as 

representing the one commonly found at the top of the formation in middle Tennessee.6 It is only a few inches thick, contains nodular masses, and a variable 

quantity of grains of glauconite. The latter impart a more or less distinct greenish 

tint to the layer. Next above it come gray shales. No fossils were observed.

Although there is little besides stratigraphic position and lithologic characters 

on which to base the reference of this black shale to the Ohio formation, it is so 

referred with the utmost confidence. In every feature this Hardin County shale 

is practically identical with many of nearly a hundred exposures of this formation 

examined by the writer in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. From Lake Erie 

southward to northern Georgia and westward to this district the Ohio shale is remarkably constant in its lithologic characters. Despite this constancy the formation 

has received a number of names. The name Ohio shale, proposed by Andrews,6 

the oldest of the geographic names applied to this formation, is here adopted.

a Geol. Survey Illinois, vol. 1,1886, p. 352.

t> Description of the Columbia quadrangle: Geological Atlas U. S.. folio 95, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1903.

c Geol. Survey Ohio, Kept. Prog, for 1869, p. 62.
26 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

CARBONIFEROUS. 

TULLAHOMA FOKMATION.

Lithologic characters. The Tullahoma formation in this district is at the 

bottom a gray, clayey shale, that farther upward gradually includes more and 

more siliceous and calcareous matter until, from about the middle of the formation 

upward, it is a highly siliceous and more or less earthy limestone. In exposures of 

its lower half or two-thirds the silica is contained chiefly in plates of often flinty chert, 

averaging about 4 inches in thickness, separated by from 2 inches to several feet 

of shales. By dividing the total thickness from 200 to 250 feet observed along 

Hicks Branch in Hardin County, 111., into 50-foot intervals, the change in lithologic 

character may be expressed as follows: In the basal 50 feet the shales predominate 

in the ratio of about 2 to 1. In the next 50 feet the layers of shale and chert constitute about equal proportions of the mass, while an occasional layer of limestone 

is intercalated. In the third 50 feet the shale decreases to little or nothing, while 

the alternating limestone and chert bands are about equally important. In the 

fourth 50 feet shales are practically absent, the limestone has become somewhat 

heavier, though irregularly bedded, and the chert proportionally rather less 

abundant and inclined to form flattened nodules instead of even plates. At the 

top there are 25 feet or more very slightly cherty, light-colored, massive or laminated 

limestone, containing fenestellid Bryozoa. These probably pass into semioolitic 

limestones.

The light-colored, subgranular, and only very slightly cherty limestones 

observed at the top of the formation in Hardin County, 111., do not strictly belong 

to the Tullahoma. As understood by the writer, they occur above the unconformity 

separating the Tullahoma from the formations of the succeeding Meramec group, 

and should therefore be referred to the latter group. However, in mapping the 

area in Hardin County containing the Ohio shale and Tullahoma formation, Mr. 

Bain found it convenient to draw the basal line of the overlying formation at the 

horizon of the first appearance here of a common and easily recognized genus of 

corals (Lonsdaleia or Lifhostrotiori) , and to refer these earlier limestones of the 

Meramec group to the underlying extremely cherty and shaly formation, which 

alone should bear the name Tullahoma. Had the upper limit of the Tullahoma 

chert been drawn also, the interval between it and the fossiliferous chert of the St. 

Louis limestone above would have corresponded with the Spergen oolitic limestone, 

which in this area forms the base of the Meramec group. In the proposed final 

mapping of the area the lower line should be traversed and the Spergen limestone 

eliminated from the area of the Tullahoma as now mapped.

The topographic aspect of the typical Tullahoma is extremely rugged. The 

undecomposed stratified rocks themselves are but rarely seen, having been observed
TULLAHOMA FOEMATION. 27

only in the beds of the streams that cut through the rims of the small aieas of Ohio 

shale in the western part of Hardin County. Generally the surface of the ground 

is covered with blocks of dense chert. The residual clay containing the liberated 

chert is commonly of a yellowish-gray color, sometimes with a tinge of red, but 

the red is never so pronounced as in the residual clays of the overlying cherty

members of the St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve limestones. - As to the loose blocks 1 

of Tullahoma chert, they may generally be distinguished by their brick-like form, 

showing as a rule quite clearly that they are fragments of even plates and not of 

rounded nodules, like those characterizing the St. Louis. In certain parts of the 

Ste. Genevieve limestone plates of chert occur also, but in this case the chert is 

nearly always porous.

Occasionally the layers of limestone and apparently the shale as well are 

entirely decomposed in situ, exposures in such cases appearing as generally yellowish 

clay seams, often gritty, alternating with thinner and thicker layers of dense chert. 

Such an exposure occurs opposite the mouth of the Western Tube Company's 

fire-clay mine near Smithland. In other cases, notably in the Tullahoma outcrop, 

3 miles west of Princeton, the whole of the decomposed siliceous mass has the 

appearance of a homogeneous bed of tripoli-like material.

Fossils occur so rarely in this formation that to call it barren would fall little 

short of strict truth. But their very absence gives us one of the best means for 

discriminating between similarly chert-covered areas of this formation and the 

St. Louis. In the latter a search of only a few minutes will rarely fail to be rewarded 

by the discovery of at least a few fossils.

Outcrops. The largest and most satisfactory outcrop of this formation in the 

Kentucky-Illinois district forms a rim of hills inclosing the two Ohio shale valleys 

in the western part of Hardin County, 111. So far as known the formation does 

not reach the surface at any other point within this and the adjoining county of 

Pope, in Illinois. On the south side of the Ohio River there are several outcrops 

within the counties embraced in the area mapped, but in the limited time that could 

be devoted to the work it was not possible to distinguish them satisfactorily from 

the overlying formations of the Meramec group. Only two outcrops, therefore, are 

indicated on the maps, and these without any intention to delineate their borders. 

One of these includes the fire-clay mines of the Western Tube Company, located 

about 2.5 miles southeast of Smithland. The other is in Caldwell County, 3 to 4 

miles west of Princeton. Still other Tullahoma areas occur "between the rivers" 

in Livingston and Lyon counties.

Contemporary formations in other regions. This formation was first studied by 

Safford in middle Tennessee, and for nearly a half century it constituted the lower 

or "Protean" member of his Siliceous group.a In 1900 he proposed to distinguish

« Geology of Tennessee, 1869, p. 338.
28 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

it under the name Tullahoma formation. a Except the shaly basal member, which 

is generally wanting in that region and which was not included in that formation, 

the Tullahoma is equivalent to the Fort Payne chert of the southern Appalachian 

region. It represents also in time, though it is very different lithologically, the 

whole of the Waverly series of Ohio and eastern Kentucky, the Knobstone and the 

Harrodsburg limestone of Indiana, and the Kinderhook and Osage divisions of the 

lower Mississippian series of rocks as developed on the southern, western, and 

northern flanks of the Ozark uplift and in the upper Mississippi Valley. The type 

of deposits of this time that is distinguished as Tullahoma seems to be limited to 

an area lying southwest of an irregular line connecting eastern Tennessee and St. 

Louis, Mo. Along the western half of this line the cherty rocks of the Tullahoma 

merge rather gradually into the more argillaceous and arenaceous Waverly and 

Knobstone groups lying farther north.

MERAMEC GROUP.

Of the three divisions of the Meramec group named in the table of formations 

on a preceding page, only the Spergen oolitic limestone and the St. Louis limestone 

are distinguishable in this district. The lowest division, the Warsaw formation, is 

possibly in part equivalent to the lower part of the Spergen limestone, but as the 

occurrence of rocks of that horizon in the outcrops of Spergen limestone southeast 

of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., can not now be either definitely denied or affirmed it seems 

best provisionally to regard the Warsaw as restricted to areas north of Ste. Genevieve. Along the Meramec River west of St. Louis all three divisions of the group 

occur in direct sequence.

SPERGEN LIMESTONE.6

Lithologic characters. The Spergen limestone is distinguished from the typical 

St. Louis limestone, with which it has heretofore been generally grouped, by its 

more or less oolitic character. In this district it has very nearly the same characters 

as the equivalent Bedford oolitic limestone of Indiana, but the proportion of the 

oolitic layers to the whole mass is less than in Indiana. The oolitic layers are commonly of lighter or darker shades of gray, or of buff or drab, the color as a rule 

contrasting very well with the nearly white or very light gray color of the later 

oolitic limestones of the Ste. Genevieve and Tribune limestones. The comparatively 

dark color of the Spergen oolitic limestone in this area and in Indiana is caused by a 

liberal sprinkling of small black or dark-gray specks through the mass of the rock. 

Interbedded with the oolitic layers, which are generally massive, are usually thinner 

layers of various kinds of limestone, and occasionally thin seams of yellowish shale. 

At the base of the thickest sections there may be as much as 20 feet or more of

a Elements of the Geology of Tennessee, 1900, p. 143.

6 St. Louis limestone, in part, of authors, and includes Bedford oolitic limestone of Indiana geologists.
SPEKGEN LIMESTONE. 29

subgranular or fine-grained, often laminar and very light gray limestone, filled with 

fenestellid Bryozoa. Outcrops of the formation are easily distinguished from the 

formations next above and beneath it by the comparatively small amount of chert 

contained in its residual clays. As it is an overlapping formation its total thickness 

varies greatly in different localities. In Indiana this ranges from a few feet to over 

80 feet. In this district it may reach 125 feet, but as a rule it probably does not 

exceed 100 feet in the outcrops.

Topography. On account of the comparatively small amount of chert liberated 

in the superficial decomposition of this formation, its outcrop usually forms a relatively 

even band between the chert-covered and often rugged outcrops of the formation 

on each side. However, since the abundant faulting of the district prevented the 

occurrence of large areas of this usually deeply buried formation, it can have no 

very obvious effect upon the topography of the district as a whole.

Paleontology. This is the formation from which was procured the well-known 

Spergen Hill, Indiana, fauna, consisting of a large number of mostly diminutive 

species of gasteropods, pelecypods, and brachiopods, with fewer bryozoans, corals, 

ostracods, and trilobites.

The fauna of the Spergen limestone was originally described by Hall a without 

illustrations, but in 1882 Whitfield 6 republished the descriptions, together with 

good illustrations of the species. In the following year Whitfield's plates were 

again published by Hall c with the original descriptions, but the latter are much 

improved by the addition of comparisons hitherto unpublished. It is to the last 

work, then, that the attention of the student wishing further knowledge of this 

interesting and in many respects remarkable fauna is directed. It has a special 

interest for this region, because it reappears with very slight modifications in the 

Fredonia oolitic member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, and again in the similarly 

oolitic part of the Tribune limestone.

This fauna, however, can not by any means be said to be evenly distributed 

geographically, and in this district it seems to occur only sparingly. Nor can it 

be procured anywhere else in the Spergen limestone so abundantly or in as good 

free specimens as at the localities in Indiana from which were obtained the specimens originally described. These remarks apply more particularly to the diminutive mollusks which are found locally in Indiana in great abundance. The larger 

species, especially of the Bryozoa and Brachiopoda, are more generally distributed, 

but, unfortunately, these types, with few exceptions, occur also in the overlying 

St. Louis limestone. Of these larger species the following are the most frequently

aTrans. Albany Inst., vol. 4,1856, pp. 3-34.

bBull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. No. 3, 1882.

<- Twelfth Ann. Kept. State Geologist, Indiana, for 1882, pp. 319-375.
80 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

found, those prefaced by an asterisk (*) being, so far as known, restricted to the 

Spergen limestone : a

Monilopora, sp. undet. Fenestralia st. ludovici Prout.

Lithostrotion? prolifera (Hall). Polypora biseriata Ulrich.

Pentremites conoideus Hall. Polypora varsoviensis Prout.

*Fistulipora spergenensis Rominger. * Rhipidomella dubia Hall.

Stenopora tuberculata (Prout). Productus punctatus?

* Dichotrypa flabellum (Eominger). Spirifer keokuk littoni Swallow.

*Glyptopora michelinia (Prout). * Spirifer tenuicosta Hall.

Fenestella serratula (Ulrich). Dielasma formosum Hall.

Hemitrypa proutana Ulrich. Dielasma turgida Hall.

Distribution. As stated on page 26, the Spergen limestone is included in the 

Tullahoma formation in the provisional mapping of the west-central part of Hardin 

County, 111., by Mr. Bain. It there forms a narrow band on the outer border of 

the underlying true Tullahoma, and this in turn surrounds the Ohio shale outcrops, 

which occur near the apex of a truncated dome. On the Kentucky side of the 

river several areas were observed in the southern parts of Livingston and Lyon 

counties; also one in the northern part of Crittenden County, where it outcrops 

as an oolitic limestone for a mile or two along the west side of the Larue fault. 

The last area is indicated on the map, but without any attempt to delineate its 

borders. Because of the unusual difficulties encountered in mapping the areal 

distribution of the formations in this district and the short time at disposal the 

differentiation of the formations beneath the Ste. Genevieve was not attempted 

except in the case of a block of this limestone at Livingston chapel, in the region 

south of the Cumberland River. North of this river only a single outcrop of Spergen limestone (above mentioned) is known. Though not observed, it is believed 

to occur in the undifferentiated Meramec-Tullahoma area west of Princeton.

Nomenclature. This formation takes its name from Spergen Hill, near Harristown, Ind., where the fossils known as the Spergen Hill fauna were procured 

and described by Hall nearly fifty years ago. Until recently the formation was 

not distinguished, the limestone bed, which is mainly oolitic, being referred sometimes to the underlying Keokuk, or, more commonly, to the overlying St. Louis. 

As the fauna characterizing the bed has always been, and doubtless will continue to 

be, known as the Spergen fauna, the same name is preferred for the formation. In 

recent reports of the Indiana Geological Survey, Hopkins and Siebenthal employ 

the name " Bedford " for the formation. As this name has been in constant use for 

another formation in Ohio since 1871, Cumings rejects "Bedford" and proposes 

"Salem" instead. However, both of these names are objectionable as formation 

names, for they are widely and consistently employed as trade names of quarried 

stone.

o The paleontologic determinations in this work were nearly all made fifteen years ago. Time was lacking to revise 

these for the present report except to the extent of bringing most of the generic references up to date.
LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY. 31

ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE.,

Lithologic characters. As developed in this region, the St. Louis limestone 

consists of at least 300 feet, and possibly as much as 400 feet, of chiefly dark-gray, 

rather heavy-bedded, and highly siliceous limestone. Interbedded principally in 

the lower half are more pure, gray, crinoidal, and subcrystalline layers. Some of 

the layers in the lower fourth contain small quartz geodes and often exhibit a 

tendency to become shaly. The limestone of the upper half is on the whole much 

finer grained than that of the lower half, and usually is also of lighter color. All 

parts of the formation liberate chert on decomposition, but chert is particularly 

abundant in the upper half.

These limestones are more readily decomposed than any other in Kentucky. 

In consequence of the relative ease with which decomposition takes place, it frequently extends to considerable depths, the chert-bearing residual mantle sometimes reaching a thickness of 50 feet or more. For the same reason the limestone 

itself is rarely seen in natural outcrop except along rapidly eroding streams. As 

a rule, therefore, the age of the St. Louis limestone areas in this region must be 

determined chiefly by the character of the residual mantle. This, as stated, generally contains chert in great abundance, and it is by the character of its chert 

that the formation may be recognized. It is usually of dense structure occasionally flint-like, rarely cellulose yellowish or of various shades of gray, and 

occurs mostly in rounded lumps ranging from 2 to 6 inches in thickness. Any 

exposure in this area that exhibits a considerable number of such rounded, often 

ball-like masses of dense chert, may be confidently referred to the St. Louis limestone. Similar rounded lumps of chert may occasionally occur in exposures of 

decomposing Ste. Genevieve limestone, but these can always be distinguished by 

their cellulose character.

In but gently hilly St. Louis areas, as in the vicinity of Irma, chert and rocks 

of any kind are comparatively rare at the surface. This is probably due chiefly to 

the proportional scantiness of wash on such areas and the consequent long continuance of the decay of the surface. Occasionally, however, it may be due to the 

less cherty nature of some of the beds of the formation, which in such cases may 

be at the surface. In such gently undulating areas the soil is of lighter color 

than usual, being yellowish rather than red, and this feature joins the topography 

in denoting areas underlain by the Birdsville formation of the Chester group.

Topography. As a rule, the topography of areas exposing the St. Louis limestone, especially if they are small and contiguous to Chester sandstone areas, is 

rather rugged. When they are of large size and contain parts distant from main 

drainage lines their surfaces are sometimes so well protected from erosion by the 

residual chert mantle that comparatively gentle undulations may prevail. However, on account of the readiness with which the limestone decomposes and the
EXPLANATION OF PLATE III.

FOSSIL CORALS OF THE ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE. 01

FIGS. 1 and 2. Views showing parts of the top and side of a mass of LitTiostrotion? canadense, the most 

characteristic fossil of the St. Louis limestone.

FIGS. 3 to 7. Views of three specimens of Lifhostrotion? proliferum Hall. Fig. 3 represents an unusually 

well preserved example of a variety of this species, characterized by the great prominence and twisted character 

of the columellar boss that rises from the floor of the calyx, and also by the relatively small size of the corallites. 

The specimen is from Clarksville, Tenn. Figs. 4 and 5 show the sides and figs. 6 and 7 the calices of large 

parent corallites, found at Eddyville, Ky. Fig. 5 shows a ring of young corallites budding from the lower part 

of the parent.

These two corals have been for many years referred to the genus Lithostrotion, yet the columella is not 

styliform, but is produced by the central elevation and intertwining of the tabulae, and the species can not, 

therefore, belong to this genus. The structure of these corals is much nearer that of Lonsdaleia, but in the 

almost chaotic state of our knowledge of Paleozoic corals the writer hesitates to make a change in generic 

names.

a All the fossils illustrated in tbis report are contained in the "Ulrich collection," which now belongs to the United 

States National Museum.

32
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER No. 36 PL. Ill

FOSSIL CORALS OF THE ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE

ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE. 33

frequency of caverns and underground channels,05 the surfaces of even these less 

rugged areas are often diversified by "sink holes." Along the major streams, particularly the Cumberland River, bluffs 100 feet or more in height are common.

Paleontology. Taken as a whole, the St. Louis limestone is the least fossiliferous of the limestone formations in this region, except the Tullahoma. Yet certain 

parts contain organic remains in great abundance and considerable variety, while 

one or both of two species or varieties of a large composite coral Lifhostrotion? 

canadense and LJ proliferum may be found nearly everywhere in St. Louis areas. 

In LJ proliferum (see PI. Ill) the hemispheric coral mass is made up of separate 

cylindrical corallites, usually one-half to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. In 

LJ canadense (see PL III) the corallites are in contact and polygonal, and together 

form a solid mass. The former species apparently occurs alone in the oolitic limestones of the Spergen formation, and possibly also in the basal part of the St. Louis, 

while LJ canadense occurs alone in the upper third or half of the St. Louis limestone. 

They are thus, when not found together in the same bed, characteristic of their 

respective horizons. Both species, however, seem to be about equally common 

in the lower half of the St. Louis. (See PL IV.)

The fossil horizons in the lower 200 feet contain only a few rare individuals 

of the Mollusca of the Spergen Hill fauna, but most of the Brachiopoda and Bryozoa 

are present, besides others of these classes not known in that fauna. The plates 

of species of Melonites (see PL IV), which genus seems confined to this formation, 

are the principal element of the new fauna. Bryozoa also are very abundant, 

especially when the beds are shaly. Out of a total of over 50 species the following 

list contains the commonest and probably also the most characteristic forms. The 

latter are distinguished by an asterisk (*). Figures of some of the species will be 

found on the accompanying Plates III, IV, and VI.

Cliaracteristic fossils oj the St. Louis limestone.

*Syringopora, sp. 

Monilopora (near crassa).

*Lithostrotion (? Lonsdaleia) canadense Castleman. 

Lithostrotion (? Lonsdaleia) proliferum Hall.

*Zaphrentis calcariformis Hall. 

Palseacis cuneiformis Edwards & Haime. 

Pentremites conoideus Hall.

*Pentremites cavus Ulrich.

*Melonites multiporus Owen & Norwood.

*Melonites crassus Hambach.

*Archseocidaris wortheni Hall.

*Dichocrinus simplex Shumard. 

Fenestella serratula Ulrich. 

Hemitrypa proutana Ulrich. 

Fenestralia st. ludovici Prout.

Polypora varsoviensis Prout. 

Polypora biseriata Ulrich.

*Cystodictya major Ulrich. 

Rhynchonella mutata Hall. 

Dielasma formosum Hall. 

Dielasma turgida Hall. 

Spirifer keokuk littoni Swallow. 

Reticularia setigera. 

Eumetria verneuilana Hall. 

Productus punctatus?

*Myalina sancti-ludovici Worthen. 

Bellerophon gibsoni White.

*Euomphalus, sp. undet.

*Natieopsis, sp. undet.

*Spirorbis imbricatus Ulrich.

a This limestone is sometimes called the "Cavernous limestone." The most notable examples of its caverns are the 

Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky, and the Wyandotte Cave, in southern Indiana. The latter has been explored for 23 miles and 

contains a room 240 feet high.

10696 No. 36 05 3
EXPLANATION OF PLATE IV.

BEYOZOA AND OTHER FOSSILS OF THE ST. LOUIS AND BIRDSVILLE LIMESTONES.

FIG. 1. Small slab of lower St. Louis limestone, showing the noncelluliferous side of a frond of Fenestralia 

st. ludovici Prout, 4 miles northwest of Princeton, Ky.

FIG. 2. Another slab from same horizon and locality as the preceding, showing (a) celluliferous sides 

of two fronds of Fenestralia st. ludovici Prout, (b ) the noncelluliferous side of a frond of Polypora wrsoviensis 

Prout, (c) the noncelluliferous side of a small piece of Hemitrypa proutana Ulrich, (d) an imperfect frond 

of Fenestella tenax Ulrich, and in the lower left-hand corner the coiled shell of an undescribed tubicolous 

annelid, for which the name Spirorbis imbrwatus is here proposed (see also fig. 10).

FIG. 3. The celluliferous face of one of the two fronds of Fenestralia st. ludovici shown in fig. 2, magnified 

3 diameters.

FIG. 4. Two specimens of the solid axis of an undescribed species of Archimedes, for which the name 

Archimedes lativolvis is proposed. This species differs from all others known in the unusual width of the 

spiral flange. Not uncommon in shaly limestone belonging to the middle part of the Birdsville formation 

at Champion Hill, about 2 miles west of Salem, Ky.

FIG. 5. Two axes, one wound to the right, the other to the left, of Archimedes swallovanus Hall. This 

is a common and highly characteristic fossil in the calcareous beds of the lower and middle parts of the Birdsville 

formation.

FIGS. 6,7, and 8. Archimedes confertus, n. sp.; fig. 6, the hollow mold of a specimen from a calcareous sandstone bed near the base of the Birdsville formation, at Scottsburg, Ky. Fig. 7 is the greater part of a specimen 

consisting chiefly of the central axis only, from an equivalent horizon near the mouth of the Okaw River 

in Randolph County, 111. Fig. 8 is a specimen from the same locality in Illinois that preserves the fenestrated network which extends more or less obliquely outward from the edge of the spiral flange in Bryozoa 

of this genus. A. confertus is related to and has been confused with A. compactus Ulrich, but a careful comparison with the types of that species shows that the flange and fenestrated network stand at nearly a right 

angle to the vertical axis in the older species, while in A. confertus they are directed upward so as to appear 

invaginated in a lateral view. In the new species the axis is also much longer and thicker, but proportionately 

more slender.

FIG. 9, a-e. Five examples of the axis of Archimedes meekanus Hall, showing extremes in thickness of 

shaft so far observed. This species begins as a rare fossil in the Ste. Genevieve limestone, and ranges almost 

or quite to the top of the Birdsville formation. The five specimens shown in the figure were found in shaly 

limestone near the top of the formation at Claxton in Caldwell County.

FIG. 10. The specimen of Spirorbis imbricatus Ulrich attached to the frond of Polypora varsoviensis shown 

in fig. 2, magnified 3 diameters. This Spirorbis is distinguished from other Mississippian species of the genus 

by its strongly lamellar, imbricating surface markings.

FIG. 11. A plate of Archseocidaris wortheni Hall. The separated plates and spines of this echinid are 

often very abundant in the lower part of the St. Louis limestone.

FIG. 12 a-c. Interambulacral plates of Melonites multiporusf O. & N., a and b show the upper surfaces of 

fragments consisting of a number of plates; c, d, and e represent side views of loose plates and show their 

great thickness. Plates like these and the preceding found with Lithostrotion? proliferum and Pentremites 

cavus are always to be accepted as reliable indications of the lower half of the St. Louis limestone.

34
I). S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER No. 36 PL. IV

BRYOZOA AND OTHER FOSSILS OF THE ST. LOUIS ANp BIRDSVILLE LIMESTONES

I

ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE. 35

Fossils do not appear to be generally distributed through the upper 150 feet of 

the formation, but the cherts resulting from the decay of certain unplaced layers 

are often crowded with Bryozoa (chiefly Fenestellidse) , and Brachiopoda, apparently 

all of species that occour also in the lower beds of the formation. Melonites and 

Archeocidaris, the plates of which are common in the lower beds, have not been 

observed in this part of the formation. Liihostrotion? proliferum also seems wanting 

but LJ canadense is not uncommon.

Distribution. Over nearly the whole of Lyon County and the adjoining greater 

part of the southern half of Livingston County the St. Louis limestone is the surface 

rock. This limestone area extends eastward several miles into southwestern Caldwell 

County and, northeastward, between converging fault lines, as a triangular tongue 

terminating on Flinns Fork, about 3 miles northeast of Princeton. The northern 

boundary of this main area lies in Crittenden County, where it is cut off, east of 

Clay Lick, by the Tabb fault and its subsidiary fractures, while west of that stream it 

is limited by the Crittenden fault. Farther west it sends up other fault-bounded 

projections, the largest being rhomboidal in outline and extending to a point about 

3 miles northeast of the mouth of Sandy Creek. On the north and east, except 

for 6 or 7 miles in southern Caldwell County, the boundary is everywhere defined 

by faults; on the southwest by the Tennessee River, beyond which it is covered by 

Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits. Southeastward the area continues around the 

western Kentucky coal field and farther south into Tennessee.

Another large area borders the Ohio River and embraces the greater part of 

the northwestern angle of Crittenden County. Northward it extends across the 

river into Illinois. On the west it is bounded by the Deer Creek fault; on the 

south and east by the Lerue, Corn, and other faults. On account of the abundance 

of cross faults and subsidiary fractures, this border is very irregular, especially in the 

region west of Sheridan, which also contains several triangular downthrown blocks 

terminating superficially with rocks of later date.

The irregularity of the fault-defined boundaries of these large areas is greater 

than can be shown with the scale to which the accompanying maps have been 

drawn. It is especially evident where the downthrow is sufficient to bring the 

formations of the Chester group to the level of the St. Louis limestone. In one set 

of cases it is due to the disruption of the stratified crust along comparatively short 

lines arranged en echelon and paralleling each other but crossing the average strike 

of the fault; in the other, to the step-like arrangement of the strata by faults subsidiary to and paralleling a main fracture. The former type is well exhibited by 

portions of the Tabb fault, the latter by the northern end of the Larue fault. The 

faults of the district are discussed and described in detail in Chapter III, which is 

devoted to the structure of the region.
36 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Besides the large areas above defined, there are three much smaller ones, all of 

which lie within a few miles of the boundary line between Crittenden and Livingston 

counties. The largest of these is traversed by Clay Lick and lies southwest of 

View, between the Marion fault on the northwest and the Crittenden and Hodge 

faults on the southeast. The second forms a narrow strip between the Marion and 

Woods faults and extends southwestward from Pucketts Branch of Clay Lick to 

the Cumberland River. The third, situated about 2 miles southeast of Salem, is 

a small triangle between converging faults.

Nomenclature and correlation. The St. Louis limestone derives its name from 

St. Louis, Mo., where it was first studied and described by Engelmann in 1847, and, 

more correctly and in greater detail, by B. F. Shumard in 1855.a According to 

Shumard's definition the formation is limited to beds above the oolitic limestones 

for which the name Spergen formation is here adopted. This is clear from his 

description, in which no important bed of oolitic limestone, as is now known to 

occur in St. Louis County, is mentioned. The upper limit is defined by the base 

of his Ste. Genevieve limestone. The last formation, however, is wanting, as are 

also the succeeding formations of the Chester group at St. Louis, where this limestone is succeeded unconformably by shales of Pennsylvanian age. Although it 

contains on the whole more chert in western Kentucky than at the type locality, 

there is no doubt that the limestone here described as St. Louis is strictly the same 

formation as that exposed in the numerous quarries at St. Louis and in the bluffs 

along the river below that city.

CHESTER GHOJTP. 

CHARACTER AND SUBDIVISIONS.

This group of rocks consists of a variable series of limestones, sandstones, and 

shales, which, for the sake of convenience in classification and reference, is separated 

into four main divisions. These should take the rank of formations, discriminated 

chiefly by lithologic differences. Considering their respective faunal aspects only, 

there would be less reason for their separation. Still, the four formations, of which 

two were distinguished and named years ago and two are now discriminated for 

the first time, are not by any means devoid of fossils that so far appear to be characteristic of each.

Except for a few plant remains most of the sandstones are unfossiliferous 

the massive ones nearly always so yet certain of the more argillaceous and calcareous sandstones of the uppermost or Birdsville formation are often crowded with 

remains of marine invertebrates. The limestones and interstratified calcareous 

shales, however, always contain fossils, and consequently are of the first importance in determining special horizons.

a Geol. Survey Missouri, First and Second Ann. Repts., pt.2,pp. 139,170, and 181.
CHESTEB GROUP. 37

On account of the extensive and abundant faulting to which this region has 

been subjected, it proved extremely difficult to construct a satisfactory section of 

the rocks. The difficulties were especially trying in the case of this group of strata, 

because the sandstones, which offer greater resistance to decomposition than most 

other sedimentary rocks, are more commonly at the surface than the intercalated 

limestones and shales. Sandstones, of whatever age, look much alike, and also are 

subject to very similar variations. It is therefore no easy matter to determine 

offhand and positively the stratigraphic position of any given outcrop of that rock. 

But it was necessary to do so in many instances in this field, and the result has 

shown that one may become sufficiently familiar with the local lithologic and other 

peculiarities of sandstones even to make reasonably accurate determinations without 

the aid of fossils.

In describing the various formations of the group an attempt will be made to 

point out their respective characteristics, though it is recommended that the lithologic determinations be verified as far as possible by paleontologic evidence. 

Indeed, it is very doubtful whether one could acquire a clear and accurate conception 

of the stratigraphy and structure of this region, and more especially of its Chester 

and Mansfield areas, without considerable training in paleontology.

In the course of the writer's work in the district in 1889 and 1890 every exposure 

that might be believed to throw light upon the succession of the various beds of the 

group was carefully studied and noted. The best, because least interrupted, sections were obtained along the east-west line of the Illinois Central Rai%ay between 

Princeton and Claxton. The Ste. Genevieve limestone is very well shown at Princeton, and the Cypress sandstone caps the hills inclosing the valley on the north and 

east. The upper part of the Tribune limestone also is shown in cuts along this railroad about 2 miles east of Scottsburg, while as satisfactory outcrops of the Birdsville 

formation as can be seen in this field occur between these cuts and Claxton. The 

lower third, as well as the uppermost beds of the section of the Birdsville, however, 

had to be compiled from exposures found in disconnected areas.

The top of the group varies greatly in different sections, whole beds being absent 

in some that are present in others. The two lower formations, the Ste. Genevieve 

limestone and the Cypress sandstone, also vary considerably in character and thickness, but in these cases the variations in volume are due chiefly to overlap and 

nondeposition, while in the case of the top of the Birdsville it is caused principally 

by early Pottsville erosion.
38 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTEBN KENTUCKY.

GENERALIZED SECTION.

The succession of the beds of the Chester group, so far as known at present, is 

about as follows:

Generalized section of the Chester group in the Kentucky-Illinois district. 

Mansfield sandstone, of late Pottsville age.

Feet. 

Flinty limestone at the top........................................................... 0-20

Arenaceous shales above, hard, dark limestone and soft clayey shales below................. 0-105

Dark shale above and sandstone in two beds alternating with two beds of limestone below... 116-220 

An extremely variable series of shales, sandstones, and limestones, the last usually aggregating

but a small part of the whole....................................................... 225-350

Total thickness of Birdsville formation........................................... 400-680

A heavy body of light-gray or blue, mainly crystalline, limestone, interbedded with thinner beds 

of calcareous shale and rarely sandstone. Many of the limestones form massive beds, and 

some of them are semi-oolitic in structure. At least 100 to 150 feet thick here and possibly 

reaching 200 feet locally.

Maximum thickness of Tribune limestone about......................................... 200

Quartzose sandstone, generally massive, but sometimes partly made up of oblique flags........ 60- 80

Bluish or gray, cherty limestone, usually affording an abundance of silicified Pentremites godoni. 0- 10

Massive quartzose sandstone.......................................................... 0- 50

Total thickness of Cypress sandstone............................................. 60-135

a \ Shales, shaly limestone, and various kinds of purer limestones, most of them fine-grained, the 

proportion of shale and limestone varying greatly in different sections=Ohara limestone 

member.......................................................................... 30-107

Highly calcareous sandstone=Rosiclare sandstone member............................... 1- 25

Mainly oolitic limestones, white and light blue, interbedded with crinoidal, crystalline and fine- 

® grained limestones. =Fredonia oolitic limestone member. Base not seen.................. 113

_ Total observed thickness of Ste. Genevieve limestone............................... 144-245

CO

Total maximum thickness of Chester group....................................... 1,260

All the maximum thicknesses at one place would give a total of 1,250 feet or more 

for the whole group, but according to the evidence in hand, which shows that some 

of the beds vary in thickness for no other reason than unequal deposition, it does 

not seem likely that the total thickness will exceed 1,100 feet at any point within 

the counties of Crittenden and Caldwell. A hundred feet less would probably be 

nearer the average for these counties, while in Livingston County 800 to 900 feet is 

regarded as a reasonable estimate. The thickness of most of the beds seems to
STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 89

decrease toward the southwest from the edge of the western Kentucky coal field. 

OD the east side of the coal field the total thickness of the Chester is much less, as it 

is also in Indiana. The reduction in this direction is due to overlap, the two lower 

formations and, locally, a part of the Tribune limestone, being absent.

The more general characters of the group having been described, the four 

divisions will now be considered separately and in detail.

STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE (PRINCETON LIMESTONE).

General features. In certain respects this is the most important limestone 

formation in the district. In the first place it gives rise to the best upland soils 

in this part of the State. Next, valuable or promising ore bodies are oftener associated with it than any of the other formations. Finally, it represents, together 

with the following Cypress sandstone, an interval in geologic history that has scarcely 

been appreciated heretofore. So far as known, the interval has only in a few 

areas east of the Mississippi River left a stratified record. The Batesville sandstone of northern Arkansas is probably a contemporaneous deposit, but the true 

sequence of the strata and faunas can be determined only in the more complete 

record preserved in this part of the Mississippi Valley.

The Ste. Genevieve limestone rests on the St. Louis limestone, but as an actual 

contact between them has not been observed in this area it is impossible to describe 

the local characters of either the top of the one or the base of the other. For the 

present it is assumed that the St. Louis ends with the last of the highly cherty, 

fine-grained limestones and that the Ste. Genevieve begins with the first of the 

oolitic limestones making up the greater part of the basal member of the latter 

formation. The assumption accords with facts observed in the corresponding part 

of the section at Ste. Genevieve, Mo., where this formation was first studied and 

from which it derives the name given it by Shumard. In the typical exposures 

south of Ste. Genevieve the relations of the two formations are clearly shown, the 

lithologic distinctions between the two being no less obvious than in this district. 

The contact of the Ste. Genevieve with the underlying St. Louis, moreover, is distinctly unconformable.

Subdivisions. The Ste. Genevieve limestone is divisible into three members 

that are clearly distinguishable wherever the formation has been observed. The 

lowest of these consists principally of oolitic limestones. An appropriate name for 

this member is the Fredonia oolitic limestone, since good exposures occur in the 

immediate vicinity of the village of Fredonia, in Caldwell County. The member 

also forms the floor of the well-known Fredonia Valley. The middle member, a 

well-marked datum horizon in. the district, is a calcareous sandstone, for which the 

name Rosiclare sandstone is suggested. Above this comes a variable member containing more or less shale. Being well developed and perhaps better exposed in the
40 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

quarries at Ohara, near Princeton, than at any other locality, this may be called the 

Ohara limestone.

So far as observed, the Ste. Genevieve limestone has a maximum thickness in 

this region of at least 250 feet. Possibly a full section would add as much as 50 feet 

more to the base. So great a thickness as this that is, 300 feet probably could 

occur only at localities where the Ohara member is present in full force, as east of 

Princeton in Caldwell County, and at Rosiclare, on the north side of the Ohio. 

Toward the western border of the district, where the Ohara member is much thinner, the total thickness of the formation is likely to be correspondingly less.

Fredonia oolitic member. In two continuous sections, both in Crittenden 

County, one at View, the other between Bethel Church and Crittenden Springs, 

at least 115 feet of beds belonging to this member were observed. The base was 

not seen, but at top the exposure includes the Rosiclare sandstone and a part of 

the Ohara limestone member. These 115 feet of rocks consist chiefly of white 

oolitic limestone, interbedded with blue oolite and generally thin bands of subcrystalline and crinoidal limestones. Here and there a seam of green clay shale 

occurs, and occasionally a bed of fine-grained argillaceous limestone. A single 

layer of such limestone, frequently several feet in thickness, may be observed, in 

most sections, about 60 feet beneath the top of the member. The white oolites 

usually occur in massive beds and locally at least these strata should afford an 

excellent building stone.

Since the base of the member has not been observed in the district it is impossible now to give the total thickness. More detailed work in the field may possibly 

result in the discovery of a locality where the contact with the underlying St. Louis 

limestone may be seen. If not, then the point may be decided by a study of the 

walls of some of the mines. In the meantime it is perhaps safe to place it at about 

150 feet.

Rosiclare sandstone member. This is a bed of calcareous, laminated sandstone, 

usually 3 or 4 feet thick on the Kentucky side of the river, but varying here from 

' 1 to 10 feet. North of the river, in Hardin County, 111., it is heavier, the increase 

in that county being from about 12 feet in the bluff at Rosiclare to 20 or 25 feet 

along a line connecting Cave in Rock, Lead Hill, and Hicks. Under cover, or 

when freshly exposed as in a quarry, it appears as a light greenish-gray, very finely 

arenaceous, usually massive limestone. In natural exposures, however, most or 

all of the lime is leached out, and in this condition it generally forms bare, lightred or reddish-brown ledges of more or less laminated, soft, porous sandstone. 

Very commonly the laminae are oblique and separated by open spaces.

In its weathered condition the rock resists decomposition very well and often 

retains its integrity even after the limestones above and just beneath it have been 

completely removed. Frequently the underlying limestone is locally decomposed
8TE. GEKEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 41

and carried away by percolating waters, leaving a cavern beneath the sandstone. 

In such cases the roof may fall in, causing the sandstone ledges to become inclined 

and to assume relations to the adjacent undisturbed limestone ledges that sometimes very closely simulate the surface indications of a strong fault. . One who has 

become familiar with this bed, in either the leached or the unleached condition, 

can not confuse it with any other sandstone in the district. A layer of greenish, 

marl-like, and wholly unfossiliferous shale, ranging from a few inches to 2 feet in 

thickness, occurs so generally just beneath the Rosiclare sandstone that it is an 

important aid in the recognition of the latter.

Ohara limestone member. This member of the Ste. Genevieve formation is 

more variable, both in thickness and lithologic character, than the lower member. 

Its limestone layers are generally thinner and most of them are fine-grained and 

earthy. They are also interbedded to a considerable but variable extent with 

soft, greenish, calcareous, and clayey shales and so-called "marls." Sometimes 

these shales occur in beds from 2 to 6 feet thick. Among the limestones certain 

layers may be shaly; others, especially those in the first 20 feet above the Rosiclare sandstone, may be oolitic, while an occasional layer higher up is more or less 

clearly brecciated.

On the whole, the Ohara member contains more shaly matter and, possibly 

in consequence, is slightly thicker in corresponding portions in Caldwell County 

than in Crittenden and Livingston counties. Yet in the Rosiclare section (p. 43), 

which shows a somewhat greater development of the Ohara than was observed at 

any other point, it appears to consist almost entirely of limestone.

Sections of Ste. Genevieve limestone. The variations suggested in the two preceding paragraphs will be better appreciated after a comparison of the following 

three sections. The first of these sections is shown in the hill at the railroad quarries (Ohara post-office) about 2J miles east of Princeton, Ky. Here practically 

every foot of the upper 160 feet of the Ste. Genevieve formation is exposed to 

view, the lower half of the section in the quarry and near-by sink holes, the upper 

part in good natural exposures above the quarry to the top of the hill, which is 

capped by the Cypress sandstone.

SEC. I. Section of Ste. Genevieve limestone 2\ miles east of Princeton, Ky.

Feet. 

Massive Cypress sandstone, capping hill........................................................ 20

6. Impure and shaly limestone, mostly gray in color, massive at top, with a 4-foot, highly fossiliferous, 

subcrystalline layer just beneath the middle, and a similarly fossiliferous brownish limestone at 

the base. Productus cestriensis and Productus sp. (near P. com and tenuicostus) very abundant 

in fossiliferous bands.................................................................... 30

5. Dark-gray or drab, impure limestone, interbedded with shales and shaly limestone; the more argillaceous layers full of fossils, particularly a slender ramose fucoid (? Bufhotrephis) and species 

of Productus and Spiriferina transversa.................................................... 27
42 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOBSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

Feet. 

4. Light-gray, impure, more or less shaly limestone, its upper part full of fenestellid Bryozoa; at

base a layer of purer limestone, 1 foot or more in thickness, filled with Producing cestriensis and

P. tenuicostusf......................................................................... 13

3. Mostly shaly limestone of light and dark shades of gray, containing very few fossils. Lower part 

includes a bed of oolite about 5 feet thick, while the upper part contains a brecciated layer or 

layers reaching a thickness of 4 feet. Under the weather the brecciated layers break up into 

pebbles .............................................................................. 30

Total thickness of the Ohara member.................................................... 100

2. Calcareous sandstone (Rosiclare sandstone), solid and greenish in unleached condition, reddish

brown and porous when weathered....................................................... 2

1. Mainly oolitic limestones, white, yellowish, or blue, interbedded with impure blue cherty limestone; 

10 feet below top a coarse oolite is full of Pentremites florealis, Platycrinus huntsvillse, and other 

fossils; 20 to 30 feet beneath top is another very fossiliferous bed containing the highly characteristic corals Lithostrotion harmodites, Cystelasma quinqueseptatum, C. rugosum, and Michelinia 

subramosa figured on PI. V. Fredonia oolite to base of exposure, about..................... 60

Total thickness exposed here of Ste. Genevieve limestone.................................. 162

The second section is made up of disconnected parts, observed mainly in the 

vicinity of Bethel Church and Crittenden Springs, 4 to 5 miles west of Marion, 

Ky. The region is about 24 miles northwest of the first section.

SEC. II. Section of Ste. Genevieve limestone in Crittenden County, Ky., between Marion and Crittenden Springs.

Feet. 

Cypress sandstone, massive except the basal 10 to 20 feet, which may be flaggy................... 40-100

6. Light-gray, generally massive limestone................................................... 0- 10

5. Greenish soft shales and thin-bedded limestone, extremely fossiliferous; Amplexus geniculatus

and Spiriferina transversa very characteristic............................................ 8- 12

4. Massive, impure, gray limestone, breaking up into blocks under the weather; fossils very few,

chiefly Productus cestriensis. .......................................................... 40

3. Covered, probably limestone............................................................. 10

Total thickness of Ohara member..................................................... 58- 72

2. Eosiclare calcareous sandstone........................................................... 3

1. Mainly oolitic limestones, white and light blue, varying from thin-bedded to massive; interbedded 

with crinoidal, crystalline, and fine-grained limestones, the last generally yellowish or brown; 

near the middle a flaggy, deep-blue, semicrystalline limestone. Fredonia oolitic limestone to 

base of exposure, about............................................................... 113

175-188

The third section is a continuous one, exposed in the bluff on the Illinois side 

of the Ohio River below Rosiclare. The locality is 12 to 14 miles northwest of 

the second section and 38 to 40 miles from the first.
STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 43

SEC. III. Section of Ste. Genevieve limestone in bluff on Ohio River below Bosiclare, III.

Feet. 

Cypress sandstone, massive and quartzose, capping the hill..................................... 35

6. Brown and gray, argillaceous limestone, apparently interbedded with thin seams of shale, about.. 45 

5. Shale and thin seams of limestone, extremely fossiliferous................................... 10

4 and 3. Interbedded, impure, and semioolitic limestones, mostly heavy, though somewhat irregularly bedded......................................................................... 52

Total thickness of Ohara member..................................................... 107

2. Laminated, calcareous sandstone, thin-bedded, and reddish when weathered. Rosiclare sandstone ............................................................................... 8-12

1. Fredonia oolitic member, gray, massive limestones, largely oolitic; to level of Ohio River, about.. 50

Total exposed thickness of Ste. Genevieve limestone..................................... 165-169

In these and most other sections of the formation containing the horizons 

three beds are easily distinguished from the rest, the first and third by their fossils, 

the second by its lithologic character. The first, occurring usually from 20 to 30 

feet beneath the top ot the Fredonia oolite, is characterized, as stated in the description of Sec. I, by several well-marked corals (Lithostrotion Jiarmodites, Cystelasma 

quinqueseptatum, and MicJielinia subramosa see PI. V). The second is the peculiar 

Rosiclare sandstone, which intervenes between the Fredonia oolitic limestone 

and the Ohara limestone member. The third is bed 5 of the above sections. It 

may always be recognized in this district by its more than usually shaly character 

and the great abundance of its fossil remains. The bed usually contains many 

thin plates of limestone, consisting principally of organic remains. Nearly all the 

fossils noted as occurring in the Ohara member in the tabular list on a succeeding 

page are from this bed. It is to be noted, further, that the fossils increase in 

abundance and variety as the argillaceous character of the bed grows more 

pronounced.

By comparing the three sections it may be seen that bed 5 is proportionally 

less different in its lithologic features from the overlying and underlying beds in 

the Caldwell County section than in the Crittenden County and Rosiclare sections. 

In the first section the argillaceous material is more evenly distributed through 

the whole of the upper member, while in the second and third sections it is concentrated in bed 5, the preceding and succeeding beds of the formation being made 

up of comparatively pure limestone.

In common with all the limestone formations of this district, the Ohara member 

grows thicker in a northerly and northeasterly direction from the southwestern 

border of the district. In the case under consideration it appears that the increase 

in thickness is by the addition of layers at the top. In the vicinity of Crittenden
44 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Springs bed 6 may be wanting entirely, while it has not been observed here to 

exceed 10 feet in thickness. North of the Ohio River, in the southern part of 

Hardin County, 111., it attains its greatest observed thickness, from 40 to 50 feet. 

In the northwest corner of Hardin County, however, unless the apparent difference 

is due to faulting, the Ohara member as a whole is much thinner than at Rosiclare. 

Traced southwestward from Crittenden Springs to Salem and Puckett Spring, not 

only bed 6, but bed 5 as well, is at least locally absent. Here the total thickness 

of the Ohara member has not been observed to exceed 50 feet, bed 4 of the section 

being succeeded by the Cypress sandstone. The same appears true of the section 

exposed in the hills inclosing Clements Valley (View post-office), 4 to 5 miles southwest of Marion, though here the top of the section is not well exposed and the 

succession of the upper beds, moreover, is obscured by faulting.

In the Ste. Genevieve areas that lie farthest southwest, of which the area 

containing Bissels Bluff and the outcrops near the Royal and Pittsburg mines 

affords the best exposures, only the Fredonia member of the formation has been 

satisfactorily identified; but on account of lack of time and opportunity for exact 

observations on the point, it is not yet possible to say definitely that the Ohara 

member fails entirely in that direction.

On tracing the formation through the southwestern half of Caldwell County, 

from the vicinity of Fredonia to Princeton, and thence to the southeastern border 

of the county, it was seen that the upper member maintains a nearly uniform 

thickness, with bed 6 only varying in thickness from about 18 feet to 30 feet. 

Farther southeast, however, as at Hopkinsville, Ky., where the Rosiclare sandstone 

was observed and where the Fredonia member is very well exposed, the Ohara 

member seems to be greatly reduced in thickness. From all the facts in hand 

that bear in'one way or another upon the point there seems to be no reason to 

doubt that the Ste. Genevieve was deposited in a mere remnant of the broad area 

covered by the submergence that prevailed in the St. Louis age, immediately 

preceding the Ste. Genevieve age.

Topography of Ste. Genevieve limestone areas. Wherever this formation is at 

the surface it forms valleys, and, except the bottom lands along the main streams, 

the lands in these valleys are by far the best in the district for agricultural purposes. 

Sink holes occur frequently, especially in the narrower valleys, in which little more 

than the upper member of the formation is exposed. They are particularly common along lines of fracture, and often serve to locate these. Where the lower 

member is the surface rock and this member usually, if not always, forms the 

floor of the larger valleys sink holes are less abundant, but they are generally 

of larger size and frequently contain ponds.
STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 45

Paleontology of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. Unfortunately the fauna of this 

little-known geologic horizon has never been described. Its most characteristic 

species are nearly all new to science and, being unnamed, are difficult to refer to 

in an intelligible manner. A few of the more striking forms are illustrated on the 

accompanying plates (Pis. V and VI), and the new species among these are briefly 

characterized on the sheets explaining the plates. As to the other fossils, they 

are mostly of long-known species. Some of these the formation holds in common 

with the underlying St. Louis limestone; others, especially of the Bryozoa, indicate 

an earlier appearance of species generally considered as characterizing the overlying Chester formations; while a considerable number, among them the most 

common brachiopods, range without interruption and with little modification, 

from the base of the Spergen Hill limestone of the Meramec group to the Tribune 

limestone or even the Birdsville formation of the Chester. A partial list of the last 

class includes the following species: Fenestella tenax, F. serraiula, Stenopora tuberculata, Productus semireticulatus, Spirifer Iceolcuk leidyi, Spiriferina norwoodi, 

Dielasma formosum, D. turgidum, Reticularia setigera, Seminula trinuclea, and 

Cleiothyris sublamellosa Jiirsuta.

The foregoing list does not take into account the characteristic elements of the 

fauna commonly known as the Spergen Hill or Warsaw fauna, which reappears in 

the oolitic Fredonia member and is less fully represented also in the shales of the 

Ohara member. The Ste. Genevieve representatives of this fauna have been determined only in part, much of the material collected remaining yet to be prepared 

for study. The species so far known are included in the following incomplete list 

of Ste. Genevieve fossils and are distinguished by notation in a column devoted to 

the Spergen fauna. In some cases the particular form is indicated by a number 

instead of a specific name. This mode of reference, however, is employed only 

when the species, which in these cases is notable because of its occurrence elsewhere 

in higher or lower rocks, could not be satisfactorily identified with described species. 

When the Ste. Genevieve form of a species is distinguishable as a variety from the 

typical form of the species occurring only in the earlier Spergen and St. Louis or 

later Tribune and Birdsville formations, or when for other reasons the identification 

is doubtful, the fact is indicated in the columns showing vertical range by a question 

mark. This mode of notation, however, is not employed when the same variety 

is believed to occur with the typical form in the other formations.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE V.

COEALS OF THE STE. GENE VIE VE LIMESTONE!

FIGS. 1-10. Michelinia subramosa n. sp.

Fig. 1, under side of a slender corallum; figs. 2 and 3, upper and lower sides of a large example consisting of 

six partly intergrown colonies; fig. 4, specimen consisting of three well-defined colonies; figs. 5 and 6, opposite 

views of a corallum consisting of numerous irregularly grown colonies; figs. 7, 9, and 10, three young coralla; 

fig. 8, under side of a corallum im. which the development of the colonies has resulted in a more distinctly ramose 

appearance than usual.

This species is closely related to Michelinia, eugenese White, described as from the Coal Measures of Indiana 

and as forming small, rounded masses attached by a relatively broad base to foreign bodies. M. subramosa, 

as may be seen from these figures, has a small basal attachment and by the successive development of colonies, 

or clusters of tubes, finally produces more or less distinctly ramose coralla.

This coral is sometimes very abundant in western Kentucky, and so far as known its presence always 

indicates the upper part of the Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. The illustrated examples 

were etched from blocks of impure limestone found 2 miles east of Princeton, Ky.

FIG. 11. One of several examples of a small "massive" species of Michelinia found at Princeton, Ky., 

lower in the Fredonia member than the specimens of M. subramosa. It is distinguished from the latter by 

its larger corallites and mode of growth, and in both of these respects closely resembles one of White's figures 

of his M. eugene.se (Thirteenth Kept. Geol. Indiana, 1884, p. 119). Provisionally the Ste. Genevieve form 

may be referred to as M. eugenese var. princetonensis.

FIG. 12, a-g. A group of specimens of Cystelasma rugosum n. sp. or var., from the Fredonia member of the 

Ste. Genevieve limestone in the vicinity of Princeton, Ky. This form may perhaps be merely a strongly 

marked variety of the next species, C. quinqueseptatum, but so far the two forms are readily distinguished 

by the differences shown in the illustrations. In C. rugosum, which is represented in the material before 

the writer by no less than 25 specimens, the corallum is always proportionally wider and much more strongly 

wrinkled transversely.

FIG. 13, a-p. A group of 16 etched specimens of Cystelasma quinqueseptatum n. sp., from the upper part 

of the Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone about 2 miles east of Princeton, Ky. This species 

is characterized by its slender and finely wrinkled corallum.

In describing Cystelasma Miller states that septa are wanting. As a rule this appears to be true of the 

species upon which he founded his genus (C. lanesvUlense Miller, Spergen limestone, Indiana), and average 

examples of the type species therefore look very different from the two species here referred to Cystelasma. 

However, other examples of C. lanesviUense in the Ulrich collection, from the original locality, do show septa. 

In some these are mere rudiments, but in a few evenly grown examples they are sufficiently developed to show 

that normally the type species also has five principal septa like the west Kentucky species here figured. In 

the latter the septa are always present and are generally as strongly developed as shown in these figures.

FIG. 14, a-/. Lateral views of five separated corallites and the calyx of another example of Lithostrotion 

harmodites Edwards and Haime. Originally these corallites formed part of a loosely connected, bushy mass, 

3 inches or more in height and width. The main septa, 16 to 18 in number, reach the small styliform 

columella at the center of each corallite. This is a true Lithostrotion. So far as known the species is limited 

to the upper part of the Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, at which horizon its bushy colonies 

have been seen in the massive limestone at many localities in this district. The figured examples are from 

Princeton.

FIG. 15, a-d. Four large examples of Amplexus geniculatus Worthen, one of the most characteristic fossils 

of the Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. In other coralla of 'this species the average diameter 

is less than 5 mm. The figured specimens are from Downeys Bluff, at Rosiclare, 111. 

46
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER No. 3o PL. V

13

CORALS OF THE ST. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE

STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 47

Partial list of fossils occurring in the Ste. Genevieve limestone, with columns indicating occurrences in lower and

upper members, and in other formations.

Species.

1. Lithostrotion harmodites Ed. & H_ ----------

2. Amplexus geniculatus Worthen .............

3. Zaphrentis pellaensis Worthen. ..............

5. Cystelasma rugosum n. sp. .................

7. Michelinia eugeneae princetonensis n. var. ....

9. Pentremites godoni? De France. ............

LO. Pentremites conoideus? Hall. ...............

LI. Mesoblastus glaber M. & W. ................

L2. Platycrinus huntsvillae (Troost?) W. and S.. .

L3. Batocrinus irregularis Casseday? ............

14. Fistulipora n. sp ..........................

5. Stenopora tuberculata Prout. ...............

L6. Stenopora rudis Ulrich. ....................

L7. Anisotrypa solida Ulrich ...................

L8. Lioclema araneum Ulrich. ..................

L9. Creloconus rhombicus? Ulrich. ............ .

JO. Streblotrypa nicklesi Ulr. var. ..............

Jl. Cystodictya n. sp. .........................

J2. Glyptopora punctipora Ulrich. ..............

J3. Fenestella tenax Ulrich ................. ...

J4. Fenestella serratula Ulrich...... .... . ... .

J5. Fenestella elevatipora Ulr. var. .............

J6. Fenestella flexuosa Ulr. var. .............. .

J7. Fenestella cestriensis Ulr. var. ..............

J8. Polypora cestriensis Ulr. var. ......... . .

59. Polypora corticosa Ulr. var. ................

50. Septopora cestriensis Front. ............

51 . Septopora subquadrans Ulrich ..............

52. Archimedes meekanus Hall. ................

53. Sphragiopora parasitica Ulr. ................

54. Rhipidomella dubia Hall. .................

55. Orthotetes kaskaskiensis McChesney. ........

$6. Productus cestriensis Worthen. .............

57. Productus sp. 2 (near P. cora). ............

58. Productus sp. 3 (near P. punctatus). ........

59. Productus semireticulatus ? .................

lO. Pugnax "rosvenori Hall. ...................

Fredonia 

member.

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

X

v

X

X

X

X

v

X

X

Ohara 

member.

X

v

v

X

v

v

v

v

X

v

v

v

v

X

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

X

v

v

X

X

v

X

Spergen 

fauna.

«

»

V

X

v

v

X

St. Louis.

X

?

V

X

v

X

X

X

X

X

X

Tribune or 

Birdsville.

X

«

X

X

X

* X

?

«

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

«

X

X

X

X

« For figures of the new species named in this list see PI. V.
48 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS O¥ WESTERN KENTUCKY. 

Partial list of fossils occurring in the Ste. Genevieve limestone, etc. Continued.

Species.

43. Dielasma turgidum Hall. ...................

44 £sr\i i*i f PV npftp in^fpViPQppfiQ TTall

46. Spirifer bifurcatus Hall? (small, subquadrate 

form of S. leidyi?). . .....................

7O "Wo ti PfYTlQlQ QT1 1

Fredonia 

member.

V

v

X

v

X

X

V

V

V

V

X

V

V

V

V

V

v

X

v

v

v

v

v

V

V

v

v

v

V

47

Ohara 

member.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

v

X

X

X

X

X

43

Spergen 

fauna.

X

X

X

X

X

v

X

X

«

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

«

X

X

X

X

X

35

St. Louis.

X

X

X

X

X

X

17

Tribune or 

Birdsville.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

«

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

«

«

X

«

1

«

X

X

58

The writer does not contend that it is impossible or even undesirable to distinguish many of the Ste. Genevieve and Chester representatives of the Spergen 

fauna. In most cases where these forms reappear they are characterized by differ-
STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 49

ences which under close biologic and stratigraphic study it may be desirable to 

recognize by giving the mutations subordinate designations. The writer does 

maintain, however, that the forms thus reappearing are members of a single slowly 

modifying and largely pelagic fauna that existed continuously elsewhere and entered 

this epicontinental basin only when conditions were favorable. One of these 

conditions involved the deposition of oolitic limestones. Another probably was 

the subsidence or modification of barriers, allowing communication with seas more 

permanently'inhabited by the invading fauna.

When the 35 species of the Spergen fauna are eliminated from the above list, 

it will be seen that the remaining species show close affinities with later Chester 

faunas, especially the Tribune limestone fauna. This relationship is particularly 

evident in the Ohara member, but is also well expressed in the Fredonia member, 

and is strong indeed when the Spergen fauna is included in the comparison. The 

strong Chester element in the Ste. Genevieve fauna, coupled with the fact that this 

formation and the overlying Cypress sandstone were the first deposits following the 

great restriction of the preceding St. Louis sea, has induced the writer to extend 

the lower limit of the Chester group to the base of the Ste. Genevieve.

As originally defined and used by Worthen and Engelmann in southern Illinois a 

the Chester group included the Rosiclare sandstone and Ohara limestone members 

of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, but the lower or Fredonia member was referred to 

the St. Louis. Their reasons for placing the lower member of the Ste. Genevieve 

with the underlying formation, in which they were followed in Kentucky by Norwood, b is not now apparent, unless they regarded the "Spergen Hill" fauna in it as 

evidence that it belonged to the great body of limestone of which the St. Louis is 

the upper division. Upon reading over their descriptions of the Mississippian 

limestones occurring beneath the Rosiclare sandstone in southern Illinois it becomes 

evident that Worthen and Engelmann had but an imperfect conception of the stratigraphic relations of the various formations into which the limestones are divisible. 

Of unconformities between them they knew nothing, nor do they seem to have had 

knowledge of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, described several years before in Missouri 

by Shumard. When both these facts are known, as well as the no less important 

fact that the Spergen Hill fauna reappears not only in the Ste. Genevieve but again 

in the Tribune limestone, the resulting classification of the Mississippian series 

becomes simpler, more strictly coordinate in its subdivisions, and more natural.

As a final result of the analysis of the above list we have a few species remaining 

that may be considered as strictly characteristic of the formation (see Pis. V and VI). 

The five corals found in the lower member have been already mentioned. Another, 

Amplexus geniculatus, seems to be equally characteristic of the main shaly bed of

« Geol. Survey Illinois, vol. 1, 1866, p. 356. ft Geol. Survey Kentucky, n. ser., vol. 1, 1876, pp. 362-366. 

10696 No. 36 05 4
50 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

the Ohara member. This horizon (bed 5 of sections discussed on preceding pages) 

is extremely fossiliferous; but its fauna consists chiefly of Brachiopoda and Bryozoa, 

and seems-entirely devoid of Mollusca. The characteristic pentremite of the formation (PL VI, fig. 18) a form apparently too near P. florealis to be distinguished from 

it is abundant in both the Fredonia and Ohara members. One of the commonest 

fossils of the oolitic limestones of the formation and one that for this region at 

least is highly characteristic of it is the crinoid identified provisionally with Troost's 

Platycrinus Jiuntsvillse. Its basal plates form a shallow cup, one-half inch or less in 

diameter, marked on the outer side with three radially arranged prominent keels 

or ribs, and generally with intermediate granulations and striations. Its column 

is flattened and twisted, and the dismembered segments elliptical in outline and 

spiniferous (PL VI, fig. 27).

Distribution of Ste. Genevieve limestone. The largest outcrops of this limestone 

in the district occur in the southeastern half of Caldwell County. Of these the one 

farthest south extends northward from Christian and Trigg counties to McGowan 

station, on the Hopkinsville branch of the Illinois Central Railway. Its western 

outline is generalized on the map, exposures of the rock being infrequent in that 

direction and no satisfactory contact with the underlying St. Louis limestone, 

which occupies the country west of it, having been seen at any point. In drawing 

the line dependence was placed chiefly upon the relative abundance and the character 

of the chert found in the residual mantle. The soil of the Ste. Genevieve, besides 

having less chert, is also of a darker shade of red than that resulting from the decay 

of the St. Louis limestone. The eastern outline is defined by the normal contact 

with the overlying Cypress sandstone, which caps the first hills of the higher country 

lying to the east of the area.

Between this and the second large area are two small, fault-bounded areas, 

the first a very narrow, triangular strip, extending a mile and a half westward from 

McGowan, the second a block of rhombic shape lying just south of Eddy Creek.

The second large area in Caldwell County is triangular in outline, with Saratoga, 

in the adjoining edge of Lyon County, at its apex, and the town of Princeton near 

the middle of the wide northeast side. The latter boundary is irregular and formed 

by contact with the Cypress sandstone on the slopes of the hills east of Princeton. 

Near the town there are also several small outliers of that sandstone. The southern 

boundary is formed by the Eddy Creek fault, the northwestern one by the Saratoga 

fault, and the northern side by the Princeton fault. A narrow, faulted triangle 

j oins this large area on the north and forms the southeast slope of the Chester sandstone hill 2 miles west of Princeton.

The third large area in this county includes the village and valley of Fredonia 

in its northwestern part, and Crider in its southern part. From Crider it sends an
STE. GENEVIEVE LIMESTONE. 51

arm northeastward among the Cypress sandstone hills to one of the upper branches 

of Dollarson Creek, where it is cut off by the Stone fault. Between this fault 

and the Fredonia fault, which forms the northern boundary of the quadrilateral 

area, a considerable remnant of Cypress sandstone is included. The Skin Frame 

fault limits the area on the south, while the Livingston fault forms the western 

boundary.

In Crittenden and Livingston counties there are but four large outcrops of Ste. 

Genevieve limestone that are distinguished from the surrounding country by topographic and agricultural features comparable to those marking the large Ste. Genevieve areas of Caldwell County. Except where erosion has not removed the whole 

of the overlying Cypress sandstone these areas are all bounded by faults. The 

largest forms the well-known Salem Valley, which extends southwest of that village 

to the bend of Sandy Creek.. Northeastward from Salem the valley expands to a 

width of 4 miles; but beyond New Salem Church the Ste. Genevieve, which thenceforth exposes little more than the upper or Ohara member, forms the floor of a comparatively narrow, meandering valley that continues to the Marion and Lola road. 

Beyond this road the expanding region lying between the Columbia and Stevens 

faults, as far as the Marion and Fords Ferry road, continues to expose Ste. Genevieve 

limestone areas, most of which are clearly the result of underground drainage and 

subsequent breaking in of caverns. Bethel Church is located near the center of 

the largest and geologically most excavated of these areas. Sink holes are very common here, especially along fracture lines and where the cover of Cypress sandstone is 

thin.

A similar but agriculturally more important Ste. Genevieve area is in the View or 

Clements Valley, beginning about 5 miles south of Marion. Except on its northern 

side it is entirely bounded by faults, the Crittenden fault on the south side separating 

the Ste. Genevieve limestone from the Birdsville formation, while on the northwest 

side the Hodge and a probably unimportant north-south fault divide it from St. 

Louis limestone outcrops.

Another important Ste. Genevieve area occurs in Livingston County just south 

of the Salem Valley. It is of triangular shape and lies between the converging 

southwestern extensions of the Columbia and Marion faults.

The Lola and Deer Creek valleys embrace the last of the Ste. Genevieve limestone areas that have considerable agricultural importance. This area lies between 

the Deer Creek fault, which divides it from the St. Louis limestone of the region 

to the east, and another nearly parallel fault a mile or more to the west that generally brings the lower part of the Birdsville formation to the level of the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone. The southern part of the valley exposes the Fredonia member of the formation. This, as usual, forms a nearly level country, but the northern
52 ' LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

extensions consist mainly of small, irregular valleys and limestone slopes, riddled 

with sink holes, in the rather rough country formed by the remnants of Cypress 

sandstone.

Ste. Genevieve limestone forms the base of the Ohio River bluff below the 

mouth of Deer Creek. This, probably, is part of the Princeton area that is exposed 

in the bluff on the north side of the river above and below Rosiclare, 111.

A large but straggling and rough exposure of Ste. Genevieve limestone occurs 

near the mouth of the Cumberland River. It extends about 4 miles up Bissels 

Creek, forms Bissels Bluff on the north side of the great bend of Cumberland River 

as far down as the Royal mine on the Latrobe fault, and then turns northward 

again from that fault up Cypress Creek to Dyers Hill Church. The latter part is 

a triangle bounded by faults on the east and northwest and by the alluvial bottom 

on the southwest. The northern boundary of the remainder of the area is formed 

by normal contact with the Cypress sandstone. The southeastern boundary is 

formed by the Latrobe fault.

Finally, there seems to be a triangular, fault-bounded Ste. Genevieve outcrop 

about 2 miles south of Smithland. This area was so identified by the writer in 

1890, but, on account of lack of time, the identifications could not be verified in 

the course of the more recent investigations.

The floors of nearly all of these Ste. Genevieve limestone valleys are formed 

by the Fredonia oolitic member. The Ohara member in these cases occurs in the 

slopes of the hills and escarpments bounding the valleys, except on those sides of 

the areas that are limited by fault planes.

Derivation of name and synonymy. This limestone formation was named by 

B. F. Shumard from exposures about 2 miles south of Ste. Genevieve, Mo.rt These 

were recently visited by the writer and found to be of the same formation that he 

had named Princeton limestone.b In the vicinity of Ste. Genevieve the formation 

was found to rest unconformably upon typical St. Louis limestone. As will be 

remembered, the contact between these two formations was not observed in western 

Kentucky. The typical section at Ste. Genevieve is therefore important in adding 

discordance of stratification to the differences in lithologic and faunal characters 

previously relied upon to distinguish the two formations. The Ste. Genevieve 

limestone has been either ignored or overlooked by all writers of the geology of the 

Mississippi Valley except Shumard, who distinguished and named the formation, 

and Keyes/ who adopted the name and ranked the formation as the upper member 

or division of his St. Louis stage. The present writer refers the Ste. Genevieve to 

the Chester group, being impelled to this course chiefly by the strong Chester affili-

«Trans. St Louis Acad Sci., vol. 1, 1860, p. 406; Geol. Survey Missouri, Kept. 1855-1871, 1873, p. 293. 

»Geol. and Min, Res. Crittenden County, Kentucky: "Crittenden Press," Dec., 1890. Bull. IT. S. Geol. Survey No. 213, 

1903, p. 207.

c Geol. Survey Missouri, vol. 4, 1891, pp. 30, 76, Idem, vol. 6,1894, pt. ii, p. 390.
CYPRESS SANDSTONE. 53

ation of its fauna, and secondarily by the fact that the two upper members were 

included by Worthen and Engelmann in their definition of the group in southern 

Illinois. The lower member, as has been already stated, was referred to the St. 

Louis limestone by the last authors.

CYPRESS SANDSTONE.

Lithologic characters. In its usual development this formation consists of 

massive, generally fine to medium grained, rarely coarse, quartzose sandstone. 

Sometimes masses of it are soft and friable, but usually the grains are well 

cemented. Not infrequently portions are thin-bedded and slightly argillaceous, but 

these seem to occur chiefly, if not solely, in the upper member, the lower one, so far 

as observed, being apparently always massive. Occasionally a large part of the 

upper member is flaggy, and in such cases cross-bedding is common. The sandstone varies in color, but, being as a rule somewhat ferruginous, is commonly of 

a light brown. Sometimes, however, it is nearly white or colorless, and in such 

cases is composed almost entirely of quartz.

In the most complete development of the formation it is divisible into three 

members or beds. Of these the upper one is always present in this district, but 

in areas where the Ohara member of the underlying Ste. Genevieve limestone is 

incompletely developed (see p. 44) one or both of the lower beds may be absent. 

The middle bed lies from 60 to 80 feet or more beneath the top of the formation. 

It is a highly fossiliferous, cherty, blue, fine-grained limestone, rarely more than 

4 or 5 feet thick. Sometimes, even where the thickness of the formation indicates 

that its horizon is present, the limestone is either absent or so thin that it may be 

overlooked. In natural outcrops its horizon may generally be recognized by the 

rather small chert fragments commonly not over an inch or two in diameter 

in the red clayey soil that results from its decomposition, and contrasts very well 

with the friable brown sandy soils derived from the sandstone on either side of it. 

This bed has been observed at a number of points in Caldwell and Crittenden 

counties, and also near Rosiclare and Shetlerville in Hardin County, 111. Perhaps 

the most accessible of the localities where it may be seen and its fossils collected 

is in the hills a mile or so northeast of View. Here it occurs usually less than 10 

feet above the top of the Ste. Genevieve limestone.

The lower sandstone bed may be, as already stated, absent altogether. At its 

maximum it probably does not exceed 50 feet in thickness, and when the thin limestone bed above it is absent or can not be located it may not be possible to distinguish it from the upper bed.

Topography. The Cypress sandstone nearly always forms rough and wooded 

country. It is especially rough when contiguous to fault lines, being, apparently, 

unusually susceptible to silicification. Where erosion has reduced its thickness to 30
54 LEAD, ZIISTO, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

feet or less the normal unevenness of its surface is likely to be increased by abundant 

sink holes that penetrate to underground drainage channels and caverns in the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone. Generally the surface is strewn with sandstone bowlders.

Paleontology. So far as known, the marine fossils of the Cypress formation are 

restricted to the thin bed of limestone that often intervenes between the lower and 

upper sandstone. As weathered out the fossils are always silicified and consist 

principally of Pentremites godoni, which, however, often occurs in great abundance. 

Among the associated fossils a small form of ZapTirentis spinulosa ranks next in 

abundance, while the calyces of a species of Talarocrinus and. the brachiopod 

Cleiofhyris sublamellosa are less frequently found. The absence- of Bryozoa and 

the rarity of Brachiopoda, particularly of Productus, constitute a striking peculiarity of the fauna of the bed. On the whole, however, both the fossils and their 

mode of occurrence remind one strongly of certain parts of the Tribune limestone, 

the formation next above.

Distribution. Where the sequence of the strata has not been disturbed by 

faulting the Cypress sandstone forms the capping of the hills inclosing the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone areas already described. It is well shown along the greater 

part of the eastern borders of the Ste. Genevieve areas in Caldwell County; also 

on the northern and eastern borders of the View or Clements Valley and on many 

of the hills surrounding or included in the Ste. Genevieve areas northeast of Salem. 

Again,it is found in characteristic development capping the first hills west of Deer 

Creek and also at the top of Bissels Bluff on the Cumberland River.

Nomenclature. The sandstone which is found in the Mississippi Valley immediately above and apparently always in association with the Ste. Genevieve limestone, and which is correlated with the Cypress sandstone of this district, was 

originally called the "Ferruginous sandstone" by Swallow and Shumard.rt In 

"1868 Henry Engelmann, who, as a member of the Illinois Geological Survey, had 

made extensive investigations of the Mississippian rocks in southern Illinois, proposed the name here adopted.5 The type locality is on Cypress Creek, in Johnson 

County, 111., where, according to Engelmann's description just cited and in his 

report on Johnson County/' it is of the usual character and has a thickness of 150 

feet or more (? 250 feet).

The publication of Engelmann's name for this sandstone in 1868 d seems to have 

been overlooked by later workers on the Mississippi section, so that one and probably 

two synonyms have crept into literature. Thus, in 1876, Norwood f applied the 

name "Big Clifty" sandstone to a formation in western Kentucky that, if it is not

a Geol. Survey Missouri, First and Second Ann. Repts., pt. 2, 1855, pp. 91, 174, 181, 193. 

&Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 2, p. 189. (Paper read Nov. 3, 1862.) 

cGeol. Survey Illinois, vol. 1, 1866,-pp. 383 and 397. 

dTrans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., vol. 2, p. 189. 

e Geol. Survey Kentucky, n. per., vol. 1, p. 369.
LIMESTONE.. . 55

strictly equivalent to the Cypress sandstone, at least agrees closely with it in lithologic character and seems to occupy the same stratigraphic position. In 1892 

Keyes," who overlooked not only the name proposed by Engelmann, but Norwood's 

designation as well, proposed ihe name "Aux Vases'' sandstone, to take the place 

of "Ferruginous sandstone." The type localities for the formations to which these 

three names first Cypress saijidstone, then Big Clifty sandstone, and finally Aux^ 

Vases sandstone were applied are all contained within an area less than 200 

miles across. They are, moreover, unquestionably in one and the same geologic 

basin and are practically identical in lithologic character. Finally, as the formations in each case were assigned to precisely the same stratigraphic position, i. e., 

next below the Kaskaskia limestone, there can be no reasonable doubt of their 

synonymy.

TEIBUNE LIMESTONE.

Lithologic characters. As developed in this region, the Tribune limestone consists of thin-bedded and heavier-bedded, generally light-gray, limestones, more or less 

abundantly interbedded with thin seams of calcareous, clayey shale and occasional 

thin beds of sandstone. The limestones vary in texture, some being fine grained, 

others slightly crystalline, while many layers vary from granocrystalline to distinctly oolitic. The proportion of shale varies in different exposures, being least 

near and north of the Ohio River and greatest along the southern and eastern parts 

of the border of the western Kentucky coal field. In the latter areas the proportion 

of shale to the whole mass of the formation is probably greater in the lower third 

than in the succeeding parts. Nearly everywhere, however, limestone is the 

predominating constituent of the formation. So far as observed in Caldwell County, 

none of the beds of shale exceeds 6 feet, or possibly 8 feet, in thickness. Both the 

limestones and shales are fossiliferous, and often highly so.

The Kentucky-Illinois district presents no complete section of this formation 

and, so far as known, no exposures from which a complete section can be constructed. On account of the general uniformity in lithologic and faunal character 

displayed in most of its parts by the formation and the extremely limited number 

and area of its outcrops, few positive data tending to show its total thickness could 

be procured. According to the evidence at hand, its maximum thickness in Caldwell County is probably not less than 100 feet. In Crittenden County it appears 

to be from 20 to 50 feet thicker and contains much less shale. Across the river, in 

Hardin County, 111., it appears to consist almost entirely of limestone, and here the 

thickness, as a rule, probably exceeds 150 feet. At the Fairview mine, near Rosiclare, the top of this limestone outcrops at the shaft and forms the east wall of 

the vein. No change from limestone to sandstone was observed in this wall from

a Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., vol. 3, p. 296.
56 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

the mouth of the shaft to the 200-foot level. It appears, therefore, that in this 

vicinity the Tribune formation may exceed even 200 feet in thickness.

Topography. Outcrops of the Tribune limestone are too infrequent in western 

Kentucky to exert much influence on the general topography of the country. In 

less disturbed regions the areas in which it is the surface rock are comparatively 

level strips, bordered, especially on the side of the Cypress sandstone, by rougher 

country. On the opposite side these strips run out into usually narrow valleys 

lying between hills that are composed of the more resistant arenaceous deposits 

of the succeeding Birdsville formation.

Paleontology. The fauna of the Tribune limestone embraces a large proportion 

of the species that are characteristic of the Chester group. With the exception 

of Spiriferina transversa, which has not been here observed in the Tribune limestone, 

all the species noted on pages 47 and 48 as common to the Ste. Genevieve limestone 

and later divisions of the Chester group occur in this formation. Some, perhaps 

many, of these reappearing 58 species, when subjected to a final study, will doubtless receive subordinate designations, but for present purposes their affinities are 

too apparent to justify a greater separation than is indicated by the use of the 

question mark. The majority of these reappearing species, again, are of the Spergen 

fauna. As in the Spergen and Ste. Genevieve formations, this mostly diminutive 

fauna occurs also in the Tribune limestone in oolitic strata.

In addition to these species of the Spergen fauna listed among the fossils of 

the Ste. Genevieve limestone (ante, pp. 47-48), the Tribune limestone of this 

district has afforded very slightly modified representatives of the following 

Gasteropoda of the same fauna, as described by Hall and Whitfield:

Bulimorpha bulimiformis. Pleurotomaria subglobosa. 

Bulimorpha elongata. Pleurotomaria meekana. 

Holopea proutana. Straparollus quadrivolvis. 

Eotrochus concavus. Straparollus planorbiformis. 

Murchisonia attenuata. Naticopsis carleyana. 

Murchisonia turritella.

The Gasteropoda and Pelecypoda of the Tribune fauna, which embrace also 

the more distinctive elements of the Spergen fauna, are almost entirely restricted 

to the oolitic limestones. The general aspect of the fossil contents of these, therefore, impresses the observer as quite different from what is ordinarily considered as a 

Chester fauna. In the shales and other limestones, particularly the former, these 

two classes of fossil shells are comparatively rare, the faunas of these being composed chiefly of bryozoans, brachiopods, corals, and echinoderms. Since the common 

and more characteristic fossils of the Chester group belong as a whole to the Echinodermata, it is evident that the age of the Chester shales and the nonoolitic calcareous
EXPLANATION OF PLATE VI.

BLASTOIDS AND CRINOIDS OF THE LIMESTONES OF THE ST. LOUIS, STE. GENEVIEVE, 

TRIBUNE, AND BIRDSVILLE FORMATIONS.

FIGS. 1-6. Pentremites conoideus Hall, Spergen and St. Louis limestones. Figs. 1-5, group of five specimens 

from shaly lower St. Louis beds, 4 miles northwest of Princeton, Ky.; fig. 6, original of fig. 3 magnified 3 

diameters.

FIGS. 7 and 8. Pentremites cavus n. sp. Lateral views of two specimens found with others in association 

with P. conoideus, Lithostrotion? proliferum and plates of Meloniies and Archseocidaris in lower St. Louis limestone, 4 miles northwest of Princeton, Ky. This species differs from its associate and nearest congener, P. 

conoideus, in its greater size, concave base, more depressed interambulacral areas and more rounded outline in a 

lateral view. In the surface sculpture of the plates and in the markings of the ambulacral areas, especially in 

the elevation of the median parts of the latter, the two species are essentially the same.

FIGS. 9-12. Views of four silicified specimens of Pentremites pyriformis Say, showing variations in form. 

Tribune limestone, 2 miles east of Scottsburg, Ky.

FIGS. 13-17. Mesoblastus glaber? Meek and Worthen. Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. 

Fig. 13, lateral view of a rather young example, magnified 3 times, showing coarse markings of upper part of 

interambulacral plates; fig. 14, lateral view of an old example, magnified 3 times, showing, among other 

features, the elevation of the posterior deltoid plate that incloses the outer side of the anal opening; figs. 15 and 

16, similarly magnified views of the two lower specimens shown in fig. 17; fig. 17, group of six specimens, of 

natural size, four showing variations in lateral views incident to age, and two mature examples, one showing 

the base, the other the summit. In part collected by Mr. F. J. Fobs, on Crooked Creek, less than 2 mijes 

northwest of Marion.

57
FIG. 18, a-}. In part Pentremites florealis Schlotheim. A series of specimens from the Ohara member of 

the Ste. Genevieve limestone; a, &, c, and /, from the vicinity of Crittenden Springs, in Crittenden County, 

Ky., d and / from Kosiclare, 111. This series illustrates the extreme range of variation observed in over 100 

examples from this formation and the tendency exhibited by a few examples, like e and /, to take on the peculiarities of P. godoni which, however, did not attain its typical form until later. By far the most of the Ste. 

Genevieve specimens agree better with P. florealis (Sch.) Hambach than with P. godoni. They constitute a 

species or variety (represented by figures 18 a, b, c, and d) that for the present may very well be referred to 

P. florealis, differing as they should from P. godoni in the relatively small size of the deltoids, the greater 

height of the base, and the very slight concavity of the interambulacral spaces.

FIG 19, a-d. Pentremites godoni De France, a and &, two silicified examples of the earlier form of this 

species, from the Tribune limestone, 2 miles east of Scottsburg, Ky.; c and d, two specimens of the typical 

form of the species from the Birdsville formation" in Meade County, Ky. In the earlier form, which occurs 

also in the Cypress sandstone, the ambulacral areas are more depressed than in the later and most typical 

variety of the species.

FIG. 20, a-c. Different views of three specimens of the ancylosed basal plates of Agassisocrinus coni^us

Owen and Shumard, from Sloans Valley, Ky. This is one of the most characteristic and abundant fossils

the Chester group above the Cypress sandstone.

FIGS. 21 and 22. Pterotocrinus capitalis Lyon, a common fossil of the Birdsville formation at Champs 

Hill and other localities in western Kentucky. Fig. 21, two of the five lobes that form the summit of ihe 

vault of this crinoid; fig. 22, anchylosed basal plates, showing cicatrix for the attachment of the column. 

While the "wings" or summit lobes of this and other species of Pterotocrinus are abundant enough, entire 

examples of these crinoids are very rare.

FIGS. 23 and 24. Lateral and top views of three of the spine-like "wings" of Pterotocrinus acutus Wetherl|>y. 

Birdsville formation, Sloans Valley, Ky.

FIGS. 25 and 26. Lateral views of two of the broad "wings" of Pterotocrinus depressus Lyon and Casseday. 

Birdsville formation, Sloans Valley, Ky.

FIG. 27, a-i. Six specimens of the basal ring of plates and three fragments of the twisted Column of the 

Ste. Genevieve limestone crinoid referred to in the text under the name of Platycrinus Jiuntsvillse. Fragments 

like these are very common in this formation, especially in the oolitic limestones of the Fredonia member.

58

of
U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER No. 35 PL. V»

10 11

i

13 12

14 15 16

18

e f

19

24

20

23

27

BLASTOIDS AND CRINOIDS OF THE LIMESTONES OF THE ST. LOUIS, 

ST. GENEVIEVE, TRIBUNE AND BIRDSVILLE FORMATIONS

TBIBIJNE LIMESTONE. 59

beds is generally apparent at a glance. Even in the case of the oolites, a brief 

search usually results in the discovery of species that clearly enough indicate the 

Tribune instead of the Ste. Gene vie ve or Spergen age of this third appearance of the 

Spergen fauna. Associated with the latter, most hand specimens of Tribune oolite 

will contain specimens of strictly middle and upper Chester species of Archimedes, 

like A. compactus, A. intermedius, A. proutanus, and A. sublaxus, or of Pentremites 

like P. pyriformis.

Aside -from the Spergen fauna, which is not known to occur in rocks younger 

than the Tribune, and which thus distinguishes this division from the overlying 

Birdsville formation, the rocks of this formation contain many species that pass 

over into the next formation and a much smaller number that seem to be confined 

to it. As to the last, however, since practically all of its bryozoans and brachiopods, and in a less degree, perhaps, of its corals and crinoids, range beyond its 

limits, it is no easy matter to compile even a brief list of species which shall contain nothing that is not strictly characteristic of the Tribune formation. Such a 

list, if prepared, would be made up principally of undetermined and undescribed 

species, and it is deemed inadvisable to attempt its compilation at this time.

The beds containing the Spergen fauna are, of course, readily distinguished 

from limestones of the succeeding formation of the group. Concerning the.beds 

of the Tribune in which this fauna is not present, even these are not so difficult 

to recognize as the foregoing paragraph may lead one to believe. In the first 

place, the fossils that pass on into the succeeding Birdsville formation are mostly 

rare and delicate as compared with their successors in the calcareous and shaly 

beds of the later formation. These fossils, of which Zaphrentis spinulifera, Pterotocrinus (summit wing plates), Polypora cestriensis, Spirifer increbescem, and 

Spiriferina spinosa are among the most important and conspicuous, are not, therefore, such predominant factors of the Tribune fauna as they become in the Birdsville formation. Next, these species are associated in the latter division of the 

group with many other fossils that do not occur in the Tribune, so that the general 

aspects of these two faunas are quite different. Finally, ordinary Chester shales 

and limestones interbedded or exposed in close stratigraphic association with 

oolitic limestone containing representations of the Spergen fauna can, according 

to the present state of our knowledge, be confidently regarded as members of the 

Tribune limestone.

Distribution. The Tribune limestone rarely comes to the surface in the region 

under discussion. Indeed, it has been certainly recognized at only six localities 

in the district and at only five points in the area covered by the maps accompanying this report. The first is in the vicinity of Tribune, a small post-office about 6

miles east of Marion; the second in and about, particularly

the Illinois Central Railway, about 2 miles east of Scottsburg. The third and persouth of, Lamb's cut, on
60 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEBN KENTUCKY.

*

haps best exposure occurs along the Princeton and Hopkinsville road, partly in 

Christian County and partly in Caldwell County. The fourth exposure occurs a 

mile or less east of Joy, in the northern part of Livingston County. The fifth is 

at the Fairview mine, near Rosiclare, 111., where a block of it outcrops and forms 

the foot wall of the vein for a short distance. A small sixth outcrop occurs in 

the bluff on the west side of Puckett Branch. There are three other outcrops of 

what may be this limestone, one occurring about midway between Marion and 

View, another lying between 1 and 2 miles north of Mount Zion Church, and the 

third, which is more likely to be Ste. Genevieve limestone, forming the southern 

wall of the Senator mine, near Princeton.

Nomenclature and correlation. This formation is named from Tribune, a 

small settlement and post-office 6 or 7 miles east of Marion, where the most satisfactory exposures of this limestone seen in the district occur. The formation is 

shown in bluffs a short distance east of the post-office, and outcrops along the 

Marion road on the slope of the hill a mile west.

The Tribune limestone is the main and more persistent lower body of limestone contained in the typical Kaskaskia division of the Chester group. In the 

remaining part of the Kaskaskia, here distinguished as the Birdsville formation, 

there are several beds of limestone intercalated between generally much heavier 

beds of sandstone and shale. As a rule the Birdsville limestones are thin, shaly, 

irregularly developed, and unimportant as compared with the Tribune limestone.

In the Mississippi and lower Ohio valleys the two divisions of the Kaskaskia 

Tribune and Birdsville are readily distinguished, but the lower formation is 

much more limited in its geographic distribution. It is absent, beneath the overlapping Birdsville, in the northern part of the Chester area and on the east side 

of the Indiana-Kentucky coal field. The horizon is present in the southern Appalachian region, but on account of the unusually calcareous nature of the beds 

corresponding to the Birdsville formation the twofold division of the Kaskaskia 

here made is not practicable there. As mapped in publications of the United 

States Geological Survey, the Kaskaskia, together with the St. Louis and probably the Spergen limestone, is there embraced in the Bangor limestone.

BIRDSVILLE FORMATION.

Lithologic characters. This is an extremely variable series of sandstones, 

shales, and limestones. As a rule, the sandstones, which vary from nearly pure 

quartzites to highly argillaceous or calcareous sandstones, constitute fully onehalf of the total thickness, while the shales and limestones make up about equal 

parts of the remaining half. The limestones vary in color from various shades 

of gray to light or darker blues, in texture from subcrystalline to fine-grained 

and more or less earthy types, and in structure from thin plates in shales to massive 

beds several feet thick. The shales are commonly arenaceous and then quite
BIKDSVILLE FOBMATION. 61

unfossiliferous, but in other cases, confined almost entirely, however, to the upper 

half, they are calcareous and contain an abundance of fossils. More rarely a bed 

or two of shale may be encountered that is highly argillaceous and perhaps bituminous, the color in one case being almost black. The color of the shales varies 

from light green to various shales of yellow, purple, or gray.

Generalized section. An idea of the lithologic composition and succession of 

the beds included in the Birdsville formation may perhaps best be gained through 

a descriptive section. The following section is compiled from many more or less 

complete exposures observed in Caldwell, Crittenden, and Livingston counties. 

In using this section the reader should bear in mind that the lithology and thickness of the beds varies so greatly and so rapidly that no two exposures more than 

a mile or two apart will agree sufficiently to permit satisfactory correlations. Sandstones are liable to replace shales, or they may be interpolated in, or eve.n replace, 

the thinner limestone beds with disconcerting frequency. 

Generalized section of the Birdsville formation in western Kentucky between Tradewater River and the mouth of

Cumberland River.

[Mansfield sandstone of late Pottsville age at top.]

Feet.

12. Cherty limestone, chert in thick plates................................................... 0- 20

11. Arenaceous shales or shaly sandstones, occasionally containing Pelecypoda and fucoids.......... 0-60

10. Hard, heavy-bedded, mostly dark-gray or blue limestone, with a smaller proportion of light-blue 

or drab limestone. Contains large forms of Bellerophon, Nautilus, Seminula subquadrata, Spirifer increbescens and an unusually large, undescribed species of Archimedes................... 0-30

9. Yellowish, green, and purple calcareous clay shales, with generally thin, highly fossiliferous limestone plates................................................... f ..................... 0-15

8. Dark-gray, greenish, or purple, unfossiliferous, soft shale .................................. 10- 30

7. Sandstone, sometimes nearly white...................................................... 30- 60

6. Gray fossiliferous limestone, often highly argillaceous, with thin interbedded seams of clay shale.. 36- 50 

5. Sandstone, usually absent............................................................... 0-15

4. Mostly thin, highly fossiliferous limestone, interbedded with green and blue, clay shales.......... 40- 50

3. Variegated shales, with purple and green colors predominating; occasionally soft and friable and 

slightly phosphatic ("Litchfield marls "), at other points harder and more or less arenaceous. 

Apparently quite unfossiliferous, about................................................ 50

2. Contains some sandstone, often calcareous, and more yellow to blue shales, interbedded with from 

a few to many layers of earthy and compact and subcrystalline limestone, with sometimes a layer 

or two highly ferruginous; includes occasionally also a thin seam of coal. The calcareous layers 

are always fossiliferous. This is the main horizon for Pentremites sulcatus and for the other 

species of this genus figured on PI. VII; also for species of Pterotocrinus (PI. VI).............. 75-100

1. Mostly shaly and generally thin and even-bedded, occasionally flaggy, sandstones, all unfossiliferous except a calcareo-ferruginous, thin-bedded sandstone near the base, which is sometimes 

crowded with fossil remains. Among these Archimedes confertus n. sp. (PI. IV) is highly 

characteristic and perhaps the most abundant and striking. Toward the southeastern edge 

of the district some of the sandstones are nearly pure and more massive, and contain a small 

amount of asphaltum ("tar sandstone") .............................................. 150-200

Total thickness of Birdsville formation.............................................. 400-680
62 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Largely on account of its greater thickness, but also because of its more homogeneous composition, bed 1 of the above section outcrops over a greater area than 

any other two beds of the formation. It occurs over most of the area traversed 

by the Marion and Fredonia road, its middle and upper parts being well exposed 

just north of the Fredonia fault At Crayneville it is the upper part; likewise west 

of Marion, along the road to Crittenden Springs. East of Marion, along the road 

to the Tribune limestone outcrop, most of the exposures seem to be of the lower 

part. Good exposures occur in several railroad cuts about 2 miles west of Claxton, 

where the rocks dip rather steeply and are repeated by step-faulting. The heavybedded and somewhat asphaltic sandstone phase may be seen in the southwest 

angle of Caldwell County, between Curry and the Princeton and Hopkinsville road. 

Large areas of bed 1 occur also in Livingston County, particularly at and north 

of Hampton.

Bed 2 was observed at many points within the district. Among the most 

accessible localities are the bluff at Birdsville, where it is well shown; on Champion 

Hill, 4 miles west of Salem; in the railroad cut at Marion, where the lower beds 

are exposed; on the east slope of Pickering Hill, in Crittenden County; at Carrsville and Smithland, in Livingston County, and in the hill just north of Golconda, 

in Pope County, 111.

The ten beds above these are much less frequently seen. Most of them are 

unimportant, and the four at the top may be wanting entirely. Beds 3 to 10 and 

a part of 11 were noted in a number of fairly good exposures lying to the west and 

south of Claxton. Beds 4 and 6 are well exposed in a bluff about 2 miles southeast 

of Birdsville, on the road to Smithland. Bed 10 is easily recognized. It was formerly quarried at Claxton, in Caldwell County, and at Giles quarry, near Gladstone, 

in Crittenden County, and outcrops a few feet beneath the Mansfield sandstone on 

the Marion road, about 2 miles east of Sheridan. It occurs in most sections that 

contain the upper beds of the formation, but the upper part of bed 11 and all of 

bed 12 are perhaps as often absent as present. Bed 11 is well developed northeast 

of Creswell, in Caldwell County. Bed 12, with its often heavy layers of flinty chert, 

when present, is always a conspicuous stratum. It is well developed in the southern 

end of the Mansfield sandstone ridge, in the northwestern part of Livingston County, 

and frequently caps the highlands 2 miles west of Salem and at other localities along 

Sandy Creek to Cedar Grove Church. It usually forms the top of the formation in 

the northern part of Caldwell County and the eastern part of Crittenden County, 

and it has been observed also in Hardin and Pope counties on the north side of 

the Ohio.

Topography. Where the lowest bed of the Birdsville formation is the surface 

rock the topography is generally not very hilly and sometimes the undulations are
BIBDSVILLE FOEMATION. 68

very moderate. Near the western border of the Coal Measures and the isolated 

knobs and ridges capped by the Mansfield sandstone the country becomes much 

rougher. This change is due, first, to the rapid variation in lithologic character 

exhibited by the beds and their unequal resistance to erosive agencies; and, second, 

to the protection against removal afforded to the highlands by the overlying Mansfield sandstone and the consequent steepness of the declivities.

- Paleontology. The fauna of the Birdsville formation is the one that, in consequence of its abundance at the typical and long-studied localities along the Mississippi River, has gradually become the type of the Chester or Kaskaskia fauna. 

Though distinguishable faunas occur in the earlier divisions of the Chester group^, 

it is after all but right that the Birdsville fauna should stand as the most typical. a 

The genera and species that most prominently characterize the Chester fauna as 

a whole are not only all present in the Birdsville, but most of them occur here in 

better development and greater abundance than before. Besides, many species, 

constituting a great host, are met here for the first time. The writer has collected 

over 150 species.from horizons of the Birdsville in western Kentucky. About 

two-thirds of this number occur, so far as known, only in this formation. As a 

full list of the fossils would be essentially the Chester fauna of literature, it is 

unnecessary to give it here. However, with a view to assist in discriminating 

between different parts of the formation a few of the more characteristic species 

of each part may be mentioned.

Aside from an occasional mold of a land plant, bed 1 of the section on page 

61 is practically unfossiliferous. Still, fossils may occur sometimes, as in the 

vicinity of Scottsburg, where a few, thin, slightly calcareous strata near the base 

of the bed are crowded with organic remains. Most of these are of ordinary Chester 

fossils, but among them, and abundant, is the well-marked Archimedes confertus 

Ulrich. (See PL IV.) This species holds about the same horizon in Randolph 

County, 111., and elsewhere. Bed 2 contains most of the peculiar Chester crinoids, 

particularly Pterotocrinus, of which the summit processes or "wings" of several 

species are common. (See PI. VI.) Also the large Pentremites obesus Lyon, and 

another almost equaling it in size, for which the new name Pentremites fohsi is 

proposed. (See PI. VII.) This is, furthermore, the principal horizon for Archimedes, at least five species (A. 'swallovanus, A. intermedius, A. terebriformis, A. 

lativolvis, and A. proutanus) being restricted to it, and for Lyropom, Meekopora, 

Prismopora serrulata, and many other Bryozoa. Finally, a considerable number 

of undescribed Pelecypoda are found only in this bed. These occur mainly in 

shales toward the base of the bed.

a When full lists of the faunas of the Ste. Genevieve and Tribune formations are compared with the Birdsville fauna, 

apparently a wide difference is observed; but when this difference is analyzed it proves to consist mainly of the Spergen 

fauna, which is present in the two earlier formations and so far absent in the Birdsville. If that periodically invading 

fauna be disregarded, the aspect of the remainder in both the Ste. Genevieve and Tribune is eminently " Chester."
EXPLANATION OF PLATE VII.

PENTREMITES OF THE BIRDSVILLE FORMATION.

FIGS. 1-4. Pentremites obesus Lyon. Fig. 1. Lateral view of a fine example of this species which, like 

most of the specimens seen from western Kentucky, differs from Lyon's figured type of P. obesus in being 

proportionately narrower and in having longer basal plates; fig. 2, lateral view of another and shorter specimen in which the lower part is constricted so as to cause it to appear somewhat pedunculate; fig. 3, summit 

view of a third specimen which, except that the basal plates are wanting, is in a better state of preservation than usual; fig. 4, portion of one of the ambulacral areas of another example, magnified 3 diameters.

In this species the ambulacral areas are strongly biconvex in transverse section, the median groove 

being rather deeply depressed. The specimens figured were collected by Mr. F. J. Fobs in Crittenden 

County and presented to the writer for illustration.

FIGS. 5-9. Pentremites fohsi n. sp. Figs. 5 and 6, summit and basal views of an adult example, in 

which the base is somewhat weathered and shows besides the usual three sutures faint evidence of two 

additional sutures across the two large basals; fig. 7, lateral view of the largest and in some respects the 

best-preserved example seen, regarded as the type of the species, which, with the preceding specimen, was 

found near the "Belleville Spring," about 8 miles northwest of Princeton, Ky.; fig. 8, summit view of 

another specimen collected in the railroad cut near Marion by Mr. F. J. Fobs, after whom the species is 

named; fig. 9, upper part of one of the ambulacra! areas of figure 7, magnified 3 times.

P. fohsi seems to be related to P. chesterensis Hambach, but is a larger species and has a longer and more 

conical base. The side plates or "poral pieces" also appear to be narrower, 27 to 29 of these occurring in 

10 mm., whereas Hambach's species is said to have only about 24 in this space ("6 to 0.1 of an inch"). The 

features relied on in distinguishing P. fohsi from all of the large species of the genus lie, first, in the general 

form; second, in the flatness of the interambulacral spaces; and, third, in the depth of the central part of the 

ambulacral areas coupled with the very slight convexity of the slopes on either side between the median 

and marginal grooves.

FIGS. 10 and 11. Pentremites fohsi var. marionensis n. var. Summit and lateral views of an unique and 

finely-preserved example found by Mr. Fobs in the railroad cut near Marion, Ky. The basal part is more 

depressed and the interambulacral spaces less flat than in the typical form of the species. In both of these 

respects the variety is nearer P. chesterensis Hambach, but judging from the figure and description of the 

latter in Volume IV of the Transactions of the St. Louis Academy, this specimen can not belong to P. chesterensis, since it has about 30 side plates in 10 mm. and relatively wider ambulacral areas.

FIGS. 12-14. Pentremites pyramidatus n. sp. Fig. 12, a specimen of medium size, imperfect at the 

summit but showing the pentangular pyramidal form of the base and the convex ambulacral areas which 

together characterize the species; fig. 13, a smaller but more complete example, differing from figure 12, like 

all other young specimens of the species, in being proportionately narrower; fig. 14, portion of an excellently 

preserved ambulacral area, magnified 3 times. This figure is taken from an incomplete specimen that 

originally exceeded fig. 12 in size. As shown in this and the other specimens referred to this species, the 

ambulacral areas are convex and constructed very much as in P. conoideus. The affinities of P. pyramidatus, 

therefore, are believed to lie with that species and its allies rather than with the group typified by P. obesus 

or with the other group of which P. fohsi is a good example. Much of the uncertainty prevailing among 

paleontologists endeavoring to identify species of Pentremites is due to the fact that in describing and classifying the species authors have paid more attention to the comparatively unimportant variations in the 

general form of the theca than to the more constant structural features displayed on the surface of the 

ambulacral areas.

64
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER No. 36 PL. VII

BIEDSVILLE FOBMATION. 65

Beds 4, 6, and 9 contain a good and abundant Chester fauna, that is distinguished'from the fauna immediately preceding it chiefly by the absence of its more 

striking elements. It consists almost entirely of Bryozoa and Brachiopoda, the 

other classes being much less conspicuous than in bed 2.

Bed 10 contains a number of peculiar fossils, but, unlike those found in the 

other beds, they are so firmly embedded in hard limestone that it is always difficult 

to procure good specimens.

Distribution. The Birdsville formation is exposed over nearly one-third of 

the combined area of the three counties of Caldwell, Crittenden, and Livingston. 

In Caldwell its upper limit is usually defined by normal contact with the overlying 

Mansfield sandstone. This is true also in the outliers of the sandstone. As represented on the map this boundary is everywhere more or less generalized, as is also 

the undisturbed contact with the underlying Tribune limestone. With the poor 

maps and short time at disposal it was impossible to delineate details. Where 

the boundary is marked by a fault the mapping, it is believed, is a nearer approximation to the truth.

The second largest area occupies the greater part of Livingston County north 

of the Cumberland River. The largest continuous outcrop embraces nearly a third 

of the area of Crittenden County and extends southeastward into Caldwell. On 

the northeast side it is bounded mainly by the Tradewater fault; on the west by 

the Columbia, Stevens, and several other shorter faults; on the south by the Tabb, 

Fredpnia, Stone, and Bodard faults. The irregular area in the southwestern part 

of Caldwell, containing Scottsburg, Curry, McGowan, and Friendship, probably is 

bounded on all sides by faults. There are numerous smaller areas and projections 

from the larger ones, all inclosed by fault planes. Smithland is located on one, 

Vicksburg on another, a third occurs at the convergences of the Woods and Crittenden faults, while a fourth forms the sandstone hill west of Princeton

Nomenclature and correlation. This formation is named from the village of 

Birdsville, situated on the Ohio River, in the western part of Livingston County. 

The middle beds of the formation are well displayed in the bluffs at this locality, 

while higher beols, and possibly the top, may be seen in the bluffs along the first 4 

miles of the road to Smithland.

The Birdsville comprises the more arenaceous and shaly upper and greater 

part of the Kaskaskia division of the Chester group. This portion of the group is 

present wherever the Chester is represented. It overlaps all the preceding formations of the Chester, so that as a rule it forms the outer border of areas exposing 

rocks of this group. Consequently the geographic distribution of the Birdsville 

is greater than that of the underlying Tribune, Cypress, and Ste. Genevieve formations, and corresponds in extent with that of the Chester group as a whole. 

10696 No. 36 05 5
66 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

The exact equivalent of the Birdsville in Indiana has recently been named 

the Huron formation, « but as this name has been twice preoccupied b it can not be 

used in the sense proposed by Ashley. Under the circumstances a new name for 

the formation was required. Birdsville, the name here proposed, should hereafter 

be substituted in Indiana for Ashley's Huron.

GROUP.

MANSFIELD SANDSTONE.

Lithologic characters. This formation consists of a variable series of sandstones, conglomerates, and shales. In some places, as in the vicinity of Claxton, 

it consists, apparently, of only a single bed, generally forming bluffs 50 to over 100 

feet in height, of more or less coarse, yellow or brown sandstone, in which irregular 

bands containing quartz pebbles stand out conspicuously in weathering. This 

sandstone constitutes the chief member of the formation in this area, but farther 

inward from the edge of the coal basin, and also in some of the outliers, other beds 

referable to the same formation come in over it. At or near the top of the main 

sandstone a ferruginous layer has been frequently observed, but it seems never 

to contain sufficient iron to justify its being called an ore.

Occasionally a bed of shale, including a thin, pockety bed of coal and a band 

of highly ferruginous lenticular masses, occurs beneath the main sandstone. This 

lowest bed may be seen about 1 mile north of Flat Rock Church, in the northwestern part of Caldwell County, where the coal was mined many years ago to 

supply a local demand. Here the bed has a maximum thickness of nearly 35 feet, 

with about 10 feet of shaly sandstone, containing specks of carbonaceous matter 

at the base and resting on the eroded top of a late limestone of the Birdsville formation. The remainder of the bed consists of soft, greenish to dark-gray, argillaceous 

shale, with coal and ferruginous beds in the lower part. The same bed of coal 

apparently is worked occasionally even now about 4 miles north of Princeton.

Above the coarse-grained main sandstone one, or more rarely two, distinguishable beds that are referred to the Mansfield sandstone have been observed. In 

Hardins Knob, an outlier in the western part of Crittenden County, the coarse 

sandstone has a thickness of about 135 feet. Above this, to the top of the knob, 

come 110 feet of, first, finer-grained conglomeratic and quartzose sandstone filled 

with plant remains, and then very fine-grained sandstone or quartzites. Some of 

the latter doubtless would furnish a fair quality of whetstone. In other sections, 

as in the vicinity of Enon and Ruth, in Caldwell County, and along the eastern 

border of Crittenden County, this bed is somewhat shaly and the sandstone layers

a Ashley, Twenty-seventh Ann. Kept. Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res. Indiana, 1902, pp. 71-77.

&Logan, W. E., Huron formation: Am. Jour. Sci., 2d ser., vol. 14, 1852, pp. 224-229. Winchell, Alexander, Huron 

group: Geol. Surrey Michigan, First Bien. Kept. Prog., 1861, pp. 71, 139.
MANSFIELD SANDSTONE. 67

are thin and uneven and in parts nodular. As a rule it contains impressions of 

Lepidodendron and other land plants in abundance. The bed of coal included in 

it in the northeastern part of Crittenden County seems to be, considering the 

horizon, unusually persistent in thickness and character.

The coal bed that was worked for many years at several points west of Carrsville, notably at the old Union or Trabue mines, also appears to be included in 

this bed. Here, however, there is another conglomerate above the coal. The 

coal occurs in argillaceous shale immediately beneath the "slabby" whetstone 

sandstone. Here, beneath the lower conglomerate, which is the bed that is generally distributed through the district, there is sometimes, as at Flat Rock Church, 

in Caldwell, a variable bed of shales with coal streaks, and beneath this a thinbedded sandstone resting unconformably upon upper Birdsville limestone. The 

upper conglomerate varies in a short distance from a few feet to about 50 feet in 

thickness, the increase in volume being westward from Carrsville. The lower 

conglomerate, on the contrary, decreases in that direction. As the bed between 

the two conglomerates observed in the northwestern part of Livingston County 

is much thinner than the fine-grained sandstone described as forming the top of 

Hardins Knob, it is regarded as probable that the upper conglomerate at Carrsville is merely a coarse local facies of its upper part. Whether this belief proves 

true or not, it can not be denied that the beds of the Mansfield are extremely 

variable in thickness and to a great extent in lithologic character. The deposits 

evidently vary according to local conditions, and much detailed work will be 

required to correlate them satisfactorily with presumably contemporaneous beds in 

Indiana, or even from point to point within the area under consideration.

According to the evidence now available it appears probable that the lower 

conglomerate is approximately the same bed that Kindle," in a section of the 

Mansfield and Kaskaskia formations in Orange County, Ind., designates by the 

number 6, and to which he gives a thickness of 100 feet. Above this bed his section distinguishes (7) a bed of coal 14 inches thick; (8) the Hindostan whetstone, 

20 feet; (9) coarse sandstone, 35 feet; (10) coal, 1 foot; and (11) coarse sandstone, 14 feet. The lower of the two coals i. e., bed 7 may be correlated with 

the bed of coal often found above the lower conglomerate in this district, and 

the whetstone probably occupies nearly the same horizon in both areas. The 

sandstone above the whetstone in Kindle's section may then represent the upper 

conglomerate at Carrsville. Further, if the coal of Kindle's bed 7 is, as there 

seems little reason to doubt, the equivalent of Ashley's coal I,* which he describes 

as at or near the base of the Mansfield in the area north of Orange County, then 

it would appear that the lower conglomerate wedges out by overlap northward

n Twentieth Ann. Kept. Indiana Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res., p. 346, 1896. 

b Twenty-thkd Ann. Kept. Indiana Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res., 1899.
68 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

in Indiana, where deposits are preserved that were laid down nearer shore than 

were those found in the more eroded area along the Ohio River. It is to be understood that the overlap referred to is here eastward rather than northward.

When the quartz pebbles are wanting the heavy-bedded Mansfield sandstone 

looks much like the Cypress sandstone. The thin-bedded sandstones of the. Mansfield, however, resemble much more closely certain sandstones of the Birdsville 

formation, particularly one near the top and another at the base of that formation. In the faulted condition of the district it sometimes happens that sandstone 

outcrops occur whose stratigraphic position is not indicated by their relations to 

some more easily recognized bed, but must be determined solely by the lithologic 

peculiarities of the outcrops in question. It is therefore probably worth while 

to point out the criteria here chiefly relied on to discriminate between Mansfield 

and Chester sandstones. The most important of these is the universal presence 

of small flakes of muscovite mica in the Mansfield sandstones and the comparative rarity and generally entire absence of mica in both the Cypress and Birdsville sandstones. Mica flakes have been 'observed in the upper sandstones of the 

Birdsville formation, but in no case that comes to mind at this moment was its 

presence noted in any of the lower sandstones. Carbonaceous specks also are 

rare in the Birdsville arid rather common in the Mansfield.

The discovery in a massive sandstone of even a few small quartz pebbles was 

accepted as positive evidence that it is Mansfield and not Cypress or some other 

Chester sandstone. Where the beds were thin and shaly the presence of plant 

remains in considerable quantity was regarded as equally conclusive evidence in 

favor of Mansfield. Where these could not be found, the mica test was supplemented by the fact that whereas the surface of the thin-bedded Birdsville sandstones 

is nearly always even, it is commonly hummocky or nodular in the Mansfield.

Topography. Where the lower half of the Mansfield sandstone is the surface 

rock, the country is always extremely rough. The surface is strewn with great 

bowlders and masses of conglomeratic sandstone, while bluffs and bare walls 50 

to over 100 feet in height abound. Where the areas retain a considerable part 

of the thinner bedded upper half, the topography is less rugged, and sometimes 

may even take on the character of a table-land. This change in topography is 

very well illustrated in passing northward across the large outlier of Mansfield 

sandstone that occupies the northwestern part of Livingston County.

Paleontology. Impressions of land plants are the only fossil remains so far 

found in the Mansfield sandstone in western Kentucky. These occur in greater or 

less abundance and generally in a fair state of preservation in nearly every exposure 

of the middle portion of the formation. They are less common and not so well 

preserved also in the other beds. Plant remains were collected at only one locality,
MANSFIELD SANDSTONE. 69

viz, in Caldweil County, between Enon and Ruth. These were submitted to Mr. 

David White of the Survey, who has kindly determined and listed the following

species:

Fossils from Mansfield sandstone, collected in Caldweil County, Ky.

Eremopteris macilenta (Lx.) D. W. Triletes (megaspores.)

Danseites macrophyllus (Newb.) Lx. Sigillaria, sp. indet.

Neuropteris cfr. Schlehani Stur. Artisia transversa Lx. ?

Calamites cistii Brongn. Cardiocarpon bicuspidatum (Sternb.) Lx.

C. Roemeri Goepp. C. elongatum Newb.

Lepidodendron clypeatum Lx. C. ovale Lx.

Lepidostrobus pennsylvanicus D. W. C. crassum Lx.

Lepidophloios cfr. laricinus Sternb. Trigonocarpum ampullseforme Lx.

Lepidocystis vesicularis Lx. T. dawsonianum D. W.

Halonia sp. undet.

Distribution. The Mansfield sandstone outcrops as a continuous band from 

2 to 10 miles wide along the eastern borders of Caldweil and Crittenden counties. 

Beyond the Tradewater River, which forms the eastern boundary of the counties 

named, the formation soon dips under later deposits. Most of the western boundary 

of this area is sinuous, being formed by normal contact with the underlying Birdsville formation. In Crittenden County a part of the boundary is straightened by 

the Tradewater fault. West of this area 11 outliers have been determined, all of 

them being conspicuous in the topography of the district. Reckoning from east to 

west, the first of these is at Iron Hill, in Crittenden County. This is a high flattopped hill in the angle of convergence of the Tradewater and Crittenden faults. 

Geologically higher strata occur at lower levels on the other'sides of these faults. 

The second outlier covers a considerable area in the northwestern part of Caldweil 

County and owes its preservation to downthrow in faulting. The third area occurs 

as the capping of a high hill less than 2 miles south of Weston. The fourth is an 

elongated area, averaging rather less than 1^ miles in width by about 10 miles in 

length, that has been thrown down between the Columbia and Lerue faults. It is 

cut into two parts by the Hurricane fault, the downthrow in the portion northeast 

of this fault being greater than in the portion southwest of it. The fifth area is a 

small, angular one, bounded by fault-planes and known as the sand hill, situated 

just west of Sheridan. The sixth forms an elongate triangular area, with the prominent Hardins Knob at its north end. It is bounded on the east side by the southern 

prolongation of the Glendale fault and on the western side by the Miller fault. The 

area forms a rough ridge divided about half and half between the counties of Crittenden and Livingston. Between 2 and 3 miles south of the acuminate extremity 

of this area is another that forms, as usual, a patch of very rough country. The 

eighth outlier lies just north of the Cumberland River and a short distance west of 

the mouth of Sandy Creek. The ninth is provisionally indicated on the map as an
70 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

ovoid area about 3 miles east of Hampton and nearly the same distance south of 

Lola. The tenth is a triangular, fault-bounded area south of the Cumberland 

River between Smithland and Livingston chapel. The eleventh is the largest 

outlier in the district. It lies in the northwestern part of Livingston County and 

covers most of the area lying between the Ohio River and the Fairview fault, which 

crosses the county in a southwesterly direction from Carrsville to Bayou. The 

strata dip on the whole gently northward, allowing the upper limestones of the 

underlying Birdsville formation to outcrop in the slopes inclosing the southern half 

of the area. This part contains little more than the main sandstone of the formation 

and affords much rougher topography than the portion north of the Golconda 

road.

Nomenclature and correlation. The name of this formation is adopted from 

the reports of geologists of the Indiana Survey." Previous to 1896 the formation 

was generally referred to as the "Carboniferous conglomerate." The latter is commonly, and no doubt correctly, correlated with the Pottsville group of Pennsylvania; 

but the basal beds of the Pennsylvanian series in Indiana, southern Illinois, and 

western Kentucky, above described under the name Mansfield sandstone, probably 

represent only the upper members of the (Pottsville) group.

ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS.

The term alluvial deposits includes only such recent deposits as those forming 

the bottom lands adjacent to the large rivers. Where these are broad they have 

been distinguished in a generalized manner on the maps. In the absence of a 

topographic base it was thought better to do this approximately than to continue 

the patterns of the Paleozoic formations across the bottoms. The latter have, of 

course, considerable agricultural value, but the mineral veins and faults which cross 

them can no longer be traced superficially, and if worked under the bottoms at all it 

must be by underground drifting from shafts much farther inland.

Other and older alluvial deposits occur as beds of chert gravel well up on the 

hills bordering the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. These deposits were not 

studied, but they are probably worthy of careful investigation, since some of them 

at least may afford valuable road metal.

aHopkins, T, C., Mansfield sandstone: Dept. Geol. and Nat. Res. Indiana, Twentieth Ann. Kept, for 1895 (1896), pp. 186, 

195, 196, 199.
CHAPTER III.

GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE.

GENERAL FEATURES.

In a broad way the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district represents two truncated 

stratigraphic domes. The northern one of the domes centers in Hardin County,, 

111., and is the sharper and more complete of the two. The southern dome is so 

badly broken up and eroded that its center can not now be definitely fixed. It 

was probably somewhere along the Tennessee River and not far from the town of 

Grand Rivers. Both domes are irregularly circled to the north and east by an 

escarpment formed by the Mansfield sandstone, which is here the basal formation 

of the Coal Measures of the Pennsylvanian series.

On the southwest the district is bounded by the remains of an ancient and 

often submerged anticlinal fold, against and over which deposits were piled from 

both sides." The southwestern limb of this fold evidently has with time grown 

the steeper of the two, and leads down into the much deeper basin of the Mississippi 

embayment. It is an elevation on this anticlinal fold that is supposed to be the 

center of the southern dome, for it is here that the lowest rocks in the Kentucky 

portion of the district are most commonly found. Between this place and the 

Mansfield escarpment the Mississippian formations occur in successive but very 

much interrupted bands. To the southwest the Cretaceous and Tertiary clays 

overlap the slope to, and in places across, the Tennessee River. Most, if not all 

of the Mississippian formations are believed to have extended, in part at least, 

over the anticlinal fold into the embayment.

a In his report on the Jackson Purchase Region, pp. 321-326. published by the Geological Survey of Kentucky in 1888, 

R. H. Loughridge discusses the evidence afforded by a deep well at Paducah and reaches the conclusion that an immense 

east-west fault passes through the Paleozoic rocks beneath the Tertiary clays at or just north of Paducah. According to 

his interpretation of the beds passed through by the well boring the region south of the Ohio River sank " to a depth of 

more than 1,300 feet." As interpreted by the present writer, the evidence afforded by the well tends to show that if there is 

any fault at all beneath Paducah, the displacement can not exceed 400 feet. Indeed, it is thought possible that instead of 

being the result of faulting the difference in altitude of certain stratigraphic horizons on opposite sides of the Ohio River 

in the immediate vicinity of Paducah, upon which Loughridge's theory of a buried fault is based, is really due to mere anticlinal folding. However, the embayment proper is most probably paralleled on the northeast by a great fault that passes 

a few miles south instead of north of Paducah. '

71
72 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

FAULTS. 

GENERAL CHARACTER OF FAULTS.

The fluorite district contains a very large number of faults, no less than 35, 

with a maximum displacement ranging from 300 to perhaps over 1,400 feet, being 

known on the Kentucky side of the Ohio alone; and it appears that the northern 

half of the district will not fall far short in this respect. Since many of these are 

connected with series of subsidiary fractures and faults, whose displacement rarely 

exceeds 200 feet, and is usually considerably less than that, they may be distinguished as the main faults. Of the subsidiary fissures, there are probably hundreds.

The faults, apparently in all cases, are normal, and strike in many directions. 

Their planes divide the area into a large number of very unequal, but always sharpsided polygons. As a rule the lines of faulting are practically straight, apparent 

slight deflections in the course being generally due to the dip of the fault planes 

(which is usually considerable) upon the line of outcrop over an undulating surface. 

Often, however, as in the case of the Tabb fault, the faults are broken up into series 

arranged en echelon. Each plane of such a series is straight, but the strike of the 

individual planes is not quite parallel, and generally crosses the average strike 

of the zone in which the faulting has taken place. Again, when one of the main 

faults is accompanied by, or is split up into, subsidiary fractures, as in the case of 

the Columbia, it often happens that the major displacement occurs along first one 

and then another of the subparallel fractures, and oftener it is transferred back 

again to the main line. In these cases the main line may as a rule be traced through, 

but the degree of faulting along it is periodically subsidiary. In other cases, finally, 

the subsidiary faults are arranged step-like on one or both sides of the main line, 

as in the case of the Larue, between Hurricane and Crooked creeks. The determination of any of these conditions in this and most other fissured districts depends 

very largely upon the results brought out in abundant prospecting and subsequent 

development of the veins. Of course, the detailed work required to bring them 

out clearly enough to delineate them on a map was possible in only a few cases in 

this district. In the other cases it is not to be doubted that future investigations 

will often, if not always, necessitate similar modifications of the .long straight lines 

by which the faults are now represented on the accompanying maps. In the 

meantime they should be viewed as representing the average courses of zones rather 

than individual fault-planes.

TRACING OF FAULTS.

When the displacement of the strata is sufficient to bring two lithologically 

distinct formations into juxtaposition, as, for instance, when the sandstones of 

the Mansfield formation and of the Chester group are thrown down to the level
FAULTS. 78

of the normally underlying limestone formations, there is little difficulty in tracing 

the fault; but where the displacement is insufficient to produce this result, or where 

the opposing "formations are lithologically similar, very close stratigraphic or 

paleontologic comparisons are required to establish its presence. Indeed the 

difficulties seemed almost insurmountable in the cases where the faults extended 

into the deeply weathered areas occupied by the St. Louis and lower limestones. 

Still, fortuitous discoveries along their lines of strike will, it is believed, result in 

the extension of many of the faults into such areas, and particularly into the large 

one that embraces nearly the whole of Lyon County and smaller portions of the 

adjoining counties. In the cases where different parts of any of the formations 

of the Chester group are on the two opposite sides of the fault-plane the difficulties 

are usually not so great, since the different members of these formations may be 

distinguished without much trouble. Besides, they are as a rule not deeply weathered, while in the arenaceous formations the course of the fault is very commonly 

marked by protruding dike-like masses of silicified sandstone.

DIVISION OF FAULTS INTO SYSTEMS.

Taken as a whole, the fractures fall into at least two well-defined systems, 

one trending northeast to east, the other north to northwest. In Kentucky the 

northeasterly system is the more prominent and its fractures are perhaps more 

generally mineralized than those of the other systems. The faults in this system 

have also resulted in a much greater average displacement of the strata than prevails in the northwest system. The faulting in the latter rarely amounts to 400 

feet, while in the former it commonly exceeds that amount, and sometimes reaches 

the maximum of 1,400 feet observed in the district.

The division of the faults into systems varies according to the criteria employed 

in classifying them. If they are 'classified solely according to direction of strike, 

they fall into two main systems one northeast, the other northwest and a third 

more subordinate system trending nearly due east. If, however, other factors, 

such as arrangement with respect to centers, direction of diminution of throw, 

and localization of development are also considered, the resulting classification, 

though similar on the whole, is still somewhat different in detail. Thus, while 

the subordinate system of easterly fractures, which has its main development in 

Caldwell County, is the same in'both classifications, the northeast system in the 

first includes several northeast faults in the northwestern quarter of Livingston 

County that in the second classification are referred to the otherwise, northwesterly 

trending system. As to the respective merits of the two classifications, convenience 

alone is consulted in the first, while in the second supposed natural relations are 

the controlling factors.
74 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

When plotted on a map (see PL II, opposite p. 22) the northeast faults, excluding the Fairview and Rosiclare faults, constitute an obviously natural and geographically distinct system. This presents an obscure fan-shaped arrangement, 

radiating and diverging eastwardly from the region between Pinckneyville and 

Smithland in Livingston County. The ribs of the fan pass through or into Crittenden County, and its successive lines run more and more easterly as we approach 

the southern boundary of that county and enter Caldwell, where they pass over 

into the subordinate system in which the fractures strike from a little north of east 

to a few degrees south. As a rule, the faulting grows less and finally dies out entirely 

in an easterly direction. Considered geographically, this system is eminently 

Kentuckian.

In a comprehensive view, the faults in the northern parts of Livingston and 

Crittenden counties, which strike toward the Ohio River, appear to belong to a 

similarly though less compactly arranged system, radiating and diverging southward from the western part of Hardin County, 111. The course of the most western 

of this clearly Illinois system of faults is about S. 30° W.; that of the Tradewater 

fault on the opposite side of the district S. 56° E. Except the dikes, which probably form systems of their own, all of the northwest fractures in west Kentucky 

may be referred to this Illinois system.

This irregularly radial arrangement of the fractures has, so far as known, no 

relation to the igneous deposits of the district. Indeed, no igneous rocks of any 

sort have yet been found either in Livingston County, the southern half of which 

contains the imaginary converging point of one of the systems, nor in the part of 

Hardin County in which the Illinois system centers. Moreover, with one or possibly 

two exceptions, the trend of all of the dikes is essentially at right angles to the 

more prominent system, being northwest instead of northeast.

The fractures, whether mineralized or not, frequently serve as channels for 

descending waters, as is shown by the corrosion of the walls, some of the apparently unmineralized fractures forming either open fissures or crevices filled with red 

clay. Sometimes, though perhaps only where the Birdsville formation occurs in 

one of the walls, the crevice is largely occupied by dragged-in shales and dark, 

secondarily deposited clays. Sink holes are common along some of the fractures, 

and to a certain extent these may be used as guides in locating the fissures. They 

are, however, likely to prove unreliable and misleading, since very often they lead 

to nothing better than merely enlarged joints and caverns in the limestone formations. The limestone beds contained in the faulted blocks are of course abundantly 

traversed by such joints. These often parallel the fault-planes, but as a rule there 

seems to be no definite relation between them. At any rate the relations are not 

obvious.
FAULTS. 75 

DATE OF FAULTING.

The axes of the two primary domes contained within the limits of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district doubtless were in existence long before the fracturing 

began. Aside from these axes, the structural phenomena observed in the region 

are seemingly due almost entirely to vertical uplift and gravitational adjustments 

following or incident to the process of fracturing. During the later^ stage of this 

process some oblique lateral stresses doubtless came into play to modify the effects 

of the purely vertical movements. As to when these movements and the consequent fracturing and faulting occurred it is difficult to secure definite data. It 

must have been subsequent to the close of the Carboniferous, since beds of that 

age are involved in the faulting, and it is perhaps equally certain, though more 

difficult to prove, that it took place before the close of the Tertiary. A full discussion of the matter would require more space than is warranted by its relatively 

small importance. It must therefore suffice for the present to merely state the 

writer's opinion that the greater part of the movements occurred during the later 

half of the Cretaceous period, and that the faulting then established continued, with 

periodic accentuations and additions of fractures of minor import, almost to the 

present time. Also that the origin of the dikes and of most of the main faults was 

nearly contemporaneous, the former probably having a brief priority over the latter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FAULTS.

To facilitate the location of the faults they are divided, somewhat arbitrarily, ' 

into four sets, (1) those trending northeast to southwest, (2) those trending nearly 

east and west, (3) those extending from northwest to southeast, and (4) a set of 

unimportant faults, mainly in Caldwell County, trending nearly north and south. 

Those in each set are considered in the order of their occurrence, beginning with 

the first of the northeast set in the northwestern angle of the maps (PL II, p. 22, 

and PL VIII, p. 116) and passing southwesterly across it. The east-west set is 

almost confined to Caldwell County. Each fault of this set is considered in the 

same order, beginning with the Fredonia and ending with the McGowan. The 

description of the northwest set begins with the Tradewater fault and, proceeding 

southwesterly across the area, ends with the Deer Creek faults. Finally, following 

brief remarks on the fourth set of faults, the peridotite dikes are considered in a 

similar order, beginning with the Flanary, which has a northeast trend, and ending 

with the most westerly one of the northwest dikes.

LIST OF FAULTS AND DIKES.

The following list shows the order in which the faults and dikes are considered. 

Those with a maximum displacement of less than 300 feet are distinguished by 

italics. Following the name the average course of each is given according to the
76 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

magnetic north, which in 1902 varied in the district from 4 to 5 degrees east of 

true north. In the description following the list, however, the error of the magnetic 

needle has been corrected as much as possible, but it is to be understood that the 

direction given is in all cases only approximate, and applies to the zone of faulting, 

and not, as a rule, to the individual and local fault planes.

. List of faults and dikes in western Kentucky.

Northeast-southwest faults (N. 12°-72°E.): 

Undetermined fault (N. 26°-31° E.). 

Fairview fault (N. 24° E.). 

Kosiclare fault (N. 8° E.). 

Lola fault (N. 37° E.). 

Faulted blocks at and west of Sheridan. 

Corn fault (N. 61° E.). 

Dyers Hill fault (N. 36° E.). 

Latrobe fault (N. 44° E.). 

Pittsburg fault (N. 19° E.). 

Fault 2J miles east of Smithland (N. 32° E.). 

Miller fault (N. 27° E.). 

Larue fault (N. 29° E.). 

Glendale fault (N. 36° E.). 

Sandy Creek fault (N. 19° E.). 

Minor fractures in vicinity of Salem. 

Evening Star fault (N. 37° E.). 

Columbia fault (N. 23° E.). 

Memphis group of fractures (N. 30°-33° E.). 

Stevens fault (N. 34° E.). 

Marion fault (N. 39° E.). 

Woods fault (N. 39° E.). 

Hodge fault (N. 41° E.). 

Crittenden fault (N, 52° E.). 

YandeU fault (N. 36° E.). 

Bibb group of fractures (N. 52°-56° E.). 

Tabb fault (N. 72° E.). 

Faults bordering large sandstone hill west of

Princeton.

Princeton fault (N. 63° E.). 

Saratoga fault (N. 40° E.).

 NORTHEAST-SOUTHWEST FAULTS.

Northeast-southwest faults, etc. Continued.

Two small faults south of Princeton.

Friendship fault (N. 50° E.). 

East-west faults (N. 74°-94° E.):

Fredonia fault (N. 94° E.).

Lowery and Marble fissures.

Matthews fault (N. 86° E.).

Clay Lick fault (N. 83° E.).

Skinframe fault (N. 86° E.).

Eddy Creek fault (N. 74° E.).

McGowan fault (N. 92° E.). 

Northwest-southeast faults (N. 15°-68°W.):

Tradewater fault (N. 60° W.).

Bodard fault (N. 68° W.).

Dollarson faults (N. 56°+W.).

Livingston Creek fault (N. 26° W.).

Hurricane fault (N. 17° W.).

Tolu fault (N. 34° W.).

Holly faults (N. 31° W.).

Puckett Branch fault (N. 34° W.).

Deer Creek faults (N. 15°-17° W.).

Other small and generally unimportant faults. 

Dikes:

Flanary dike (N. 44° E.).

Hard dike (N. 38° W.).

Walker dike (N. 39° W.).

Old Jim dike (N. 36° W.).

Garden dike (N. 33° W.).

View dike (N. 34° W.).

Ca'ldwell Spring dike.

Undetermined fault (N. 30°-35° E.). On entering the Kentucky part of the 

fluorite district at its northwestern corner and passing southwesterly across it, 

the first fracture encountered is a fault of small displacement that is believed to 

cross the river in a southwesterly direction from Hardin County, 111. Evidences 

of faulting were observed about 2 miles west of Carrsville, but as no special interest
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 77

seemed to attach to it, no attempt was made to trace and locate it on the map. 

Possibly it is due to this fault that the upper limestone of the Birdsville formation 

outcrops so suddenly about 1 mile south of Berry Ferry. If so, the course of 

the fault would be N. 30°-35° E.

Fairview fault (N. 29° E.). This is a well-marked fracture with a displacement varying in Kentucky from somewhat over 200 feet to about 400 feet. It 

is shown, with the fault plane slightly mineralized, on the river bank just below 

Carrsville. The outcrop is marked by a dike-like mass of quartzite. On the 

west side of the fault here the slopes of the hills expose upper limestones shales 

and sandstones of the Birdsville formation, and above these to the tops of the 

hills mostly heavy-bedded Mansfield sandstone. The nearest exposures on the 

east side of the fault indicate beds occurring at least 200 feet lower in the Birdsville. Similar conditions prevail for about 2 miles southwest along the fault before 

the general increase in altitude of the country on the east side buries the contact 

between the top of the Birdsville and the Mansfield. Passing over the divide 

and down the north or Sugar Camp fork of Bayou Creek the upper beds of the 

Birdsville soon show again on the west side and continue thence with gradually 

deepening exposures to the Ohio River bottom near the mouth of the creek. 

Throughout the course of the Fairview fault in Livingston County the downthrow 

remains on the west side of the fault.

Besides the slightly mineralized outcrop in the river bank at Carrsville, only 

one other prospect is known in Kentucky on this fault. This is the Wright shaft, 

situated about three-fourths of a mile south of Carrsville on the west of the Joy 

road. This is one of the few good prospects of those having Birdsville rocks in 

both walls. It is being developed by the Ohio Valley Mining Company.

There seem to be no reasonable grounds for doubt that this is an extension 

of the fault upon which the Fairview mine in Hardin County, 111., is located. At 

that mine the country rock on the west of the fault was determined as Mansfield 

sandstone, and on the east side, at the shaft, as Tribune limestone. A short distance south of the main shaft another shaft was sunk in thin-bedded lower Birdsville sandstone and shale, indicating that between the two shafts there is a cross 

fault. South of this cross fault the rocks on the two sides of the main fault would 

appear to be about the same as above described in Livingston County, the only 

difference being that the throw is somewhat greater on the Illinois side of the 

river.

The Fairview fault and vein is sometimes spoken of as a continuation ot the 

Rosiclare vein. In part this is doubtless a fact, yet it seems to the writer that 

the deflected part of the vein now chiefly worked at the Rosiclare mine is really 

not the same vein as the one that can be traced from the old workings to the Fairview shaft. Instead of a bend in the vein, which is only one of the necessary
78 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

assumptions in the opposite view, it seems more likely that there are two intersecting faults at the Rosiclare mine, or that the Rosiclare vein forks, one branch 

being the Fairview vein, while the other, or true Rosiclare, continues with a 

more southerly course through the "well prospect" on the Fairview company's 

property and thence across the river into Kentucky. The difference in the formations on the east side of the Rosiclare and Fairview mines is accounted for in 

this view but not in the other.

Rosiclare fault (N. 12.5° J£.). In passing over the east and west roads crossing 

the northern half of Livingston County indications of faulting in Birdsville rocks, 

with a general northeast-southwest trend and comparatively small displacement, 

were observed at three points. The first is near the forks of the road rather less 

than a mile southeast of Carrsville; the second occurs a mile or so east of Joy, on the 

Lola and Golconda road; the third point lies about 2 miles northwest of Hampton. 

A line connecting the three points corresponds very nearly with the course here 

ascribed to the Rosiclare fault. It is most probably not a continuous fault plane, 

but rather a zone of faulting in which a number of planes are arranged en echelon. 

Possibly the obscure fault mapped as extending from Dyers Hill Church to and 

beyond Smithland represents a continuation of the same' zone. As no mineral 

prospects were reported along this line and as mineralization of fractures in Birdsville rocks is rare and with the possible exception of the Ohio Valley Mining Company's prospect on the Fairview fault near Carrsville, is, in no case observed, of 

permanent value, the indications were passed without careful examination.

Lola fault (N. 41° E.). As this fault resulted in only a small amount of displacement and, moreover, as it passes chiefly through areas unfavorable for exact determinations, It is not well known. It is indicated in the village of Lola by an outcrop 

of fluorspar in the road and again, 2 miles southwest, in the Bonanza m ne. The 

throw at Lola seems to be on the north side, but at the Bonanza mine it appears 

to be on the opposite side. The fracture probably continues northeastward across 

Deer Creek into the St. Louis limestone area, in which it seems to be indicated by 

the northeast vein in the Mann mine, but, on account of the small throw and depth 

of weathering of the limestone, its course is very difficult to follow.

Faulted Uocks at'and west of Sheridan. There are three fault-bounded sandstone areas almost entirely surrounded by St. Louis limestone, one at Sheridan, 

the other two several miles west of that place. The latter appear to consist of 

Chester sandstone, but whether of Cypress or Birdsville age was not positively 

determined. Their boundaries also are conjectural, time in the field having been 

too limited to plot them accurately. Provisionally they are mapped as Cypress. 

The block at Sheridan, however, is of Mansfield sandstone and bounded on four 

unequal sides by faults. With undoubted St. Louis limestone on three sides, and
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 79

apparently Cypress sandstone on the southwest, the maximum throw of this block 

can not be less than 1,000 feet and may exceed 1,200 feet. If these blocks, especially 

the last, are, as is believed, wedge-shaped vertically, with the smaller dimensions 

beneath, then there should be some very wide fissures in the limestones beyond 

their superficial angles. In 1890 the writer observed fragments of igneous rock 

just beyond the northeast extremity of the Mansfield sandstone block, and it is possible that the conjectured fissure is here filled by a great dike. Such a dike might 

very well occur here as an extension of the Flanary dike, the supposed course of 

which corresponds with that of the fault forming the southeast boundary of the 

block.

Corn fault (N. 65° E.}. This fault has been traced westward from a point on 

the Miller fault about one-half mile east of Pleasant Grove Church to the Deer 

Creek fault, which it meets and possibly crosses about 1J miles southeast of Lola. 

Especially in the eastern half of its length the Corn fault is broken up into, or is 

accompanied by, several subsidiary planes arranged en echelon. Throughout its 

length the northern side of the fault exposes residual clays and chert of the St. 

Louis limestone. The greatest displacement occurs in the mile farthest east, where 

it forms the northern boundary of the long strip of Birdsville formation country 

included between the Dyers Hill and Miller faults. In the next mile west the St. 

Louis limestone abuts against Cypress sandstone and upper beds of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. In the next mile a Chester sandstone, provisionally referred to the 

Birdsville formation, is on the south side, while in the last mile, after crossing a 

northwest fault, it passes with slight faulting through St. Louis limestone.

Although several interrupted planes in the eastern half of the Corn zone of 

faulting lie from 100 to perhaps 600 feet south of a straight line connecting the 

western half of the fault with the Pleasant Grove Church, the Madrid prospect and 

certain surface indications tend to show that fracturing of the St. Louis limestone 

occurred all along this line. The major throw of the lault, however, may occur 

along the shorter planes, as at the Ben Belt mine. There are several of these subsidiary planes, the Corn or Givens mine being on a second and the Bebout prospect 

apparently on a third. They seem to diverge rather uniformly from the direct 

line in a westerly direction.

Dyers Hill fault (N. 41° E.). The southwestern end of this fault in Livingston 

County is easily recognized by the abnormal and rectilinear juxtaposition of the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone, which occurs on the south side, and the Birdsville formation, 

here usually sandstone, on the north side. Northeast of Dyers Hill Church, how- ' 

ever, it is much more difficult to follow the fracture, since for a distance of nearly 

9 miles sandstone prevails on both sides of the fault. Over about one-half of this 

distance the country on the south side of the fault exposes mainly Cypress sand-
80 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY. .

stone, but the block may also contain higher Chester formations. Similarly, the 

block south of Lola, now on the north side of a fault that is believed to be a continuation of the Dyers Hill fault, is provisionally mapped as Cypress. With such similar 

sandstone formations more time in the field than was available would be required 

to determine their respective areal distributions.

The J. O. Belt prospect, near Pleasant Grove Church, is believed to be on an 

extension of the Dyers Hill fault. Here the narrow block between the Ben Belt 

plane of the Corn zone of faulting and this fault consists of upper Ste. Genevieve 

limestone capped by Cypress sandstone. The rocks on the south side of the fault 

at the J. O. Belt shaft were determined as Birdsville. There is some evidence 

indicating that the Dyers Hill zone of faulting continues northwardly beyond 

tne Corn fault, but the indications are soon lost in the deeply weathered St. Louis 

area. Besides, there are so many intersecting northeast faults in this region that 

it is extremely difficult to determine their relations exactly.

Latrobe fault (N. 4®° E.). This fault may be traced very satisfactorily across 

the hills in the point of land between the Ohio and the great bend of the Cumberland 

River. It is clearly shown in the bluff at the Royal mine. In the bend on the other 

side of the Cumberland it is again recognizable, but not so easily. On the north 

side of the river it passes up Bissels Creek and intersects the Pittsburg fault at the 

Benard or Klondyke mine. Farther east it passes through the Coker (formerly 

Donake) mine and finally is lost in the sandstone hills beyond. Possibly it forms 

the southern boundary of the high Birdsville and Mansfield sandstone area between 

Mullikin and Sandy Cree'k.

West of the Pittsburg fault the Latrobe fault forms the southern boundary of 

a Ste. Genevieve limestone area capped farther back from the river by Cypress 

sandstone. On the opposite side the Cypress occurs in the outcrops observed 

in the triangle between the diverging Latrobe and Pittsburg faults. East of the 

latter both sides of the Latrobe fracture expose only Birdsville rocks. The throw 

along the Latrobe fault seems to be everywhere on the south side, but is always 

small, the maximum, so far as observed, being probably less than 100 feet.

Pittsburg fault (N. '24° E.). This fault zone was definitely located at several 

points along the line drawn on the accompanying maps. It forms a sharp boundary 

between the Birdsville area at Smithland and the small, downthrown block of 

Mansfield sandstone 1 mile east of that town. From the Cumberland River northward to and beyond the Klondike mine its course is very sharply defined by great 

sheeted masses of quartzite. For 4 or 5 miles north of Mullikin faulting occurs 

in this zone, but as two other faults, the Miller and Glendale, converge toward or 

into the same zone, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. After an 

interval of 3 or 4 miles more of Birdsville rocks, in which no observations were made,
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 81

the Pittsburg trend is again taken up by a fault forming the eastern limit of a small, 

downthrown block of Birdsville sandstone situated about midway between Lola 

and Pleasant Grove Church. Elsewhere the throw is apparently always on the 

east side, varying, in the instances observed, from about 200 feet to perhaps 400 

or 500 feet.

Fault 2\ miles east of Smithland (N. 82° E.}. A strong fault forms the eastern 

boundary of the Mansfield sandstone block about 1J miles west of Livingston Chapel. 

A triangular projection of Spergen limestone from the large Meramec area to the 

south lies on the east side of the fault. The displacement, accordingly, is one of 

the greatest in the district, being no less than 1,200 feet. The Spergen limestone, 

which is here largely oolitic, is very well exposed in the slope of the hill just north 

of the chapel. It is also shown, with its characteristic fossils, in the dump of a 

prospect on the fault a short distance north of the forks of the road. Traced northward the fault is either cut off entirely or greatly reduced in throw by an 

east-west fault before reaching the first creek. North of the east-west fault the 

surface of the whole block between the Pittsburg and Sandy Creek faults exposes, 

as far as observed, only Birdsville rocks.

Miller fault (N. 31° E.). The Miller fault may be traced with unusual facility 

from the west side of the Mansfield sandstone block at Sheridan to a point a short 

distance east of the crossroads near Pleasant Grove Church. Here the line is 

somewhat disturbed by the Corn zone of faulting, but it is soon taken up again, 

and may be followed without serious interruption or difficulty along the west side 

of a Mansfield-sandstone ridge that extends to within a mile of Old Salem Church. 

Beyond this point it enters into a tumbled region containing the Pittsburg fault 

zone in which the separate lines are not readily distinguished.

North of the Corn fault, near Pleasant Grove Church, the St. Louis limestone 

lines the west side of the Miller fault. Four mines or prospects are located on 

the fault plane, which is here more or less mineralized; they are the Miller, Milligan, 

Clement, and Jones prospects. Between Pleasant Grove and Old Salem churches 

the fault passes almost entirely between sandstone formations and, so far as known, 

this stretch of the fault plane or planes contains no deposits of valuable minerals.

Larue fault (N. 83° E.). Under this name the writer refers to a zone of faulting 

that can be traced from the Larue mine on Coefield Creek (east branch of Deer 

Creek) to the Ohio River at Fords Ferry. From the latter point to Hurricane 

Creek the main fault plane, as a rule, separates Mansfield sandstone on the east 

from St. Louis limestone on the west, giving a displacement of from 1,000 to 1,400 

feet. On. the west side and running parallel with this plane several subsidiary 

planes are indicated by mineralized fissures, which separate very narrow strips of 

Chester sandstone and Ste. Genevieve limestone. Between Hurricane Creek and 

10696 No. 36 05 6
82 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Glendale Church the St. Louis of the west side is in juxtaposition with an elongate 

block of apparently Birdsville shale and sandstone, bounded on the east side by 

an extension of the Glendale fault. South of Glendale Church to the Larue mine, 

the throw of the Larue fault is greatly reduced, St. Louis limestone occurring on 

both sides of it.

Besides the Larue mine, the Franks prospect, near Glendale Church, is on the 

main plane of this fault. Some calcite veins opened in the valley of Crooked Creek 

are in Spergen limestone, and only a short distance west of the main fault.

Glendale fault (N. 40° E.). This fault seems to be in part a continuation of 

the Larue, and might be merely another plane in the same zone. But as it maintains its own direction for some miles northeast of the Larue mine, near which the 

two fault planes seem to join, it is more convenient to refer to them under distinct 

names.

The Glendale fault apparently begins at the Hurricane fault and extends 

southwest between Birdsville sandstone on the west and Mansfield sandstone on 

the east, to a point a short distance south of Glendale Church. From here to the 

Holly fault, a distance of about 3 miles, the course of the fault is much more easily 

followed, the east side consisting of various beds of the Birdsville formation, while 

the west side is of St. Louis limestone, as may be recognized at once by the characteristically abundant chert of that formation. Southwest of the Holly the 

Glendale fault again becomes difficult to trace, the rocks displaced by it being 

highest Birdsville and Mansfield sandstone on the west and middle and lower 

Birdsville on the east. North of the Holly the throw is on the east side, while 

south of that fault it is on the west side.

The Moore, Clark, and Haywood prospects occur on or close to this fault plane 

between the Larue mine and the Marion and Sheridan road. Some prospecting 

has also been done farther north on the same line.

Sandy Creek fault (N. 24° E.}. This, probably, like many other cases in the 

district, is a zone of faulting rather than a single continuous fault plane extending 

from the east side of Hardins Knob in Crittenden County to Livingston Chapel on 

the south side of the Cumberland River. For nearly 4 miles it separates the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone area, in which the town of Salem is situated, from the Birdsville 

rocks to the west of it. The fault is sharply defined and marked by a vein of barite 

at the forks of the road 1 mile west of Salem. It is again plainly shown in the 

sheeted quartzite just across the bridge over Sandy Creek on the Salem and Vicksburg road. Also near the mouth of this creek, where it forms the boundary between 

a block of St. Louis limestone on the east and lower Mansfield and upper Birdsville 

on the west. Birdsville and St. Louis are similarly opposed on the south side of 

the Cumberland to a point less than a mile east of Livingston Chapel. Apparently
FAULTS IN DETAIL.

all along the line the throw is on the west side. It is gi 

Sandy Creek, being here probably not less than 1,000 feet.

Little prospecting has been done along this fault, a 

limestone formations occur on the east side through a la 

ground appears encouraging. * The Guill mine, northwe 

to the line of this fault, is on a more easterly fracture t

though, considering that 

ge part of its course, the 

t of Salem, though close 

lat intersects and locally

mile northwest and west

disturbs the course of the Sandy Creek fault near the mine. However, the Butler 

prospect and a barite prospect, respectively less than a 

of Salem, seem to be strictly in the lat,ter zone of faulting

Minor fractures between the Sandy Creek and Columbia faults in the vicinity of 

Salem. Near the northern end of the Salem-Ste. Genevieve limestone area there 

is a fracture with very little faulting having a course of about N. 54° E. The 

Guill mine and the Morse, Tom Babb, and Ramon Ba :>b prospects are on this 

fracture. A similar fissure, with about the same direction and slight faulting,

occurs about 3| miles-southwest of Salem. It is shown ii

the Pierce prospects. Two other northeast faults of sma displacement are shown

southwest of Salem. These are nearly parallel with the S

faults. One is shown at the south Ramage prospect, near the bridge over Sandy

Creek; the other crosses the road about half a mile eas

83 

eatest near the mouth of

the Hudson mine and in

ndy Creek and Columbia

of the first, and strikes

toward the town of Salem. Possibly this same fissure continues northward to the 

Crosson prospects.

Evening Star fault (N. 35-42° E.}. By this name the writer designates a zone 

of faulting extending in the direction given, from the Cumberland River near Vicksburg to and perhaps beyond the Salem and View road. It consists of numerous, 

apparently irregularly arranged planes, trending on the whole more westerly near the 

river than in the vicinity of, and north of, the Evening Star and other mines located 

on them. North of the Evening Star mine the Birdsville formation occurs on the 

east side of the main plane, with Ohara limestone and often highly silicified and 

crushed Cypress sandstone on the west side in the narrow angle between this and 

the Stevens fault. South of the Evening Star mine the rocks on the two sides of 

the fault are quite different, the Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone 

being on the southeast side and St. Louis chert and limestone on the northwest. 

After crossing the Columbia fault zone the rocks are again changed, the Ste. Genevieve limestone of the Salem valley and, farther down, remnants of Cypress sandstone being on the northwest, and apparently a higher Chester sandstone on the 

southeast. West of the Sandy Creek fault middle and upper Birdsville occur on 

the north side and lower Mansfield on the south. A fluorspar prospect a few hundred yards west of Vicksburg, in the line of strike, possibly indicates that the 

fracture crosses the river. Throughout this distance the throw is on the southeast
84 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

side. The maximum displacement is attained in the vicinity of the Stevens clay 

mine, where it may amount to about 400 feet.

The occurrence of the Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone in the 

banks of Crooked Creek just east of Freedom Church, and of Cypress sandstone 

between this point and the Stevens fault, probably indicates that the Evening 

Star zone of faulting extends many miles northeast of the Salem-View road. This 

extension was not suspected while in the field, but the presence of the fault in the 

area of Chester sandstones east of the Stevens fault could very easily have been 

overlooked.

The mines and prospects in this zone of faulting are nearly all located just 

within the east boundary of Livingston County. Of these the Evening Star, 

Morning Star, and Nancy Hanks mines are well known.

Columbia fault (N. 27° £".). This is one of the best-marked fault zones in the 

district. It is also one of the longest, fracturing with more or less faulting occurring 

along this line from the Ohio River near Weston to the Cumberland River, a distance 

of over 22 miles. Except in the last 2 or 3 miles, near the Cumberland, where the 

relations are reversed, the throw is always.pn the west side. It is greatest in the 

part from 1 to 2 miles north of Crittenden Springs, being no less than 900 feet in 

this region. Farther north the throw grows rapidly less, being probably not more 

than 400 feet where the road passes over Pickering Hill. From Crittenden Springs 

to Levias the throw seems nowhere to exceed 750 feet. In the vicinity of the 

Columbia mines the aggregate displacement between the Ste. Genevieve on the 

east of the main fault and the Birdsville on the west is about 700 feet. In the 

vicinity of Levias it is estimated at 500 feet or less.

In the Salem Valley the displacement is insufficient to bring different formations into juxtaposition until the fault reaches the county line, beyond which the 

St. Louis limestone is exposed on the west side for 2 miles or more. After crossing 

the Evening Star fault this cherty limestone gives place to Ste. Genevieve limestone. 

The latter continues on the east side, except in a series of narrow Cypress sandstone 

hills, and forms a broad, level valley extending to the Cumberland River. The 

western border of the -lower part of this Ste. Genevieve limestone valley is lined 

for about 2 miles by the Cypress sandstone hills just mentioned. Immediately 

west of these hills lies an extremely hilly and cherty block of St. Louis limestone, 

indicating that in this southern extension of the fault the throw is on the east side 

instead of the west.

Though numerous mines and prospects have been located on the fault planes 

of this zone, they are almost all confined to territory limited by a distance of less 

than 2 miles north and south from the Crittenden Springs Hotel. The more important of these are the Columbia, Watkins, New Jim, Major Clemens, and Struck-it-rich
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 85

mines. No reason is known why this and other faults passing through important 

limestone formations are not more generally mineralized, unless it is that large 

bodies of fluorite and other valuable minerals occur only in areas where the main 

faults are accompanied by numerous subsidiary fractures, either crossing or paralleling the major plane and serving to promote free circulation of waters carrying 

minerals in solution.

Memphis group of fractures. In the area lying east of the Columbia fault and 

north of the Old Jim mine there are a number of minor faults. Most of these run 

nearly parallel with the average course of the Columbia fault, but several have a 

more easterly direction. In all of them the maximum displacement is less than 100 

feet, andi as a rule it is much less. In the Memphis fault and in the similar fault 

next east the throw is on the west side, but in the Klondike fracture it is on the 

east side. On account of this reverse in throw a narrow strip of Ste. Genevieve 

limestone extends all the way from the Klondike mine to the larger area of this 

limestone surrounding Bethel Church. All of the sandstone outcrops in this area 

are of the Cypress formation. Along the Fords Ferry road, however, a few miles 

north of the Memphis and Klondike mines, apparently all the observed outcrops 

are of the Birdsville formation. It is not known whether this change is due to 

simple dip of the strata in that direction or to a cross fault, though it is suspected 

that the latter will prove the truer explanation.

Stevens fault (sink-hole break) (N. 38° E.). This fault extends in an almost 

unbroken and generally easily recognized line from the east border of Livingston 

County at the Stevens clay mine, where it has St: Louis limestone on the north 

and Cypress sandstone on the south, to and perhaps beyond a point about 4 miles 

due north of Marion. In these 12 miles the throw is alwavs on the southeast side. 

It decreases in amount in a northeasterly direction, being about 350 feet at the 

Stevens mine and 150 feet or less northeast of Levias. So far as known nothing 

higher than Cypress sandstone occurs on the southeast side of the fault, though 

it must be admitted that in the middle third of the plotted length of the fault the 

rocks on this side remind one strongly of Birdsville. Possibly the Eaton fracture, 

near Levias, causes faulting between this fault and the Evening Star fault zone, 

and that another cross fault occurs between Freedom Church and the Marion and 

Crittenden Springs road. In that case the Birdsville probably stretches northwestward from the Marion fault to the Stevens fault in the area between the two 

cross faults. Provisionally the doubtful strip is mapped as undifferentiated Chester.

The only notable mining prospect that has so far been discovered on the Stevens 

fault is a large deposit of highly siliceous clay which is being worked by tunneling 

at the Stevens mine. This clay is evidently a residual product of decomposed 

Cypress quartzite and to a less extent of St. Louis chert.
86 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Marion fault (N. 4^°~44° E.). The Marion fault is a well-marked structural 

feature extending from a point on the Cumberland River, a little over a mile west 

oi Pinckneyville, to Marion. It passes on through the eastern edge of this town, 

where it crosses the railroad, and finally dies out in the third or fourth mile farther 

northeast. The throw is everywhere on the northwest side, but it is not uniform, 

and, as usual, the rocks on either side vary greatly from point to point.

From the Cumberland to near Amis Church, Ste. Genevieve limestone occurs 

in the broad valley on the northwest side of the fault. At the church and thence 

to the southern end of Rings Bluff, Cypress sandstone, in bluffy elevations, is on 

the northwest side. Rings Bluff itself seems also to be of Cypress sandstone, but 

back of it, beyond the line of the Marion fault, the formation is lower Birdsville. 

Rocks of the latter formation continue on this side of the fault to the Mansfield 

sandstone on the north of the Tradewater fault.

On the southeast side of the Marion fault a narrow strip of St. Louis limestone, 

limited on the opposite side by the Woods fault, stretches from the Cumberland 

to Puckett Spring. For about 2 miles northeast of this spring a sandstone occupies 

more or less of the space between the Marion and Woods faults. For a part of 

the distance between Amis Church and the Ebby Hodge mine, two smaller cross 

faults, one nearly north and south, the other east and west (Clay Lick fault), bring 

the St. Louis limestone again to the Marion fault plane. Beginning at the intersection with the Clay Lick fault, near which the Ebby Hodge mine is situated, Cypress 

sandstone now occurs on the southeast instead of the northwest side of the Marion 

fault, and continues to form this wall for at least 3 miles in a northeasterly direction 

from the mine mentioned. A Chester limestone, whether Tribune or Birdsville 

was not determined, comes next, but soon gives way to more sandstone; and this 

sandstone apparently continues to Marion. It resembles the Cypress sandstone, 

but is probably one of the lower beds of the Birdsville formation. Should it prove 

to be the former, then more faults will be required to explain the known areal 

distribution of Chester formations east of Marion.

Two mines, besides a few more or less doubtful prospects, have been located 

on the Marion fault. The Ebby Hodge mine, at the southern end of Rings Bluff, 

has already been mentioned. The Lucile mine is located at Marion, just east of 

the railroad.

Woods fault (N. 4$° E.). This fault parallels the southern half of the Marion 

fault and the two might justly be considered as unusually well-defined planes of a 

single zone of fracturing. Southwest of Puckett Spring Branch the two faults are 

separated by a narrow strip of St. Louis limestone. Opposite this chert and limestone strip, and immediately on the southeast side of the Woods fault, is a rough, 

eastwardly expanding ridge of sandstone, indicating a throw of at least 400 feet.
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 87

As the strata in this ridge evidently are much disturbed, some of this sandstone 

may be of the Cypress formation, but the greater part doubtless belongs to the 

Birdsville. At the eastern end of the ridge, where it is abruptly broken off by the 

Puckett Branch fault, the lower half of the bluff exposes a considerable bed of 

partly oolitic limestone that is provisionally referred to the Tribune limestone.

Northeast of this cross fault the relations of the geologic formations on the 

two sides of the Woods fault are reversed. At the Riley mine various beds of the 

Birdsville formation are exposed in the bluff on the northwest side of the fault, 

while St. Louis limestone occurs on the southeast side. The throw, probably 

amounting to not less than 500 feejt, is here on the west side. A quarter of a mile 

northeast of the Riley mine the main displacement is taken up by certain subsidiary planes between the Woods and Marion faults. A short distance farther on it 

returns to the line of the Woods fault, but soon thereafter, beginning at the bridge 

near Amis Church, the St. Louis area again expands and this time reaches the 

Marion fault-plane. Northeast of the Clay Lick fault the St. Louis area is again 

restricted to the east side of the Woods fault, Rings Bluff, believed to consist of 

Cypress sandstone, being on the west side. North of the View-Salem road the 

Woods fault is soon lost in the Cypress sandstone hills lying east of the Marion fault.

Two mines, the Woods and Riley, have been located on this fault. The main 

shaft of the former lies a short distance west, the latter just east, of Puckett Spring 

Branch. Several prospects occur southwest of the Woods mine, while another, the 

Butler prospect, shown in two shallow shafts, occurs in the St. Louis limestone 

forming the east bluff of Clay Lick about a mile above Amis Church.

Hodge fault and associated fractures (N. 4o° E.). The Hodge fault runs nearly 

parallel with the Woods and Marion faults and about a mile south of the former. 

From a point about half a mile southwest of Whitehall Church, which it should 

pass a little to the north, the southwestward course of the Hodge fault is easily 

recognized by the difference in the two limestone formations outcropping on opposite 

sides of the fault and in the soils and topography characterizing the respective 

formations. Rough, chert-covered St. Louis limestone hills occur on the northwest 

side, while sharply opposed to these is the valley-forming Ste. Genevieve limestone. 

The throw is here on the south side and ranges in amount from 200 to 400 feet. 

Northeast of the point mentioned the throw is usually too little to effect the juxtaposition of different formations. In the first 2 miles Ste. Genevieve limestone 

occurs on both sides, in consequence of which the fracture is very difficult to locate. 

Where the fault passes out of the valley and where one might expect to observe 

the effect of faulting in the outline of the limestone area the determination is again 

obscured by a small cross fault. Northeast of this cross fault, especially in the 

rocks of the Chester group, 1J to 3 miles southeast of Marion, abundant evidence
88 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

of faulting having the general trend of the Hodge fault was observed. This 

evidence was nowhere quite satisfactory, but, as the questions involved seemed 

not to be of immediate economic importance, it was not thought worth while to 

follow it up sufficiently to show its exact relation to the Hodge fault. At present 

it appears likely that northeast of Clements Valley this fault will be found split up 

into, or represented by, several subparallel fractures in a broad zone of faulting.

Probably the Hodge fault should be viewed as one of a group of long fractures 

comparable with the Memphis group. As a glance at the accompanying maps will 

show, the relations also of the Memphis group to the Columbia fault on the one 

side and the Stevens fault on the other are rather closely simulated by the relations 

of the Hodge group to the Crittenden and Marion faults.

Two mines, the Hodge and Brown, and several promising fluorspar prospects 

are located on or near this fault. Some of the prospects in the vicinity of these 

mines are on parallel subsidiary fractures that lie entirely in St. Louis limestone, 

a hundred feet or more north of the Hodge fault. In the Lovelace and Dan Riley 

shafts, which are on one of these subsidiary fractures, one of the walls consists 

apparently of the oolitic Spergen limestone. Some prospecting has been done 

southeast of Marion in the Chester area above mentioned, on the supposition that 

it may contain an extension of the Hodge zone of fracturing. As usual in sandstone areas far removed from outcrops of St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve limestones, 

the efforts of the prospectors have so far not met with encouraging results.

Crittenden fault (N. 56° E.) . More or less distinct faulting occurs in this zone 

from the Tradewater River to the Ohio at Smithland. Though probably not 

strictly a continuous fault plane, the line of faulting is nevertheless continuous 

and straight enough to make it appear so in mapping. For 7 miles west of its 

intersection with the Tradewater fault it produces an abrupt division line between 

the Mansfield sandstone on the south side and various members of the Birdsville 

formation on the north side. In the next 6 miles, which bring us to the eastern 

extremity of Clements Valley, its course is mainly through Chester sandstones, the 

throw being still on the south side. Though less sharply defined in this part, the 

evidences of faulting are yet quite plain on all the roads crossing the fault. The 

Birdsville formation and the throw remain on the south side to the point where 

the fault crosses Clay Lick and is itself crossed by the Puckett Branch fault. On 

the north side of this section of the fault there occur in succession, first, the Ste. 

Genevieve limestone of the Clements Valley; then the Ohara member of this limestone, with remnants of Cypress sandstone capping it, in the vicinity of the Hodge 

and Brown mines; and, finally, St. Louis limestone. Southwest of the Puckett 

Branch fault to Pinckneyville, on the Cumberland River, the throw is on the north 

side of the Crittenden fault, with the acutely triangular high ridge qf Birdsville
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 89

rocks, consisting chiefly of sandstone and already mentioned in the description of 

Woods fault, on this side, and chert hills underlain by St. Louis limestone on the 

south side. The throw of the fault north of the Cumberland River probably attains 

its maximum amount in this part, being something like 750 feet. Northeast of the 

Puckett Branch fault it varies from about 700 feet to probably less than 200 feet.

On the south side of the Cumberland the Crittenden fault passes chiefly through 

St. Louis and Spergen limestones! It is clearly indicated at only two points, viz, 

just south of the river and about 2 miles west of Tiline by an outcrop of quartzite 

with an associated mining prospect, and again 1 to 2 miles west of Smithland, 

where it forms the southern boundary of a fault-bounded area of Mansfield sandstone. At the last point the throw can not amount to much less than 1,400 feet. 

With the possible exception of the prospect near Tiline, nothing of value has been 

found in this fault plane. Whether this is due to lack of prospecting or to actual 

absence of mineral deposits is unknown.

Yandell fault (N. 40° E.). Though of considerable economic importance, this 

fault is, so far as known, less than half a mile in length. Possibly it extends northeastward beyond the cross fracture on which the Matthews shaft has been sunk. In 

that case a slight deflection of the course might bring it into the Bibb group of 

fractures, observed a few miles northeast of the Yandell mine. At this mine the 

fault forms the western boundary of a small triangular block of Cypress sandstone. 

On the west side of this there is a narrow valley with outcrops of Ste. Genevieve 

limestone. The maximum throw of the fault probably does not exceed 50 feet.

BiU) group of fractures (N. 56-60° E.}. Two or three subparallel fractures 

near Cookseyville Church, about a mile northwest of Mexico, have occasioned more 

prospecting probably than they are worth. At the King prospects, which are 

located on the hill immediately loehind the church, Birdsville shale and limestone, 

dipping strongly to the south, form the hanging or southern wall of one of the fractures. On the north side is a heavy-bedded sandstone, apparently of the Cypress 

formation. The Bibb and Davenport prospects are located a half mile southwest 

of the King prospects and are evidently on a different fracture. The relations of 

these fractures were not carefully determined, but it is believed that the latter 

fissure forms the northern boundary of the narrow strip of Cypress sandstone 

observed at the King prospects.

Tabb ^ault (N. 72° £".). Though consisting of a number of planes arranged 

somewhat irregularly en echelon, this fault hi its central part is one of the sharpest 

and most easily recognized fractures in the district. For 4 miles eastward from 

Pinckneyville it passes through St. Louis rocks only, and in this part its course is 

most difficult to locate. East of Mexico it is confined to Birdsville rocks, in which, 

as usual, the course of the planes, which, moreover, are wider apart here than
90 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

farther west, is readily determined only in exceptionally good exposures. From 

the Livingston fault westward to the Asbridge mine Birdsville rocks occur on the 

north and St. Louis limestone on the south side. West of the Asbridge mine the 

fault first forms the base of a small northerly projecting triangle of St. Louis, and 

beyond this to the intersection with the Puckett Branch fault divides low Cypress 

sandstone hills from the broad St. Louis area on the south side of the fault. The 

displacement of the fault is greatest in the vicinity of the Tabb mine, where it can 

not be less than 700 feet.

Several good producers of fluorspar, notably the Tabb and Asbridge mines, 

besides a number of prospects, are located on one or another of the subparallel 

planes in the zone of faulting commonly referred to under the name Tabb fault. 

All of these mines and prospects, however, are confined to the 4 miles east of the 

Pogue mine. A number of holes have been dug on or near the fractures east of 

Mexico, but so far nothing of consequence has been found there.

Faults bordering large sandstone hill west of Princeton (N. 53° and 57° E.). 

Between the Fredonia Valley on the north and the Princeton Valley on the southeast there is a large body of rough, chert-covered country that extends westward 

from the central part of Caldwell to the Cumberland River. Included in and forming the northeast extremity of this hilly area is an elongated block of Chester sandstone, trending northeast and bounded on four sides by faults, with St. Louis and 

probably older rocks on the southwest, north, and northeast, and mostly Ste. 

Genevieve limestone on the southeast side. This block is skirted on the north by 

the Princeton and Henderson branch of the Illinois Central Railroad and is crossed 

about midway of its length by the old State road from Princeton to Fredonia. It 

has not been positively determined whether this sandstone is Cypress or Birdsville, 

but as some of the exposures contain more shale than is believed to occur in the 

former, the writer is strongly inclined to refer it to the Birdsville formation. Along 

the borders of the block, especially in the northern third, the sandstone is largely 

altered to quartzite. Locally it is also brecciated.

Princeton fault (N. 67° E.). This fault limits the triangular eastern extremity 

of the St. Louis area, mentioned in the preceding paragraph, on the south and 

separates it from the Ste. Genevieve limestone and Cypress sandstone areas just 

north of Princeton. It is readily located for a distance of nearly 4 miles from a 

point near the middle of the east side of the sandstone block just described to Flinns 

Fork, where it is either cut off entirely by the Bodard fault or continues down this 

stream with a greatly diminished throw.

Saratoga fault ( N. 44° E.) . This fracture extends from the western extremity 

of the Princeton fault, where it is shown in the road at the foot of the large sandstone 

hill, to Saratoga in the edge of Lyon County. The throw is nowhere large, the 

maximum amount probably not exceeding 200 feet. It is on the southeast side,
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 91

except opposite the northern half of the sandstone ridge, where a narrow triangle 

of St. Louis limestone is wedged in between this and the Princeton fault. On the 

ground the exact location of the fault is not easily determined, but here and there 

along the line the abrupt transition from Ste. Genevieve soils to the more cherty 

soils of the St. Louis limestone is plainly indicated. No outcrops of the rocks 

themselves showing faulting were observed.

Two small faults south of Princeton (N. 30° and 84° E.}. Two short northeast 

faults form the east and west boundaries of a rhomboidal block of Ste. Genevieve 

limestone situated about 2 miles directly south of Princeton. This block is limited 

on the north by the Eddy Creek fault, on the south by the most western of the 

planes included in the McGowan zone of faulting. The displacement effected by 

these two northeast faults probably does not exceed 200 feet for the one on the 

west side, but can not be less than 300 feet for the one on the east side. The latter 

has brought undoubted Birdsville shaly sandstone down to the level of the top 

of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. In both cases the throw is on the east side.

Friendship fault (N. 54° E.) . The course of this fault is occasionally distinguishable in the Birdsville area between Friendship and Curry, but where it is not 

indicated by structural features it requires considerable knowledge of the succession 

of beds embraced in the Birdsville formation to recognize the fact that faulting 

has occurred. Beyond the point where it crosses the McGowan fault the course of 

the southwest fracture becomes more readily apparent. It is best defined about a 

mile east of Otter Pond, where for a short distance Birdsville shale and sandstone 

011 the north side of the fault lie in juxtaposition with Ste. Genevieve limestone.

EAST-WEST FAULTS.

Fredonia fault (N. 98° E.). This fault consists of a number of planes arranged 

mostly en echelon, the course of the individual planes being as a rule more nearly 

due east than the average trend of the whole series. For nearly 4 miles eastward 

from Livingston Creek the fault, with one or another of its planes, causes a sharp 

division between the rocks of the Birdsville formation on the north and the valley 

forming Ste. Genevieve limestone on the south. In the next 3 miles eastward 

along this fault, to its intersection with the Dollarson zone of faulting, Cypress sandstone instead of the limestone is opposed to the Birdsville formation, which lies on 

the north side of the line. Over a considerable part of these 3 miles the course of 

the fault is marked by more or less rectilinear, generally sheeted, and often brecciated 

masses of quartzite. A good example of such quartzite may be seen on the hillside 

where the east road from Fredonia leaves the valley. It has not been determined 

whether the Fredonia fault continues eastward beyond the intersection with the 

Dollarson faults. If it does then the displacement has been so greatly reduced that 

it can no longer be followed with certainty.
92 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Practically no prospecting has been done on this fault. At a few points the 

quartzite, which often lines the fault plane and is generally regarded as a favorable 

indication for prospecting, contains fluorspar in small amounts.

Lowery and Marble fissures. These are fractures in the Ste. Genevieve limestone and Cypress sandstone, trending nearly due east at distances south of the 

Fredonia fault varying from a few hundred yards to nearly a mile. Two similar 

fissures occur within the next mile and a half south of the Marble vein. These 

fractures are accompanied by very slight faulting and, judging from the information 

now available concerning them, are to be explained as adjustment planes formed 

subsequent to the major faulting of the district. They seem further to have resulted 

from obliquely opposed lateral movements, and are probably similar in origin to 

the Memphis and Hodge group of fractures. In each of these cases fractures of 

minor displacement occur in a space bounded by diverging faults of major throw. 

In each case again they are more nearly parallel with one of the major faults than 

with the other. It is a curious and perhaps significant fact that the minor fractures 

are geographically farther from the main fault with which they are parallel than 

from the other boundary of the space containing them. Another fact is that in 

at least two of the cases, the Lowery-Marble group and the Memphis group, the 

minor fractures are nearer that one of the two main faults that produced the greater 

displacement. From facts like these we may argue that the original movements 

here were of local elevation and resulted in diverging fractures, while the subsequent 

adjustment movements tended to break the triangular blocks into parallelograms.

Matthews fault (about N. 90° E.). The exact course of this rather unimportant 

fault is still somewhat in question, but it can not vary many degrees from due east 

and west. It may represent a westward extension of one of the Fredonia fault 

planes, but it will be almost impossible to establish the connection across the St. 

Louis area intervening between the Asbridge mine and the most western point at 

which the Fredonia faults were observed.

Beginning on the line of the Tabb fault, apparently very near the Asbridge 

mine, the Matthews fault extends west to Clay Lick, a distance of 3 miles. On 

the north side lies the southern extremity of the large Birdsville area that stretches 

far eastward between the Crittenden and Tabb faults. On the south side Cypress 

sandstone capping Ste. Genevieve limestone occurs in the 2 miles or more west 

of the Matthews shaft, while east of this shaft a small triangular block of St. Louis, 

recognized solely by its chert, is wedged in between the Birdsville rocks on the 

north and another triangle of Cypress sandstone on the southwest. The latter 

is limited on the south by the Tabb fault and on the west by the Yandell vein.

Clay Lick fault (about N. 87° E.). This is another of the numerous small 

faults that are known to exist, but that could not be accurately plotted in the
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 93

time allotted to work in the field. The part east of the Marion fault is based on observations, and may be accepted as apparently correct. The portion extending 

westward from that fault toward the Evening Star mine, however, is based upon a 

theoretic solution of the occurrence of nearly horizontal beds of the Birdsville formation in the northern part and of Cypress sandstone in the southern part of the area 

lying between Amis Church and the Evening Star fault.

Slcinframe fault (N. 90° E.). Beginning at the line of the .Bodard fault, 200 

or 300 yards northwest of the point where that fault crosses Flinns Fork, the Skinframe fault extends due west to the edge of Lyon County, in which, perhaps, it can 

not be traced with certainty. The middle part of this course lies in the valley of 

Skinframe Creek. For over 4 miles westward from the Bodard fault the course of 

the fault is sharply denned between the Cypress sandstone on the north and the 

more or less cherty St. Louis and probably older limestones on the south side. In 

the remainder of the distance to the county line erosion has removed the Cypress 

sandstone and brought to the surface the underlying Ste. Genevieve limestone 

that forms the floor of the Fredonia Valley. Although limestones now occur on 

both sides of the fault, the latter is still easily located by the topography and other 

superficial characteristics that distinguish the two formations. As a rule the 

valley ceases abruptly at the base of the chert-covered hills that bound the fault 

on the south side.

The line of the Skinframe fault continues across Lyon and Livingston counties, 

strikes very near an east-west fault that passes a short distance north of Livingston 

Chapel, and separates a Birdsville area on the north from a Spergen limestone area 

on the south of the fault. Although evidences of faulting were observed along the 

projected line, as, for instance, at a point about 1 mile south of Dycusburg, it seems 

improbable that the Livingston Chapel fault can be a direct continuation of the 

Skinframe fault. Whether a fact or not, it will prove a very difficult task to connect 

them across the intervening 16 miles of almost uniformly chert-covered country.

Eddy Creek fault (N. 78° E.). This fault adheres, with little variation, to the 

average direction given from the Caldwell-Lyon county line near Saratoga eastward 

to Scottsburg. Beyond this point, chiefly because of the greater difficulties experienced in discriminating between different parts of the formations passed through, 

it is not so easily located. Also, in the western third of the length indicated on the 

general map, the course of the fault may often seem obscure. Outcrops of bedded 

.rocks are comparatively rare here, but as a rule the observer should not find it 

unusually difficult to distinguish the soil derived from the Ste. Genevieve limestone 

on the north side of the fault from that of the St. Louis limestone on the south side. 

The fault is more readily located in the part extending a little over 2 miles west 

from Scottsburg, in which the Ste. Genevieve limestone on the north is opposed to-
94 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

more or less shaly sandstone of the Birdsville formation on the south side. East 

of Scottsburg the location of the fault is further complicated by numerous cross 

faults. Except in a small area shown in Lambs cut, where the Tribune limestone 

comes to the surface on the south side of the fault, and another short stretch southeast of Claxton, where a remnant of Mansfield sandstone occurs on the north side, 

all the exposures on either side of this part of the fault fall within the limits of the 

Birdsville formation.

A single prospect has been located on this fault. Several shafts have been 

sunk on a vein of fluorspar and barite discovered near Eddy Creek on the Satterfield 

farm, a little over 3 miles south-southwest of Princeton. In these shafts the 

Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone forms the north walls, but the 

south wall appears to be of St. Louis limestone. Therefore the vein is believed 

to be in the fault plane itself, and not in a subsidiary fracture.

McGowan fault (N. 96° E.). Immediately south of McGowan station a fault 

crosses the railroad. Faulting shows then along the bluff of a sandstone ridge 

to a point about a mile west of the station, where the ridge is cut off by a northeast 

fault. In the slope of the ridge there is a narrow wedge of Ste. Genevieve limestone; 

and south of this the fields contain undoubted St. Louis chert. East of McGowan 

the fault is indicated at intervals for 2 miles between Cypress sandstone hills on 

the south and lower hills made up of Birdsville rocks on the north. After an interval 

of about 2 miles, in which Birdsville rocks seem to occur on both sides of the projected 

line, faulting was again observed in the branch just south of Friendship. The 

strike of the fault appears to be nearly the same as at McGowan, and here, as there, 

massive Cypress sandstone occurs on the south side of the fault. Though the fault 

was not traced over a half mile beyond Friendship, it is known that Cypress sandstone 

continues along the Hopkinsville road to the county line, where a considerable 

outcrop of Tribune limestone sets in. A mile or so north of this outcrop Birdsville 

rocks, referred to a position well up in this formation, were observed. On account 

of these facts it is believed that the McGowan fault extends eastward at least to 

the county line.

An outcrop of gravel fluorspar lies several hundred yards south of the crossroads at Friendship. Masses of slightly silicified Cypress sandstone occur just 

south of the fluorspar, while the nearest outcrop of bedded rocks to the north is 

of Birdsville shale and sandstone. Some prospecting has been done west of 

McGowan, but the shafts, which were sunk on mere seams of calcite in Ste. Genevieve 

limestone, have not shown anything of value.
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 95

NORTHWEST-SOUTHEAST FAULTS.

Tradewater fault (N. 56° W.}. This fault extends nearly or quite across the 

northeastern part of Crittenden County. It is obscure and perhaps does not extend 

west of the point where the Stevens fault would strike it. However, there is reason to believe that the zone continues into Illinois with a parallel line passing 

close to Weston. Southeast of the Crittenden fault it is also difficult to recognize, but this obscurity may be due to the more uniform lithologic character of 

the Pennsylvanian rocks here displaced rather than to absence. Between the 

Stevens and Crittenden faults, however, the Tradewater fault is readily located 

by the rectilinear boundary between the downthrown Mansfield sandstone on 

the northeast side and various beds of the Birdsville formation on the southeast. 

Where the railroad crosses the fault, upper beds of the Birdsville occur north of 

the fault, but soon pass out of sight beneath the Mansfield. Possibly Birdsville 

rocks are similarly exposed in the valleys of Pigeonroost and Piney creeks. These 

two streams were not visited recently, but as the notes on the writer's earlier work 

in the district mention Chester rocks on the Mansfield side of the fault only at the 

railroad, it is assumed that farther east the throw is sufficient to keep the top of 

the Birdsville beneath the beds of the streams.

Bodard fault (N. 64° W.). The Bodard fault and vein is named for the old 

French settler on whose land the vein was first discovered. These prospects, 

one of which is now known as the Senator mine, are located near the northwest 

end of the Bodard fault line and within a mile of the point where it is believed 

to join one of the planes of the Dollarson zone of faulting. From the Senator 

mine the fault has been traced eastward to Flinns Fork, and in this stretch it 

maintains an average course of E. 26° S. On projecting this course across the 

map to the county line, it was found to connect several points on roads leading 

east from Princeton at which faulting having approximately the same trend had 

been observed by the writer in 1889 and 1890.

West, and also at points about 2 and 4 miles east, of Flinns Fork, Birdsville 

rocks, representing horizons from about the middle to near the top of the formation, occur on the north side of the Bodard fault. The rocks on the south side are 

in part still undetermined. This is true more especially of the stretch between 

Flinns Fork and the junction with the Dollarson fault. At the Senator mine the 

south wall consists of a limestone that is either Tribune or Ste. Genevieve. If the 

former, then most of the stretch should probably be mapped as lower Birdsville. 

If the latter, then it should be Cypress sandstone instead of Birdsville. In the 

former case the most southerly of the Dollarson fault planes may continue to the 

Skinframe fault, and may perhaps account for most of the displacement between 

the Cypress sandstone on the southwest of it and the upper Birdsville on the north
96 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

of the Bodard fault. In the latter case the top of the Ste. Genevieve limestone 

in the undetermined triangle between the converging Bodard and Dollarson faults 

would be slightly higher than in the similar areas on the southwest side of the 

Dollarson fault, while the throw occasioned by the faulting in this region would 

be entirely on the north side of the Bodard fault. Though the latter view is the 

one favored by the writer, it has been decided to map the area in question as undifferentiated Chester. The region just north of the Senator mine is likewise mapped 

as undetermined, because Cypress sandstone and Tribune limestone are believed 

to outcrop on Canadas Run.

Dollarson faults. A strip of Chester sandstone country, 1 to 2 miles in width, 

extending from the headwaters of Flinns Fork, in Caldwell County, in a northwesterly direction past Ruth and Enon into Crittenden County, presents apparently a number of fault planes that were not definitely located. Between Canadas 

Run and Farmersville the outcrops are of unquestionable Birdsville rocks. South 

of that stream, however, there are practically horizontal sandstones that greatly 

resemble the Cypress formation. Just east of the Stone and Dodds shafts of the 

Union Central Mining Company the same sandstone is found, while a mile farther 

east the outcrops are of the Birdsville formation. West of Enon, again, the Mansfield sandstone gives way abruptly to Birdsville rocks, while farther north, in 

the vicinity of Piney Church, small faults having the same general direction were 

observed. In none of these cases can the areal distribution of the beds be accounted 

for by either dip of strata or difference in altitude, so that faulting must be assumed. 

As the strip in question is drained by the head branches of Dollarson Creek, the 

fractures may be provisionally called the Dollarson faults.

The line represented on the accompanying maps under this name joins the 

most western points at which faulting of this zone was observed. It is veiy doubtful, however, whether all these points are on a single plane, since at most of them 

the apparent strike of the faulting is more nearly westward than N. 52° W., which 

is the course of the line as drawn. The faulting noticed near the mouth of Canadas 

Run likewise seems to trend more nearly westward, being nearly parallel with 

the Bodard fault. Probably the zone contains a series of overlapping planes like 

those shown in the Tabb zone of faults. It may prove also that the Dollarson 

faults extend well into and perhaps through Crittenden County. Certain it is 

that some yet unknown northwest faults in this county are necessary to explain 

the observed distribution of particular beds in the undifferentiated Chester areas.

Prospecting has been carried on to a limited extent in this zone, but so far 

without success. None of the prospect holes seen by the writer were on the planes 

of the fractures, but several afforded small specks of galena and sphalerite, possibly indicating larger deposits in the near-by fissures.
FAULTS IN DETAIL. 97

Livingston Creek fault (about N. 22° W.). Of this fault only the part lying 

in Crittenden and Caldwell counties has been observed. Even this part was not 

very accurately located, though the course as mapped is doubtless not far wrong. 

St. Louis limestone occurs on the west side. Except about a mile of country that 

lies between the Tabb and Fredonia faults, and that contains rocks of the Birdsville formation, the surface just across the fault plane exposes, so far as known, 

only Ste. Genevieve limestone.

Hurricane fault (N. 13° 'W.). With approximately the course given, this 

fault follows the valley of Hurricane Creek across the Mansfield sandstone area 

included between the Columbia and Larue faults. West of the Hurricane fault 

the base of this sandstone occurs well up in the high hills opposite the Crittenden 

Springs Hotel. East of the fault its base lies some distance beneath the level of 

the creek. North of the Larue fault the creek flows through one of the large areas 

of St. Louis limestone, in which, on account of the rarity of outcrops and the great 

depth of the residual clays, it is always difficult to trace a fault: However, at two 

points on this part of the creek, one at the edge of the Ohio River bottom, opposite 

Cave in Rock, the other nearly 3 miles farther up the creek, vein matter, indicating fracturing if not much faulting, was observed fifteen years ago by the writer. 

Projected northward the line of the Hurricane fault passes either through or very 

near these points.

Tolu fault (about N. 30° W.). Very little is known about this fault. Some 

indications of faulting were noticed near the mouth of Caney Fork. The approximate course given was obtained by bringing this point in line with another on

the Marion road, about 1J miles

outcrop of Chester sandstone wa,s accepted as unquestionable evidence of faulting. 

This sandstone doubtless indicates still another fault in this region, in this case 

one trending probably northeastward, since it could not very well have been 

dropped into an otherwise St. Louis area without being bounded on at least two 

sides by fault planes. Unfortunately satisfactory outcrops of bedded rocks are 

so rare in the valleys of Caney Fork and Hurricane Creek that neither of the faults 

could be definitely located. . Possibly the faults cross the Ohio, in which case more 

satisfactory data might be secured on the north side of the river.

Holly faults ( N. 27° W.). Two fault planes, including between them a narrow strip of Ste. Genevieve limes 

show mineralized outcrops on th

ioutheast of Tolu, where a small and quite isolated

:one, are referred to under this name. Both planes 

old Holly farm, and the various shafts and open

cuts on them are collectively laiown as the Holly mines. The Ste. Genevieve 

limestone strip is limited on the west side by upper Birdsville rocks, on the east by 

St. Louis limestone. At some unknown but probably considerable depth, it is 

believed the two Holly planes will converge and form one. 

10696 No. 36 05 7
98 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

According to the evidence now available at least one of the Holly planes, and 

with it the Ste. Genevieve limestone, is cut off on the north by the Flanary dike and 

fault. The other seems to form the southwest boundary of the small block of 

Mansfield sandstone just north of the dike. No attempt was made to trace either 

plane in the St. Louis area beyond the Miller fault.

It is not positively known that either of the Holly faults extends southward 

across the Chester area between the Lame and Columbia faults, though they are 

provisionally mapped as so extending. Some faulting is required to explain the 

partial and locally complete absence of Tribune limestone between the exposures of 

the Cypress and Birdsville formations in this area, and the Holly fault is the only 

fracture now known whose extension will serve the purpose.

Puckett Branch fault (about N. 80° W.). This fault is necessary to explain the 

occurrence of horizontal St. Louis limestone on the east and upper Chester formations on the west side of Puckett Branch south of the Woods fault, and the same 

formations in reversed relations north of that fault in the narrow strip between 

the Woods and Marion faults. South of the Crittenden fault a continuation of the 

Puckett Branch fault is indicated by the abnormal juxtaposition of Cypress sandstone and upper Ste. Genevieve limestone on one side and St. Louis limestone on 

the other. A prospect has been located, apparently on this continuation, about a 

half mile southeast of the mouth of .Puckett Branch.

Deer Creek faults (N. 12° W.}. This fault follows the general course of Deer 

Creek from the head of its west branch, 2 or 3 miles southeast of Lola, to the Ohio 

River bottom, where the creek bends sharply west toward Carrsville. Through 

nearly the whole of this distance St. Louis limestone lies on the east side of the fault 

and Ste. Genevieve limestone on the west side. The throw, which is on the west 

side, is comparatively uniform, the minimum and maximum amounts being, respectively, about 200 feet and 350 or possibly 400 feet.

The fault extends northward across the Ohio and continues to divide St. 

Louis limestone from Ste. Genevieve limestone exposures as far north at least as 

the bridge over Big Creek, 2 miles northwest of Elizabethtown.

Generally a little less than 1J miles west of the Deer Creek fault there is another 

that is nearly parallel with it and has mostly Birdsville rocks west of it and either 

Ste. Genevieve limestone or the overlying Cypress sandstone on the east side. 

This second fault, which is complicated north of Lola by the development of cross 

faults and of parallel accessory fractures, can not be properly plotted and described 

without further field work.

As it looks at present these Deer Creek faults belong to a series of five or six 

faults that traverse the northern part of Livingston County in a southerly direction 

and together constitute a good example of step faulting. Beginning with the Deer
FOLDING DIKES. 99

Creek fault and ending with the last fracture mapped in the northwestern part of 

the county, the St. Louis limestone is dropped from 150 to 350 feet lower with each 

of the successive faults.

Other small and generally unimportant faults. The general map shows, besides 

those considered on the preceding pages, a number of apparently unimportant 

faults. These have various directions, but in the majority the trend is nearly 

north and south. Most of the latter occur in Caldwell County, crossing the Illinois 

Central Railroad between Scottsburg and Claxtbn. The one passing through the 

western edge of Scottsburg, after crossing to the north of the Eddy Creek fault, causes 

a throw to the east of several hundred feet. A similar throw is indicated also for 

the southern part of the fault a mile or more east of Scottsburg. The short faults 

west of Claxton are step faults, with strong westerly dips, well shown in cuts along 

the railroad.

Of remaining Crittenden County fractures, aside from the dikes, only one 

deserves mention. This is the Eaton fissure, near Levias, on which several promising fluorspar mines and prospects have been located. The fracture is accompanied 

by very little faulting in the Ste. Genevieve limestone area north of the Stevens 

fault, but the displacement seems to be greater south of that fault.

FOLDING.

Very little folding occurs in this district. Where any has been observed it 

could always be explained as due either to mere drag or to other adjustments incident to faulting. Generally the strata along the borders of the downthrown blocks 

are strongly bent upward that is, they dip away from the fault-planes while the 

opposite is the case on the other side of the planes. In a few instances also a slight 

"buckling" of the strata was observed in the zones immediately beyond the dragged 

edges. This buckled zone usually varied in width from about 50 to 200 feet, its 

width, and apparently its presence at all, depending upon the character of the beds 

involved, being narrowest, and the buckle at the same time most pronounced, where 

the strata were thinnest.

DIKES.

Igneous rocks, occurring in vertical dikes and horizontal sheets, are, so far as 

known, confined to Crittenden County on the south side of the Ohio River and to 

Pope and Hardin counties on the Illinois side. The material forming these igneous 

intrusives consists generally, if not always, of the dark-colored, holocrystalline 

variety of peridotite to which J. S. Diller" has applied the special designation micaperidotite. Most of the dikes have a northwest trend. The fractures containing 

them, which range from 2 to 25 feet in width, appear to be very nearly straight and

a Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 44, 3d ser., 1892, p. 288.
100 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

probably have great length. They do not, however, form continuous vertical 

planes or fissures through all parts of the stratified crust, continuity of the fractures 

apparently being possible only in the heavier limestone formations. When formations containing considerable beds of shale were encountered the fractures seem not 

as a rule to have passed through them, the intruded igneous matter in these cases 

being forced to spread laterally between the bedding planes of the stratified rocks.

For the reason just stated, it is not believed that the dikes can generally be 

traced by continuous outcrop across areas of Birdsville rocks. If they did pass 

through the variable rocks of this formation as commonly as through the Ste. 

Genevieve and St. Louis limestones their outcrop should be discovered more readily 

and frequently in the sandstone and shale areas of the Birdsville than where the 

large limestone formations are at the surface. The reason for this is that the Birdsville rocks usually occupy high ground and are covered by shallower soils. But 

field experience in discovering outcrops of dikes shows that the opposite is true. 

So far in Crittenden County only one dike, the Walker, is known to outcrop in Birdsville rocks, all the other discoveries of dikes, except the one in St. Louis limestone 

near Caldwell Spring Church, being in Ste. Genevieve limestone areas. Even in 

limestone regions conditions may be so unfavorable that the chances for finding 

dikes are very small. In the St. Louis limestone areas, for instance, the task of 

discovering new dikes, or of tracing by surficial indications those already known, is 

rendered almost hopeless by the extraordinary depth to which this limestone is 

decomposed and the equal readiness with which the peridotite turns to soil.

Most of the outcrops of dikes so far discovered occur in or adjacent to stream 

beds. In triese the dike rock may be solid to the surface. But when it is uncovered on a more level and older surface the decomposed peridotite may be extracted 

without the use of explosives to a depth of from 20 to 40 feet. In these cases the 

soil immediately over the dike may be distinguished from that on either side by 

its slightly different color and smoother feel. A few feet down these differences 

quickly become more pronounced. The dike matter now is granular and commonly 

of a light-grayish color, to which a faint greenish tinge is often added. Frequently 

it reminds of wood ashes. With increasing depth the color grows gradually darker 

and the mass more solid, until, finally, it passes into the hard and tough and dark 

greenish-gray to black rock described by Mr. Diller. As a rule the final transition 

is more abrupt than those preceding it. Although harder than any of the bedded 

rocks in the district, the peridotite is probably still harder at greater depth, since 

none of the rock yet seen is entirely fresh.

The intrusion of these dikes and sheets of igneous matter produced only very 

slight metamorphism of the inclosing rocks. Where the latter consisted of pure 

limestone the contact was locally altered to a white marble. This altered zone,
DIKES. 101

however, is very narrow, rarely extending more than a few inches from the surface 

of the dike. The shales and sandstones as a rule exhibit no appreciable effects, 

but in one case they were darkened for a distance of from 6 to 9 inches from the 

contact. In another case that is probably to be attributed to a near-by dike a layer 

of fine-grained sandstone 6 to 8 inches thick, included in thinner bedded, shaly 

sandstone, was neatly divided into five- and six-sided vertical columns, varying in 

diameter from 1 to 3 inches.

As already stated, the dikes were probably formed prior to the extensive faulting of the region. This conclusion is accepted for two reasons. The first is that 

when a strong fault has been observed to cross one of the dikes or sills the latter is 

cut through or off. Unfortunately there are few opportunities for observation 

along this line, but only a single unquestionable occurrence of this condition as, for 

instance, the sill in Downey's Bluff suffices, in connection with the second reason, 

to impart high plausibility to the view. The second reason is that if the region 

had been faulted prior to the formation of the dikes the igneous matter would have 

been injected between the already existing fault planes instead of breaking new 

paths for itself. Even if new fissures were necessary to relieve the subterranean 

accumulation, it is inconceivable that the greater part of the flow was not through 

fissures already at hand. As a matter of fact, however, no igneous rock of any 

sort has yet been found in any of the hundreds of openings on the mineralized faults. 

The only possible exception know^i to this statement is the Flanary dike, which, 

as originally mapped by the writer, appears to have a northeast instead of a northwest trend, the latter being the course of all the other dikes. Whatever its direction, the Flanary is not known to occupy a previously existing fault plane, and 

even if it should prove to do so it may still represent a later flow than the northwest 

dikes.

Flanary dike. A shaft sunk between forty and fifty years ago on an outcrop 

of this dike located about 1 mile southwest of Sheridan was long known as the 

" Flanary silver mine." Recognizing the igneous character of the weathered rock 

on the dump of the old shaft, the writer engaged men 'to cross-cut from the bottom 

of the shaft. The object of this work was twofold first to procure the fresher 

material that was subsequently sent for determination and description to Mr. J. S. 

Diller, and, second, to obtain mote definite data concerning the width and trend 

of the dike. The latter object was not entirely satisfied, but enough was learned 

to prove a width of 15 feet or mo^e. The direction given to the dike on the map 

published in the Crittenden Press in 1890 was determined as much by the location 

of the shaft with respect to a point near Sheridan, where fragments of similar igneous 

rock were found, as by the observations in the immediate vicinity of the shaft. 

Although the writer was afterwards inclined to doubt that the Flanary dike trends
102 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

northeastward, recent developments in the vicinity of the old shaft have induced 

Mr. F. Julius Fohs to declare positively that it strikes as originally mapped by the 

writer, i. e., N. 48° E.

The Flanary dike therefore appears to differ in its strike from all the other 

well-known dikes in the district, the course of the others being northwest instead 

of northeast, and varying but a few degrees either way from N. 33° W. Another 

point in which it seems to differ from the others is found in the reported occurrence 

of a fluorspar vein "just northwest of the dike." Possibly this fluorite occurs in 

a northerly continuation of the Holly vein, which is believed to have either crossed 

or been crossed by the dike. However, after admitting that the course is as originally mapped, the most important peculiarity of the Flanary dike is that it is 

associated with a fault of great displacement. As estimated by the writer, the 

throw of the-block of Mansfield sandstone on the north of the dike can not be less 

than 1,000 feet. The faulting accompanying the other dikes is almost nothing 

when compared with this great throw.

As usual in this district, the intrusion of even this the largest of the dikes has 

produced only a very limited amount of metamorphism of the walls. The change 

in the walls where they consist of shale and sandstone or of shaly limestone is 

scarcely notable, but where the limestone is nearly pure it is, at least locally, altered 

for a few inches to a white marble. Sometimes the marble has a distinct greenish 

tinge.

Hard dike. This dike is known from a single exposure on the Hard farm, 2 

miles northwest of Marion. Here, in the bank of a branch of Crooked Creek a 

fissure, 4 to 5 feet wide, in the Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone is 

filled with mica-peridotite. As near as can be determined from the limited exposure the course of the dike is about N. 34° W. The limestone walls are not 

appreciably or only very slightly metamorphosed at the contact with the dike.

Walker dike. This dike joins the Old Jim dike at some point between the 

mine and the sink-hole pond a fourth of a mile south of the mine. Just north of 

the pond both dikes are distinguishable, but are close together and exhibit indications of transverse connections. On the south side of the pond they are farther 

apart, the rate of divergence thence being about 3°. On following the trend of the 

dike southeastward it is next seen in an old shaft on the Deboe place, nearly a 

fourth of a mile from the pond. South of the Marion and Salem road it is again 

seen in the Walker shaft and in the bed of a small stream about 100 yards beyond 

the shaft. Finally, it outcrops on the south side of the Marion-View road just 

south of the home of Greene Jacobs. When these five outcrops are connected on 

the map the result is an almost perfectly straight line trending about N. 36°-37° W« 

The average thickness of the dike seems to be about 7 feet.
DIKES. 103

Old Jim dike. This dike is well shown in the Old Jim mine, where it separates 

the zinc ores which have replaced the Ste. Genevieve limestone that originally 

formed the walls of the dike. North of the mine the dike is shown in the "pyrite 

shaft," and farther on it outcrops in a small tributary of Hurricane Creek. South 

of the mine it is shown in a number of prospect holes and cuts, the last being near 

the crossing of the Stevens fault. The average trend as shown in these exposures 

is about N. 33°-34° W.

As the Old Jim dike has not been detected south of the Stevens fault it seems 

probable that its fissure is, in part at least, limited to the limestones underlying 

the less brittle sandstones and shales of the Chester group. The latter failing to 

break cleanly must have made room for the intruded peridotite between the bedding 

planes/' Such h6rizontal sheets are very well shown in gullies on Ace Belt's place, 

situated on the north side of Clay Lick, about 3J miles southwest of Marion. The 

locality is about midway between the two points where the Walker and Old Jim 

dikes should cross the creek. A clean exposure afforded the following section of 

rocks of the Birdsville formation with two peridotite sills.

Section on Clay Lick, 3% miles southwest of Marion showing sills of mica-peridotite.

Soil and loose sand rock at top. Ft. in. 

Fine-grained, thin-bedded, argillaceous sandstone not appreciably metamorphosed................. 6 0

Decomposed mica-peridotite..........-.........-..---.---..--...---.....-...---...----.----- 1 4

Shaly sandstone, apparently unaltered-.................--..---..--......--..--....-..---..-.. 0 9

Mica-peridotite, less decomposed than sheet above, with a few inches of dark-red clay at top........ 5 0

Slaty sandstone, normally grayish-blue, upper 9 inches blackened........................'....... 2 0

Garden dike. Judging from two outcrops, one on the Garden place near the 

head of the little stream about a mile north of View, the other about two-thirds of 

a mile northwest of the first, the course of this dike is about N. 30° W. The width 

of the dike is only about 2 feet, but the character of the material filling the fissure 

is practically the same as in the other dikes in Crittenden County. The Ste. Genevieve limestone forming the walls of the dike at the first outcrop is not appreciably 

metamorphosed.

View dike. This dike crosses the Salem road a short distance west of the 

post-office at View. In the field on the north side of the road, W. L. Lowery sank 

a shaft, nearly 50 feet in depth, in the decomposed peridotite. Having an unquestionable dike and the same kind of wall rocks as at the Old Jim mine, the miners 

felt confident of striking a body of zinc ore, but, so far as known, not a sign of 

either carbonate or blende was discovered. Both in the road and in the shaft the 

dike is at least 12 feet thick. The trend between the two points is very nearly

a Since the above was written the writer has received from Mr. F. Julius Fobs notes on and specimens of a sill in 

Birdsville rocks passed through by a prospect shaft near Glendale Church. "Both the Old Jim and the Flanary dike strike 

toward this church and the sill encountered in the shaft may be connected with either one of these dikes.
104 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

N. 30° W. Plotting this course on the map, it was found to strike directly for an 

outcrop of mica-peridotite about 1 mile southeast of Levias. The latter having 

previously been determined as trending toward View, it was assumed that the two 

outcrops were on the same dike.

Caldwell Spring dike. This dike is known only from an outcrop on the east 

side of Caldwell Spring Branch, a short distance south of the church. It is evidently a large dike, but the exposure, when visited, gave no clue as to its course.

Notes on samples of dike rocks. The following notes on samples of the peridotite 

from some of the dikes of the Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district are by Doctor Smith:

"The rock from the Flanary dike is dark greenish gray and moderately fine 

grained. As seen with a lens, it consists mainly of abundant small or minute, 

dull, blackish grains in a pale to moderately dark-greenish matrix. The rock 

contains a considerable though variable amount of a dark mica with silvery luster, 

which occurs in scattered minute flakes, and also in larger, ragged, poecilitic flakes 

having a maximum noted diameter of about 4.5 mm. The rock contains occasional threads and narrow seams of some carbonate, probably mainly calcite.

" This rock has been fully described by Mr. Diller/' who proposes for it the name 

mica-peridotite.

" One slide of this rock, more altered than usual, contains among its secondary 

products pyrrhotite, considerable titanite, and a good deal of chlorite.

"The rocks from the other dikes are also mica-peridotite, similar in general 

character to that from the Flanary dike, though some differ from this, to some 

extent, in structure and the relative proportions of the different minerals. Most 

of the specimens collected are very much weathered, the Golconda rock being the 

freshest of them all. In this, not only is there considerable olivine only partially 

altered to serpentine, but also a good deal of a nearly colorless augite, which is 

one of the essential constituents of the rock. This mineral probably occurred 

originally in all the dikes, though this is the only one in which either augite or 

olivine was found.

" Macroscopically the rock from the different dikes scarcely varies more than 

different samples from any one dike. It is always dark greenish gray, sometimes 

approaching black. It sometimes contains minute, dark-reddish grains of iron 

oxide, due to the alteration of magnetite or other contained iron ores. While the 

biotite occurs in some of the dikes in broad, poecilitic flakes, in others the flakes 

are minute, and though common are not abundant. This is the case with the Hard 

dike and the View dike. At the Old Jim mine, mica was noted in small flakes in 

the peridotite, though at the Pyrite shaft, on the same dike, it is found in coarser 

form.

"Under the microscope the rock always shows considerable alteration, even 

that from Golconda. When first altered it contains abundant serpentine and little 

carbonates. On further alteration carbonates develop, and some of the specimens 

are very largely composed of these, probably mainly calcite, though this is doubtless 

associated with more or less magnesian carbonates. In one of the specimens from

a Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 44, 3d ser., 1892, pp. 286-289.
DIKES. 105

the Hard dike, on Crooked Creek, the rock was so altered that even the biotite had 

almost wholly disappeared. Seams of serpentine, calcite, or other carbonates, 

sometimes associated with quartz, are common in the altered rocks. Pyrite was 

noted in small quantity in several of the dikes. Where the rocks are considerably

altered secondary mica and what is apparently talc may occur among the

of weathering, as was noted in the peridotite of the Hard dike.

"The amount of mica varies considerably, as do also the relative proportions 

of magnetite (?) and the mineral determined as perofskite. The latter is usually 

deep reddish brown, though in one of the specimens from the Hard dike it was a 

rather bright yellow. It is usually, though not always, bordered with a, narrow 

black rim having the general appearance of magnetite. The cloudy, whitish, secondary product so common in most of the slides is apparently derived 

perofskite or some other titanium-bearing mineral in the rock, and is

products

from the 

probably

leucoxene.

"In the Hard and View dikes the biotite is found as abundant small laths 

instead of in the large poecilitic flakes in which it usually occurs."

A\TH 

, AINU

Part II.-ORE DEPOSITS AND MINES.

By W. S. TANGIER SMITH.

107
110 CONTENTS OF PART II.

CHAPTER III. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MINES OF THE DISTRICT Continued. Page.

The Memphis group Continued.

Bill Terry, or Robertson, shaft....................................................... 163

Wilson and Dean prospect............................................................ 163

Klondike mine...................................................................... 164

Other openings..................................................................... 165

The Columbia group..................................................................... 165

General features.................................................................... 165

Mayes and Wilson prospects..................................."....................... 167

Major Clemens shaft................................................................. 167

Rochester prospect.................................................................. 168

New Jim mine...................................................................... 168

Watkins open cut................................................................... 169

Columbia mines.................................................................... 169

Drescher open cut................................................................... 175

Mary Belle mine.................................................................... 175

Lanham mine...................................................................... 176

Old Jim mine....................................................................... 176

Tabb-Yandell group..................................................................... 180

General features.................................................................... 180

Tabb mines........................................................................ 182

Blue and Marble mines.............................................................. 184

Meyers prospects.................................................................... 185

Wheeler mine...................................................................... 185

Tabor mine........................................................................ 186

Asbridge mine...................................................................... 186

Pogue shaft..........................................v............................. 188

Matthews mine..................................................................... 188

Yandell mines...................................................................... 188

Hodge group........................................................................... 191

General features.................................................................... 191

Hodge mine........................................................................ 192

Lovelace and Dan Riley shafts....................................................... 193

Brown mine........................................................................ 193

Redd open cut...................................................................... 193

Ebby Hodge mine.................................................................. 193

Riley group............................................................................ 195

General features.................................................................... 195

Woods shaft........................................................................ 195

Henry Hodge and Woods prospects................................................... 195

Riley mine......................................................................... 195

Evening Star group..................................................................... 196

General features.................................................................... 196

Evening Star mine.................................................................. 197

Morning Star mine.............................................................. v ... 198

Nancy Hanks shaft................................................................. 199
CONTENTS OF PART II. Ill

CHAPTER III. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MINES OF THE DISTRICT Continued. Page.

Mines and prospects southwest of Salem................................................... 199

Royal mines........................................................................ 199

Benard or Klondyke mine............................................................ 200

Coker shaft...........................................................--'...----..-- 200

Hudson mine and Pierce prospect..................................................... 201

Mines and prospects north of Salem....................................................... 201

Butler prospect................................................................. 201

Babb group........................................................................ 201

General features................................................................ 201

Ramon Babb mine.............................................................. 202

T.om Babb prospect-............................................................ 202

Morse shaft.................................................................... 202

Guill mine..................................................................... 202

Crosson Cave prospect........................................................... 202

Notes on recent discoveries............................................................... 204

Struck-it-rich mine.................................................................. 204

Lady Farmer mine.................................................................. 205

Cartwright mine.................................................................... 205

Keystone mines..................................................................... 205

L. F. White mine................................................................... 206

Senator mine....................................................................... 206

Professor Wright shaft............................................................... 207

Summary............................................................................. 207

Index.... ................................................................................ 209

ILLUSTRATIONS IN PART II.

Page. 

PLATE VIII. Map of the producing portion of Kentucky fluorite district, showing location of mines,

prospects, faults, and dikes................................................... 116

IX. A, Gravity fluorspar washer at the Tabb mine; B, gravity fluorspar washer at the Mary

Belle mine................................................................... 118

X. A, Hodge mine; general view, showing location of washer; B, log washer at the Hodge

mine....................................................................... 120

XI. A, Typical specimen of seamed limestone; B, hydrozincite and smithsonite from the Old

Jim mine.................................................................... 122

XII. A, Outcrop of sheeted Chester quartzite at the Benard mine; B, outcrop of quartzite at

the Mayes and Wilson prospect, close to the Columbia fault........................ 130

XIII. A, Fluorite containing inclusions of country rock; B, cavernous fluorite formed by the

leaching out of country-rock inclusions.......................................... 134

XIV. .4, Banded fluorite with galena, from the Riley mine; B, banded ore, from the Tabb mine.. 142

XV. A, General view of the Old Jim mine, showing open cut; B, open cut at the Old Jim mine. 176 

FIG. 1. General course of vein, Memphis mine, at depth of about 100 feet......................... 132

2. Underground workings of Mann and McDowell mines.................................... 141

3. Memphis group of mines............................................................. 161

4. Face of drift, Wilson & Dean prospect.................................................. 164

5. Section across the vein of the Klondike mine............................................ 164

6. Columbia group of mines............................................................. 166

7. Underground workings of Columbia mine .............................................. 171

8. Old Jim mine....................................................................... 177

9. Cross section of cave of the Old Jim mine.............................................. 179

10. Cross section of Old Jim mine......................................................... 179

11. Tabb-Yandell group of mines......................................................... 181

12. Part of Tabb mines.................................................................. 182

13. Fluorite replacing Birdsville quartzite; Prospect hole No. 1, Tabb mine.................... 182

14. Section of vein, west face of drift, main shaft, Tabb mine................................. 183

15. Section of vein, east face of drift, main shaft, Tabb mine................................. 183

16. Plat of Asbridge mine, showing courses of drifts......................................... 187

17. Vertical section of Asbridge mine...................................................... 187

18. Yandell mines...................................................................... 189

19. Southwest face of drift, shaft No. 2, Yandell mine....................................... 190

20. Section, northeast face, 85-foot level, Yandell mine...................................... 190

21. Sheared limestone adjacent to the vein, shaft No. 23, Tabb mine.......................... 190

10696 No. 36 05 8 113
114 ILLUSTRATIONS IN PAKT II.

FIG. 22. Hodge group of mines................................................................ 191

23. Hodge mine....................................................................... 192

24. Ebby Hodge mine................................................................... 194

25. Vertical section of Riley shaft........................................................ 196

26. Section of vein at face of northeast drift at 30-foot level, Riley mine...................... 197

27. Evening Star group of mines......................................................... 197

28. Section of vein at bottom of Nancy Hanks shaft....................................... 198

29. Benard mine....................................................................... 200

30. Vertical section Crosson Cave ....................................................... 203

31. Diagram showing relation of veins at lower level, Crosson Cave........................... 203
PART II. ORE DEPOSITS AND MINES.

By W. S. TANGIER SMITH.

CHAPTER I.

MINING IN THE DISTRICT.

The area including the lead and zinc deposits of western Kentucky, together 

with those of southern Illinois, forms one of the subsidiary lead and zinc districts 

of the Mississippi Valley. This district differs from the others in several respects: 

(1) In the presence of dikes of basic igneous rock in the same vicinity; (2) in the 

almost constant association of the lead and zinc ores with fluorite, the latter occurring in well-defined fissure veins; (3) in the common occurrence of sphalerite in 

fine grains, largely as a metasomatic replacement of the limestone in or adjacent 

to the fissure veins.

HISTORY OF MINING OPERATIONS.

Lead ores were known in this district to the early settlers from about 1812. 

The first attempt to mine the deposits was made in 1835 by a company headed 

by President Andrew Jackson. The operations of this company were carried on 

in Crittenden County, Ky., its shaft being sunk on the Eureka vein within 100 

yards of the present main shaft of the Columbia mine. Between that time and 

the civil war other scarcely less primitive attempts were made to mine the deposits, 

notably at the Royal mines in Livingston County, near Smithland. About 1850 

the impression prevailed that the galena of the district contained a considerable 

amount of silver, and it was for this mineral rather than for the lead that the Royal, 

Columbia, and other mines were first worked.

In the seventies, incited by the successful operations at Rosiclare, on the 

Illinois side of the Ohio River, prospecting and mining were somewhat generally 

resumed in western Kentucky. Considerable activity, indeed, was displayed in 

the development of mines in Crittenden County. For several years the Columbia 

mines were worked for lead, apparently with profit. In 1878, however,, these 

and most other mines in the district were shut down, because, with the lack of 

adequate transportation facilities and the depreciation in the market value of 

lead which set in about that time, mining operations became unprofitable.

The first shipments of fluorspar from the Kentucky side of the district came 

from the Yandell mine in 1873. The ore was hauled to Dycusburg, on the 

Cumberland, and shipped thence by boat. In the following year the Memphis 

mines were opened, the fluorspar being hauled to the Ohio River. These two 

mines remained in operation for several years, but the long wagon hauls over bad 

roads finally caused them to succumb to the competition of the more fortunately

115
116 LEAD, ZINC, AND^ FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

situated Rosiclare mines. In the last six years interest in the district has been 

renewed, the rise in the price of zinc being perhaps the principal of the factors 

causing the revival. As a result of the search for this mineral the district, for the 

first time in its history, is being thoroughly and more or less systematically prospected. Over forty companies have been organized since 1899 and are now working in the district. Although but few of these have so far succeeded in discovering 

important bodies of zinc and lead, the efforts of most of them have not been wholly 

fruitless, since they have uncovered large deposits of fluorspar which, after all, 

is the main ore of the district. Further details of the past and present operations at 

some of the more important mines are given in Chapter III of Part II of this report.

PRODUCTION.

There are no data for determining the production of galena from this district 

prior to 1880, but it must have amounted to at least 1,000 tons. For over twenty 

years production ceased entirely. Even since the revival of interest in the mines 

of this district a few years ago the production of lead has been insignificant, only 

a few tons having been shipped. Early in the past year the Kentucky Fluorspar 

Company, at Marion, installed machinery and is now prepared to separate the 

small amounts of galena contained in the fluorspar ground by them. Later in 

the year the Columbia Mining Company erected a mill for the separation of their 

ores, and a small plant was erected by Messrs. Blue & Nunn at the New Jim mine, 

on the Columbia vein. This vein generally carries some galena. The Kiley mine, 

which is, so far as known, the only mine in the southern part of the district having 

no sphalerite with the galena, is likewise being equipped with a mill. Under the 

circumstances it is expected that the district will this year begin to assume rank 

as a small but regular producer of galena.

The production of zinc has hitherto been confined almost entirely to one 

mine the "Old Jim." In 1901 this mine shipped 3,154,151 pounds of carbonate 

(smithsonite), and in 1902, up to September 1, 5,036,390 pounds of the same ore, 

al at an average value of $13.90 per ton f. o. b. at Marion. In 1903 a considerable 

proportion of the output from the Old Jim was of sphalerite. In 1904 little was 

done on this property, the Columbia and New Jim being then the main zinc producers. Other but comparatively small producers of carbonate in these years were 

the Mann, McDowell, and Miller mines. In 1900 the Lanham mine produced 

about 25 tons of sphalerite. Of recent years the zinc output of the district has 

been from 1,500 to 2,500 tons. As sphalerite is the most important of the elements 

of the ores of some of the mines in the Columbia fault zone, a number of which 

are being actively developed, the production of this mineral may be increased 

materially in the immediate future.

The output of fluorspar in the district prior to 1882 can not now be deter-
MINING IN THE DISTRICT. 117

mined exactly, but it doubtless amounted to many thousands of tons. From 

that date to the close of 1903 the production reached a.total of about 250,000 

tons, valued approximately at $1,562,500. Before 1899 considerably more than 

half of the annual output came from the north side of the Ohio, but since that 

date the production has been about equal on the two sides of the river. An effort 

was made to determine the output of the mines in each of the two States separately, but the data secured for most of the years were insufficient to serve the 

purpose. The statistics for 1899 and later years, however, appear to be more 

detailed and definite, so that the following table of amounts of spar shipped from 

the various mines in Kentucky from January 1, 1899, to September 1, 1902, may 

be accepted as approximately correct.

Fluorspar shipped from mines in Kentucky from January 1, 1899, to September 1, 1902.

	Pounds. 

Hodge............................................................ 14,801,076

Memphis.......................................................... 15,756,435

Klondike......................................................... 3,213,630

Yandell....................----...............:................... 26,694,820

Brown............................................................ 1,437, 490

Ebby Hodge...................................................... 569,490

Kentucky No. 4................................................... 459,860

Panther Hollow.................................................... 886,875

Holly................-----..---............................:...... 635, 465

Blue Land........................................................ 24,045

Tabb............................................................. 3,641,871

Blue and Marble................................................... 3,352, 338

Wheeler.......................................................... 823,960

Lanham.......................................................... 92, 620

Mary Belle........................................................ 1,051, 695

Evening Star...................................................... 156,000

Tabor............................................................ 160,000

Asbridge.......................................................... 4,644,000

Sam Matthews..................................................... 28,000

Lovelace.......................................................... 88,000

Babb............................................................. 850,000

J. K. P.Hudson................................................... 92,000

Austen Guill...................................................... 144, 000

Dan Riley........................................................ 20,000

Archie Crosson.................................................... 30,000

Lucile.................'........................................... 882,130

Marble........................................................... 1,945,950

During this period 700,000 pounds of fluorspar were ground by the mill of 

the Eagle Fluorspar Company, near Salem, and 10,493,395 pounds by that of the 

Kentucky Fluorspar Company, at Marion.
118 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

The production of fluorspar by the mines in western Kentucky in 1903 amounted 

to 29,168 tons. Of this output 21,549 tons, valued at $93,800, were shipped in the 

crude state, and 3,336 tons, valued at $33,360, were ground. Nearly the whole of 

this production came from Crittenden County.

Six grades of fluorite are recognized in the American market: (1) American 

lump No. 1, (2) American lump No. 2, (3) gravel, (4) crushed, (5) ground fine, (6) 

ground extra fine.

The first three of these are recognized in mining, the fluorite being graded 

according to size and purity. White or colorless and transparent or nearly transparent fluorite belongs to the first grade, or No. 1; clear blue ore, especially when 

very pale in color, comes under the same head. To No. 2 belong the dark-colored 

fluorites and those admixed with impurities, such as calcite and fragments of limestone. The fluorite is further graded, as to size, into lump and gravel, the former 

consisting of the ordinary massive, granular fluorite, in fragments and blocks, and 

the latter of the same material after the grains have become separated by weathering.

USE.S OF FLUORSPAR.

Fluorspar is used chiefly as a flux in the manufacture of steel and pig iron, and 

to a minor extent in the reduction of lead. It is claimed to be of advantage also 

in the smelting of copper and nickel. In addition it is employed in the enameling 

trades, and comparatively small amounts are used in the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid and of opalescent glass. For these last purposes only the best quality 

of fluorite is used, the second and third grades being sold for fluxing.

MINING METHODS.

For the purposes of prospecting or mining land supposed or known to be ore 

bearing is as a rule either leased or purchased. In some cases only the mineral right 

in the land is obtainable, while rarely the right to mine one mineral, as fluorite, is 

sold or leased to one individual or company, while the right to other minerals occurring in the same vein (as lead and zinc ores) is sold or leased to others. Occasionally 

the lessee does not work the property himself, but subleases it. There are no fixed 

royalties, the leasing rates for fluorite ranging from 10 cents to $1.25 per ton of 

cleaned ore, and from 25 cents to $2 or possibly $2.50 for separated lead and zinc ores.

There are few fully equipped plants in the district and mining is carried on for 

the most part by simple methods. Many of the mines or prospects consist of open 

cuts, more of shallow shafts, and both are worked by windlass. With increase in 

depth of the shaft the windlass is exchanged for the whim, operated by horse power. 

This is probably the most commonly used method of hoisting in the district, being 

depended on by some of the more important mines. The better equipped mines 

use steam power or gasoline engines for hoisting, pumping, and other purposes, and a 

few are furnished with such accessories as compressed air drills and electric lights.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. IX

A. GRAVITY FLUORSPAR WASHER AT TABB MINE.

£. GRAVITY FLUORSPAR WASHER AT MARY BELLE MINE.

MINING IN THE DISTEICT. 119

As most of the mines are above permanent water level, more or less timbering 

is necessary in the drifts. Usually this is of the simplest possible kind, though in a 

few instances the timbering is excellent. Some of the drifts, especially those below, 

water level, have little or no timbering. The open cuts as a rule are not timbered, 

that at the Old Jim mine being an exception. The character of- the timbering here 

is well shown in PI. XV, A and B.

The mills of the district are of two classes, those for grinding fluorspar and 

those for concentrating the ores. Of the former there are two, one belonging to 

the Kentucky Fluorspar Company, at Marion, the other belonging to the Eagle 

Fluorspar Company, at the Evening Star mine, southeast of Salem. Only the best 

fluorite, a clean first-grade ore, is used for grinding. The ore is first heated in a 

kiln to free it from moisture, after which it is coarsely crushed and finally ground 

to a flour and bolted through cloth. After being ground it is barreled and shipped 

to glassworks and acid manufacturers. Lumps or fragments of ore containing 

galena are culled and saved for the lead. There is shipped from the district for 

fluxing purposes much fluorite which would make good grinding spar if it could 

be separated from the associated galena and calcite.

The mill at Marion has been in operation since about 1898, and the Eagle 

Fluorspar Company's rolls were installed at about the same time. The Kentucky 

Fluorspar Company's mill has one coarse and two fine rolls, with a capacity of 

80 barrels a day. The mill works intermittently, and both the company's and 

purchased ores are ground. The Eagle Fluorspar Company's rolls were installed 

for their own ores and for custom work. They were hot in operation when the 

district was visited.

At the present writing there are three concentration plants in operation in the 

district, one at the Marble mine, one of about 30 tons' capacity at the Columbia 

mine, and the third, of the same capacity, at the Evening Star mine. That at the 

Columbia is intended primarily for the concentration of sphalerite and galena, the 

others for the separation of galena, sphalerite, and fluorite from each other and from 

rock fragments and calcite. At all of the mills the general method is the same, the 

ores being crushed, rolled, sized, and finally concentrated; but at the Columbia and 

Marble mines the concentrating medium is water, while at the Evening Star mine 

it is air, the ores being treated dry by the Hooper pneumatic system. At the Columbia and Marble mines the method employed is that in common use in the Joplin 

district, in southwestern Missouri, and their plants consist of the usual crusher, 

three rolls, screens, and jigs. The Columbia has three jigs, and the Marble four of 

the American Concentrator Company's jigs of three compartments each. Where 

this method is used only for the separation of sphalerite and galena, as at the Columbia, it is of course satisfactory. At the Marble mine the separation of the galena
120 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

is satisfactory, but that of the fluorite from the other minerals and rock is not. 

Even where sphalerite is not present, this mode of separating the fluorite is far 

from satisfactory, but where sphalerite must be separated as well the difficulties are 

increased many fold. The sphalerite usually occurs in fine grains disseminated in 

limestone and to a less extent in fluorite, thus necessitating much finer material 

for concentration, and rendering separation by the wet methods much more difficult.

The plant at the Evening Star mine was being installed when the district was 

visited by the writer. It was to consist of a crusher, three sets of straight-face rolls, 

nine groups of sizes (the finest screen being of 180-mesh silk bolting cloth), and 12 

Hooper pneumatic concentrators. This method of separating the ores of this district, to judge from practical results so far as they can be learned, is scarcely more 

satisfactory thus far than separation by jigging. It seems probable, however, that 

sooner or later some method will be devised by which the Kentucky ores may be 

properly concentrated.

The fluorite above water level usually occurs in a more or less granular form 

known as gravel spar, mixed with a varying proportion of clay, and much of it 

must be cleaned before it can be shipped, although many of the mines are not 

equipped with any washing apparatus. There are two methods in use for cleaning 

the ore, one known as the gravity washer, the other the log washer, commonly used 

for washing the oxidized ores in the Wisconsin lead and zinc district.

The gravity washer consists of one or two ore pens at the top of a trough, which 

is inclined at an angle of 10° or 12°, and has one or more openings toward its lower 

end. The ore is usually sized to a greater or less extent at the same time, one 

or more screens being placed just beneath the openings of the trough, as shown in 

PI. IX, A and B. A strong stream of water turned on the ore in the pens carries it 

into the trough and down the incline, at the same time washing it from any 

admixed or adhering clay. The water with the fine ore and suspended clays 

passes off at the first screen. At the Tabb mine settling troughs are used, in addition, for collecting this fine fluorite.

The log washer is shown in PI. X, B. It is slightly inclined, ore being introduced at the lower end and water at the upper. By the revolution of the " log," 

the ore is gradually worked toward the upper end, and finally out, while the water 

with its suspended clays passes out at the lower end. At the Brown mine two 

such washers are used, the ore being subjected to a double washing by passing from 

the first into the second. Besides being used for fluorite, the log washer is used at 

the Old Jim mine for cleaning the smithsonite.

The cleaner ores, especially those from the unweathered portions of the veins, 

are shipped directly, without washing, the coarser impurities, such as calcite and 

limestone, being culled from them by hand.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. X

A. HODGE MINE. 

Genera! view, showing location of washer.

B. LOG WASHER AT HODGE MINE.

CHAPTEK II. 

ORE DEPOSITS OF THE DISTRICT.

MINERALS OF THE ORE DEPOSITS.

The minerals forming the ore deposits and associated with them in this district 

are the following: Galena, cerassite, pyromorphite, sulphur, sphalerite, smithsonite, 

hydrozincite, calamine, greenockite, pyrite, marcasite, limonite, chalcopyrite, malachite, fluorite, barite, calcite, quartz, kaolinite, and ankerite. In addition to 

these, small quantities of some of the hydrocarbon compounds are occasionally 

found in the veins. Of all these minerals, only fluorite, barite, galena, sphalerite, 

and smithsonite are known to be of economic importance within the district.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MINERALS.

Galena or galenite, lead sulphide (Pfr/S). Galena or galenite, characterized by 

its lead-gray color, its cubic cleavage, and its high specific gravity (7.4-7.6), is generally found in irregularly shaped grams, up to 1 inch or more in diameter, in and 

with fluorite. It occurs usually in individuals, but sometimes in aggregates. 

Occasional aggregates 6 inches or more in diameter are reported from several of 

the mines of the district, though none of such size were seen by the writer. Welldeveloped crystals are not common, but it is sometimes found in cubes, especially 

where it occurs in vugs. Less often it is cubo-octahedral. In addition to its 

occurrence with fluorite it is occasionally found disseminated in small grains in 

limestone and also in coarser form as a cement to breccia. The cleavage surfaces 

are sometimes more or less curved. It is occasionally found in elongated forms 

with fine granular or columnar structure, due to post-mineral movements in the 

vein; also, rarely, in very fine-grained aggregates.

The galena of western Kentucky is practically nonargentiferous, as is generally the case with this mineral in the sedimentary rocks throughout the Mississippi 

Valley. So far as has been determined by analysis, the silver content of these ores 

appears to be no greater than that of the ores from the various lead districts of 

Missouri 05 on the whole. On the other hand, the ores from southern Illinois contain 

somewhat more silver than those from Kentucky, if we may judge from the reports

aWinslow, Arthur, Geol. Survey Missouri, vol. 7, 1894, p. 455.

121
122 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

of previous writers/ which indicate a proportion of silver ranging from 2 or 3 

ounces to 32 ounces per ton.

Peter,6 commenting on a specimen of galena from Owen County, Ky., in which 

he found "no ponderable quantity" of silver, remarks that "this has been the usual 

result of the analyses of the galenas of this region. They all appear to be remarkably poor in silver."

Three specimens of galena from the western Kentucky district assayed by 

Dr. E. T. Alien, of the United States Geological Survey, yielded the following 

amounts of silver in troy ounces per ton:

Silver in galena from western Kentucky.

[Troy oz. per ton.] 

Drescher open cut. --.....-........-.-..-......-....-.-..--------.-.-...... 1. 63

Lovelace mine........................................................... 0. 25

J. N. Riley mine.................................................... No silver.

Cerussite, lead carbonate (PW03 ). This is sometimes found colorless and 

translucent, with vitreous or adamantine luster, although it occurs usually in 

impure form as a dark-gray to nearly black, fine-grained aggregate, sometimes 

compact, though generally earthy and dull. It is common, coating galena or filling 

cavities once occupied by galena within the zone of oxidation above the level of 

ground water. It is by far the most common oxidation product of galena.

No lead sulphate (anglesite) was identified. A number of specimens tested 

for this mineral gave only reactions for lead carbonate.

Pyromorphite, orthophosphate of lead with chloride of lead ((P6C7)P64 (P04 ) 3 . 

This occurs in minute or microscopic green translucent crystals, as individuals 

or small aggregates. It is comparatively rare, but was noted in small amount on 

fluorite at the Tabor and Wheeler mines and in druses in a, cavity in fluorite once 

occupied by galena at the Kentucky No. 4 shaft. It is an oxidation product of 

galena and is found only in the zone of oxidation.

Sulphur ($). Sulphur is comparatively rare. It was noted in only two localities, at the Brown mine and at the Kentucky No. 4 shaft, occurring at both places 

as minute yellow crystals in partially oxidized galena. It is one of the products 

of weathering of galena, and is found, therefore, only in the zone of oxidation.

Sphalerite or "blende," zinc sulphide (ZnS). This occurs usually in small or 

minute crystals or grains, of a yellowish or brownish, occasionally nearly black, 

color, disseminated in limestone, less often in fluorite. It is also sometimes associated with calcite. Occasionally it occurs in vugs or as a cement to breccia, and 

it is then somewhat more coarsely crystallized and more or less aggregated. It is a

« Owen, D. D., Geol. Survey Kentucky, vol. 1, p. 88 1856. Whitney, J. D., Report of a Geological Survey of the Upper 

Mississippi Lead Region, Albany, 1862, p. 199. Norwood, J. G., Geol. Survey Illinois, vol. 1, p. 372, 1866. Emmons, S. F., 

Fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21, p. 33, 1893.

& Geol. Survey Kentucky, part 1, vol. 4, 2d series, 1877, p. 134.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. XI

A. TYPICAL SPECIMEN OF SEAMED LIMESTONE.

B. KYDRO2INCITE AND SMITHSONITE FROM OLD JIM MINE,

DESCRIPTIONS OF

common mineral in the veins, but is founi in more than ordinary abundance at a 

few localities, as at tihe Columbia mine, as part of the cement of a limestone breccia, 

and at the Old Jim mine, where it replaces limestone.

A red a and a white 6 oxide of zinc a 

the former at the Columbia mine and the 

former (the so-called zincite) seen by the

sphalerite (ruby blende), while the supposed white oxide is the basic zinc carbonate, 

hydrozincite, described below.

Smiihsonite, zinc carbonate (ZnC03 ) . This is found both crystallized and

massive. The crystals are generally light

THE MINERALS. 123

re reported as occurring in the district, 

latter at the Old Jim. Samples of the 

writer proved to be only a variety of

olored and translucent; they are always

small, are found singly or in aggregates on the walls of cavities, and are usually 

short rhombohedral, with curved rough faces. They also occur doubly terminated, 

spindle shaped, or with club-shaped terminals, frequently aggregated in masses. 

Reniform, botryoidal, and stalactitic aggregates are common in cavities in the more 

massive granular varieties (PL XI, 5). A large part of the smithsonite occurs 

replacing limestone, and is massive, granular, and moderately dark gray in color.

Only rarely it is found white and fine grained. Occasionally small amounts of

greenockite (noted especially at the Old Jim mine) are included in the smithsonite, 

coloring it yellow and forming the variety "turkey-fat." Smithsonite is the commonest of the oxidation products of sphalerite. It has a somewhat greater specific 

gravity than limestone, which is-sometimes mistaken for it by the miners, and it 

does not effervesce so readily with acid.

Hydrozincite, basic zinc carbonate, perhaps ZnC03 .2Zn(OH)^. This was noted 

in small amount at the Drescher open cul; and locally in considerable quantity at 

the Old Jim mine, incrusting cavities in deposits of smithsonite. Usually laminated and associated with laminae of smitisonite (PL XI, B), its surface forms are 

like those of smithsonite. In places it shows a fibrous structure at right angles to 

the lamination. 

2-2.5).

little harder. It is found just above the level of ground water at the Old Jim mine. 

This mineral is apparently an alteration product of smithsonite.

It is white, dull, and chalky in color, and rather soft (hardness, 

It sometimes appears to be mixbd with some smithsonite and is then a

Calamine, basic silicate of zinc (HzZnz

at the Hodge and Evening Star mines and at the Clement shaft, occurring in small

hemispherical or sheaf-like aggregates in 

surfaces formed by the projecting ends o

This is seen in very small amount

cavities in ore or rock, having rough 

the minute, white, translucent crystals.

Calamine is an oxidation product of sphalerite.

Greenockite, cadmium sulphide (CdS). This occurs in greenish yellow or 

orange-yellow films coating the walls of cjracks in ore and rocks near and usually 

above ground-water level. These films, where of appreciable thickness, very much

a The Mineral Industry for 1900, vol. 9, 1901, p. 294. 6 Mining and Eng. Jour., vol. 74, 1902, pp. 413-41f.
124 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

resemble the precipitated and dried cadmium sulphide of the laboratory. As 

already noted, greenockite also occurs in small amounts coloring smithsonite 

crystals. It is common in small quantities throughout the district wherever 

sphalerite occurs as one of the products of weathering.

Pyrite and marcasite, iron disulphide (FeSa). Both of these minerals are found, 

the pyrite occurring apparently in the greater quantity of the two. They are not 

common except locally, and are then occasionally abundant, as at the Old Jim mine, 

where they occur replacing in large part a 6 to 12 inch bed of limestone close to 

the Old Jim dike. This is the common mode of occurrence of the minerals, replacing limestone, though they have been occasionally noted in Chester shale and also 

(at the Old Jim dike) in partially weathered peridotite. Both minerals occur in 

crystals and grains, usually of microscopic size.

Limonite, Jiydrated sesguioxide of iron (2Fe^03 .3H^O). This is common as an 

oxidation product. In addition to its occurrence as a constituent of clays and 

among the residual products of some of the minerals, as of sphalerite, it is occasionally found more or less aggregated, usually forming moderately hard, compact, 

dark-brownish masses in clay adjacent to the veins. It sometimes occurs also in 

stalactitic forms.

CJialcopyrite, sulphide of copper and iron (CuFeS^). This is characterized 

by its moderate hardness (H 3.5-4), its metallic luster, brass-yellow color, and, 

when crystallized, by its crystal form. This mineral has been noted in small 

amounts at several localities. It was found as numerous minute sphenoids disseminated in fluorite in zones or bands parallel to the cubic faces of some of the 

individuals in an aggregate from the Holly mine. A very small amount in 

minute grains was also noted in fluorite at the Marble mine and in silicified limestone at the Nancy Hanks shaft; also in greater amount disseminated in limestone 

at the Wilson copper shaft.

Malachite, basic cupric carbonate (CuCOs .Cu(OH) 2 ). This is a bright-green mineral usually of dull, earthy character. It effervesces freely with dilute hydrochloric 

acid. It was noted at the Wilson copper shaft above ground-water level as an 

oxidation product of chalcopyrite.

Fluorite, calcium fluoride (CaF2 ). Fluorite is the principal vein-forming mineral of the district. It is sometimes found in cubic crystals coating the walls of 

cavities in the vein or in the country rock adjacent to the vein, but is more often 

massive, occurring then as a nearly uniform granular aggregate. It is usually 

medium grained, though sometimes finer or coarser, crystals and grains having been 

noted with a diameter of as much as 5 inches. The crystals are always cubes, 

their faces generally somewhat rough, owing to irregularities of development. 

Although the fluorite usually has a perfect octahedral cleavage it is sometimes indis-
DESCBIPTIONS OF THE MLNEKALS. 125

tinct, owing in some cases to movements in the veins since the mineral was deposited. The mineral has a vitreous luster, ajid is translucent or, rarely, transparent. 

Where granular it is usually white, though often purplish. In individual grains 

and crystals it is generally colorless, sometimes blue or purplish, and occasionally 

almost black. In one instance, at the 'Tabor mine, amber-yellow crystals were 

noted. Green fluorite is reported from one of the Illinois mines, but none was seen 

in Kentucky. No fluorescence has been rioted in the Kentucky fluorite, and most 

of the specimens that were tested gav^s no observable phosphorescence. The 

mineral does not effervesce with dilute hydrocloric acid.

The source of the color of fluorite ha^s not yet been conclusively determined, 

although Wyrouboff's a experiments, in his view, showed it to be due to the contained hydrocarbons rather than to the metallic oxides. To the present writer, 

however, the results of these experiments appear to have proved rather the presence of hydrocarbon compounds in the mineral than the connection of these 

compounds with the color; although certain facts (particularly the decolorization 

of the mineral on moderate heating) w()uld seem to make the correctness of 

Wyrouboff's conclusions as to the source of the color reasonably sure.

Wyrouboff noted that in the violet-colored fluorite from Welsendorf both color 

and odor were variable, and that the specimens with the strongest odor were also 

darkest in color. This first led him to tH,e supposition that the cause of the color 

and odor were the same. In the course of his experiments he found, that all of the 

fluorite specimens that possessed odor contained hydrocarbons; that white fluorite 

from Cumberland had no odor and contained no hydrocarbons; that the quantities 

of metallic oxides present were totally inadequate to explain the color, besides 

being the same for different colors; and tljat small pieces of the Welsendorf fluorite 

with pronounced odor, treated with ether for twenty-four hours, completely lost 

their odor, showing it to be due, in this] case, to hydrocarbons infiltrated in the 

fractures of the mineral. He found, also, that the colored varieties lose their color 

when heated, that from Welsendorf becoming decolorized at 370° C., which, he 

remarks, is a higher temperature than th^t required for the decolorization of most 

fluorites. He tested fluorite of different colors, including violet, dichroic, yellow, 

green, blue, and white varieties, and his conclusion from all his experiments is that 

the coloring matters are various compounds of hydrogen and carbon, probably 

arising from bituminous limestone, and also that phosphorescence on heating is due 

to the decomposition of the coloring matter.

In the Kentucky district the fluorite is mainly white, and the principal colored

variety is purplish in different shades. Yellow fluorite is rare. No thorough investigation of the cause of the color of the Kentucky fluorite was made, but some facts

a Wyrouboff, M. G.: Bull. Soc. Cbim. Ide Paris, 1866, n. s., vol. 5, pp. 334-347.
126 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

have been brought out by field observations and a few experiments. There can be 

no question that the odor obtained when the mineral is struck or broken is due to 

contained hydrocarbons. As regards the relation of the odor to color, the present 

writer's observations, contrary to those of Wyrouboff, show that the purplish 

Varieties have, in general, no stronger odor than the white or colorless, the odor of 

the latter being frequently very pronounced. The strongest odor is found in the 

brownish variety, which contains an unusually large amount of hydrocarbons. In 

this case the color appears to be due merely to mechanical admixture with the 

hydrocarbons, the fluorite itself being white or colorless. On heating, the yellow 

fluorite from the Tabor mine, the purple and the brownish fluorite are all decolorized 

considerably below red heat, the purple specimens showing slight phosphorescence 

at the time of the loss of color. Coarsely powdered, dark-purple fluorite treated for 

several weeks with ether did not lose color, nor was the ether colored; but small 

fragments of brownish fluorite gave up a considerable part of their color within 24 

hours, turning the ether yellow. Metallic oxides, if present, occur only in extremely 

minute quantities; beads of borax and of sodium carbonate showed no color with 

the colored fluorites. Manganese is not uncommon in the clays adjacent to some of 

the veins, and it is probably present also in small amounts in sphalerite, althougn 

the writer has nowhere noted any such relation of purple fluorite to the occurrence 

of sphalerite as that given by Burk.«

From the writer's observations it seems probable that the white or so-called 

colorless varieties of fluorite contain no less coloring matter than do the colored 

varieties, the differences in color being accounted for by differences in the chemical 

condition of the coloring agent. Wherever purple fluorite was seen it was always 

associated with white, colorless, or even yellow fluorite in such a way as to make it 

seem probable that the purple color is due to oxidation, and is not original with the 

fluorite. In the mines the purple color first appears in those places first reached by 

oxidation, that is, along the contacts between the grains of fluorite, especially near 

the vein walls or along some fracture in the vein. It also forms on crystal 

surfaces in vugs, and is especially common in the oxidized portions of the vein. In 

the belt of weathering, fluorite is most often purple, where found in thin seams and 

particularly where occurring as a cement to brecciated chert or quartzite, these conditions being more favorable to oxidation. Only a small proportion of the fluorite 

in the belt of weathering is purple, as a rule, most of it still retaining its white or 

colorless character, except in some cases where it occurs in thin seams cementing 

breccia. In the case of dark-purple fluorite occurring in vugs, the color, where 

noted by the writer, is not uniformly distributed through the mineral, but is found 

in bands parallel to the surface of the vug, and in some instances the bands com-

<i Burk, W. E., The fluorspar mines of western Kentucky and southern Illinois: The Mineral Industry for 1900, vol. 9 

1901, pp. 293-295.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MINERALS. 127

pletely encircled the cavity, passing from crystal to crystal and following all the 

surface irregularities.

These observations strongly suggest, though they do not prove, that the purplish 

fluorite, at least in western Kentucky, is derived from fluorite of other colors by 

oxidation of the contained coloring matter.

Decrepitation of the fluorite is apparently closely connected with the amount 

of contained hydrocarbons. Some specimens, as the yellow variety from the Tabor 

mine, decrepitate only slightly, but most of them show considerable decrepitation, 

while the brownish fluorite from the Lucile mine decrepitated violently, being reduced 

in the process to a fine sand. Microscopic liquid inclusions are very common in the 

fluorite, occasionally with moving bubbles. They were especially abundant in 

some of the specimens having pronounced odor, and it is probably to them that the 

decrepitation is largely due.

Barite, barium sulphate (BaS04). This is common as a vein-forming mineral, 

and is usually found massive in fine-grained aggregates, though it is occasionally 

noted as crystals, especially in small cavities in the partially weathered, more 

massive forms. The individuals of the massive barite are generally thin and platy 

and are frequently grouped in arborescent forms, best seen on somewhat weathered 

specimens, which, however, usually show a more or less reticulated structure. 

Aggregates of unusually large barite crystals were noted at Crosson Cave, the individuals having a maximum length of half an inch. The barite crystals wherever 

seen had the same habit, a combination of unit prism and basal pinacoid, the 

crystals flattened parallel to the latter. The massive barite may usually be readily 

distinguished by its white or nearly white color when fresh, its fine-grained crystalline character, its specific gravity (about 4.5), and its noneffervescence with acid.

Calcite, calcium carbonate (CaCO^). Calcite is a common vein mineral and is 

also found in limestone adjacent to the veins. Although sometimes found in 

crystals in vugs, it usually occurs in irregularly shaped grains or in granular aggregates. The size of the calcite grains is very variable. The vein calcite, though 

sometimes fine grained, is generally quite coarse, the grains having a maximum 

diameter of 6 inches or even more. It is generally white, and is translucent only 

in thin fragments. It has a well-defined rhombohedral cleavage. The crystals 

occurring in vugs are usually small or of moderate size, and subtransparent and 

colorless, or nearly so. The forms of the crystals are sometimes complex, although 

as a rule they are simple, consisting generally of a single rhombohedron ( 2R) 

or less often of this combined with a scalenohedron (R3).

Quartz, silica (Si02). Quartz in hexagonal crystals, usually minute or microscopic, is frequently found in druses coating the walls of small fractures, especially on siliceous surfaces. Its chief occurrence, however (aside from that in
128 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOE8PAE DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

chert and Chester sandstone and quartzite), is in and replacing limestone, sometimes as scattered, doubly terminated microscopic crystals, sometimes largely 

or wholly replacing the rock and forming jasperoid. (See p. 140.)

Kaolinite, basic silicate of aluminum (H^Al^Si^Og). This occurs as a white or 

cream-colored, very fine-grained aggregate, sometimes with a tinge of red. It is 

earthy and dull, or has a slight waxy luster, is soft (easily scratched with the finger 

nail), unctuous, adheres strongly to the tongue, and when placed in water readily 

slacks. It is found in patches in clay adjacent to the fluorite veins at the Asbridge 

mine and at shaft No. 6 of the Blue and Marble mines. It was chiefly noted, 

however, in the open cut at the Givens prospects here also in residual clays and 

sands. In addition to these occurrences it was seen in minute particles in red 

clay at a number of the mines.

Wad. Wad, an impure mixture of hydrated oxides of manganese, is found 

as a product of weathering, usually in minute dark-gray or blackish specks scattered 

in clay. It was noted also in barite. It occurs in the kaolinite just described, 

especially in that of the Givens open cut, where it is sometimes so abundant as to 

give the kaolinite a gray color. In some of the kaolinite the wad is largely segregated, in places making up the mass of the rock, though always containing a greater 

or less admixture of kaolin. This segregated wad occurs in minutely botryoidal 

forms. Wad from the Givens mine at Pleasant Grove Church, according to analyses 

by Mr. W. George Waring, contains from 2 to 17 per cent of cobalt and nickel.

Ankerite, carbonate of calcium, magnesium, and iron (with some manganese 

(CaCOs (Mg,Fe,Mri)C03). This was noted at the Old Jim mine, at the margin 

of the Old Jim dike, where it occurs as a product of the alteration of peridotite, 

associated with calcite and sphalerite. It occurs as a medium granular, crystalline 

aggregate, nearly white with a pink tinge, and with curved rhombohedral cleavage 

faces.

Hydrocarbon compounds. These, although not homogeneous substances and 

therefore not mineral species, are considered here for convenience. Much of the 

limestone of the district, when fractured by a blow, gives off an odor resembling 

that of crude petroleum. A similar odor is given off when the limestone is dissolved in hydrochloric acid, and a brownish scum forms on the solution. Some 

dark-colored limestones also give off a decided bituminous odor when heated. 

These effects are due to the presence in the limestone of a very small amount of 

contained organic matter, probably largely in the form of petroleum. A similar 

odor is obtained sometimes from coarse white-veined calcite; also from most 

fluorite when it is broken, and.it is frequently much stronger in the fluorite than 

in limestone. Sometimes the amount of contained hydrocarbons is so great as 

to make the fluorite somewhat brownish or even blackish. This coloring matter
OCCURRENCE OF OEE DEPOSITS. 129

appears to be concentrated along the cracks and between the grains of granular 

fluorite and gives a bituminous odor when heated. Rarely the cleavage surfaces 

of the fluorite have the appearance of being moistened with a film of oil, and at 

the Bonanza mine occasional pockets of oil are reported as occurring with the ore. 

Finally, small films of asphalt are sometimes, though not often, seen on the fluorite. 

The amount of hydrocarbons contained in the limestone and fluorite is so small 

that even where the odor is strongest they can seldom be determined quantitatively 

with the amount of material ordinarily used in chemical analysis.

MODES OF OCCURRENCE OF THE ORE DEPOSITS.

The ores of this district may be most conveniently described under three 

heads: (1) Fissure veins; (2) ores cementing breccias; (3) metasomatic replacements. The first class includes the deposits filling fissures due to faulting. The 

second class consists mainly of deposits cementing breccias of country rock 

which has been thoroughly shattered by differential movements, but in which 

as a rule there is no simple, clean-cut fault. Under the third head are treated 

those deposits which occur as replacements (in some cases not adjacent to any 

fissure vein) mainly of the country rock or of rock fragments in deposits of the 

other two classes. The three types are frequently associated, and the first two 

classes may grade into each other; nevertheless, in typical cases in this field, the 

distinctions between all of them are so clear that the division seems warranted for 

purposes of description.

Fluorite, barite, some galena, and some sphalerite are found in fissure veins, 

which are by far the most important occurrence, taking the district as a whole. 

The same ores occur as a cement to breccias; while those found as metasomatic 

replacements include mainly sphalerite below the influence of surface oxidation, 

and smithsonite within that zone.

FISSURE VEINS.

GENERAL FEATURES OF THE VEINS.

All the forms of deposits just described occur along or in the vicinity of welldefined fractures or faults, and in particular the well-defined veins of the district, 

probably without exception, fill fissures due to faulting. While the veins follow 

all the systems of faulting which have been described by Mr. Ulrich in Part I of 

this paper filling both northwesterly and northeasterly fissures, and at the Marble 

mine a practically east-west fissure many more of the northeasterly veins have 

been discovered and developed than of those trending in other directions. Although 

it is not to be understood from this statement that such veins as do occur in other 

directions are not so well defined or so important economically as the northeasterly 

ones, still the present chief producers are the northeasterly veins. 

10696 No. 36 05 9
130 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Ore-bearing fractures belonging to one system are occasionally noted intersecting those of another system. The northwesterly Eureka fault, for example, 

intersects the northeasterly Columbia fault at the Columbia mine (figs. 6 and 7). 

So far as known, ore has been found only southeast of the Columbia fault, and 

judging from Norwood's description a it seems probable that this fault is cut off 

by the Columbia fault, although it was noted intersecting the shales that formed 

the northwest wall of the drift at the 80-foot level of the Columbia mine. Another 

instance of intersecting fissures was noted at the Crosson cave prospect, where a 

fault with a trend of N. 37° E. is cut off by another fault striking north and south. 

Both fissures contained ore. This occurrence is described in more detail in a later 

section of the paper.

Approximately parallel veins may have an opposite arrangement or may be 

arranged en echelon. The arrangement of the veins at the Asbridge, Tabor, and 

Wheeler mines (fig. 11) is a good example of the latter. The relation of the Eureka 

vein to that at the Lanham shaft (fig. 6) is probably similar. Two ore deposits 

along fractures belonging to the same system, but not entirely parallel, occur at 

the Ebby Hodge mine (fig. 24).

While veins may and do occur along minor fault planes parallel to and not 

far from a main fault, it is probable that the chief ore deposits have in the majority 

of instances been formed along the main fault.

The veins occur, so far as known, only in the formations of the Chester and 

Meramec groups, either in one or more often between two of them, where they 

have been faulted into juxtaposition. A vein may thus have both walls mainly 

of sandstone (or quartzite) and shale, as at the Lucile mine near Marion; or one 

wall may be of quartzite and shale and the other of limestone, as at the Riley mine 

southeast of Salem; or finally both walls may be of limestone. The third and 

most common occurrence is illustrated by the Memphis mine northeast of Crittenden 

Springs.

The walls of the veins are usually, though not always, well defined, and are 

frequently marked by pronounced slickensiding, which occurs as a fine grooving 

or as coarse, open corrugations. Where the walls are of limestone they are often 

fractured and frequently much seamed with minute veins, usually of calcite, though 

sometimes of fluorite, together with some galena and sphalerite, and, less often, 

barite. The limestones of the different formations are differently affected in this 

respect, as shown at the open cut of the Tabb mine (No. 11, fig. 12), where a part 

of the northern wall (of Birdsville limestone) is considerably seamed, while the 

southern (of St. Louis) shows only a few fine veinings of calcite. This seaming 

(see PI. XI, A) also accompanies ordinary fracturing of the limestone where no

a Norwood, C. J., Report of a reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: Geol. 

Survey Kentucky, vol. 1, pt. 7, sec. ser., pp. 480-482.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. Xll

A. OUTCROP OF SHEETED CHESTER QUARTZITE AT 6ENARD MINE.

B. OUTCROP OF QUARTZITE AT MAYES AND WILSON PROSPECT, CLOSE TO COLUMBIA FAULT.

OCCURRENCE OF ORE DEPOSITS. 131

vein is known to occur. When Chester quartzite forms the wall it is sometimes 

brecciated and the breccia is more or less cemented with fluorite.

Most of the veins show distinct evidence of movement by the displacement 

of the beds or of the formation on the opposite sides of the fissure, by the slickensiding of the walls, or by sheeting parallel to the walls of the vein with or without 

slickensiding. This sheeting occurs both in the vein itself, especially near the 

walls, and in the country rock, most often in Chester quartzite and shale, where 

it may extend 50 feet or more from the vein. In places subsidiary veins are formed 

between the sheets, bands of ore alternating with partings of rock. Chester shale 

dragged in along the fault plane frequently forms a body at times a foot or 

more in thickness between the vein and one of its walls (fig. 25).

The Chester sandstone, where it occurs close to the faults, is usually more or 

less silicified to a quartzite. This quartzite passes gradually into sandstone on 

the side away from the fissure, the width of the silicified zone being from perhaps 

30 to about 100 feet. The quartzite is more resistant to weathering and erosion 

than the other rocks of the district, and therefore often stands a few feet above 

the general level, forming at intervals along its course dike-like outcrops frequently 

20 to 30 feet wide (see PL XII, A and B, and fig. 12), by which the fault maybe 

readily followed. For the same reason the faults having quartzite for one wall 

frequently follow ridges. Although the quartzite not uncommonly forms a vein 

wall, these surface outcrops, where noted, were generally not at the main fault, 

but from 15 to 80 feet to one side of it. The outcropping masses usually show 

sheeting parallel to the near-by main fault, as illustrated in PL XII, A. In 

PL XII, B, there is similar sheeting, the partings being 3 or 4 feet apart. The 

silicification of the sandstone is merely a more thorough cementation of the rock 

by silica carried in solution by waters probably circulating along these minor 

fault planes.

The width of the veins varies considerably. In the case of well-defined simple 

veins, as at the Hodge mine, the maximum width thus far recorded is 19 feet. 

Several veins have a maximum width of 12 or 15 feet, but most of the important 

ones do not exceed 6 or 8 feet in width. On the other hand, many of the veins 

pinch out completely for short distances. Fig. 23, C, shows the variations in 

width of the vein at the lowest level of the Hodge mine.

The veins are not perfectly straight, either horizontally or vertically, both 

dip and strike changing from point to point, usually in accordance with local variations in the dip and strike of the fault plane. The variable course of some of the 

fissures is well illustrated in figs. 1 and 18. The dip of the vein is always at a high 

angle, usually 60 degrees or more; and local changes in dip are not great as a rule, 

those shown in fig. 25, illustrating reversal of dip at the Eiley mine, being unusual.
132 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

 North shaft

Veins are occasionally reported as being overturned and lying flat, close to 

the surface, though none of this character were seen by the writer. Norwood in 

his report a has figured such a vein at the Henry Woods shaft. This phenomenon 

is evidently due to the creep of surface material in the direction of the slope.

The shafts and cuts by which the veins have been opened are irregularly 

distributed along the fissures, and although ore has been found at intervals for as 

great a distance as 2 miles along a single fissure, the veins have been too little

exploited to make it possible to state with 

any degree of certainty that the individual 

ore bodies are continuous for more than 

an eighth of that distance. In some 

instances it seems probable that the ore 

occurs in comparatively short, lenticular 

bodies at intervals along a given fissure. 

This may be the case along the Columbia 

fault, the ore variations here being such 

as to suggest it. The same seems to be 

true of the Tabb fault. In the latter 

instance some of the ore deposits at the 

Tabb and the Blue and Marble mines 

apparently occur not along the main 

Tabb fault but along near-by parallel 

faults. The longest continuously mined 

vein known to the writer is the Memphis, 

which, as shown in fig. 1, has been followed at the Memphis mine for about 

800 feet. Although the Yandell vein

FIG. l.-General course of the veto Memphis mine, at a h fe in j ^ t intervals it is

depth of about 100 feet. J '

evident that the ore body at the Yandell

mine (fig. 18) is practically continuous for more than 1,000 feet. While, therefore, 

the evidence as to the horizontal extent of the single ore bodies is far from satisfactory, it is apparent that some of them are at least a quarter of a mile long.

There is, without doubt, as has been observed by others, some general though 

not very exact relation between the two dimensions of a fault vertical and horizontal a relation sometimes actually seen in the case of small fractures. What 

is true of the smaller faults is probably true in a general way of the larger ones, 

allowance being made for the effect of increasing pressure and of changes in the 

character of the rocks with increased depth. Where, therefore, faults have great

 Air shaft

' South shaft

Scale

a Op. cit., pi. 3, fig. 2.
OCCURRENCE OF ORE DEPOSITS. 133

horizontal extent, a correspondingly great depth must be postulated, and if the 

length of a fault is measured by miles, it must extend or must have originally 

extended to a depth of several thousand feet at least. It must be remembered, 

however, that in this district we are dealing with truncated faults, the tops of which 

have been worn off by erosion at the surface, so that their present vertical extent 

is not the same as their original depth. Further, in the case of faults limited in 

length by intersection with other faults, the actual length of the surface, of course, 

is not necessarily a criterion of their vertical extent.

The relation between the throw of a fault and its vertical range affords another 

criterion for judging the latter. In general, a fault with a displacement measured 

in inches will have a vertical extent measured by feet or yards at least. Where 

the throw is measured by hundreds of feet, as is the case with many of the faults 

of this district, it is probable that the fissure extends to a depth of thousands of 

feet. The maximum displacement is given by Mr. Ulrich as 14,00 feet.

The occurrence of igneous dikes in itself indicates that some of the fissures 

extend below the base of the sedimentary rocks. All things considered, therefore, 

it is believed that the more important faults of the district extend to great depths.

While this is true of the fissures, it does not necessarily follow that the veins 

which fill them extend to an equal depth; in most cases they probably do not. 

As with the fault itself, so with the vein the length may be taken roughly as 

an indication of the depth. Changes in the physical and chemical characters of 

the rocks in depth, in the source of the ores, and in the direction of circulation 

of the ore-bearing solutions, will all affect the vertical extent of the deposit. A 

known length in two instances of from 800 to 1,100 feet, and in a number of cases 

a known depth of at least 150 feet (at which depth, as noted by Emmons a in 

the southern Illinois deposits, the veins are of undiminished strength), would 

indicate a probable continuation of some if not most of the veins to at least the 

base of the St. Louis limestone, and probably well down toward the base of the 

sedimentary rocks, the conditions beneath the St. Louis depending somewhat on 

the factors already mentioned as affecting the depths of the deposits.

Emmons has suggested b a possible variation in the mineral contents of the 

veins with the character of the inclosing beds, believing that these may be expected 

to diminish very much, if not to be entirely cut off, when the vein walls are formed 

by more siliceous and less readily soluble rocks. The mineral contents do without 

doubt vary to a greater or less extent with changes in the character of the rocks, 

although in the rocks at or near the surface fluorite, barite, and galena ar,e all 

found in both sandstone and limestone. As noted elsewhere in this paper, however, variation of vein width, due to differences in the character of the inclosing

a Emmons, S. F., Fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21, 1893, p. 51. &Loc. cit.
134 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

rock, appears in the Kentucky district to result more from the different effects 

of faulting on the various rocks than from difference of solubility, although this 

also is doubtless effective to some extent. One effect of varying solubility which 

may be mentioned here is that while the limestone in and adjacent to the veins 

is frequently more or less replaced by sphalerite, the sandstone is not so affected.

COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE FISSURE VEINS.

The vein in its simplest form consists wholly of evenly granular fluorite, 

unmarked, from wall to wall, by fractures or other structural features. This 

condition is seen in comparatively few cases, as, for example, here and there along 

the course of the Memphis vein. Usually, however, the vein includes other minerals or dragged-in country rock, and it is frequently broken by banding or other 

structural features.

Angular inclusions of country rock are common, tending, as a rule, to concentrate near the margins of the vein. Occasionally scattered blocks occur as 

far out as the center of even the wider veins. Sometimes the contact of vein 

and wall is sharp, even where the former contains numerous rock inclusions. At 

other times, apparently less often, the vein grades into a cemented breccia of 

country rock with no well-defined wall. The contact of vein and inclusion is 

usually, though not always, sharply defined in the case of fluorite (see PL XIII, 

A and B), less often so in the case of calcite. The rock fragments vary considerably in size, and frequently, where of limestone, they contain more or less disseminated sphalerite; also at times scattered pyrite in minute grains, or small 

amounts of fluorite, galena, or calcite. Secondary silicification of the included 

limestone fragments is common. Earely in well-defined veins the rock fragments 

are so numerous as to make mining unprofitable.

In addition to its occurrence in fragments of country rock included in the 

vein, sphalerite is found at times disseminated in patches or streaks in the wall 

rock where this is limestone. It is met farther in very small amounts disseminated 

in the fluorite of the vein, and it also sometimes occurs in the rock fragments 

of the vein, not disseminated but forming a thin layer over their surfaces.

Galena occurs in many of the fluorite veins, sometimes in quantities large 

enough to make it profitable as a by-product, though in most cases it is insignificant in amount. It is occasionally somewhat uniformly distributed through the 

vein, but usually it is found in varying abundance in different parts. It frequently 

occurs concentrated close to the walls or in narrow bands parallel to them.

Calcite, next to fluorite, is the most abundant vein mineral, and locally may 

form the entire vein content from wall to wall. It also occurs in grains or patches 

in and replacing the country rock close to the vein, or filling the narrow seams 

of the veined limestone. It is coarse grained as a rule, though sometimes it is
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. XII!

A. FLUORITE CONTAINING INCLUSIONS OF COUNTRY ROCK.

rETWtt*: »- . ..*};« *;* , * - r-^». -

^jg*Ca£-.v.i:

B. CAVERNOUS FLUORITE FORMED BY LEACHING OUT OF COUNTRY ROCK INCLUSIONS,

OCCUBRENCE OF ORE DEPOSITS. 135

fine grained, replacing to a greater or less extent the limestone fragments in the 

veins. It occurs massive or in aggregates intergrown with fluorite; also in individuals of irregular shape scattered in the fluorite. Fig. 5 illustrates some of 

these modes of occurrence. In banded veins some portions may consist wholly 

of calcite, while others may contain none whatever. (See figs. 19, 25, and 27.) 

Occasionally the calcite is associated with barite. Crystals of calcite are sometimes found coating the walls of fractures in the veins parallel to the vein walls. 

Such a fracture completely filled with calcite showing comb structure was noted 

at the Hodge mine, the only well-defined example of this structure seen in the 

district.

Barite is common in some of the veins, although in many if not most of them 

it is not found at all. Taking the district as a whole, however, it is probably next 

in abundance to calcite as a vein mineral. In many cases where it occurs it forms 

only a small proportion of the vein, although occasionally it is the chief constituent, as at the Lowery mine, at one of the Myers prospects, and at the Bateman 

prospect. Seams in brecciated rocks and narrow veins sometimes consist wholly 

of this mineral.

Barite occurs in all of the rocks in which fluorite is found in Chester quartzite 

and in both Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis limestone. Where seen only in small 

amounts it was, as a rule, along the margin of the vein (see fig. 14) and never distributed through it. When occurring with fluorite in seams, it sometimes shows 

symmetrical banding.

The only vein of this mineral which has been developed to any extent is that 

on which the Ray and Lowery shafts are situated. Here the vein has a width 

of several feet near the surface, pinching to from 6 inches to a foot at a depth of 

30 or 35 feet. It consists almost entirely of barite, with a very small proportion 

of fluorite and calcite. It is more or less banded, and locally one of the central 

bands, from a fraction of an inch to 2 inches in width, contains a considerable 

amount of medium-grained sphalerite.

The most pronounced structural feature of the veins is the banding shown 

to a greater or less extent by most of them, at least below the level of ground 

water. The vein may be divided into a few broad bands (figs. 5, 20, and 28) or 

into many narrower ones (PL XIV) or both (fig. 20). The bands may not differ 

in mineralogic composition, the structure being brought out merely by partings 

throughout the vein or in some particular portion of it (as shown in fig. 20, near 

the southeastern wall), the planes of parting sometimes showing slickensiding. 

In most instances, however, the different bands show more or less pronounced 

mineralogic differences, and the structure may be due to this alone, as where 

fluorite and calcite occur intergrown along the margin of a vein of fluorite. Any
136 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

of the vein minerals just described may predominate in a given band, though the 

occurrence of sphalerite or galena as the principal mineral of a band is rare. As 

a rule, either fluorite or calcite is dominant. The figures just referred to show 

some of the variations seen in the different bands of some of the veins.

As already noted, banding may sometimes occur where rock and vein matter 

alternate, as in sheeted rocks where deposition has taken place along the planes 

between the thin rock sheets. In one instance observed the thin bands of rock, 

in this case averaging only a quarter of an inch in thickness, had been completely replaced by fluorite (much of it in minute cubes) and by quartz, these 

bands alternating with bands of fluorite containing scattered grains of galena and 

no quartz.

Another structural feature, noted only at the Klondike mine, is a series of 

horizontal fractures (shown in fig. 5), believed to be due to the persistence of 

bedding planes where ore occurs as a replacement of bedded limestone. They 

have the spacing characteristic of bedded limestone and run across the fluorite 

and its included limestone without break, both limestone and fluorite separating 

easily along the partings. They were noted at both upper and lower levels through 

an interval of about 25 feet. For these reasons it is believed that they are not 

due to postmineral horizontal movements in the vein. It could not be determined with any degree of certainty whether these partings were continuous from 

the vein into the wall or not.

OKES CEMENTING BEECCIAS.

Ores that cement breccias occur along or near the main planes of faulting, 

and, with increase in the relative amount of the cement, they grade into true fissure 

veins with included rock fragments. The breccia deposits may have more or less 

the form of a fissure vein, one or both walls being well defined, or and this is 

the typical form on which this division of the deposits is based they may be entirely 

without definite walls, the differential movements having resulted in a general 

brecciation of the country rock within a narrow zone along the course of the fault, 

usually accompanied by more or less irregular sheeting. Breccias of this type 

are largely confined to the more siliceous rocks, occurring sometimes in siliceous 

limestone, but more often in sandstone, especially that of the Birdsville formation. 

Where this formation is found on both sides of a fault, sheeting and brecciation 

usually take the place of a single fault plane, the ores forming the cement of the 

breccia. Where, however, the amount of faulting is sufficient to bring the Birdsville and one of the lower formations into juxtaposition, there is usually a welldefined fault plane between the two, along which most of the ore is deposited as 

a simple fissure vein, though in such cases the Birdsville rocks may be brecciated 

and cemented for some distance from the fissure, as at the Eoyal mines.
OCCURRENCE OF ORE DEPOSITS. 137

Usually the brecciation or sheeting of these rocks is not open, and the seams 

of ore are thin. Barely, however, they may have a width of a foot or more. Such 

breccias have never furnished ore in paying quantities, so far as known. The 

cement of the breccia is similar to the filling of the fissures, consisting chiefly of 

fluorite, with small amounts of galena and sphalerite. Barite also occurs occasionally as a cement, having been noted, however, only in thin seams. The cementation is often only partial, leaving open fractures lined with fluorite crystals or 

with drusy quartz.

Although limestone seamed with calcite is common in connection with the ore 

deposits, definite breccias of the calcareous rocks cemented with ore are comparatively rare. One instance of cemented limestone breccia, which differs from those 

already mentioned in that only an insignificant proportion of the cement is fluorite, 

and which has not as yet been shown to be connected with a vein of fluorite, is at the 

Columbia mine, where siliceous Ste. Genevieve limestone has been somewhat openly 

brecciated and cemented, mainly with calcite, galena, and sphalerite. In places 

the cement is largely of galena and sphalerite, and, as usual where these minerals 

occur in this manner, they are coarser grained than where they are disseminated.

As there is no known occurrence in the district of unsilicified limestone openly 

brecciated, it seems probable that in this case the silicification took place prior to 

the brecciation, the latter being due to the brittle character of the silicified rock. 

If this is true, it is most likely that the rock was silicified after some faulting had 

taken place, later movements along the fault plane producing the brecciation. That 

the movements along this plane did not all occur at one time is indicated by a 

brecciation and cementation of some of the calcite which forms the cement of the 

brecciated limestone. As stated elsewhere in this paper, these breccias are believed 

to be of somewhat limited extent, both vertically and horizontally.

The ores at the Watkins and Drescher open cuts are suggestive of deposits ot 

similar character, oxidized and brought near the surface by erosion.

METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT. 

BELOW THE BELT OF WEATHERING.

Replacement Jyy sphalerite. Below the level of ground water, sphalerite is the 

principal ore that occurs as a metasomatic replacement, though occasionally small 

amounts of galena or fluorite are also seen replacing limestone. This is the chiet 

mode of occurrence of sphalerite throughout the district. It is found in fine grains, 

usually less than ] millimeter in diameter, disseminated in limestone, both in the 

walls adjacent to the fluorite veins and in the fragments of limestone found within 

the vein itself. While the grains are frequently distributed through the rock, they 

often tend to concentrate along or near the margin of the fragments included in the
138 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

vein, or along the edges of some of the seams in the wall rock. There are all degrees 

of replacement, from a few scattered grains to rock which to the eye consists wholly 

of sphalerite, but which under the microscope always shows, in the specimens 

examined, a considerable proportion of other minerals. The average and maximum 

size of the grains varies somewhat in different deposits, though in all observed cases 

of replaced limestone the mineral is fine grained. The sphalerite, as far as can be 

judged, attains a size independent of the grain of the limestone which it replaces. 

Selective replacement of particular portions of the limestone has been noted, although 

it is by no means common. In some of the oolite occurring at the Klondike mine, 

northeast of Crittenden Springs, the oolitic grains are the first portions of the rock 

replaced, a single grain of sphalerite taking the place of one of "oolite, though not 

conforming to it in size or shape. The sphalerite grains seldom if ever show welldeveloped crystal forms, though partial forms are not uncommon.

Some limestones appear to be more favorable for replacement by sphalerite 

than others, owing no doubt to slight chemical and physical differences. An example 

of this is seen at the open cut of the Tabb mine (No. 11, fig. 12) where the southern 

wall (St. Louis limestone) contains no ore, while a part of the northern wall (Birdsville limestone) contains more or less, fine-grained, disseminated sphalerite, occurring 

in patches and streaks in the limestone. Of the different limestones of the district, 

the Ste. Genevieve appears to be especially liable to replacement by sphalerite as 

well as by other minerals, as quartz, pyrite, and fluorite; and of this formation perhaps certain beds are more susceptible than others.

In addition to the occurrence of sphalerite as a replacement in rock fragments 

in the vein and here and there in one or both walls close to the vein, more extensive 

deposits are occasionally found where the conditions for the lateral spread of circulating waters were especially favorable, as at the Old Jim mine, where single beds of 

limestone have been largely replaced by sphalerite in places for a distance of 20 feet 

or more from the peridotite dike, adjacent to which the ores have been deposited. 

Some of the limestone beds here contain little or no sphalerite, while others are partly 

or largely replaced by iron sulphide (pyrite or marcasite), or by iron sulphide and 

sphalerite, the extent of the replacement of a given bed varying considerably from 

point to point. The contact of the dike and country rock has here formed a trunk 

channel for the circulation of the ore-bearing solutions, which have spread widely 

into the adjoining limestones. The dike itself contains no ore.

Metasomatic replacement 'by other minerals. It may be fitting in this connection 

to speak of rock replacements by minerals other than sphalerite, which, while they 

do not in general form ore deposits, are still of importance in a study of the ores with 

which they are usually associated. The occurrence of pyrite or marcasite formed 

by replacement of limestone at the Old Jim mine has been mentioned. These are
OCCUKKENCE OF OKE DEPOSITS. 139

the most extensive deposits of iron sulphide known in the district. At some of the 

mines (e. g. at the Klondike) it is associated with sphalerite as one of the minerals 

replacing the limestone in or adjacent to the fluorite veins, and like the sphalerite it 

always occurs in small or minute grains or crystals, generally much smaller than 

those of the sphalerite. Other minerals found in connection with the vein deposits 

and under conditions similar to those under which pyrite and sphalerite occur are 

fluorite, galena, and quartz. Of these quartz is by far the most important, limestone completely replaced by it being of common occurrence. Galena is not common, 

being found occasionally in disseminated grains of moderate size. Fluorite is also 

of occasional occurrence, being usually found in moderately coarse grains with other 

metasomatic minerals in the altered limestone. It also occurs fine grained, the only 

instance noted being at the Columbia mine. In this case the replaced limestone was 

seen as a fragment in a matrix of moderately coarse calcite. A part of the limestone had been replaced mainly by sphalerite, the rest mainly by fine-grained fluorite, associated with very little sphalerite. The fluorite in thin section still shows 

outlines of some of the microscopic fossils originally contained in the limestone.

The mode of occurrence of quartz differs in no respect from that of the minerals 

already described. All stages in the process of silicification are found, quartz first 

appearing in the limestone as a few scattered, very minute, frequently microscopic, 

doubly terminated crystals. These gradually increase in number till the entire 

rock has been replaced, the final result being an aggregate of microscopic grains, 

still giving some indication of crystal form though seldom showing good crystal 

boundaries. Any or all of the other minerals described in this section may occur 

with the quartz. This silicification of the limestone is most often noticed in the 

rock fragments found in the fissure veins, although it occurs in the country rock 

adjacent to the vein. Masses of this secondary rock outcropping at the surface 

have been noted near the Morning Star mine, southwest of Salem, and at the New 

Jim mine, on the Columbia fault, associated at the former place with fluorite and at 

the latter with smithsonite. The silicification of the rock fragments in the veins 

does not as a rule change their general appearance, as they still retain the gray 

color characteristic of the limestone, and their greater hardness is the chief difference 

apparent in the hand specimen. The outcrops near the Morning Star mine, however, have the aspect of Birdsville quartzite. Rarely chert occurs altered to a rock 

like that just described.

This silicification of limestone by quartz is believed to be related to the process 

of fissure filling, and not to be a common characteristic of the limestones of the 

district, although a slight degree of replacement by quartz is commonly found in 

the limestone. Several fragments of limestone, obtained from localities where no 

veins are known to occur, were dissolved in acid. A comparatively small residue
140 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

was obtained from all, consisting mainly of minute, irregular quartz grains with a 

few stocky crystals of the same mineral. The replacement of limestone by quartz 

is common in fissure veins in general, and is therefore not believed to have any 

specific relation to the deposition of the fluorite in this district. To similar rocks 

from Aspen, Colo., Spurr has given the name jasperoid,a which he defines as 

follows: "A rock consisting essentially of cryptocrystalline, chalcedonic, or phenocrystalline silica, which has formed by the replacement of some other material, 

ordinarily calcite or dolomite." The figures of these Colorado rocks given by 

Lindgren 6 might almost equally well represent the Kentucky jasperoids.

Metasomatic replacement is not limited to limestone, but occasionally occurs 

in other rocks of the district as well. What is apparently silicified calcareous shale 

is found at Major Clemens shaft, near Crittenden Springs, and 125 feet west of the 

Columbia fault. This rock will be described later. At the westernmost opening 

of the Tabb mine a mass of fluorite occurs as a replacement of quartzite (fig. 13), 

which it simulates in general appearance and structural features.

METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT IN THE BELT OF WEATHERING.

Smithsonite. Zinc sulphate, the first product of the oxidation of sphalerite, 

taken into solution by the waters of the belt of weathering, reacts with the adjacent 

limestones as follows:

ZnSO4 +CaCO3 =ZnCO3 +CaSO4

The calcium sulphate formed is taken into solution and carried downward, but 

only a small proportion of the zinc carbonate is thus removed, the greater part forming 

a metasomatic replacement of the limestone. Almost any partially weathered 

piece of the massive granular smithsonite shows here and there on the weathered 

surfaces rude remnants of some of the fossils, such as shells and fragments of crinoid 

stems, which were contained in the limestone. Other features of the limestone 

reproduced by the smithsonite are occasional bedded structure with interbedded 

chert or scattered chert nodules. In one specimen containing chert nodules the 

smithsonite was analyzed qualitatively, showing it to consist mainly of zinc carbonate (probably as much as 95 per cent) with less than 1 per cent of lime and a 

small proportion of other substances, chiefly silica. Unreplaced blocks of limestone occur here and there in the smithsonite.

The metasomatic replacement of limestone by smithsonite is by no means rare 

either in this or other countries; on the contrary, it is without doubt the method 

by which considerable bodies of smithsonite are most often formed. Numerous 

European examples of the replacement of limestone by "calamine" (chiefly zinc

a Spurr, J. E., Geology of the Aspen mining district, Colorado: Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 31,1898, pp. 219-220. 

fcLindgren, W., Metasomatic processes in fissure veins: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 30, 1901, p. 628. Also, The 

Genesis of Ore Deposits (reprinted from Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers), 2d ed., 1902, p. 548.
OCCURRENCE OF OEE DEPOSITS. 141

^« Mama No.1

n,' Mann So.2

carbonate) are cited in the text-books of Phillips and Louis, Fuchs and De Launay, 

Beck, etc.a In this country similar replacements have been noted by the writer 

in the Joplin district, Missouri, and if evidence bearing on this point were sought, 

the same thing would probably be found to be true in the other zinc districts of 

the Mississippi Valley.

In the Kentucky replacements, it is believed that the reaction with limestone 

takes place soon after the sphalerite is taken into solution, and that therefore the 

smithsonite deposits are formed in the immediate vicinity of the original as well 

as the present sulphide deposits. Where sphalerite has been deposited in considerable amount, smithsonite will be found in correspond- ______________ 

ingly large quantity, as at the Old Jim mine. Here there 

is no definite fissure vein, the abundant sphalerite occurring in limestone and free from galena or fluorite. Above 

ground-water level, massive- deposits of zinc carbonate are 

found, following the general line of the sphalerite deposits.

The smithsonite deposits, like those of the sulphide 

from which they are derived, tend to follow lines of fracture, partly because, as already stated, the zinc carbonate 

is formed in the vicinity of the original sulphide deposits, 

and also because such fractures furnish channels for circulation near the surface as well as at greater depths. 

Smithsonite occurs not only along fractures adjacent to 

which the sphalerite was deposited, but also along joint 

planes or other fractures in the limestone in the vicinity 

of the main fracture, especially those which intersect it. 

Such deposits, forming a narrow body from a few inches 

to a few feet in width, have been noted in apparent 

joints in limestone at a number of places. One of these 

occurrences is at the southern end of the Old Jim mine (fig. 

8, p. 177). The Mann and McDowell zinc-carbonate mines (fig. 2) furnish another 

example of the same thing. Here the main fracture itself may be a joint in the limestone, no evidence of faulting having been noted. The deposit along this fracture is 

narrow (not more than a few feet wide at most), the ore-bearing solutions not having 

spread much beyond the fracture into the adjacent limestone. Intersecting fractures 

(joints) occur at the Mann No. 1 shaft and just north of the McDowell No. 1. In the 

latter no ore was found in that portion east of the main fracture, a small amount having been found, however, in the western division. At the face of the drift following 

the southwest fracture at the Mann No. 1 shaft a deposit of smithsonite was noted

a Cf. also Posepny, Genesis ol Ore Deposits, 2d edition, 1902, pp. 133-135.

No.4

100 feet

FIG. 2. Underground workings of 

Mann and McDowell mines.
142 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTEKN KENTUCKY.

about 1 foot in width. Other joints iiitersecting the main fissure were seen at a 

number of points, but only in these two had any ore been found. The walls of 

these fractures at the depth reached consist of red clay, chert fragments, and masses 

of unaltered limestone.

In addition to replacing limestone, the smithsonite at the Old Jim mine occurs, 

to a limited extent, replacing chert. Occasionally chert is found wholly changed 

to smithsonite, forming a white, very fine-grained ore, simulating chert in general 

appearance and known to the miners as flint carbonate. An assay of this ore (see 

p. 177) gave 51.8 per cent of metallic zinc. Some of the apparently little-altered 

chert occurring with the smithsonite yields from 3 to 10 per cent of zinc by assay.

METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT IN RELATION TO THE PLUORITE DEPOSITS.

In connection with the subject of metasomatic replacement the question arises 

what proportion of the massive fluorite of the fissure veins, if any, has been formed 

by the replacement of the limestone composing the walls of the original fissure, or 

of sheets of rock between adjacent fissures? There is little evidence bearing on 

this point, and that of a negative character. From the facts determined, however, 

the writer is led to the conclusion that the veins have been largely formed by fissure 

filling, although in some cases it is probable that there has been more or less replacement of the country rock by fluorite.

In the simple veins the sharply defined and generally straight contact of wall 

and vein, and in typical examples the occurrence of unbroken fluorite1 from wall 

to wall; the slickensiding of one or both walls; the freedom of the adjoining country 

rock from fluorite as a rule; the moderate width of the veins in general all these 

are suggestive of fissure filling. The fluorite itself gives little evidence that it 

constitutes a replacement of limestone, and contains no such impurities as would 

be looked for in such a case. All the limestones in which fluorite was noted were 

subject to replacement by quartz, but quartz was not found, except locally in 

very small amount, in the better defined veins; and even these occurrences can 

always be better explained as replacements of fragments included in the vein than 

as replacements of larger rock masses.

If there has been replacement of the limestone by fluorite, it has been complete. 

There are no indications in the vein of partially replaced limestone masses, and 

included fragments give no suggestion that they are residuals of such imperfect 

replacement, but generally show plainly their character as dragged-in material.

On the other hand, as has already been stated (p. 139) fluorite has been actually 

found, in limited amounts, replacing limestone and other rocks adjacent to the 

veins or included in them. On the dump of one of the Tyrie prospect shafts some 

fluorite was noted containing minute cavities representing fragments of crinoid 

stems. Some of the fine-grained sphalerite occurring in fluorite is associated with
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 36 PL. XIV

1. BANDED FLUORITE WITH GALENA, FROM RILEY MINE.

E. BANDED ORE FROM TABB MINE.

PAKAGENESIS OF THE MINERALS. 143

more or less fii e-grained quartz, and its mode of occurrence is such as to suggest 

the former existence of a limestone fragment containing sphalerite and quartz, 

and now largely replaced by fluorite.

In the T- jre complex veins the asymmetric banding with sometimes intercalated 

bands of chantry rock, and the vertical partings, with occasional slickensiding 

along the parting planes, are in some cases of doubtful interpretation. Such 

structures may be due to the replacement of bands of limestone in a sheeted zone, 

or some of them may be ascribed to post-mineral movements in the vein, or they 

may per!taps be the result of both causes. That the fractures are, in some cases 

at least, lue to post-mineral faulting is clear, definite evidence having been obtained 

in a number of instances. At the Hodge mine one of the fractures in the vein 

was brrdered on one side by finely breccia ted fluorite cemented with calcite. At 

the E ill Terry,- or Robertson, prospect, northeast of the Memphis mine, lamellar 

fluor ,e due to sheeting was noted, accompanied by very fine granular galena 

drav n out roughly parallel to the fluorite lamellae, in place of the usual coarser 

graiis. In veins showing sheeting the fluorite frequently exhibits only imperfect 

cleavage, and is sometimes filled with fractures which may be grouped into one 

or more well-defined systems, while galena often shows warped cleavage surfaces, 

and is sometimes elongated or shows a fibrous or columnar structure, which in 

some instances has been noted parallel to one of the systems of fractures in the 

fluorite.

The finer banding of the veins also is believed to be due largely to movements 

in the vein since its deposition, thorough sheeting being sometimes sufficient in itself 

to produce a banded structure. The banding is made more pronounced, however, 

by deposition along the surfaces of fracture. This is the case in the banded ore 

shown in PL XIV, B, the banding being caused primarily by sheeting, which has produced more or less variation in the grain of the fluorite in the fractured portion 

of the vein, the whole being later cemented by galena and fluorite which have been 

deposited along the fractures. The galena and the variation in the grain of the 

fluorite, with consequent slight differences in the shade of color, serve to emphasize 

the banding of the ore. In some of the finely banded ore from the Riley mine the 

bands give good evidence of post-mineral sheeting with later filling.

PARAGENESIS OF THE MINERALS.

The evidence of the order of deposition of associated minerals in ore deposits, 

derived from their mutual relations, is sometimes misleading, unless the mode of 

formation of the deposits is known and taken into account. Where, for example, 

the minerals fill cavities, the order of deposition is, in general, from the walls of 

the cavity toward its center. Where, however, they occur replacing rock or minerals 

previously formed, mutual relationship is not always a safe guide, though even
144 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

here the conditions of deposition may be such as to furnish the key to the problem. 

If the character of the ore as a replacement deposit can be made out definitely, 

one difficulty is eliminated, as it is largely the uncertainty of the mode of development which renders the interpretation of the observed facts doubtful. For example, 

sphalerite sometimes occurs disseminated in fluorite, apparently formed by metasomatic replacement of the latter mineral and therefore later. If, however, the 

fluorite itself is a replacement of limestone in which the sphalerite was previously 

disseminated, the order is reversed, the fluorite being the later mineral of the two.

Considering such doubtful cases, and also the fact that most of the minerals 

may have frequently developed simultaneously, any general statement as to the 

order of deposition of the ores of this district is difficult, if not impossible, to make, 

even though at times a definite sequence may be made out. Norwood in his report a 

on the lead region of Henry County, Ky., gives the probable succession of the 

minerals there as: (1) Lead (and pyrites); (2) zinc (and pyrites); (3) calc spar; (4) 

barytes; (5) calc spar. Emmons 6 doubts the existence of "any definite universal 

order," though he gives as the probable sequence for the southern Illinois deposits 

calcite, fluorite, galena, and sphalerite.

The following specific occurrences showing the sequence of the different minerals may be noted. At the Guill mine a seam of fluorite and sphalerite was seen 

in coarse calcite, which replaces the limestone walls of the seam, and is probably 

later than the fluorite. A seam in limestone from the Benard mine contained both 

calcite and fluorite, the former filling the body of the seam while the fluorite was 

found in grains, crystals, and small aggregates attached to the vein wall and occasionally showing crystal faces where in contact with the calcite. Calcite and 

fluorite occurring together in the fissure veins are sometimes so intergrown as to 

suggest simultaneous development.

No wholly satisfactory evidence as to the relations of fluorite and sphalerite 

was obtained. Specimens from the Lanham shaft, seen by the writer, showed 

coarse sphalerite apparently largely filling vugs in fluorite. At the Marble mine 

small crystals of ruby blende were seen on fluorite crystals lining a small cavity, 

but this sphalerite may have been secondary, and therefore deposited later than 

that usually seen.

Sharply defined cubes of galena have been found in some of the fluorite from 

the Mary Franklin mine. Galena has been noted in grains in fluorite at other localties, although it usually occurs between the fluorite grains. While it is probable 

that some of the galena is later than the fluorite, it seems likely that in most cases 

the two were deposited simultaneously.

« Norwood, C. J., A reconnoissance report on the lead region ol Henry County with some notes on Owen and Franklin 

counties: Geol. Survey Kentucky, vol.2, part 7,new ser., 1875, p.265.

bEmmons S. F., Fluorspar deposits ol southern Illinois: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21. 1893. p. 52.
WEATHERING OF OEE DEPOSITS. ' 145

Fluorite and barite, when occurring together, are frequently intricately intergrown. Where they have been noted in seams, the fluorite as a rule has been 

deposited before the barite, having formed in crystals or aggregates on the walls 

of the fracture, while the barite fills its central portion and is molded on the fluorite. 

Some barite and calcite from one of the Stone prospects showed a similar arrangement, the calcite having crystallized before the barite, and some of it showing rhombohedral outlines where in contact with the barite. In a specimen of 

seamed quartzite from Pope County, 111., barite has formed here and there in aggregates on the walls of the seams, the main filling being moderately coarse-grained 

sphalerite.

Galena has probably, in general, been formed prior to the deposition of sphalerite. In one specimen, however, from Major Clemens shaft, galena was noted 

completely embedded in sphalerite, which occurred as a fhin layer lining a cavity. 

Here the galena was evidently later than some of the sphalerite, but earlier than 

the remainder.

Drusy quartz has frequently been noted in cavities and on the walls of fractures, some of it of comparatively recent origin. Occasionally, as at the Columbia 

mine, it occurs with other recently formed minerals, all found in small quantities 

and in small or minute crystals. At this place drusy quartz, associated with 

smithsonite, not only occurs on calcite crystals, but occasionally has been deposited 

in corrosion cavities in calcite. These minerals are also found on sphalerite and 

less often on galena. Calcite, and rarely a small crystal of sphalerite, are sometimes associated with the quartz on sphalerite, and one instance wa& noted of 

minute sphalerite on the drusy quartz.

WEATHERING OF THE ORE DEPOSITS.

The different minerals vary greatly in the readiness with which they yield to 

weathering and solution, some of them persisting and showing only slight effects 

long after others have completely disappeared. While, under favorable conditions 

any or all of the minerals may be found unaltered at the surface, as a rule none of 

them reach it without showing some sign of decomposition. The probable order 

in which the more important minerals of the district are weathered and removed 

through solution, as determined by observation, is as follows, beginning with the 

substance most easily acted on: (1) Sphalerite; (2) calcite, either as coarse calcite 

or as limestone; (3) galena; (4) barite; (5) fluorite.

Sphalerite usually disappears close to underground water level, and calcite 

not far above this level; while all the rest of the minerals persist in a greater or 

less degree to near the surface.

As already stated, the first product of the weathering of sphalerite is zinc

10696 No. 36 05 10
146 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

sulphate, which is readily soluble in water, and thus is taken into solution as formed, 

leaving finally only the cavit es originally occupied by the sphalerite. The fact 

that limestone frequently contains these small cavities, due to the removal of 

sphalerite, while the latter is never found as one of the residual products of the 

weathering of limestone, indicates the comparative readiness with which the sphalerite is oxidized and dissolved. Occasionally in a single rock fragment may be 

noted cavities at one end due to the oxidation and removal of the sphalerite, succeeded by a narrow zone of partially oxidized sphalerite, the other end of the fragment showing only the unaltered sulphide.

The zinc sulphate, on reacting with the adjacent limestones in the belt pf 

weathering, gives rise, in the manner indicated in the last section, to smithsonite, 

which, from an economic point of view, is the most important product of the weathering of the sphalerite. In addition to its occurrence as a replacement of limestone, 

some zinc carbonate is also formed by the reaction of zinc sulphate with calcium 

bicarbonate in solution. In this way have doubtless been formed the small amounts 

of smithsonite that frequently occur in weathered portions of the veins, mainly 

as crystal aggregates or thin coatings in small cavities in the fluorite. The 

amount of smithsonite formed by either method varies, naturally, with that of the 

original sulphide, and as only small amounts of sphalerite, as a rule, occur in connection with the fissure deposits, the amount of smithsonite found in the oxidized 

portions of the veins is correspondingly small insignificant in all cases known 

to the writer. Rarely, small amounts of zinc silicate are found as a product of the 

weathering of sphalerite.

Cadmium sulphide, as greenockite, is probably found wherever sphalerite is 

being oxidized, and has been noted as one of the minor products of its weathering 

at many of the mines of the district. Where sphalerite is abundant, greenockite 

is very common, as at the Old Jim mine. Below ground-water level the cadmium 

sulphide occurs in very small amounts (probably only a fraction of 1 per cent) 

as an impurity in sphalerite. On the oxidation of the sphalerite the cadmium 

sulphide is also oxidized, being taken into solution as cadmium sulphate. A good 

deal of this is precipitated near, and usually a little above, water level, at the expense 

of the unaltered sphalerite, a part of the latter passing into solution as zinc sulphate, 

while the cadmium is deposited as the sulphide, greenockite. The reaction is as 

follows: a

CdSO.+ZnS-CdS+ZnSO,.

The calcite and limestone are weathered mainly by solution. The small 

amounts of impurities occurring in both (especially in the latter) are largely undissolved, remaining in the form of residual clays.

a This reaction was first suggested to the writer by Mr. W. George Waring, who states that he has proved it many times 

in the laboratory.
WEATHEKTNG OF <JRE DEPOSITS. 147

Galena is frequently found unaltered close to the surface of the ground, and 

even where weathering has taken place it is often only partial, completely altered 

galena having been only occasionally found. Weathering usually begins on the 

outside, though sometimes from within, in cases where the interior is more easily 

reached by surface waters. Such internal alteration has been noted in some 

instances where galena was completely embedded in massive smithsonite. Sometimes the products of weathering are carried off in solution, leaving the galena 

more or less corroded; more often they are largely retained. Weathering most 

often results in the formation of a more or less impure lead carbonate. Very small 

amounts of pyromorphite and sulphur also occur as alteration products of the 

galena.

While according to Comey" the solution of barium sulphate in pure water is 

more difficult than is the solution of fluorite, it seems probable, from observation, 

that in this district barium sulphate in the form of barite is on the whole more 

readily weathered than fluorite, doubtless owing, in part at least, to physical differences in the two minerals and in their aggregates.

In weathering, barite is apparently merely dissolved and carried off, although 

it may be altered to the carbonate before its solution. No barium carbonate was 

noted, however, at any of the deposits in the district. At best, the solution of 

barite is difficult, and it is found, therefore, near the surface of the ground, frequently as float material on the surface. In weathering it first loses its slight 

luster, becoming duller, whiter, and more chalky in character. It then gradually 

softens somewhat and becomes more or less discolored with iron oxide. Small or 

minute cavities may develop in it, frequently lined with minute crystals of barite. 

The mass tends to disintegrate, but some portions of it weather more readily than 

others, and the less weathered portions give rise to the gravel and lump barite 

which forms the surface float.

Fluorite, like barite, is difficult of solution, but that it is attacked by surface 

waters is shown by the occasional occurrence of fluorite crystals with etched faces, 

or less often of massive fluorite more or less corroded. It is probably taken into 

solution largely as calcium fluoride, although in the process a small amount of 

alkaline fluorides doubtless form. Wherever the massive fluorite com.es within reach 

of the surface waters, especially within the belt of weathering,.the latter gradually 

percolate along the division planes between the individual grains, causing slight 

solution and a breaking up of the more massive form into a somewhat loose mass 

of grains -the gravel fluorspar of the district usually still retained within its 

bounding walls, so that the form of the vein is preserved nearly to the surface of 

the ground. Small patches ot " gravel spar " are also common in the clays adjoining

nComey, A. M., Dictionary of Chemical Solubilities, 1896, pp. 73 and 419.
148 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

the veins. With the gravel fluorite are blocks of the still massive mineral the 

lump fluorspar. Calcite and rock fragments occurring with the fluorite, being 

more readily soluble, are dissolved, frequently leaving the mineral, where it still 

retains the massive form, in a honeycombed or cavernous condition (PL XIII, B], 

usually with more or less red clay in the cavities as the residual of the dissolved 

substances.

The disintegration of the siliceous rocks, including sandstone and quartzite, 

jasperoid and siliceous limestone, results in the formation of sandy soils, some of 

which, as those from siliceous limestone, are composed largely of minute or microscopic but well-developed quartz crystals, as noted at the Givens mine. The 

residual quartzose material at this place contains scattered patches of kaolinite 

almost or wholly free from quartz.

RELATIONS OF THE COUNTRY ROCK TO THE CHARACTER OF THE ORE

DEPOSITS.

- These may be both physical and chemical, the latter being less easily determined, and, as far as indicated by the writer's observations in the field, of less 

importance economically.

The composition of the vein is, to a limited extent, dependent on the chemical 

character of the rocks forming the walls of the fissure, the most noticeable effect 

of differences in this respect being the greater abundance of calcite in veins 

where the walls are of limestone as compared with veins in sandstone. Deposits 

wholly confined to the latter rock are practically free from calcite, but this economic 

advantage is so far offset by unfavorable physical conditions as to be unimportant. 

It seems probable, also, that a more thorough study ot the district would show 

greater relative abundance of calcite in the veins adjacent to certain of the calcareous 

formations or to certain members of a given formation. Unusual amounts of calcite 

have been most often noted where the Fredonia member of the Ste. Genevieve 

limestone forms one of the fissure walls. Whether this is generally true or not can 

not be stated, though it seems probable that in the observed instances it is something 

more than the mere irregular local variation in composition common to all veins.

No relation has been ascertained between the variation of fluorite, galena, or 

barite and the character of the adjacent country rock. The sphalerite occurring 

as a metasomatic replacement of limestone adjacent to the fissure veins varies 

somewhat in amount with the character of the country rock, being, so far as the 

writer's observations show, more abundant in the Ste. Genevieve than in the St. 

Louis limestone.

The width of the veins also may be more or less affected by the chemical character of the adjoining country rocks, depending on their solubility and their liability 

to replacement by the vein minerals. Of the rocks of the district the limestones
VARIATIONS IN ABUNDANOY. 149

have these characters in the highest degree, and it seems probable that the veins 

in these rocks, in many instances, have been more or less widened through metasomatic replacement, although, as already shown, the proportion of such increase 

in width can not readily be determined. The replacement of sandstone by vein 

minerals has been on the whole insignificant in amount.

The relations of the physical character of the country rock to the ore deposits 

resolve themselves largely into the effects of faulting on the rocks of the different 

formations penetrated by the fissures. As has already been shown, the more siliceous rocks are deformed rather by brecciation and irregular sheeting than by 

simple, clean-cut fractures which are characteristic of the calcareous rocks and 

the resulting ore body in the former case is mainly a cement to the breccia, while 

it is principally a fissure filling in the latter.

The best-defined fissure veins therefore occur where the two walls are of limestone. Such fissures may occur either in Ste. Gene vie ve or St. Louis limestone 

alone or between the two where they have been brought into juxtaposition through 

faulting. Well-defined veins seldom occur in Cypress and Birdsville rocks alone, 

mainly for the reason that these formations consist chiefly of sandstone, with 

subordinate shale and limestone members. Where one wall of the vein is of limestone and the other of sandstone or qUartzite the vein is usually well defined and 

the limestone wall is generally the more sharply marked.

The differing effects of deformation on the different rocks, especially limestone 

and sandstone, and the consequent differences in the resulting ore deposits, are 

probably not confined to the rocks which outcrop at the surface within the district' 

but similar differences may be expected in the rocks beneath the St. Louis limestone. 

If, then, in depth, both walls of a fissure should change from limestone to sandstone 

(a purely hypothetical case), the well-developed vein in the limestone might pass 

into a cemented breccia in the sandstone. At still greater depths such a breccia 

might pass again into a well-defined fissure between limestone walls. This has a 

bearing even on the present condition of mining, for where a cemented breccia is 

found in sandstone, definite faulting having occurred, a well-defined vein may be 

found at a greater depth, where the fault passes from sandstone into limestone.

VARIATION IN THE RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF THE VEIN MINERALS WITH

DEPTH.

The present knowledge of the district, obtained through mining, is too incomplete to warrant a final statement as to the variation of the ores with depth, but, 

so far as has yet been determined, there is no definite law governing such variation 

except such relations as have just been shown in connection with changes in the 

character of the country rock. Even the differences due to this cause are probably, 

in some cases at least, subordinate to the general irregular local variation in vein
150 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.,

composition. Taking the veins as a whole, fluorite is seen to be the dominant 

mineral, and there is at present no reason for believing that this relation changes 

with increase of depth at least to the base of the St. Louis limestone.

In the deeper workings of the Memphis and Holly mines the proportion of 

calcite admixed with the fluorite has increased so greatly as to give rise to the fear 

that the fluorite may be entirely replaced at greater depths. As, however, the level 

at which this increase of calcite takes place corresponds in both mines to the basal 

part of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, it seems safe to assume that the change is due 

merely to the influence of the country rock on the vein composition. If this is the 

case, there is no apparent reason why the predominance of fluorite should not be 

reestablished when the St. Louis limestone is reached, since this formation, as is 

well known, forms one of the walls in several of the best fluorite mines in the district.

SECONDARY ENRICHMENT.

Deeper mining would be necessary before it could be determined whether any 

considerable secondary enrichment by waters descending from the surface has taken 

place. At only a few mines are the ores worked below ground water, and these 

have not reached a sufficient depth to justify comparison. No appreciable enrichment has been noted by the writer in any part of the district, although very small 

amounts of secondary sphalerite, fluorite, and barite which could be with certainty 

identified as such have been observed.

GENESIS OF THE ORE DEPOSITS.

The various writers a on the lead, zinc, fluorite, or barite deposits of western 

Kentucky and southern Illinois, so far as they have expressed any views as to the 

origin of these deposits, have been generally agreed that they were formed from 

solution, and that the source of the ores has been one or another of the limestone 

formations of the region. With these views the present writer is in accord.

The intimate association of the fluorite with other minerals known to have 

been deposited from solution, the fact that it is known to be somewhat soluble 

both in pure water 6 and in ordinary surface and underground waters c and to have 

been actually deposited from such waters, and the fact that the fluorite in the veins 

is generally sharply limited by the fissure'walls, which, except for the effects of

«Norwood, C. J., Report of a reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: 

Geol. Survey Kentucky, pt. 7, vol. 1, 2d series, 1876, pp. 461-464. A reconnoissance report on the lead region of Henry 

County: Geol. Survey Kentucky, pt. 7, vol. 2, 2d series, 1877, pp. 263-265. Shaler, N. S., On the origin of the galena deposits 

of the upper Cambrian rocks of Kentucky: Geol. Survey Kentucky, pt. 8, vol. 2, 2d series, 1877, pp. 279-292. Emmons, S.F., 

Fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21, 1893, pp. 52-53. Bain, H. F,, Bull. U. S. Geol. 

Survey No. 225, 1904, p. 510.

6 Wilson, George, Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh, vol. 16,1849, pp. 145-164. Edin. New Philos. Jour., vol. 49, 1850, pp. 

230-233. Comey, A. M., Dictionary of Chemical Solubilities, 1896, p. 73.

< Bischof, Gustav, Elements of Chemical and Physical Geology. Translated by B. H. Paul, vol. 2, 1855, pp. 5-9. Translated by B. H. Paul and J. Drummond, vol. 1, 1854, p. 14.
GENESIS OF QBE DEPOSITS. 151

recent surface waters, show no corrosion or other action such as might be caused 

by fluorine gas or molten fluorite, would seem to render it unnecessary to consider 

further any other mode of deposition than that from circulating underground 

waters. Equally strong evidence may be adduced for the deposition of the barite 

from solution. The only question, then, to be considered is that of the original 

source of the fluorite, barite, galena, and sphalerite.

While it is the writer's opinion that the fluorite was originally derived from 

limestone, it is not impossible that its source may have been the magma from 

which the peridotite dikes were derived. It is not probable, however, that the 

dikes themselves are the source of the fluorite, chiefly on account of the total volume of the fluorite veins as compared with that of the igneous dikes and the very 

small fluorine content of the peridotite. While the latter contains two possible 

fluorine-bearing minerals, biotite and apatite the former usually abundant and 

the latter a common accessory in all the rocks the analysis" of peridotite from 

the Flanary dike shows only a doubtful trace of fluorine. Further, the association 

of fluorite with galena, sphalerite, barite, and calcite, all of which were probably 

derived from limestone, makes it likely that the fluorite itself has the same source.

Of the sedimentary rocks, ( limestone is much more favorable for the original 

deposition of the ores with which we are dealing than either sandstone or shale. 

Fluorine, barium, lead, and zinc are among the many substances shown by the 

researches of Forchhammer and others to exist in the waters of the ocean. From 

these waters they are somewhat concentrated by marine animal and vegetable 

life. Of the substances named, the ashes of marine plants have been found to 

contain lead, zinc, and barium, while calcium fluoride has been found as a constituent of corals and shells, besides occurring in the bones of marine fishes and mammals. Corals, shells, and marine plants are shown by their fossil remains to have 

4been abundant, at least locally, in the limestones of the Mississippi Valley, so 

that the various minerals concerned might naturally be expected to be widely 

disseminated in minute quantities in these rocks, though doubtless somewhat 

more abundant in some than in others, That lead and zinc are thus widely disseminated has been shown by actual large-quantity analyses by Winslow and 

Robertson 6 and by Calvin and Bain/ minute quantities of these metals having 

been found in pre-Cambrian, Silurian, and Carboniferous rocks in Missouri, and 

in Ordovician rocks in Iowa. No large-quantity determinations for fluorine have 

been made so far as known, though such analyses for both this and barium would 

doubtless show them to be as widespread as lead and zinc. Emmons d refers

« Am. Jour. Sci., 3d series, vol. 44, 1892, p. 288.

frLead and zinc deposits: Geol. Survey Missouri, vol. 7, 1894, pp. 480-481.

c Geology of Dubuque County: Geol. Survey Iowa, vol. 10, 1900, p. 567.

d Emmons, S. F., Fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 21, 1893, p, 52.
152 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

to the frequent occurrence of fluorite "segregated in small cracks and cavities 

in the Lower Carboniferous limestones throughout this region." He states further that "according to Kunz it is found in geodes in the limestone of the same 

horizon at St. Louis." A specimen of unaltered limestone collected by him at 

a distance from any known deposit of fluorite was found when examined chemically to contain "an appreciable quantity of fluorine." Similar samples were 

collected by Mr. Ulrich and the writer from the Kentucky district, and ordinary 

analyses of these, based on about one gram of material, were made by Mr. George 

Steiger in the Survey laboratory, a specimen of Lower Carboniferous limestone 

from southwestern Missouri being also analyzed for comparison. The results 

were as follows:

Analyses of oolite and limestone from Kentucky and Missouri.

MgO.... .......................

CaO.. .........................

F...... ........................

BaO.. .........................

Organic matter. .................

1.

0.15

55.16

.04

2.

1.48

51.75

.10

Doubtful trace. "

3.

0.19

49.94

.10

.02

Not determined.

4.

1.33

52.24

None.

Doubtful trace.

1. Ste. Genevieve oolite from near View, Ky.

2. Ste. Genevieve limestone from a little less than half a mile southwest of Crider, Ky.

3 St. Louis limestone from the northern part of Crittenden County, Ky.

4. Lower Carboniferous limestone from about 5 miles southeast of Joplin, Mo.

These results show the presence of fluorine in small quantities in all except 

the limestone from Missouri, and of barium in only one of the specimens.

The. probable wide distribution of barite in minute quantities in the limestones of the Mississippi Valley is shown by Robertson's analyses/* some barium, 

sulphate having been found in all of the limestones, both Silurian and Lower Carboniferous, in which it was sought.

The widespread dissemination of the ores admits of two interpretations 

either that this condition is largely original or that it is secondary and that the 

solutions which have concentrated the ores in favorable places have also in their 

general circulation through the rocks disseminated them extensively. Calvin and 

Bain 6 have shown the probability of the former, although the latter is also true 

to a greater or less 'extent, for as long as the solutions are ore bearing they will 

deposit whenever and-wherever the conditions both chemical and physical are 

favorable for deposition, whether they follow trunk channels of circulation or 

slowly percolate through the country rock, the conditions being, of course, more

«Lead and zinc deposits: Geol. Survey Missouri, vol. 7, 1894. pp. 480-481. 

6 Geology of Dubuque County: Geol. Survey Iowa, vol. 10,1900, pp. 569-570.
GENESIS OF ORE DEPOSITS. 153

favorable for abundant deposition along and near the main channels of underground circulation.

From this widely disseminated condition in the limestones the ores have been 

taken into solution in minute quantities, and have been carried into the general 

circulation. The minerals have doubtless been taken up and reprecipitated many 

times before reaching the main channels of circulation, which for this district 

largely follow the faults and fractures. Here, the conditions being favorable for 

abundant preeipitation, they have been concentrated, being gradually deposited 

in the fissures and fractures as veins, in the breccias as a cement, and in the adjacent 

country rock as disseminated ores.

Bain a has noted the common association of lead and zinc ores with dolomite 

or dolomitized limestone as an argument for the derivation of these ores from the 

Cambro-Silurian limestones. In this district, however, the limestones with which 

the ores are associated are, so far as known, nondolomitic, as shown by the analyses 

just given, nor is even any secondary dolomite, such as is found in the Joplin district, known to occur.

While no definite statement can be made at this time as to which formation 

has yielded the ores now concentrated in and near the fissures, it seems probable 

that the ore-bearing solutions came largely from the rocks below the Carboniferous 

formations, especially in view of the occurrence of the peridotite dikes and of the 

deep-seated character of many of the fissures which they indicate. Faulting in 

the district is complex, and the systems of underground circulation must be equally 

so. The general circulation in the country rocks must take place largely between 

the fissures, so that it is possible that all the limestones have furnished ore to some 

extent, A more thorough knowledge of the exact composition of the various 

limestones of the region would doubtless throw some light on the problem, as 

would deeper mining also. Emmons 6 has suggested that a change in the mineral 

contents of the fissure from mainly fluorite in the Carboniferous to mainly barite 

in the Silurian rocks would furnish "most forcible and convincing proof * * * 

of the derivation of the vein material from the enclosing rock, especially if it is 

found also that barium is more common in the lower country rocks, as fluorine 

is in the upper."

The occurrence of a number of igneous dikes having the same general trend 

as one of the systems of fissures and probably introduced at the time of the general 

faulting of the region, and the consequent probability that the waters circulating 

in the fissures at the time the ores were deposited were thermal, makes it likely 

that they were ascending, and that therefore the ores were in large measure derived

a Bain, H. F., Preliminary report on the lead and zinc deposits of the Ozark region: Twenty-second Ann. Kept. U. S. 

Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1901, pp. 211-212. 

& Op. eit.,p. 53.
154 LEAD, ZINC, AND FUJOBSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTEKN KENTUCKY.

from limestones below the Carboniferous. Such heated waters would haye been 

more effective in the solution of the fluorite (and of the other substances also), as 

diminishing temperature and relief of pressure with the ascent of the solution in the 

fissure may have been effective in their precipitation.

It is probable that the fluorite and barite are largely dissolved, carried in 

solution and precipitated as calcium fluoride and barium sulphate, respectively, 

although minor transformations doubtless take pjace in the process, some of the 

fluorite, for example, going into solution as an alkaline fluoride, antl some of the 

barite as some other salt of barium than the sulphate. Galena and sphalerite 

may pass into solution as one of a number of salts of lead or zinc respectively in 

the case of sphalerite, preferably the sulphate of zinc, or in some instances at least, 

a basic sulphate. It is generally believed that the lead and zinc sulphides pass 

into solution only after previous oxidation, which may result either from oxygenbearing waters or by reaction with an easily reduced oxidized salt as the oxidation 

of zinc sulphide, at ordinary temperatures, by ferric sulphate in solution, N shown 

by Waring. a As the zinc sulphate reacts so readily with limestone it may be 

that below ground-water level this metal exists largely as a bicarbonate. In one 

of the mines of the Joplin district the writer has observed zinc carbonate being 

precipitated from water flowing over the floor of the mine. Where the lead and 

zinc exist in solution as sulphates (if they do, below water level) organic matter 

in the vein or adjacent country rock may act as a reducing agent for their precipitation as sulphides; or such reduction from the sulphate or other salt may be by 

reaction with inorganic compounds, as Van Hise 6 has shown.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. 

CONDITIONS OF INDUSTRIAL SUCCESS.

It is essential to the successful development of the district to recognize that 

as a whole it is primarily dependent on the fluorite. In the majority, of the veins 

the lead and zinc ores can be considered only as by-products, and in many cases 

perhaps as mere impurities in the fluorite. Most of the mines are as yet in the 

oxidized zone, and much of the ore from this belt must be cleaned before shipping. 

With depth, however, the veins will become better defined and the ores cleaner, 

though in some cases this may be offset by so much admixture of rock, calcite, 

or other impurities, as to render mining unprofitable. If a satisfactory method 

of separation can be devised some impure ores may be cleaned by concentration, 

an expensive process for fluorite alone, and perhaps only warranted by a considerable lead and zinc content.

« Specification from part of Letters Patent No. 718554, dated January 13, 1903.

& Van Hise, C. R., Some principles controlling the deposition of ores: Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., vol. 30,1901, pp. 27-177
FTJTUBE DEVELOPMENT. 155

The output of the district will be increased by further development along 

the veins now mined and by better transportation and shipping facilities. More 

veins will, without doubt, be discovered, but it is believed that a considerable proportion of the paying veins are being already worked.

Most of the sphalerite ores of the district below ground-water level, occurring 

as fine grains disseminated in limestone, are of little importance. There have 

been several attenlpts to concentrate these ores by different methods, but so far 

without much success. Locally, where more favorable conditions have resulted 

in a greater abundance of these ores, they are more important. The Old Jim 

mine is the principal instance of this so far developed, and though similar favorable 

conditions may be found at other places in the district, such deposits can not be 

numerous in any case.

As already pointed out (p. 141), the relation of the smithsonite to the sphalerite in this district is such that the former is likely to occur only in more or less 

close association with the latter; and where sphalerite is not abundant, smithsonite 

would not be expected in paying amounts: The Old Jim deposit of zinc carbonate 

is exceptional, being due to the unusually favorable conditions here for the deposition of the sulphide. There are a few other promising deposits, and a few more 

may be found; but with this mineral, as with the sphalerite, the probability of 

discovering paying deposits is small.

Except in the cemented breccias along the Columbia fault, the lead ores are, 

for the most part, found separate from the zinc ores, the galena occurring with 

the fluorite and comparatively seldom in the limestone or other country rocks 

forming the walls of the veins. Practically all of the fluorite veins contain some 

galena, and in a few it occurs in sufficient quantity to warrant saving it as a byproduct. It is doubtful, however, whether any mine in the district could be worked 

profitably for galena alone.

More important, economically, though of more limited occurrence, are the 

coarser lead and zinc ores, forming cementing material of breccias, such as are 

found at the Columbia mines. Deposits of this character are known only along 

the Columbia fault, where they are found at intervals for a distance of over 2 miles. 

The deposits of the Eureka fault, near the Columbia mine, may prove to be of 

the same kind, and similar cemented breccias may of course occur along other 

faults, although none have as yet been found.

If, as the writer believes, the breccia is closely related to the occurrence of 

the lower Ste. Gene vie ve rocks, the probability of the occurrence of similar breccias 

elsewhere in the district is somewhat restricted; still more is this the case if, as 

seems further probable, the brecciation or this rock has taken place since its silicification. More or less brecciated Ste. Genevieve jasperoid has been noted along
156 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

the Evening Star vein, but the ore here is very different from that at the Columbia 

mine, consisting mainly of fluorite. Whether the cemented breccias along the 

Columbia fault are localized horizontally and of limited vertical extent as the 

writer's observations would lead him to conclude must be determined by future 

development.

Among the minor products of the district is barite, of which a few productive 

veins have been found. The deposits of this mineral, however, which are sufficiently pure and wide enough to mine profitably are rare, and barite mining can 

hardly be expected to be one of the more important industries of the district.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROSPECTING.

In prospecting for ore the conditions under which it is found must first be 

considered. It occurs, as has been seen, along or adjacent to fractures, chiefly 

because these .have furnished the most convenient channels for the circulation 

of the ore-bearing solutions. That these fractures are still used by circulating 

waters is indicated by sink holes along some of them. While these taken separately 

point only to a connection with some underground water channel, a linear series 

of such holes may indicate that a fracture or fault exists along this line. Such 

a conclusion does not necessarily follow, however, and, as as a rule, prospecting is 

to be discouraged when the evidence of sink holes is not confirmed by other more 

reliable indications.

Good evidence of faulting is given when rocks of two distinct formations, or 

of different horizons of the same formation, as for instance a Ste. Genevieve limestone and one of the sandstones of the Birdsville formation, outcrop on the same 

level and within a short distance of each other; or when a strip of "flint land" 

adjoins limestone or sandstone land, with the boundary line between them abrupt 

and approximately straight. A trench dug across this line should intersect the 

fault plane. In the case of the flint land, the limestone from which the flint (chert) 

is derived is likely to be much more deeply decomposed than the limestone or sandstone on the opposite side of the fault. Therefore, for economic reasons, the test 

shaft should be sunk in the red clay containing the chert, so that it will just clear 

or barely include the edges of the strata of the less deeply decomposed opposite 

wall. In most cases the latter will prove to be the hanging wall.

A reliable and common indication of a fault is the sudden bending upward or 

downward, near their line of contact, of lithologically different strata as for 

example a sandstone and a limestone which lie approximately horizontal farther 

away from this line. Where such bent strata are of similar rocks, however, pros- , 

pecting is not to be advised on this evidence alone.

A linear series of outcrops of hard, silicified sandstone (quartzite), especially 

if sheeted and showing slickensiding, is one of the best evidences of faulting. Such
FUTUEE DEVELOPMENT. 157

outcrops usually mark the dividing line between areas of sandstone and limestone. 

Liberal prospecting is advised in these cases. Test shafts should be sunk as nearly 

as possible on the line dividing the quartzite from the limestone, or the clay resulting 

from its decomposition.

Seamed limestones usually accompany the well-defined veins, but they have 

also been found where there are no known veins, so that this indication is valuable 

only in connection with other confirmatory evidence.

Experience has taught that fractures showing mainly or only sandstone and 

shale on both sides are almost invariably unproductive. Even when one of the 

comparatively thin limestones of the Birdsville formation outcrops on one side of 

the fault, the prospect is not likely to lead to anything worth development. In the 

present stage of mining in the district, all prospecting in areas where one or another 

of the three massive limestone formations does not outcrop is to be discouraged.

In addition to the occurrences along fractures, ores may be deposited adjacent 

to an igneous dike, for the same reason that they have been deposited along faults 

that the plane of contact between dike and rock may have been favorable to the 

circulation of ore-bearing solutions. It must be remembered, however, that beyond 

this there is no genetic relation between the dike and the ores, and that ore deposition 

does not necessarily occur in such places.

Since the veins are vertical or highly inclined and outcrop at the surface, the 

conditions are favorable for finding "float" ores along and near the line of outcrop. 

Since, further, no horizontal deposits of any extent are known to occur in this 

district, drilling for ore is of little or no value.
CHAPTEK III.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MIKES OF THE DISTRICT, a 

DISTRIBUTION OF THE DEPOSITS BY COUNTIES.

Crittenden County. The ore deposits thus far developed in the western Kentucky district are somewhat unevenly distributed among the three counties considered 

in this report. At the present time, as in the past history of mining in this region, 

the mines of Crittenden County include not only the largest producers in the district, 

but the largest number of productive veins as well. It is plain that the conditions 

for ore deposition have been especially favorable in this part of the district, but 

a further reason for the preeminence of this county is doubtless to be found in its 

more thorough prospecting as compared with the other two. The mines are almost 

entirely confined to the western part of the county, between the Tabb fault on the 

south and a line running northeasterly from Lola, on the north. There are few prospects within the areas of St. Louis limestone in the northwestern and southwestern 

parts of the county, while in the extensive area of rocks of the Cypress, Tribune,1 

and Birdsville formations in the eastern part there are practically no mines nor 

prospects, with the single exception of the Lucile mine at Marion. The present 

eastern limit of mining is marked approximately by a southeasterly line through 

the Memphis and Lucile mines.

Most of the mines yield mainly fluorite. From several along the Columbia 

fault the ore is chiefly sphalerite (or smithsonite) and galena; while two groups 

yield only zinc ores the Mann-McDowell group in th£ western part of the county 

about H miles northeast of Lola, and the Old Jim group, including the Old Jim 

mine and a number of openings extending for more than half a mile to the southeast. 

Each of these groups is located on a northwesterly fracture, thus differing from 

most of the mines, which are on northeasterly fissures. Other north westerly fractures 

yielding ore in these cases mainly fluorite are the Holly, Eureka, Lanham, 

Levias, and Matthews.

a During the month and a half spent in this district the writer was ably assisted by Mr. P. Julius Pohs, and he had 

also the hearty cooperation of all the mining men with whom he came in contact. He wishes to express here appreciation, 

on his own behalf and on that of the United States Geological Survey, for the assistance of all those who in any way aided 

his work for the Survey in this district.

158
MINES BY COUNTIES. 159

While there are a number of barite prospects in this county, no important 

deposits of this mineral have as yet been discovered.

Livingston County. Although there are a number of mines in Livingston County 

which have yielded fluorspar in the past, none was actually shipping when the 

county was visited. Comparatively few well-defined veins have as yet been found, 

and few, if any, of these, so far as they have been exploited, appear to be comparable to the better veins of Crittenden County. Over a large part of Livingston 

County north of the Cumberland Kiver, the surface rocks belong to formations above 

the Ste. Gene vie ve, and within this area of generally unfavorable rocks there are no 

known mines or prospects. The latter are confined to the much faulted eastern 

border of the county north of the Cumberland and the central portion bordering 

this river, and these are by far the most promising portions of the county. Within 

the area of St. Louis limestone in the southern part of the county no veins are known 

to occur, nor were any noted by the writer north of this, bordering the Cumberland 

River on the south, although the geologic conditions here, between Smithland 

and Tiline, are by no means unfavorable to the occurrence of fluorite veins.

While fluorite is the chief constituent of most of the veins, there are a number 

of prospects at which barite is the principal vein mineral. At two of the prospects 

northeast of Hopewell Church some smithsonite is also found associated with 

fluorite.

Caldwell County. The mines and prospects so far discovered in Caldwell 

County occur in a strip 3 or 4 miles wide extending diagonally across it from the 

northwest to the southeast border. In the northeast half of the county there 

seem to be no valuable deposits of either lead, zinc, or fluorite. Prospecting in 

this county has not been so extensive as in Crittenden or even Livingston County, 

nor has it met with the same degree of success. Since the region, especially in 

the strip before mentioned, is traversed by numerous well-marked fault planes 

separating the same geologic formations as those in which valuable deposits 

have been found in the other counties, and as fluorite veins have been observed 

as far east as Friendship, there is no apparent reason why systematic prospecting 

may not result in the discovery of paying deposits of this mineral in this county.

Of the present mines and prospects in this county the Marble and the Ray 

and Lowery are on nearly east-west fissures, the Tyrie prospects are located on a 

fissure with a direction a little north of east, while the Senator mine and the Stone 

and Dodds prospects are in a northwesterly fault zone. The Ray and Lowery 

barite vein has been already mentioned (p. 135); the rest yield mainly fluorite, 

the vein at the Senator shaft showing a considerable proportion of galena and 

sphalerite with the fluorite. The Marble mine is the oldest of the present mines 

of the county, having been worked intermittently for many years, chiefly for its
160 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

lead ores, but apparently at no time with much success. The best defined fluorite 

vein seen in the county occurs here, with a noted width of from 2 to 7A feet.

General conditions. Taking this western Kentucky district as a whole (as 

shown on the map in PI. II), it will be seen that there is a large unprofitable or 

practically barren area on the east and another on the west, composed chiefly of 

formations above the Ste. Genevieve. There is, in addition, a large unproductive 

area of St. Louis rocks on the south, and another smaller one on the north. The 

mines and prospects as a rule are confined to a strip, not more than 3 or 4 miles 

in width for the most part, lying between these larger barren areas and apparently 

corresponding to the belts of the most abundant and extensive faulting. The 

most productive mines at the present time are confined to the center of the district 

between the northern and southern areas of St. Louis limestone.

The groups of mines described in the following pages are not in all cases the 

most important of the district, but they are presented as more or less typical examples, and it is believed that the descriptions given will fairly indicate the general 

character as well as the individual differences of the deposits throughout the district 

so far as they have been developed. Other peculiarities not noted here have been 

discussed in an earlier part of the paper under the general character of the ore 

deposits. The mines and prospects are considered by groups rather than as independent units, as it is believed that this method best brings out the mutual relationships at the different localities considered.

THE MEMPHIS GROUP.

All of the mines and prospects of this group are on or near faults that are 

nearly parallel, with a northeasterly trend, and apparently slight throw. The 

Memphis mine is located on one of the two most important of these faults, while 

the Klondike and neighboring mines to the southwest are on or near the other. 

The ore from all the mines and prospects is fluorite.

Memphis mine. The Memphis mine is one of the oldest in the district and 

one of the three largest producers. Its vein, so far as it has been worked, is one 

of the best defined and of the most uniform in width.

Work was begun on this tract in 1872, when the land was deeded by William 

Belt to the Memphis Lead Mining Company. Fluorite was found by the company 

in the Beck shaft at a depth of 15 feet. This shaft was sunk to 180 feet, but has 

since been partly filled in. It was soon abandoned, owing to the scarcity of galena, 

the fluorite not being marketable at that time.

The mine was next worked by the Cincinnati Fluorspar Company (possibly 

the second fluorspar company operating in the district), and the fluorite was put 

on the market about 1874. It was next leased by Mr. Joseph Walton, who had 

been the superintendent for the company, and who shipped some fluorite.
MEMPHIS GKOUP. 161

Later the property was sold by the court for the debt of the Memphis Lead 

Mining Company, and after changing hands several times was finally, in February, 

1902, taken up by the Kentucky Fluorspar Company, of Kentucky.

The present workings of the mine consist of three shafts the north or old 

Memphis shaft (see fig. 3), with a depth of 155 feet; the south or air shaft, about 

100 feet deep; and the old Beck shaft, now used as an air shaft, with a present 

depth of 40 feet. From these shatts drifts have been run along the vein at different

Ohio Valley Mining x^p's . Wilson ;

Memphis mine

/ B\ 4? 

/ Cj" North or Old Memphis shaft 

Beck or air shaft 

South shaft

Crittenden County Fluorspar Go's 

prospect shaft

Crittenden County Fluorspar Go's 

open cut

Kentucky Fluorspar Go's i 

n cut '

FIG. 3. Memphis group of mines.

levels for a linear distance of about 800 feet along the course of the vein, and 

between these the ore has been removed to a greater or less extent by both over- 

.aand and underhand stoping. There are six levels and two overhand stopes at 

the north shaft, the lowest drift having been run at a depth of 140 feet. The air 

shaft has one underhand stope.

The vein has been formed along a fault, the throw of which does not appear 

no be large. Its exact amount, however, could not be determined on account of 

10696 No. 36 05 11
162 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

lack of suitable exposures. The Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve limestone 

is found on the east, while on the west the lower part of the Cypress sandstone 

occurs as a surface layer. Everywhere throughout the mine the walls are of Ste. 

Genevieve limestone more or less seamed with calcite. They are well defined and 

sharply delimited from the vein material, which is easily separated from the wall, 

leaving smooth, clean surfaces. Except in the highest levels the vein material 

is in close contact with the wall, or there is only a film or thin layer of clay (selvage) 

between them. In general, though not at all points, the hanging or southeastern 

wall is the smoother, the surface of the foot wall being somewhat more knobby 

and uneven. Slickensiding is common on both walls throughout the mine. Southwest of the Beck shaft the slickensiding is more pronounced on the hanging wall, 

and in this .part of the mine this wall on the whole is noticeably fluted with both 

coarse and fine grooves. As a rule, except where the vein is very narrow, the 

walls have not been cut in mining. The few exposures that were seen show limestofle horizontally bedded or nearly so, except in one instance, at the face of the 

lowest level south of the old Memphis shaft, where the bedding planes of the foot 

wall dip toward the fault plane at a low angle from 10° to 20° for about a foot 

from the vein.

The strike of the vein is variable, as shown in fig. 1. Its general trend for 

the part mined is about N. 35° E/« The dip is uniformly to the southeast, at an 

angle ranging from about 53° to 85°, with an average of about 60°.

The average width of the vein is between 3 and 4 feet. Karely it pinches 

out completely, as in the lowest drift running south from the north shaft. Here, 

at a distance of 145 feet from the shaft, the two walls of the fault plane, which is 

sharply marked, are in contact, with only a film of selvage between them. At 

the face of the drift to the southwest from the south shaft, the vein is from 15 to 

17 inches wide. Its maximum width, so far as developed, is about 7 feet, found 

north of the north shaft.

In composition and structure the vein shows little variation. It consists 

mainly, in places wholly, of granular white fluorite, with (as is commonly the case) 

a minor proportion of purplish fluorite. A small amount of white calcite is frequently found, occurring intermingled with the fluorite, also in the form of thin 

lenticular veins or sheets between the main vein and one or both of its walls. In 

the latter case the calcite may be free from fluorite or may contain a variable 

proportion. A very little galena and still smaller amounts of sphalerite are found 

here and there in the mine. Structural banding (sheeting?) is common in the

a Throughout this portion of this report the readings are true, not magnetic, unless otherwise stated.
MEMPHIS GROUP. 163

vein and parallel to its walls, sometimes close to one or the other, sometimes distributed through the vein. In some cases, at least, the fluorite shows slickensided surfaces along these planes of parting.

Genera] surface oxidation has not penetrated far, and even at the 20-foot 

level in the Beck shaft, which is situated close to the valley bottom, the limestone 

is unaltered except tor a few inches close to the vein along the hanging wall, and 

much less along the foot wall. In general below this the walls show no oxidation, 

though occasionally corroded through solution by underground waters. Surface 

waters have here and there worked down one wall or the other to the lowest levels 

of the mine, corroding the limestone close to the vein and forming channels locally 

enlarged into cavities several feet in diameter. The waters flowing down these 

channels carry with them in places considerable quantities of mud. Near the end 

of one of the lower levels running northeasterly from the north shaft a mud pocket 

was struck in the foot wall, the mud filling the drift and necessitating the closing 

of this end of it by a bulkhead.

A good deal of prospecting has been done southwesterly from the south shaft. 

From one of these prospects a shaft apparently on the vein and about 140 feet 

S. 40° W. from the south shaft some gravel fluorite was obtained; another at 

about the same distance S. 34° W. from the south shaft, though probably a short 

distance to the southeast of the main vein, also shows some fluorite. Farther 

southwest no fluorite has been found in the shallow prospect holes.

Bill Terry or Robertson shafts. About three-fourths of a mile northeast of the 

Memphis mine .are the Bill Terry or Robertson shafts, owned by Robertson, Conway, and Cullen, and the Wilson and Dean prospect, 150 feet southwest of this, 

both on a northeasterly fault or zone of faulting apparently parallel to the Memphis fault. From both prospects some fluorspar associated with a small amount 

of galena has been taken, though none has been shipped. " The first of these prospects consists of an old shaft dug some forty or fifty years ago in search of lead. 

It was being reopened and retimbered when visited by the writer. While most 

of the fluorite seen on the dump here is of the usual granular type, some of it 

shows the pronounced lamellar structure referred to on page 143.

Wilson and Dean prospect. At the Wilson and Dean prospect a drift 20 feet 

in length has been run at a depth of 23 feet, following a vein with a strike of S. 40° 

W. and a general southeasterly dip of 70°-80°.

The general character of the deposit at this place is well shown in fig. 4.

Just northeast of the road, a little less than halfway from the Klondike to 

the Memphis mine, is an abandoned shallow shaft worked for a short time in 1901.
164 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAB DEPOSITS OF WESTEKN KENTUCKY.

A drift was run, at a depth of about 12 feet in the Ste. Genevieve limestone, following a fluorite vein said to be parallel to that of the Klondike. The location of 

this shaft corresponds very closely to that of the shaft described by Norwood a as 

shaft No. 3 of the Memphis mine, and it is probable that they are the same.

Klondike mine. The Klondike mine, the property of the Kentucky Fluorspar 

Company, is situated 1 mile northeast of the Memphis. It consists of a number 

of shafts and open cuts, which form a broken line extending for a distance of about

w 1,700 feet along one or more well-defined 

veins. Of these, only shafts Nos. 4, 5, and 6 

(fig. 3) were being operated at the time of 

the writer's visit. Some of the openings at 

this mine belong to the old Memphis mine, 

as described by Norwood, open cut No. 1,

SE NE

1

£

ID

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3 0 6

4 5

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0

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/$ 

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Seam otyejlomsh clay

FIG. 4. Face of drift, Wilson and Dean prospect, showing vein of fluorite with, some calcite; corrosion 

cavities in limestone filled with mud with some 

fragments of chert and Rosiclare sandstone; limestone seamed with calcite; and larger vein, mainly 

fluorite, with some calcite and some limestone fragments, the whole cut by a thin seam of yellowish 

clay.

with its three old shafts, probably corresponding in position to the old "Rye Field shaft" b 

referred to by him. The general strike of the 

vein is N. 36° E. ; except at open cut No. 1, 

where the average trend is N. 54° E.

From shaft No. 5 a southwesterly drift 40 

feet long had been run at a depth of about 30 

feet, and above this the vein had been removed by overhand stoping. Between 

Nos. 4 and 5 the stope had been largely removed for about 25 feet, down to the 

43-foot level.

The face of this southwesterly drift from No. 5 shows fluorite, red clay, and 

decomposing limestone. Alteration of the limestone does not extend far below the 

surface here, as at the 43-foot level the limestone is fresh and unaltered. At this 

level the walls are well defined and are both of bedded limestone, apparently horizontal. In places the walls are smooth, especially the southeastern, though in

"Report of a reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: Geol. Survey 

Kentucky, pt. 7, vol. 1, 2d series, 1876, p. 486. 

6 Op. cit., p. 485.

FIG. 5. Section across the vein at the Klondike 

mine. 1, Calcite and purplish fluorite in varying proportions; 2, thin, broken line of fluorite, a 

fraction of an inch in width; 3, coarse calcite 

(the individuals averaging two or three inches 

in diameter), with more or less intermingled 

fluorite; 4, translucent, white, granular fluorite, 

almost wholly free from calcite (a block of contained, limestone shown near bottom of figure); 

5, broken line of calcite anhedra; 6, translucent, 

white, granular fluorite, with scattered calcite 

anhedra; 7, calcite in fluorite.
COLUMBIA GROUP. 165

general they are more or less rough and knobby. These irregularities appear to 

be due in part at least to the projection of the edges of the beds of limestone beyond 

the general surface of the wall. The vein in this drift is nearly vertical, with a 

general southeasterly dip. At the face of the stope of the 43-foot level, almost 

directly beneath shaft No. 5, the vein material has a width of 4 feet. A section 

across the vein at this point is shown in fig. 5.

From this figure it will be seen that the vein is largely of first grade fluorite. 

Several blocks or fragments of limestone were noted in the fluorite (one shown in 

4 of the figure). The contact between vein and wall, or between the fluorite and 

its included limestone, is always sharp. The local abundance of calcite and fragments of limestone in the fluorite of the vein as a whole is indicated by the common 

occurrence of cavernous fluorite in some of the surface material (see PI. XIII, B). 

No faulting was made out in the mine and no slickensiding was observed.

Other openings. Southwest of the Klondike mine are four openings consisting 

of open cuts and shafts from a few feet to about 40 feet in depth. All are on or 

close to the same fissure as that on which the Klondike is located, and indicate one 

or more veins with a strike ranging from N. 37° E. to N. 46° E. and a general southeasterly dip. The vein -width ranges from 14 inches to 5 feet. The vein walls 

are Ste. Genevieve limestone or Chester shale or sheeted quartzite (or their weathered products), or one wall is shale and quartzite and the other limestone.

THE COLUMBIA GROUP.

General features. Most of the mines which are included in the Columbia group 

are situated on or close to the Columbia fault, a well-defined fault having a northeasterly trend and a general northwesterly dip. (See fig. 6.) Northwest of this 

fault the Birdsville formation is found, while the Ste. Genevieve limestone lies on 

the southeast. Thus all the deposits in the plane of the fault, so far as they have 

been mined, have Birdsville sandstone or shale for one wall and Ste. Genevieve 

limestone for the other.

In addition to the main fault there are several minor faults with a northwesterly 

trend. On one of these, the Eureka fault, are situated a part of the Columbia mine, 

the Drescher open cut, and the old Andrew Jackson shaft.

Some of the deposits mined in this group consist mainly of fluorite, as at the 

Mary Belle shaft and the Mayes and Wilson prospects; some are mainly of galena 

and sphalerite, or, within the belt of weathering, of smithsonite and galena. Some 

of the sphalerite is medium grained and occurs as a cement of a breccia or lining 

or filling small vugs or fractures in the rocks. In general, however, it occurs as 

a fine-grained deposit, disseminated in a more or less siliceous limestone.

The deposits of this group are believed to be largely localized and their variations in character and in the mode of occurrence of the ore (aside from the effects
166 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAB DEPOSITS OF WESTEBN KENTUCKY.

of oxidation on the ores occurring within the belt of weathering) are due partly to 

variation in physical conditions and partly to differences in the ore-bearing solutions.

Struckrit-rich

f Wilson copper 

/ shaft /

_f Blue and Nunn 

A shaft

J /"Sulphur spring

r\

£ ^^i <? J \^/

* AJ,^/6 <? L.\y

u° >\l\

Srittenden Springs ,? 

Hotel m

.£

(->' &/ / -'V « 

j\~/ Sulphur spring

<^ 

<?

<Z)

Pond

umbia group of mines. 1-4 a, Mayes and Wilson prospects; 5, Major Clcmens shaft; 6, Rochester prospect; 

line; 9, fluorite prospect; 10, Watkins open cut and shaft; 11, Columbia mine, air shaft; 1?, Columbia mine.

FIG. 6. Colur

7~Oj -N6W Jim millc, V} HUUlll/C jJiUSp^UL, 1U, \\ tHJVlUM OUU11 UUt EtllU. OliaJ-L, J±, ^uiumMati 111111x5, O.J.A oiia-J-u^ i.-, ^v/iu.m»jia. imiic,

main shaft; 13, Drescheropen cut; 14, Blue heirs prospect; 15, "Old Mill Shed" shaft; 16, Lanham mine; 17, Mary Belle 

mine; 18, Old Jim mine; 19-20, prospects along Old Jim dike.
COLUMBIA GEOUP. 167

Mayes and Wilson prospects. North of Crittenden Springs Hotel is a small 

group of mines and prospects, all on or not far from the Columbia fault. The 

outcrop of this fault here runs up the northeastern slope of Hurricane Creek Valley, 

the Major Clemens shaft being situated near the foot of the slope and the Mayes 

and Wilson No. 1 shaft at the brow of the hill above.

The Mayes and Wilson prospects, consisting of two shafts, a short open cut and 

an adit, together with the somewhat older McBride shaft and a still older open cut 

made about 1882, are all located within -a distance of about 230 feet, following a 

fluorite vein of very variable width, not over 5 feet wide as far as developed. This 

vein, which has an average strike of about N. 38° E. and a nearly vertical dip 

ranging from easterly to westerly, occurs along the main fault plane between the 

Birdsville shale and quartzite on the west and Ste. Genevieve limestone on the 

east. The limestone is seamed in places with calcite, and locally more or less 

calcite is associated with the fluorite, as is also a small amount of galena. West 

of the main fault plane the quartzite has been more or .less sheeted and brecciated, the breccia, locally at least, as is shown in Mayes and Wilson shaft No. 1, 

being cemented with- fluorite. Characteristic surface outcrops of quartzite are 

met here, one occurrence being shown in PI. XII, B.

Major Clemens shaft. The sinking of the Major Clemens shaft was begun in 

October, 1902, and therefore after the writer had left this field, but it was visited 

by both Mr. Ulrich and Mr. Fohs in November, 1902. The ore occurs in a sheeted 

zone in quartzite about 125 feet west of the Ste. Genevieve-Birdsville contact. The 

west or hanging wall in the shaft is of Birdsville shales and quartzite, the eastern 

or foot wall being entirely of the quartzite. Between these walls the quartzite has 

been brecciated, and the breccia cemented mainly with fine-grained sphalerite, a 

little fluorite, less galena, and a very little calcite and quartz. This cemented 

breccia has a width of about 5 feet and strikes approximately N. 27° E., with a 

northwesterly dip of about 58°.

At the time of Mr. Ulrich's visit the shaft had been sunk to a depth of 40 

feet. Of about 500 cubic feet of ore taken from the shaft, it was estimated that 

the sphalerite constituted between 25 and 30 per cent, with a small amount of 

fluorite and perhaps 1 per cent of galena/'

In addition to its occurrence in thin seams as a cement to the more or less 

brecciated rock, the ore, as seen in the specimens obtained from this shaft, also 

occurs disseminated in small or minute grains through the rock, .in the same way 

in which it is so frequently found in limestone at many of the mines.

« A new shaft, a short distance N. 4° W. from the first, is being sunk at this mine. Like the first, the new shaft is being 

sunk entirely in brecciated quartzite, but in the latter the rock contains much less zinc and lead sulphides This may be due 

to the fact that the new shaft is located about 20 feet farther west of the main fault plane than the first. A cross-cut running eastward to the Ste. Genevieve limestone is suggested. E. O. U.
168 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

The amount of the disseminated ore varies greatly in different parts of the 

rock, and in some places it is so abundant that no rock can be seen even with a 

hand lens. It consists mainly of sphalerite with a very small proportion of galena 

and more or less pyrite. Such disseminated ore has not been noted elsewhere by 

the writer in well-defined quartzite, and a careful examination of the rock in which 

it occurs has led to the conclusion that it was not originally a sandstone, although 

it may have been somewhat arenaceous, but that it was mainly a calcareous shale, 

the calcareous portions having been largely replaced by quartz.

Rochester prospect. The Rochester prospect, nearly one-fourth mile southwest of the Crittenden Springs Hotel, consists of* two short east-west trenches, 

from one of which, on the Columbia fault, a very small amount of gravel fluorite 

has been taken.

New Jim mine. At the Blue and Nunn prospect, now known as the New Jim 

mine, about 400 feet farther southwest, a considerable amount of smithsonite occurs 

in surface blocks and fragments, and the same ore has been exposed in a shallow 

hole dug here. Much of the ore is more or less siliceous, the smithsonite being 

disseminated in small aggregates in a somewhat altered jasperoid. The latter is 

due to the silicification of Ste. Genevieve limestone, the contained smithsonite 

having been derived from the oxidation of sphalerite formerly disseminated in 

it. There is also a small proportion of disseminated galena or its oxidation product, 

cerrusite.

Another shallow prospect, about 75 feet S. 52° W. of this, is on the Columbia 

fault, with Birdsville shale on the west and Ste. Genevieve limestone on the east, 

though the latter is considerably sheeted and somewhat brecciated. Seams 1 of 

coarse calcite with a maximum width of 1 inch or more are common in the limestone, and with it a little galena is occasionally associated. Some galena also 

occurs in small seams along the sheeting planes or fills the fractures of the brecciated limestone. Some fine-grained sphalerite occurs disseminated in the limestone. In the sheeted zone on the northern wall of the hole the limestone has 

to some extent been replaced by zinc carbonate. These two prospects are suggestive of a zone of sheeted and brecciated Ste. Genevieve limestone not unlike 

that at the Columbia mine. Recent prospecting on this property has been considered sufficiently favorable to warrant the erection of a mill and extensive 

development a of the mine.

From a shallow hole one-eighth of a mile east of south of the mine just 

described some cavernous lump fluorite has been taken which was apparently

a Information received to April, 1904, confirms the suggested similarity of conditions at the New Jim mine and at the 

Columbia. The new shaft is 60 feet deep and the lower 20 feet passed through rich lead and zinc ores. The ore body varies 

from 2 to 6 feet in width and occurs apparently as a replacement of the Ste. Genevieve limestone, which forms the foot or 

east wall. This wall is very uneven, but the hanging wall, which is composed principally of shale of the Birdsville formation, is sharply defined. E. O. U.
COLUMBIA GROUP. 169

formed along a minor fissure in the Ste. Genevieve limestone parallel to the 

Columbia fault.

Watkins open cut. The Watkins open cut on the Columbia fault, a little 

over a quarter of a mile east of north of the Columbia mine, consists of a shallow 

open cut about 50 feet long, to which a shaft has been added since the writer's 

visit. The western wall of the cut is of gray clay and shale with about 2^ feet 

of soil above it containing fragments of quartzite. The eastern wall as well as 

the main part of the cut is of red clay. Occasional bowlders of limestone occur 

in the cut, containing small patches and seams of purple and white fluorite, some 

calcite, and a little galena. The ore, mainly smithsonite, occurs in large irregular 

masses along the central portion of the cut, and contains a good deal of disseminated fine- to coarse-grained galena, more or less patchy, and some associated 

fluorite.

Some of the smithsonite noted here contained scattered, yellowish, more or 

less porous patches consisting of smithsonite, abundant minute quartz crystals, 

yellow ocher, and some wad, the patches being evidently the oxidation residuals 

of siliceous limestone fragments scattered through the original ore body.

Columbia mines. The Columbia mines are the oldest and perhaps the best 

known in the district. The first operations at this mine were begun in 1835 by 

Andrew Jackson, who sank a shaft near the creek southeast of the present Columbia 

main shaft for silver. Dr. D. D. Owen, visiting the old workings in 1854, reported 

that they were from 40 to 60 feet deep. In 1863 or 1864 the mine was purchased 

by the Columbia Silver Mining Company, composed of J. N. Blue, sr., and others, 

and when, about 1873 or 1874, it was leased to Halliday and Green, of Cairo, 111., 

the shaft was nearly 80 feet deep, but no drifts had been run. Halliday and Green 

worked the mine fifteen months, running a drift (now closed) 40 or 45 feet to the 

southwest at the 50-foot level. This is said to be on, the vein. Henry, James, 

and Tom Glass then took an option on it, and retimbered the old shaft, which had 

caved. They also sank the shaft to a little below 80 feet and ran drifts for a short 

distance.

In 1876 Page & Krausse, of St. Louis, bought out the Glasses and sank the 

shaft deeper, running the drifts at the 80-foot level as they now are. A plant 

was installed which included six jigs of about 60 tons capacity, an old-fashioned 

two-flue boiler, a Blake crusher, and a small Scotch hearth lead smelter.

Their pig lead was hauled to the Ohio River at Fords Ferry for shipment. 

These operations were discontinued in 1877, owing to the decline in the value of 

lead. In 1899 Blue and Nunn secured from Page & Krausse a ten years' lease 

and option on the mine. In 1900 the lease was purchased by the Western Kentucky 

Mining Company, which began work on the Columbia shaft in May or June of that
170 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

year. The old mine was in part retimbered and cleaned out, and some work done 

at the 135-foot level, but after a few months it had to be abandoned on account 

of water. The mine then lay idle till the Columbia Mining Company, organized 

in 1902, took over the Western Mining Company's lease and secured a new one 

from Page & Krausse. They are now sinking the shaft, which has reached a depth 

of 138-140 feet, and are extending the southwest drift at the 135-foot level. Buildings and machinery have also been added.

The mine was closed at the time of the writer's visit. It was examined later, 

in February, 1903, by Mr. F. J. Fohs, on whose observations and collections the 

following statements concerning the underground relations are largely based. At 

the time the mine was examined the main shaft had reached a depth of about 

140 feet, and, as is indicated in the history of the mine, drifts ran from the 

shaft at the 80 and 135 foot levels. The drift at the 50-foot level was inaccessible, 

being filled with mud.

The Columbia mine has been developed along the course of the Columbia 

fault, which is here associated with minor cross faults and fractures, of winch the 

most important is the Eureka fault. Most of the early mining here was done along 

the Eureka and not the Columbia fault. Nearly all of the shafts of the group 

described and figured by Norwood" are on the former, while one, the Barnett 

shaft, was at the junction of the two, and must therefore have been very close to 

the present location of the main shaft of the Columbia mine. In the Barnett 

shaft Ste. Genevieve limestone and Birdsville shale were found in contact, and 

galena occurred apparently along the Eureka fault, although but little ore has 

been found along this fault in the deeper parts of the Columbia mine.

Along the Columbia fault plane shale has been dragged in, and on account of 

its impervious character has doubtless aided in directing the waters circulating 

along the fault plane. Lo'cally breccias have been formed along the fissure in the 

more or less siliceous Ste. Genevieve limestone which constitutes the eastern wall 

of the fissure. At other places sheeted zones have been formed. The ores and 

their associated minerals have been deposited here and there along both major 

and minor fissures and fractures, either cementing the brecciated limestone, or 

filling seams, or metasomatically replacing to a greater or less extent both the 

limestone of the breccia and that between adjacent sheeting planes. The ore is 

chiefly galena and sphalerite, with a minor proportion of second-grade fluorite, 

the best ore occurring as a cement to the siliceous limestone breccia. This breccia, 

though occurring at the 135-foot level, has its greatest development at the 80-foot 

level, where it lies south of the shaft. It appears to have an irregularly lenticular 

form, its longer dimensions lying in the fault plane.

a Norwood, C. J., Report of a reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: Geol. 

Survey Kentucky, vol. 1, part 7, second series, 1876.
COLUMBIA GROUP. 171

The strike of the fault throughout almost the entire mine is N. 26° E., its calculated dip between the 80-foot and the 135-foot levels being about 83°. Near

k hole

FIG. 7. Underground workings of Columbia mine; redrawn from map by F. J. Fobs.

/

the northern end of the 80-foot drift there is a rapid change in the direction of the 

fault from northeasterly to northwesterly, as shown in fig. 6. At the point where
172 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

the fault turns, a cross fracture has been developed in the shale forming the west 

wall, and in it a seam of galena and sphalerite three inches in width has been 

deposited. The opposite wall here also shows some cross fracturing. At both 

the 80-foot and 135-foot levels Birdsville shale and quartzite constitute the western 

or hanging wall, while lower Ste. Genevieve limestone forms the eastern or foot wall 

of the main ore body. It seems probable that some, if not all, of the shale seen at 

both levels has been dragged in or has worked down along the fault plane between 

the sandstone and the limestone, for, as seen at the face of the short drift to the 

northwest, near the northern end of the mine, about 3 feet of the sandstone is 

exposed on the west, and between it and the limestone is about one foot of shale 

following the fault plane. The structure of the shale generally parallels approximately in dip and strike the dip and strike of the fault plane, except at one point 

20 feet north of the shaft, where the strike of the shale is toward the west, at its 

intersection with the Eureka fault. Slickensiding may be seen in places in the 

shale, and near the face of the 80-foot drift southwesterly from the main shaft 

some calcite and brownish fluorite have been deposited along the slickensided surfaces, although in general no ore occurs in the hanging wall. This wall is well 

denned and almost straight, thus differing from the eastern or foot wall, which 

is very irregular, especially south of the shaft where the main ore body occurs.

The eastern wall of the northeastern and southwestern drifts, and both walls 

of the drifts to the southeast at the 80-foot level, are of light-gray lower Ste. Genevieve limestone seamed with calcite and occurring in beds one half to one foot 

thick. Near the air shaft the beds are almost horizontal, while in the southeast 

drift they show a dip to the southwest.

The southeastern drift, cut entirely in limestone, has a trend of N. 29° W., 

except near its junction with the northeast drift, and has for the most part followed 

the Eureka fault, which has here a strike of S. 32° E., and a northeasterly dip of 

72°, as seen near the fall of the drift. No ore was noted in this drift except near its 

mouth, although occasional patches are said to have been encountered in running 

the drift. Within 12 feet of its junction with the northeastern drift the southern 

wall, where it intersects the fissure, shows a body of ore 2 feet wide, having a trend 

of S.' 32° E. This ore body consists almost entirely of fine-grained sphalerite 

disseminated in and metasomatically replacing limestone.

Two sink holes formed along or near this fissure, and shown on the map of the 

mine, opened into the drift just described on the northeast side and through them 

the mine is often flooded in storms.

In the northeast drift, except for the seam in the west wall, already mentioned, ore was noted only near the shaft. Here the ore is medium-grained sphalerite disseminated in limestone, with little or no galena. In the southwest drift,
COLUMBIA GROUP. 173

at the 80-foot level, the main ore body occurs. This body as a whole consists of 

an open limestone breccia cemented with calcite, sphalerite, and galena, and toward 

the southern end of the drift with more or less fluorite. The limestone of the 

breccia, and to some extent that of the eastern wall, has been replaced to a greater 

or less extent by quartz in microscopic crystals, and is therefore more or less siliceous in general character, little or none of the original limestone being left in 

some parts. These limestone fragments also contain a variable amount of finegrained, disseminated sphalerite, which in places forms the bulk of the rock. In 

addition to these minerals, the limestone occasionally contains a little pyrite in fine 

grains, secondary calcite, a small proportion of galena in small cubes, and some 

fluorite. In the central, broader part of the drift the cemented breccia is sharply 

separated from the limestone forming the east wall, while in the southern and 

more constricted end of the drift the breccia grades into the limestone of the wall 

without noticeable break. The cement of the breccia is variable both in amount 

and character. Toward the southern end of the drift the amounts of sphalerite, 

galena, and fluorite decrease, and the cement near the face is mainiy calcite with 

a little low-grade fluorite. North of this, but still in the narrower, section of the 

drift, more sphalerite is found, and more fluorite of a brownish color, while a sheet 

of fluorite with a maximum width of 2 feet occurs in the breccia near and parallel 

to the western wall. The mode of occurrence of this fluorite suggests fissuring 

since the formation of the main ore body, with subsequent filling of the fissure by 

fluorite. The central broad section of the drift contains a large proportion of both 

galena and sphalerite, and furnishes the best ore of the mine. This part of the drift 

has been stoped for 30 feet above the 80-foot level. In this part of the drift a 

considerable amount of calcite occurs within a foot of the eastern wall. Elsewhere 

the cement consists mainly of sphalerite and galena. Some of the coarse white 

calcite from this part of the mine shows brecciation and recementation by galena, 

sphalerite, and clear calcite. The galena occurs in cubes, with a maximum diameter 

of about 2 inches. The sphalerite of the cement occurs in small or mediumsized crystals having a maximum diameter of about one-eighth inch. Where it 

lines cavities it is of the ruby-blende variety that is so commonly seen under such 

conditions.

The ore from the 135-foot level is somewhat similar to that of the 80-foot 

level, occurring partly cementing the broken rocks, but chiefly disseminated in 

and replacing limestone between planes of faulting or sheeting. At the face of 

this drift we have the following succession between the west and the east walls, 

which are here about 6J feet apart, and dip northwesterly about 65°: (1) Shale 

forming west wall; (2) 2 feet of limestone with more or less disseminated finegrained sphalerite; (3) 2 feet mainly calcite with scattered rock fragments and
174 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

some galena and sphalerite; (4) 2J feet of sphalerite and fine to rather coarsegrained galena disseminated in limestone; (5) Ste. Genevieve limestone forming 

the east wall. A section on the northeast side of the shaft and 2 feet above the 

bottom is somewhat similar: (1) Western wall of shale and quartzite; (2) 2 feet 

of shaly limestone; (3) 2 feet of limestone with disseminated fine-grained sphalerite 

and almost no galena; (4) 2^ feet of sheeted limestone seamed with calcite; (5) 

wall of Ste. Genevieve limestone.

Oxidation by surface waters has, to a limited extent, penetrated both the 

80-foot and the 135-foot levels. This is shown in many of the specimens of ore from 

both levels, but is best seen in the small vugs which are common through the ore 

body. The calcite crystals occurring in many of these vugs are sometimes rounded 

on the surface; more frequently, they are corroded, especially about the point 

of attachment. The sphalerite, both that occurring in the vugs and that disseminated in the limestone, frequently shows some oxidation, being sometimes corroded 

and again coated with a thin blackish film. Occasionally the galena is more or 

less altered to earthy cerussite. Among the secondary products which have formed, 

quartz and smithsonite are the most common.

All of the unoxidized deposits thus far described appear to be those of primary 

concentration. None of them gave any evidence of having been formed by secondary enrichment. Several instances were noted of secondary sulphides, greenockite, and sphalerite, formed in very small amounts with or after the products of 

oxidation already referred to.

Cemented breccias such as are found at this mine are believed to be of very 

limited and local development, and are perhaps to be looked for only along welldefined faults, where siliceous limestones have suffered displacement since silicification. In such breccias the coarsest and most abundant lead and zinc ore is to 

be found, providing deposition of such ores took place at all. Local conditions, 

not only at the Columbia mine, but at a number of points along the Columbia fault, 

appear to have been favorable for the deposition of galena and sphalerite rather 

than of fluorite. Depth apparently was not one of these governing conditions, and 

has had little or 110 direct influence in determining the amount of ore deposited. 

So far as can be ascertained there is no definite vertical relation of the ores at this 

mine, and there is certainly no such vertical succession as that given by W. E. Burk.a

With deeper mining at the Columbia, the Birdsville rocks of the western wall 

will be succeeded in turn by the Tribune limestone, Cypress sandstone, and Ste. 

Genevieve limestone, while the Ste. Genevieve of the eastern wall will be succeeded 

by the St. Louis limestone. With these changes in the walls there will doubtless 

come some change in the general character of the deposits, especially if, as appears

aBurk, W, E., The fluorspar mines of western Kentucky and southern Illinois: Mineral Industry for 1900, pp. 293-295.
COLUMBIA GROUP. 175

to be the case, the St. Louis limestone is less subject to secondary silicification 

than the Ste. Genevieve. It is therefore by no means improbable that at greater 

depths, where the St. Louis forms one of the fissure walls, a well-defined vein of 

fluorite may be encountered.

Drescher open cut. The Drescher open cut, a short distance southeast of the 

Columbia mine, was the only opening on the Eureka fault at the time of the writer's 

visit. The ore here consists of an irregular body of smithsonite containing a good 

deal of galena, both coarse and fine grained. It occurrs with red clay between 

walls of more or less weathered Ste. Genevieve limestone somewhat seamed with 

fluorite.

The Eureka vein was considerably exploited in the early mining days of this 

region. Norwood, a in his description of the Columbia mine, figures seven shafts 

as located on this fault, these being only a part of those that had been sunk at 

one time or another. From all the shafts on that portion of the vein east of the 

Columbia fault, galena, or galena and fluorite, had been obtained, the ore occurring 

between walls of Ste. Genevieve limestone. 6

As shown at the 80-foot level of the Columbia mine, this fault intersects the 

west wall of the Columbia fault, though it probably extends only a short distance 

west of the latter into the Birdsville rocks. In this direction no ores have been 

found along the course of the Eureka fault, a shaft mentioned by Norwood as 

having been sunk 57 feet N. 37° W. of the old Barnett shaft, and finding only 

shale.

Mary Belle mine. This mine, on the Columbia property, is located about a 

quarter of a mile south of the Columbia mine. Work was begun here in the summer 

of 1901, and during the nine months that the mine had been operated 525 tons of 

fluorite had been produced. The mine' is characterized by a vein of fluorite from 

2 to 6 feet wide, with an average strike of about N. 12° E. and a high westerly dip. 

The fluorite is associated with a considerable amount of galena, and some finegrained sphalerite is found disseminated in the limestone walls of the unoxidized 

portion of the vein. At the only exposure of the vein seen by the writer both 

walls were of clay. That this vein must be on or within a few feet of the Columbia 

fault is shown, however, by surface outcrops, Birdsville sandstone being found 

west and Ste. Genevieve limestone east of the mine.

Norwood c has figured and described some old shallow pits, called by him 

pocket diggings, dug years before in a ravine south of the old Glass shaft, and out

« Norwood, C. J., Report of reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: Geol. 

Surv. Kentucky, vol. 1, pt. 7, 2d ser., 1876.

6 One wall of the Glass shaft was said to be of sandstone, but this was probably a case of mistaken observation on the 

part of Mr. Norwood's informant, as this was the only shaft on this fault from which sandstone was reported, and Norwood 

himself saw none on the surface.

c Op. cit., PI. IV and p. 484.
176 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

of every one of these " lead and fluorspar were obtained in variable quantities." 

These appear from their location to have been close to the present Mary Belle mine.

Lanham mine. The Lanham mine, located one-sixth of a mile southeast of 

the Columbia, consists of a short open cut and a shaft 20 feet deep. This shaft 

had not been worked for some time and was nearly filled with water. The ore 

consists mainly of fluorite, both white and purple, with a limited amount of associated galena and a good deal of sphalerite. The last is partly fine-grained, both 

associated with fluorite and disseminated in the adjacent silicified limestone. It 

also occurs fine to moderately coarse grained in larger patches and masses in the 

fluorite. The coarser grained sphalerite is dark brown, the finer grain having the 

usual reddish color. The fluorite, in addition to its occurrence in the usual granular 

condition, is found also in fine grains disseminated in jasperoid.

The ore occurs presumably as a vein here, though it is said to be not well 

defined. The ore body has a width of about 3 feet. Vugs lined with fluorite 

crystals are reported to be numerous here.

In addition to the fluorite shipped from this mine a sample shipment of 25 

tons of sphalerite was made.

Near and just northwest from the Lanham shaft is an old shaft dug years ago 

by Mr. Henry Glass. The depth is not known. This probably corresponds to the 

" Old Mill Shed" of Norwood's report.** This mine was believed by him to be on 

a different crevice from the Eureka fault, as is readily seen in PI. IX to be the case, 

these prospects, with the Lanham shaft, occurring apparently on a parallel fault 

or fracture.

Old Jim mine. The Old Jim mine, a little more than three-quarters of a mile 

southeast of the Columbia mine, differs radically from the mines thus far described 

(1) in the absence of fluorite and calcite, the ore consisting of zinc carbonate with a 

minor proportion of sphalerite; and (2) in the occurrence of the ore body parallel 

to and in contact with a narrow but very persistent dike of peridotite. This mine 

has thus far been the largest producer of zinc carbonate in the district. The 

discovery of the body of smithsonite here took place in the fall of 1900, but no 

real prospecting was done until May, 1901, in the latter part of which month the 

first carload of ore was shipped.

a Op. Cit., p. 483.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER" NO. 36 PL. xv

A. OLD JIM MINE, SHOWING OPEN CUT.

B. OPEN CUT AT OLD JIM MINE.

COLUMBIA GKROUP. 177

Assays of samples from different parts of the mine and from the washings, etc., 

made by Waring & Son, of Webb City, Mo., show the following amounts of metallic 

zinc (pure smithsonite contains 52 per cent of metallic zinc):

Assay of samples of ore from Old Jim mine.

Flint carbonate. ..............................................................

Turkey fat. ..................................................................

Pea screenings ...............................................................

Washed tailings ..............................................................

Sphalerite ....................................................................

Zinc.

Per cent. 

51.80

49.85

34.80

30.85

60.17

Iron.

Per cent.

0.60

5.20

6.92

1.74

The smithsonite, by the carload, averages about 46 to 47 per cent of zinc.

The mine consists of two open cuts, shown in fig. 8. Of these the northern 

and principal one has a length of about 400 feet and 

a depth of 27 feet. As seen in the figure, a dike 

of peridotite forms one of the walls of the cut. 

The dike for a part of its course is nearly straight, 

but near the point of its intersection by the drifts, 

southeast of the shaft, it shows a slight though 

distinct bend. Wherever noted it was much 

weathered, especially along the margins. Where cut 

through, the dike has a width of about 6 feet and 

a dip ranging from 81° to 90° southwesterly.

The walls of the cut, except where formed of 

peridotite, are of nearly horizontally bedded Ste. 

Genevieve limestone, containing thin beds or lenses 

and scattered nodules of chert. Definite faulting 

was noted in only one part of the mine, at its northwestern end, where there is a displacement of 

between 1^ and 2 feet, with a downthrow to the 

northeast.

As already stated, the ore from this mine is 

practically all carbonate of zinc, mainly in the form 

of smithsonite; in addition to the simple carbonate, 

the basic carbonate, hydrozincite, also occurs, being found in considerable amount 

with the smithsonite just south of the shaft, a little above water level. More or 

less unoxidized sphalerite is still found at the same levels at which the smithsonite 

10696 No. 36 05 12

100 feet Sink hole

FIG. 8. Old Jim mine.
178 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAK DEPOSITS OF WE8TEKN KENTUCKY.

occurs. While some of that associated with and altering into the smithsonite 

is of medium grain, most of that seen at the mine is very fine grained, occurring 

disseminated in limestone.

There appears to have been no definite fissure vein corresponding to the course 

of the drifts, the ore body occurring mainly as a replacement of the limestone, and 

to a minor extent of the associated chert, along and close to the walls of the 

intruded peridotite dike. The ore occurs for the most part massive, cut, it is said, 

by the beds of chert which sometimes extend across the entire ore body to the dike. 

Here and there blocks of unaltered limestone occur in the smithsonite. Occasional 

nodules of chert are found in the ore, just as in the adjacent limestone. The chert 

of both the nodules and the beds is generally replaced in part by smithsonite. 

The flint carbonate in the above list of assays has already been referred to (p. 142). 

This was not seen in place, and so its actual relation to the main ore body is not 

known.

The ore-bearing solutions here have penetrated and replaced the different 

beds of limestone unequally at any given place, and the extent of the penetration 

varies also at different points along the course of the ore body. This is well shown 

in the varying width of the ore body in horizontal sections. At the northwestern 

side of the shaft the mass of smithsonite, which had a width of 8 to 10 feet at the 

southeastern side, pinched to less than 1 foot, widening again to the northwest, 

where it .forms the broad northwestern drift. Again it narrowed toward the northwestern end of.the drift, and pinched out about 190 feet from the shaft. Southeast 

of the shaft the ore pinched at a distance of about 65 feet, and in an attempt to 

find the continuation of the ore body, the peridotite dike which had formed its 

eastern wall was cut through, smithsonite being found at this point on the east 

side of the dike. The drift being continued to the southeast on the west side of 

the dike, ore was found again on this side, the two ore bodies continuing as shown 

in the figure one on either side of the dike.

The sphalerite, like the smithsonite, has replaced the limestone very irregularly. In places it is very abundant, appearing to replace altogether portions of 

the limestone beds. While most of the sphalerite, both the coarse and the fine 

grained, is due to primary concentration, there has undoubtedly been some enrichment of the sulphide ores by additional deposition from descending waters.

The southern or minor open cut of the Old Jim mine is shallow, and has a 

length of 170 feet, with an average trend of N. 17° E. The ore, as in the main 

cut, is smithsonite, occurring in a narrow body between limestone walls. There 

had been too little development here to warrant a positive statement, but it seems 

probable that this deposit has been formed along a joint plane in the limestone. 

This open cut heads in a sink hole leading to a cave from the walls of which a con-
COLUMBIA GEOUP. 179

siderable amount of smithsonite was secured. As shown in fig. 9, prepared 

from a sketch and notes by Mr. Ulrich, the walls of this cave are coated with stalagmite, behind which the ore is found in residual clay derived from the comparatively 

recent decomposition of the limestone. 

The following additional information

FIG. 9. Cross section of cave at bottom of sink hole, 300 

feet south of the "Old Jim" hoist. This sink hole is 

connected by means of an enlarged joint with the zinc 

deposits adjoining the Old Jim dike. The figure illustrates the occurrence of the smithsonite in the walls of 

the cave.

concerning the main open cut was obtained by Mr. Fohs in 1903. The 

main cut was then about 37 feet deep, 

and a few feet below water level. 

Near the shaft at this depth a bed 

of apparently impermeable limestone 

had been encountered, extending across 

the drift and completely cutting out 

the ore. Just above this, in the drift 

south of the shaft and west of the 

dike, occurs a bed of limestone from 

3 to 5 feet thick, largely replaced for 

a distance of more than 20 feet from 

the dike by sphalerite of fine though 

somewhat variable grain. Just above 

this is a bed of limestone from 6 to 

12 inches thick, largely replaced by 

marcasite.

The accompanying sketch (fig. 10) 

prepared by Mr. Ulrich at the time of 

his last visit to the mine in November, 1902, gives a good idea of the relations of 

the ore bodies on each side of the dike to the limestone beds in the outer walls.

FIG. 10. Cross section at Old Jim mine. D, Mica-peridotite 

dike, entirely decomposed at the surface, but growing more 

and more solid and fresh with depth. O, O, Ore bodies, 

consisting of masses of smithsonite above and of sphalerite 

in the basal part, the ore separated by residual clay and 

chert, all in irregular horizontal bands. S, Soil with variable amount of chert. L, Ste. Genevieve limestone walls of 

open cut. East wall: 1, Coarse-grained limestone, 4 feet; 2, 

fine-grained limestone, 6 feet; 3, moderately fine-grained 

limestone, 2.5 feet; 4, siliceous, earthy limestone, represented in the open cut, chiefly by massive chert, 3 to 3.5 feet; 

5, earthy limestone, without -chert, 20 inches; 6, rather 

coarse-grained limestone, 4 feet, the corresponding part in 

the ore body containing massive carbonate; 7, chert, 15 

inches, more or less decomposed in open cut; 8, coarsegrained limestone, 7 feet, the corresponding part in the ore 

body containing large masses of smithsonite in upper half 

sometimes with iron sulphide at top and mainly sphalerite 

in lower half; the latter ore occurs beneath ground-water 

level. West wall: 9, Rather coarse-grained limestone, 7 feet; 

10, chert, 15 inches, more or less decomposed in ore body but 

distinguishable through it to the dike; 11, coarse limestone, 

6 feet, probably corresponding to bed 1 in east wall; 12, 

chert, 12 inches, more or less decomposed in ore body; 13, 

rather fine-grained limestone, about 7 feet; 14, siliceous, 

earthy limestone, cherty, 3 feet, probably corresponding to 

bed 4 in east wall; 15, earthy limestone, 12 to 15 inches, 

decomposed and highly pyritiferous in open cut; 16, subgranular, moderately coarse limestone, 7 feet; 17, clayey limestone extending across open cut to dike; 18, much decomposed peridotite; and, 19, solid peridotite growing harder 

with depth.
180 LEAD, ZIISTC, AKD FLUOKSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTEKN KENTUCKY.

As shown in the figure, smithsonite occurs above and disseminated sphalerite 

below. Both kinds of ores occur in horizontal layers, for the most part continuous 

with the beds of limestone to which they are adjacent.

There has been a good deal of prospecting along the course of the peridotite 

dike, both northwest and southeast of the Old Jim mine. To the northwest the 

dike extends for more than a quarter of a mile from the Old Jim shaft, following 

a course about N. 28° W. In this direction no ore has been found.

Nearly a quarter of a mile southeast of the Old Jim shaft is a pond filling 

an old sink hole. Just northwest of the pond and north of the road is a prospect 

from which has been taken altered peridotite, a little smithsonite, and some limestone considerably seamed.

About midway between this prospect and the Old Jim mine a fissure, evidently 

due to solution along a joint plane, occurs in the limestone. This fissure, which 

is from 6 inches to 1J feet in width, has been uncovered for a distance of about 

6 feet, showing a strike of about N. 39° W. From this opening, the walls of which 

are considerably corroded, some small blocks of smithsonite have been taken.

TABB-YANDELL GROUP.

General features. The Tabb mine consists of a linear series of shafts, shallow 

holes, and open cuts extending for a distance of about one-third of a mile along 

the Tabb fault. This is an extensive fault of several hundred feet throw, by which 

the Birdsville and other formations lying on the north of the fault have been 

brought into juxtaposition with the St. Louis limestone on the south of the fault. 

Immediately to the east of the Tabb shafts this series of mines is continued a little 

more than a quarter of a mile by the Blue and Marble mines and the Newkirk 

shaft. Still farther east, south of Mexico, are the Myers prospects, near the 

same fault, but between these and the Newkirk shaft there are no prospects so 

far as known. West of the Tabb mines the abandoned Wheeler mine occurs on 

the same fault, the distance from this mine to the easternmost of the Myers prospects being nearly 2 miles. Southwest of the Wheeler the Tabor mine is situated 

on a fault parallel to the Tabb fault, and another appears at the Asbridge mine, 

southwest of the Tabor, thus showing a series of faults arranged en echelon. A 

continuation of this condition toward the east is suggested by the sudden change 

in direction of the Tabb fault just west of the railroad, south of Mexico. (See

fig- 11.)

At the Asbridge mine both Chester and St. Louis rocks occur, their relative 

positions being similar to those east of the Wheeler mine. The general relations 

of the formations on opposite sides of this zone of faulting shown on the maps 

of the district make probable an eastward connection of this fault at the Asbridge
TABB-YANDELL GKOUP. 181

with the fault at the

Tabb mines, and thus

an arrangement en echelon of the Tabb fault

itself.

The fa

bor mine

Louis lir

main faull

Chester a

probably <

parallel di

short dis

north.

All.t

portions

fault, whi(

tie north

,ult at the Tais in the St.

lestone, the

between the

id St. Louis

ccurring as a

splacement a

ance to the

lese parallel

Df the Tabb

h strike a litof east, are

another series having a 

more decided northerly 

trend, as is suggested by 

the 'fault at the Myers 

prospects which has this 

trend, and by the southwesterly fault at the 

Wheeler mine, shown in 

fig. 11. The Tabb fault 

has a local and probably 

general northerly dip.

In addition to these, 

minor faults occur either 

parallel to or at an angle 

with the main fault, and 

ore deposits of limited 

extent are frequently 

found along these minor 

fractures.

As is generally the
182 LEAD, ZINC, AND FUJOBSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

case, the chief deposits have been found along or close to the main fault, though 

even here they are by no means continuous. The ore occurs either in simple 

veins or in two or more lying parallel and near together. The veins consist mainly 

of fluorite, accompanied at most of the mines by some galena and at the Tabb 

mines and eastward by more or less barite, which locally becomes dominant. In

Birdsville formation

Z£ jrABB__FAULT _____ Z£- Z£

,~ - Approbate course ~~-"--.»__S>-

St. Louis I I'm e stone Scale

100______200 feet 5

Fite. 12. Part of the Tabb mines.

addition to these minerals fine-grained sphalerite occurs locally in small amount. 

Although found mainly in veins, the fluorite and barite occur here and there 

cementing breccias, particularly of Chester quartzite.

Tabb mines. When these mines were visited, work was being done at three 

shafts Nos. 3 and 12 and the main shaft, No. 10. Shaft No. 12 is situated on 

the western edge of a moderately broad, shallow valley, which divides the mines, 

while the prospect holes Nos. 13 and 15 are on its eastern slopes. The remaining

openings of this mine on the east, toS

gether with those of the Blue and Marble 

mines, are along the upper edge of a 

slope facing an open valley on the south. 

Most of the openings of the Tabb mine 

are on or near the Tabb fault, and some 

ore has been found in all of those shown 

in fig. 12, though not in paying quantities in all cases.

In addition to the common mode of 

occurrence of the ore, it has also been 

found replacing bedded quartzite, as at 

the westernmost opening of the series 

(see fig. 13), though this is not usual. 

From the main shaft of the Tabb mine (No. 10) drifts run both east and west

at a depth of 57 feet, a little above permanent water level, following an ore

deposit formed along the main plane of the Tabb fault.

A general section across the deposit at this depth is as follows: First the

northern wall of Birdsville limestone, the surface of which is more or less uneven.

This is usually succeeded toward the south by sheeted shales dragged in along

FIG. 13. Fluorite replacing Birdsville quartzite, prospect 

hole No. 1, Tabb mine. 1, Yellow clay; 2, yellow clay and 

quartzite fragments; 3, quartzite; 4, fluorite; 5, mainly 

gray and yellow clay with some quartzite.
TABB-YANDELL GKOUP. 183

the fault plane. These shales in places contain one or more narrow veins of fluorite. 

Adjoining the shale is the main vein, of variable thickness and character, succeeded by between 1 and 2 feet of red clay, resulting from the decomposition of 

St. Louis limestone, and containing chert fragments. Last is the more or less 

corroded wall of St. Louis limestone. The yein has a constant northerly dip of 

55° or more. In width it ranges from 0 to a maximum of about 12 feet, which 

is reached just east of the air shaft No. 8. The average width is between 6 and 

8 feet. The vein usually shows more or less sheeting or banding. The banded 

ore represented in PL XIV B, p. 142, is from this mine.

The main ore body varies considerably through the mine, as is well shown 

in the accompanying figures. Fig. 14 shows the conditions at the face of the

FIG. 14. Section of vein, west face of drift at 

main shaft, Tabb mine, l, Limestone; 2, 

mainly dark-gray shale with some mud; 3, 

fluorite with more or less limestone; 4, limestone 3 and 4 somewhat sheeted; 5, first 

grade white fluorite; 6, fluorite with barite; 

7, red clay and chert fragments.

FIG. 15. Section of vein, east face of drift at 

main shaft, Tabb mine. 1, Shale; 2, fluorite, 

18 inches; 3, shale and red clay with some 

fluorite, 24 inches; 4, banded fluorite with 

some galena, 24 inches; 5, red clay with scattered chert fragments.

drift west of the air shaft. The limestone adjacent to the shale contains small 

pockets of gravel fluorite, while patches of barite, frequently with some fluorite, 

occur on and near its surface.

At the face of the stope, 27 feet east of the air shaft (No. 8), the full width 

of the vein is not exposed, but the part seen is nearly 6 feet wide. The fluorite 

forming the vein is roughly banded, and near the center of the vein some finegrained sphalerite occurs in the fluorite, while toward either margin the fluorite 

contains scattered galena.

Near the face east of the main drift the vein shows more or less pronounced 

banding, as indicated in fig. 15.

A little north of the open cut (No. 11), as shown in fig. 12, is a dike-like outcrop of massive quartzite, having a width of from 10 to 20 feet. This quartzite 

contains occasional very thin seams of fluorite.
184 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

The three shallow prospect holes, Nos. 13, 14, and 15, have all yielded some 

gravel and cavernous lump nuorite. No. 13 is evidently on the main fault and 

No. 14 apparently a little north of it. The latter shows a 7-inch vein of nuorite 

containing abundant galena in small grains.

In shaft No. 17, at a depth of 15 feet, a short drift has been run in a direction 

N. 64° E., following an ill-defined vein of fluorite which wedges out toward the 

floor of the drift.

Blue and Marble mines. These consist of numerous openings shafts, open 

cuts, and prospect holes none exceeding a depth of 50 feet and all located on 

or near the Tabb fault, which they have followed for a distance of about 1,100 

feet. The rocks are everywhere deeply weathered, the walls in the drifts and 

shafts being as a rule of clay. The ore of the group is mainly fluorite, generally 

in lump form mixed with more or less red clay, the lump spar being frequently 

cavernous. Fluorite has also been noted locally cementing quartzite breccia, as 

at the shallow prospect No. 5; also at the abandoned Newkirk shaft of the Union 

Central Mining Company, northeast of the easternmost shaft of the Blue and 

Marble mines.

At most of the openings of these mines no well-defined vein has as yet been 

discovered. The Moseley shaft (No. 6) is the most important, and the only one 

at which there have been any extensive developments. Here a well-defined 

vein has been followed at the 30-foot and 50-foot levels by somewhat sinuous 

drifts running in a northwesterly-southeasterly direction for a distance of about 

a hundred feet. The vein has apparently an average width of about 5 feet, and 

its walls are of red, yellow, and bluish-gray clay. On the northern wall at the 

50-foot level occasional patches of soft, white, muddy kaolinite occur. At the 

38-foot level in this same shaft a drift has been run easterly for 12 feet, following 

a thin vein of fluorite a short distance north of and parallel to the vein just described 

and occurring in bluish-gray clay formed by the weathering of shale.

In shaft No. 8 a drift has been run southeasterly for 10 feet at the 42-foot 

level, following a vein in the St. Louis rocks, which has an approximate trend of 

S. 55° E. and a high northerly dip. This vein has probably been developed along 

a transverse fault in the St. Louis limestone, the main Tabb fault having here a 

northeasterly trend, and lying a short distance north of the shaft. Chester quartzite 

outcrops about 150 feet northeast of the shaft. As seen at the face of the drift, 

the vein is about 4 feet wide and consists chiefly of fluorite, which contains in 

places more or less fine-grained galena. Some rock fragments, mainly chert, were 

noted near both walls. Along the southern margin of the vein is a band, ranging 

from 2 inches to about 1 foot in width, composed mainly of somewhat cavernous 

barite.
TABB-YANDELL GEOUP. 185

Myers prospects. East of the mines just described and near the railroad is 

a group of prospects characterized as a whole by the occurrence of barite. The 

easternmost prospect belongs to the Western Kentucky Mining Company, the rest 

being on the land of Mr. William Myers. These prospects comprise shallow 

holes and open cuts and a number of shafts, all except one caved. The relations 

of these openings to the Tabb fault is shown approximately in fig. 11.

In all of the prospects in the Chester rocks, including those west of the railroad, 

some ore is found, either barite or fluorite, or both, occurring as a rule cementing 

quartzite breccia.

In the St. Louis rocks the ore is mainly barite, as in the.railroad cut (No. 3). 

In this cut barite was noted at a number of points, for a distance of 200 feet north 

and south. It occurs apparently as thin easterly-westerly seams and narrow 

veins, with an approximate maximum width of perhaps 2 feet and a nearly 

vertical dip. The actual conditions in the cut are somewhat obscured by the 

breaking down of its walls.

Prospect No. 4 consists of a broad and shallow open cut in red clay and chert, 

exposing an irregular vein about 3 feet wide at the western side of the cut, and 

nearly 5 feet wide on the eastern side, with a strike of about N. 75° E. The vein 

consists largely of barite, which is rudely banded parallel to the strike of the vein. 

This banding is due largely to seams of fluorite in the barite, most of which are 

less than 2 inches wide and from 1 to 3 feet in length.

Wheeler mine. The Wheeler mine consists of two shafts, together with several 

prospect holes and open cuts, all more or less caved. It is located about half a 

mile southwesterly from the main shaft of the Tabb mine. The work at this place 

was done at different times during the last few years by contract for the Kentucky 

Fluorspar Company. Shipments were made up to the middle of 1902, but the 

mine was finally abandoned on account of water, as it had no pump.

The northeastern shaft, No. 1, is apparently located at the intersection of two 

veins, one following the Tabb fault and the other filling a southwesterly fissure 

in the St. Louis limestone. Short drifts were run from the shaft to the east and 

west along the Tabb fault, and one to the southwest on the intersecting fault. 

The southwesterly vein, which is said to have contained no calcite, had a width of 

about 1 foot at the shaft and of 2 to 2J feet at the face of the drift. In the easterlywesterly drifts the vein is said to have been 6 feet wide at the shaft, consisting 

mainly of fluorite, and to have pinched in both directions toward the face of the 

drifts, where it was composed largely of calcite. At the surface a short open cut 

gives the strike of this vein as approximately N. 75° E., and its coincidence with 

the Tabb fault is indicated by the occurrence of both Birdsville and St. Louis rocks 

in the dump from this shaft.
186 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

Shaft No. 2, 70 feet southwest of shaft No. 1, is doubtless located on the same 

vein, which is found in the southwesterly drift from the'latter shaft. Evidence 

of faulting is seen in an open cut a short distance southwesterly from shaft No. 2, 

where a body of somewhat brecciated chert cemented with purple fluorite presents 

a well-defined slickensided surface, having a southeasterly dip of 84°. The strike 

of the southwesterly vein may be given approximately as S. 39° W.

All of the fluorite at this mine is associated with some galena and a little finegrained sphalerite, the latter also occurring disseminated in some of the limestone.

Tabor mine. The Tabor mine, situated three-eighths of a mile southwesterly 

from the Wheeler, is the only one in which well-defined yellow crystals of fluorite 

were seen. Fluorite crystals up to about 2 inches in diameter are common on 

the dump at this mine, both on chert and limestone. They are as usual cubic, 

and their color is for the most part yellow, though a minor proportion are purplish, 

or yellow with surface films of purple. The yellow fluorite appears to have developed chiefly along the fractures of brecciated St. Louis chert.

The mine was not being operated when visited by the writer. The following 

statements are based on the notes of Mr. Fohs, who examined it later. At a depth 

of 60 feet an easterly drift 25 feet long and a westerly one of 30 feet have been 

run, following a well-defined fluorite vein. At 80 feet a cross cut of 46 feet was 

made toward the north, nothing but clay and chert being found, except for a little 

fluorite near the shaft where the vein should normally have been met.

At the 95-foot level a cross cut 6 feet long was made toward the north before 

the vein was encountered, drifts being then run along the vein 53 feet toward the 

west and 18 feet toward the east. A cross cut of 40 feet toward the north is said 

to have been made also, at a depth of 114 feet.

The oxidized zone is unusually deep at this mine, permanent water being found 

at a depth of 101 feet, above which the walls of the vein were formed entirely of 

red clay and chert. The vein also is considerably weathered, consisting mainly 

of white or purple, gravel fluorite mixed with more or less red clay. The strike of 

the vein is N. 79° E., with a northerly dip of 65° to 68° where noted. Its width at 

the 60-foot level ranged from 6 inches to 8 feet, and at the 95-foot level from half a 

foot to 2i feet. In the short easterly drift at the 95-foot level the vein has a width 

of 1J feet, and consists of purple fluorite in bands from half an inch to 4 inches wide, 

separated by thin layers of red clay. In the easterly drift of the 60-foot level also 

the fluorite occurs in bands alternating with red clay. Yellow fluorite is said to 

have been found chiefly at the 114-foot level. It was also seen at the 95-foot level, 

a little south of the vein, in chert and red clay.

The Asbridge mine. The Asbridge mine, belonging to the Eagle Fluorspar 

Company, is located nearly half a mile southwest from the Tabor shaft. It consists 

of two shafts and a number of drifts, as shown in figs. 16 and 17.
TABB-YANDELL GROUP. 187

The shaft was sunk for the first 30 feet by the Kentucky Fluorspar Company, 

but was abandoned by them before ore was found. The Eagle Fluorspar Company 

began operations here in July, 1900, since which time the work has been fairly 

continuous.

Fluorite, which forms the ore here, was first encountered in the shaft at a 

depth of 50 feet. Permanent water level is found at about 100 feet, and all the

| | Pogue shaft

100 feet

FIG. 16. Plat of Asbridge mine, showing courses of drifts.

drifts except one have been run above this level. The rocks are therefore greatly 

oxidized wherever seen, and the ore consists of the gravel and lump fluorite characteristic of the zone of oxidation. The fluorite is of both first and second grade. 

Much "wash gravel" could be obtained here, but as there is no spar washer only 

the best fluorite is mined.

The fluorite occurs as a vein, from about 2 to about 10 feet wide, apparently 

with a high northerly dip, and following approximately the fault plane between

80ft,

88 ft.

Scale

88 ft.

105 ft.

0 SO 100 feet

FIG. 17. Vertical section of Asbridge mine.

the Birdsville and St. Louis formations. The Birdsville rocks form the northern 

wall of the vein, and their occurrence in the drifts is usually marked by yellow, 

sometimes sandy, clay, also by a sticky bluish clay, in addition to some red clay. 

Fragments and blocks of quartzite are occasionally seen.

The St. Louis limestone, forming in general the south wall of the vein, is represented by red clay and chert fragments, with occasionally a little limonite. As
188 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLTJOKSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

usual where the rocks are much weathered, scattered grains and patches of gravel 

fluorite occur in the clays near and on either side of the vein. At the 100-foot 

level, near the northern margin of the vein, and for the western 160 feet of the 

drift, occasional nearly white vein-like streaks occur in the gravel fluorite and 

red clay, having the appearance of short, thick veins, dipping toward the main 

fluorite vein. They average an inch or two in width, and range in length from 

a few inches to several feet. They are said to occur occasionally also in the central 

portion of the vein, or to extend from either wall toward the center. They are 

composed of pale cream-colored fluorite in the form of fine dust and sand, with 

occasional small fragments. Patches of fine fluorite sand, similar to those noted 

at the 100-foot level, were also seen at the 85-foot level in the south wall of the 

drift.

Small pockets of white or cream-colored kaolinite, containing scattered grains 

of fluorite, were noted in the clay north of the vein at the 100-foot level.

Pogue shaft. The Pogue shaft," the relation of which to the Asbridge mine 

is shown in fig. 16, has been sunk to a depth of 85 feet by the Marion Mineral Company without finding any body of fluorite, its location being apparently a short 

distance north of the fault noted at the Asbridge. In the bottom of the shaft 

(the only portion seen on account of timbering) some gravel fluorite occurs in 

grains and small patches scattered through shale, gray clay, and pale buff, sandy 

clay. The last, similar to some of the clays noted in the Asbridge mine, is seen 

under the microscope to consist entirely of quartz in microscopic crystals and grains.

Matthews mine. The Matthews mine, which was closed at the time of the 

writer's visit, is nearly three-fourths of a mile west from the Asbridge mine 

and a fourth of a mile easterly from the Yandell. During the years 1900 and 1901 

a shaft 80 feet deep was sunk and short drifts were run at the 45-foot and 80-foot 

levels. A 3-foot vein of fluorite is reported to have beep, found at the bottom of 

the shaft. Sixty feet N. 64° W. of this shaft is an older one, now caved, doubtless 

on the same vein as the shaft just described. A considerable amount of fluorite 

mainly white, with a very little purple, and both in the form of gravel and lump 

spar has been taken from both shafts, 300 tons having been shipped, it is claimed, 

from the older of the two.

Yandell mines. The Yandell mines, ' the westernmost of those shown in fieO

11, are given in more detail in fig. 18. The first prospect hole at this place was 

dug forty or fifty years ago, and fluorite and some galena were taken out. It 

was later leased and worked for a time for lead by the Dycusburg Lead Company. 

Fluorspar was first shipped from the mine by Henry Glass, about 1873, and about 

a year later the property was taken up by the Cincinnati Fluorspar Company,

a A good body of fluorite has since been found at this mine, and it now ranks as a regular shipper. The production 

during the summer of 1903 is reported to have averaged about 800 tons per month.
TABB-YANDELL GEOUP. 189

who shipped hundreds of tons during the next two years. The spar was hauled 

5 miles to Dycusburg and shipped by the Cumberland to the Ohio Elver. Since 

1896 the mine has changed hands several times, being worked at present by the 

Kentucky Fluorspar Company.

When this mine was visited work was being done only at the main shaft, 

No. 16, and at shaft No. 21. The drifts which were accessible are shown in fig. 18,

AirsbafJ,! 

-

No. 10^

No.4*/

/

£,_ <<?Open cut 

j^Air shaft, No.3

No. ft* 40 ft. 

/ /

No.1U<|oft.

XFluorite 

prospect

":^ Shafts and shallow drifts caved at the surface of ttre ground 

Numbers refer to shafts

__ Scale. __ ________

IEo 25o §55 ii5o g^fo

FIG. 18. The Yandell mines.

the majority of the older drifts and shafts having caved. Mining has been carried on here at intervals for a distance of about 1,100 feet, following a fluorite 

deposit which occurs along a doubtless somewhat complex fault of small total 

displacement, with a general trend of about N. 45° E. The rocks forming the 

vein walls are deeply weathered, and most of the openings show mainly red clay 

with occasional blocks of limestone. Even in the deeper workings at the 85-foot 

level from the main shaft the walls southwest of the shaft are wholly of clay
190 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

SE N W

for the larger part of the drift. Where unaltered walls are exposed they consist 

of Ste. Genevieve limestone, some of it more or less seamed with calcite. Southwest of the main shaft a considerable amount of chert was also noted, occurring

as fragments with the clay or as nodules in some 

of the limestone. Northeast of this shaft no,chert 

was seen.

As seen in the northeastern drift from the main 

shaft, the Yandell fault has cut sharply across the 

beds of limestone on either side. On the northwest 

wall at the 40-foot level just east of shaft No. 22, 

however, the limestone, which is apparently quite 

argillaceous, has been sheared close to the vein,

N W SE

FIG. 19. Southwest face of drift, shaft 

No. 2, Yandell mine. Shaded portions 

represent gravel fluorite; clear portions 

clay with fragments of chert.

as shown in fig. 21, instead of being 

cut sharply across.

Wherever , noted the vein dips 

southerly at a high angle, ranging from 

55° to 80°. Its width in the drifts 

from the main shaft ranges from 0 to 

10 feet, the average being about 5 feet. 

Toward the northeastern end of the 

group the vein is considerably narrower, having an average width of FlG" 20-Swrtion > northeast face, SWoot level, Yandell mine.

about 3 feet, in the drifts from shaft No. 23. The vein consists of fluorite in 

general free from calcite where it has been mined. This 

is doubtless due to the removal of the calcite by solution in the weathered portions of the vein, and, judging from 

the only exposure seen of unoxidized vein and walls (fig. 20), 

calcite may be expected to be relatively abundant below 

ground-water level. Very little galena has been found with 

the fluorite at these mines, and the small amount met with 

usually occurs near the surface.

At the face of the drift southwest of shaft No. 2 numerous irregularly-shaped patches of gravel fluorite occur in the 

hanging wall near the vein, scattered in a matrix of gray

and yellowish clays, as shown in fig. 19. These are found at a depth of about 22

feet, and are probably due to a partial breaking up of the vein near the surface and

a scattering of the broken portions in the adjacent clays.

N W

FIG. 21. Sheared limestone 

adjacent to the vein, shaft 

No. 22. Yandell mine.
DESCRIPTIONS OF MINES. 

HODGE GROUP.

191

General features. The mines and prospects of the Hodge Group, shown in 

fig. 22, are located on a number of approximately parallel fissures, of which the 

main one (the Hodge fault) separates the St. Louis limestone on the north from 

the Cypress and Ste. Geneyieve formations on the south. The two most important 

mines of the group, the Hodge and. the Brown, are situated on or very close to this 

fault, while the Riley and Lovelace shafts, the Redd open cut, and the Reiter

FIG. 22. Hodge group of mines.

prospects, all in the St. Louis limestone, are probably on minor faults a short 

distance north of the main fault. Fluorite deposits of greater or less extent have 

been found at all the openings of the group, the fluorite in most of them being 

associated with some galena. The vein at the Hodge mine is the widest seen in 

the district, reaching a maximum width (so far as developed) of 19 feet.

Some distance northwest of this group are two isolated workings on fissures 

nearly parallel to the Hodge fault. One of these consists of several shallow holes
192 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

(known as the Butler prospects) in altered St. Louis limestone, about 1 mile northwest of the Hodge mine, three of these holes being on a small and unimportant 

vein of fluorite with a trend of N. 41° E. The other is the Ebby Hodge mine, about 

half a mile a little east of north of the Butler prospects, partly in a Chester sandstone and partly on a fault between Chester and St. Louis rocks.

Hodge mine. The Hodge mine, leased by the Kentucky Fluorspar Company, 

is situated about 2J miles southwesterly from View. A plat of the mine with 

details of the more important workings is shown in fig. 23. The first work was done 

here in 1898, when operations were confined largely to the open cut at the surface

10.

Surface outcrop of limestone 

with fluorite and galena

65 ft.

''40 ft.

Scale

100 200 feet 100 feet

FIG. 23. Hodge mine. A, surface features; B, vertical northeasterly section through the main shaft; C, plan of lowest

leyel of main shaft.

(shown in fig. 23), and a considerable amount of surface fluorite was shipped at that 

time. These older openings have now caved for the most part.

When this mine was visited, work was being done at shafts No. 2, 3, and 4. 

Permanent water level is at a depth of about 100 feet, very little oxidation being 

noted in the lowest and only accessible drifts of the main shaft, which range in depth 

from about 130 feet to 162 feet. The plan and stopes of these lowest levels are 

shown at B and C, fig. 23. The ore from the main drift occurs as a well-defined 

vein of very variable width, as shown at C, fig. 23. The maximum width shown 

in the figure is 14 feet 9 inches, though the width of 19 feet is said to have been 

reached at one point in this drift. The observed dip of the vein ranges from 75° 

toward the southeast to 88° toward the northwest. Both walls, which are of lime-
HODGE GEOUP. 193

stone, slickensided here and there and somewhat seamed with fluorite and calcite, 

are well denned and sharply differentiated from the vein. The southeastern wall is 

somewhat more uneven than the northwestern. The vein is frequently sheeted close 

to one or both walls, the sheets ranging from about one-half to 1J inches in thickness, 

with slickensided surfaces. The material of the vein is largely massive, granular 

fluorite of variable grain. It is of first quality, translucent, and nearly all white. 

A small proportion of galena is associated with the fluorite here and there, and 

where this occurs in sufficiently large pieces, the ore is saved for crushing and jigging. 

Occasional pockets or seams of coarse white calcine, also fragments of limestone, 

occur in the fluorite, usually toward one or both walls. Besides these minerals, finegrained sphalerite occurs disseminated in the limestone of both walls, mainly the 

southeastern, and also in the fragments of limestone in the fluorite. The ore as 

taken from the mine is fairly clean, requiring usually only a rough sorting of the 

lumps according to size, any fragments of rock or calcite being removed by hand.

Lovelace and Dan Riley shafts. The Lovelace and Dan Riley shafts, between 

a quarter and a half mile southwest of the Hodge mine, were both sunk in 1899 

and 1900, by the Eagle Fluorspar Company, on what was supposed to be the Hodge 

vein, but is probably a parallel fissure, or perhaps-two parallel fissures, in the St. 

Louis, a short distance north of the Hodge fault. At the Riley there is a short 

tunnel just southwest of the shaft, following a vein which has here a strike of about 

N. 46° E., the shaft itself being a little to one side of the vein. At the Lovelace 

shaft no definite vein was found. From near the surface at both places, however, 

a considerable amount of gravel and lump fluorite was mined and shipped. The 

ore is similar to the surface ores obtained from the Hodge and Brown mines.

Brown mine. The Brown mine consists of an old shallow shaft and a shallow 

open cut, the latter about 330 feet long. The average strike of the exposed portion 

of the vein is about N. 46° E. Although the vein is apparently in St. Louis limestone, no Chester rocks having been noted from the cut, it must be close to if not 

on the Hodge fault, since Cypress sandstone occurs 175 feet southwest of the cut. 

The ore is, as usual, fluorite, both gravel and lump. Some galena occurs scattered 

in the fluorite or in the clay.

Redd open cut. The Redd open cut, three-eighths of a mile from the Brown 

mine, was dug during the summer of 1901 for the Western Kentucky Mining Company. It follows a vein having an approximate trend of N. 48° E. and filling a 

fissure in the St. Louis limestone parallel to the Hodge fault. Some of the best 

fluorite has been shipped, much wash gravel and lump fluorite still remaining on 

the dump. While some of the lump fluorite is free from foreign matter, most of 

it contains more or less impurity, mainly in the form of fragments of chert.

Hodge mine. A typical occurrence of fluorite in faulted Chester rocks is 

10696 No. 36 05 13
194 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAE DEPOSITS OF WESTEEN KENTUCKY.

seen at the Ebby Hodge mine, about half a mile east of north of the Butler prospects. 

This mine was not located accurately with reference to the Butler prospects, nor 

were the adjacent fault lines followed, so that their structural relations are not 

definitely known.

The mine consists of two series of openings, an eastern and a western, having 

the relations shown in fig. 24, and located, on an easterly facing slope, the eastern 

series toward its base and the western well up on the slope..

Prospect hole

t) Shaft 

m 11 ft.

100 feet

FIG. 24. Ebby Hodge mine, showing surface and underground features.

The western group of openings has followed a belt of coarsely sheeted Chester 

sandstone and quartzite marking a zone of minor faulting. Some of the surfaces 

of parting are fluted and striated as a result of the movements along them. Their 

strike is variable, but where noted, near the northwestern end of the group, averages 

about N. 37° E., the dip ranging from 77° southeasterly to 75° northwesterly. In 

addition to the sheeting, the rocks are coarsely brecciated more or less thoroughly.
RILEY GEOUP. " 195

Fluorite has been deposited along the fault planes and also cements, more or less 

completely, the brecciated sandstone and quartzite. These fluorite seams are 

occasionally a foot or more in width.

The eastern series of openings consists of a number of prospect holes and two 

open cuts, the latter with short drifts at their southwestern ends. Alt of the openings from which ore has been obtained are located on a fault of several hundred 

feet throw between St. Louis and Chester rocks. A fluorite vein, with a strike 

of about N. 53° E. and a noted width at one point of 6 feet, follows this fault plane.

RILEY GROUP.

General features. Norwood B has described three occurrences of fluorite northeast of Pinckneyville at (1) the Tisdall shaft, 57 feet deep, and about 2 miles north 

of Pinckneyville; (2) the Robert Woods shaft, 35 feet deep, about half a mile 

northeast of the Tisdall, and (3) the Henry Woods shaft, near the last and about 

3 miles northeast of Pinckneyville. All these are on what he has called the Excelsior 

lode, following a fault between Chester and St. Louis rocks.

Woods shaft. Of these three old shafts only one, the Henry Woods, was seen 

by the writer, and this was not being worked at the time. This shaft belongs to 

the Riley group, shown on the map, about 3^ miles southeast of Salem and a short 

distance south of Puckett Spring.

The Riley mine, at present the only important member of the group, is located 

in Crittenden County, northeast of Puckett Creek, all the others being southwest 

of the creek, in Livingston County. As seen on the map, these openings are located 

on three nearly parallel faults.

Henry Hodge and Woods prospects. Two hundred or three hundred yards west 

of the Woods shaft is a line of new and old prospect holes with a northeasterly 

trend, constituting the Henry Hodge and the Woods prospects. All are probably 

on a fault in the Chester, with a trend of approximately N. 43° E. Some ore has been 

found in four of these holes, either fluorite or smithsonite, or both. At one of the 

prospects galena is associated with the fluorite.

Riley mine. The Riley mine, owned by the Marion Zinc Company, consists 

of a shaft 75 feet in depth, with a drift 26 feet long toward the northeast at a depth 

of 30 feet. It is located on a fluorite-bearing fissure between the St. Louis limestone 

on the southeast and the Birdsville formation on the northwest. The general 

width and dip of the vein as developed in sinking the shaft are shown approximately 

in fig. 25. The strike is N. 44° E. In the lower 10 feet of the shaft the vein has" 

a width of from 3 to 3J feet; toward the top of the shaft it apparently widens 

considerably.

a Norwood, C. J., Report of a reconnoissance in the lead region of Livingston, Crittenden, and Caldwell counties: Geol. 

Survey Kentucky, vol. 1, pt. 7, 2d ser., 1876, pp. 465-469.
196 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUOKSPAB DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

LEGEND

Blocks of limestone

The southeastern wall of the vein consists of red clay and chert with scattered

blocks of St. Louis limestone. This 

limestone where seen contains practically no calcite, only an occasional 

thin seam parallel to the fault plane 

having been noted. The northwestern 

wall consists of quastzite and gray 

shale belonging to the Birdsville formation. Toward the bottom of the 

shaft next to the vein on the northwest, 

and between it and the main body of 

Birdsville rocks, is a strip of shale about 

3 feet wide, apparently dragged in 

along the fault plane.

The vein as a whole consists mainly 

of fluorite, and contains a variable 

though on the whole considerable proportion of galena more than is commonly seen in the fluorite veins. The 

fluorite is locally associated with more 

or less coarse white calcite. This occurs in places intergrown with barite, 

the latter containing occasionally a little galena. Here and there, especially 

toward one margin or the other, scattered fragments of chert or quartzite 

occur in the vein. The fluorite in 

places shows a pronounced banding 

parallel to the vein walls. At the face 

of the drift at the 30-foot level a good 

section of the vein is exposed, as shown 

in fig. 26.

EVENING STAR GROUP.

of mud, shale, quartzite 

and fluorite

Scale

General features. The mines and 

prospects of the Evening Star group, 

about H miles southeast of Salem, are

FIG. 25. Vertical section of Riley shaft, showing cross section located On One Or more Veins, filling

SOft.

of fluorite vein. Barred areas are blocks of limestone. fissures along or close to the Evening 

Star fault, which has a general southeasterly dip, with an average trend here of.
EVENING STAB GKOUP. 197

about N. 40 E., and lies between the Cypress and Ste. Genevieve formations on the 

southeast and the St. Louis limestone on the northwest. The relation of the 

mines of the group are shown in fig. 27.

The ore from this group is mainly fluorite, carrying a small and variable proportion of galena and'usually associated with a good deal of calcite, which in places

N W SE

500 feet

Scale

0 I 2 3 4 5 feet

FIG. 26. Section of vein at face of northeast drift at 30-foot level, 

Riley mine.

FIG. 27. Evening Star group of mines. 1, Evening Star, main shaft; 2, Evening Star, shaft 

No. 2; 3, 5, and 10, fluorite prospects; 4 and 9, 

surface outcrops of jasperoid and fluorite; 6, 

Morning Star No. 2 shaft; 8, Morning Star No. 2 

shaft 7, Morning Star incline; 11, Nancy Hanks 

shaft.

forms the bulk of the vein. Galena also occurs to a more limited extent in limestone and with-calcite. Sphalerite is common and in places abundant, occurring 

partly in and with fluorite, but mainly replacing limestone. Limestone fragments 

are common in the ore, and while the vein is probably fairly well denned in general; 

it would seem that in places it grades into a cemented breccia of more or less silicified 

Ste. Genevieve limestone (jasperoid). The limestone with and adjacent to the ore 

body is locally replaced by coarse calcite in patches. The limestone of the breccia 

and the limestone fragments in the calcite or fluorite, besides being replaced to a 

greater or less extent by quartz, together with fine-grained sphalerite, usually 

contain more or less disseminated fine-grained fluorite. That some movement has 

taken place along the fault plane'since the deposition of the ore is indicated by 

slight faults noted in some of it, also by the occurrence of galena with warped 

cleavage surfaces and occasionally drawn out to a fibrous condition.

Evening Star mine. Oi the two shafts at the Evening Star mine the southwestern or shaft No. 2 was sunk a little to one side of the vein; no ore being found. 

The northeastern or main shaft was sunk on the vein, following its foot wall, which
198 LEAD, ZING, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

is said to have been well defined, no definite hanging wall having been found. Two 

southwesterly drifts have been run on the vein from this shaft, one at the 50-foot 

level with a length of 25 feet, the other at a depth of 89 feet for a distance of 150 

feet. As the mine was not open when visited no definite statement can be made as 

to the mode of occurrence of the ore here. The general character of the ore taken 

from the mine is that already indicated for the group. Some prospecting has been 

done at an outcrop on the south side of the creek a short distance northeast of the 

main shaft, where there is an exposure of ore about 12 feet in width. No definite 

vein was seen, the fluorite associated with some galena being irregularly distributed

in a more or less weathered limew stone, which contains some sphalerite. 

A sheeted zone, about 1 foot in width, 

occurs in the rocks at one point.

Work was begun at this mine in 

January, 1899, by the Eagle Fluorspar 

Company and since that time it has 

been worked intermittently. When 

visited machinery was being installed 

for the separation of fluorite, galena, 

and fine-grained sphalerite/'

Morning Star mine. The Morning Star mine, belonging to the 

American Lead, Zinc, and Fluorspar 

Company, consists of two shafts and 

an incline. Work began here in the spring of 1900 and was continued until about 

the middle of 1901, when operations ceased. A good deal of fluorite was obtained, 

and the best, between two and three hundred tons, was sold to the Evening Star 

mine, the balance being marketed for fluxing purposes.

While the ore in general has the characters common to the group, a large part 

of the fluorite noted has the appearance of a limestone seamed with moderately 

coarse-grained fluorite, the limestone having been replaced with fluorite of a finer 

grain. Limestone breccia cemented by fluorite, and fluorite containing fragments of limestone are common, the rock in both cases more or less completely 

altered to jasperoid mixed with some fluorite and fine-grained sphalerite. A 

considerable amount of coarse white calcite occurs at this mine associated with 

the fluorite or replacing limestone.

a A new shaft is being sunk by the Eagle Fluorspar Company at this mine. When last visited by Mr. Fobs this shaft 

had reached a depth of 100 feet, the entire distance being through Ste. Genevieve limestone. The shaft is off the vein but 

near enough to intersect it at a depth of 150 feet or less. At 100 feet the proximity to the vein is indicated by a mud pocket 

encountered at this depth and also by the fact that the limestone is here seamed with calcite and contafns occasional grains 

of sphalerite. E. O. U.

Scale

1 5 feet

FIG 28. Section of vein at bottom of Nancy Hanks shaft.
MINES SOUTHWEST OF SALEM. 199

Ore similar in a general way to that from this mine was obtained from prospect 

No. 5 (fig. 27).

Nancy Hanks shaft. The Nancy Hanks shaft, located a few yards east of a 

surface outcrop of fluorite, was sunk for the first 45 feet in the summer of 1900, and 

when visited by the writer it had reached a depth of 85 feet. At the bottom only 

a part of the vein and the western wall are exposed, this portion of the vein having 

a width of about 5 feet. The western wall is of dark-gray limestone containing some 

chert and seamed with calcite, the larger seams parallel to the walls of the vein, the 

finer ones running in all directions. The vein (see fig. 28) has a southeasterly dip 

of about 75°, and is composed mainly of coarse calcite considerably banded 

and associated with some fluorite and galena. One of these bands contains fragments of jasperoid. Close to the western wall the vein shows a few inches of gravel 

fluorite.

MINES AND PROSPECTS SOUTHWEST OF SALEM.

Southwest of Salem there are comparatively few mines and prospects, and these 

are rather widely scattered. So far only a few veins of importance have been 

developed, although it is probable that other well-defined veins occur in this direction.

Royal mines. The Royal mines, commonly spoken of as the Old Silver mines, 

and in the early days of their history known as the River Valley mines, are among 

the oldest in the district. They were situated nearly 3 miles northeast of Smithland, just west of and above the Cumberland River. When the region was visited 

by Norwood the mines were not in operation. He reports that one of the three 

shafts sunk had a depth of 175 feet, being at that time the deepest in the western 

Kentucky district. One of the shafts had already caved, and since that time all 

the rest have caved completely. As these mines were exploited only for silver, 

this early mining was unprofitable.

The shafts were located on an ore-bearing fissure having a strike of about 

N. 62° E., with Cypress sandstone on the southeast and Ste. Genevieve limestone 

on the northwest. As noted at the old southwestern shaft, the quartzite forming 

the southeastern wall was considerably brecciated and seamed with fluorite at least 

6 or 8 feet out from the fault plane. The limestone forming the northwest wall 

is seamed with calcite. Just northwest of the central shaft the limestone which 

here forms a low cliff is jointed, the joints nearly vertical and approximately parallel 

to the main fissure. Some of them contain thin veins of calcite, in places associated 

with some fluorite and fine-grained sphalerite, or less often with barite. According 

to Norwood's description, the main vein here does not differ in composition from 

those most commonly found in the district, consisting mainly of fluorite together 

with a small and variable amount of galena.
200 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLFORSPAK DEPOSITS OF WESTEBN KENTUCKY.

Johns shaft . 

180ft*

In 1902 the Owens Cave Mining Company obtained a mineral right on this 

property, and a new shaft was sunk about 150 feet from one of the old shafts, to a 

depth of 50 or 60 feet in the quartzite wall of the vein. The quartzite in this shaft 

is brecciated and somewhat cemented with fluorite.

Benard or Klondike mine. The Benard mine, 6 miles southwest of Salem, on 

land leased by the Pittsburg Mining and Reduction Company, consists of a number 

of shafts and a tunnel, shown in fig. 29, the shafts being located near the summit 

of a short spur running southwestward, and the tunnel having been driven into 

the base of the same spur near its southwestern extremity. From the mine there 

is a tramway to the Cumberland River, 1J miles distant, where the ore (fluorite) 

is shipped. When the mine was visited operations were confined to sinking the 

Johns shaft.

All the openings are located in Chester (Cypress?) quartzite along a zone of 

faulting (the Pittsburg fault). This faulting has sheeted and brecciated the Chester

sandstone, which has been silicified along the zone into 

a massive quartzite. Scattered outcrops of this rock are 

found near the crest of the ridge, and on one of these the 

Johns shaft is located. Patches of Chester shale or 

thin sheets dragged in along the fault planes occur here 

and there with the quartzite. At the end of the spur 

the quartzite forms a low cliff just above the tunnel. 

The sheeted structure here is shown in PL XII, A. The 

general strike of the fault appears to be about N. 32° E., 

though that of the planes of sheeting is very variable, 

ranging from N. 15° E. to N. 44° E. No definite vein 

was noted either at the Johns shaft or at the tunnel, the 

ore being found only in small amount at either place, 

occurring as thin seams in the fractured quartzite. 

These seams consist mainly of fluorite with some 

galena. A very little galena also occurs disseminated in the quartzite. At the 

tunnel seams of barite or of barite and fluorite are found in the quartzite, these 

seams having a maximum width of about 1J inches. To judge from the dumps 

at the deeper shaft, limestone somewhat seamed with calcite occurs at no great 

depth, and from this zone a good deal of coarse calcite is obtained. The calcite 

is associated with more or less fluorite, and contains here and there small angular 

fragments of limestone. Bowlders of seamed limestone were also noted in the 

tunnel northwest of the winze/'

500 feet

FIG. 29. Benard mine.

" Recent developments at the Klondike mine, as reported by Mr. F. B. Moodie, Mr. Lorson Franklin, the foreman of the 

mine, and others, are as follows: The main shaft, known as the "John shaft," which is the only one now being operated, 

is to be sunk 300 to 400 feet. Before the close of 1903 it had reached a depth of 160 feet, when cross-cuts were driven southeast and northwest. The southeast cut is 35 feet in length and passes through the vein in the Pittsburg fault plane which
MINES NORTH OF SALEM. 201

Coker shaft. The Coker shaft, also leased by the Pittsburg Mining and Keduction Company, is an old shallow shaft sunk in part about 1878, and the rest in 1901. 

It is located about 1J miles northeast of the Benard mine, in Chester quartzite. No 

vein was seen here, though some faulting has taken place, as indicated by slickensiding on some of the quartzite. Some fluorite occurs here as a cement to the somewhat brecciated quartzite, being found in druses and in seams, usually less than 

half an inch wide, though occasionally reaching a width of about 2 inches. A minor 

proportion of galena and fine-grained sphalerite is associated with the fluorite.

Hudson mine and Pierce prospect. The Hudson mine and Pierce prospect 

are nearly 3J miles southwest of Salem, and a little less than a quarter of a mile 

east of the road from Salem to Vicksburg. They are situated about 35 feet apart, 

on a vein of fluorite having a strike of approximately N. 54° E. Neither of them 

is being worked at" present. The Pierce prospect i consists of two shallow holes 

about 10 feet apart, while the Hudson mine, northeast of this, comprises a shaft 

and some open cutting at the surface, all now caved. In this shaft fluorite of 

excellent quality was obtained, the vein having a width of 6 inches in the upper 

part of the shaft, and reported to have been 4 feet wide at the bottom. Limestone, somewhat seamed with calcite, and chert fragments were the only rocks 

noted at these openings.

MINES AND PROSPECTS NORTH OF SALEM.

Butler prospect. The Butler shaft, a little more than half a mile northwest 

of Salem, was sunk in 1899 to a depth of 30 feet in brecciated Chester quartzite 

more or less completely cemented with thin seams of fluorite. That some faulting 

has taken place here is shown by the occurrence of slickensiding on some of the 

blocks of quartzite.

BABB GROUP.

General features. About a mile and a half north of Salem is a small group 

of openings which are located with reference to the road shown on the map, though 

the road itself was not traversed, so that the exact relation of the openings to 

each other is not known. From such location as was made, however, it is seen 

that all the openings are practically in a straight line, and it is probable that all of 

them occur on a fault with a strike of about N. 54° E1? although no definite evidence 

of faulting was noted at any of them. The entire group is characterized by the 

occurrence of gravel and lump fluorite, though from only two members, the Guill 

and the Ramon Babb mines, has any fluorite been shipped. Calcite is common

had dipped out of the shaft. This vein when drifted in was found to contain an ore body, 3 to 9 feet in width, consisting 

largely of white fluorspar mixed with considerable calcite and smaller amounts of galena. The northwest cross-cut passes 

through Ste. Genevieve limestone and at 50 feet from the shaft struck another vein, presumably the Latrobe, which should 

intersect the Pittsburg fault near this point. The reports concerning this second vein are conflicting, hence no statement 

as to its width and character can be made here. E. O. U.
202 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

or abundant at a number of the openings, while at several of the prospect holes, 

toward the northeastern end of the group some barite occurs with the fluorite. 

The latter is found with clay, together with one or more of the following rocks: 

Sandstone, quartzite, and shale, belonging to the Chester group, and limestone, 

probably Ste. Genevieve, seamed with calcite. At most of the openings both 

limestone and either quartzite or shale occur. The exact relation of the limestone 

to the other rocks was not seen.

Ramon Babb mine. The Ramon Babb mine, at the northeastern end of the 

group, was worked by the Eagle Fluorspar Company from June, 1899, to August, 

1900. It consists of two shafts and several prospects, the main shaft, 80 feet 

deep, being formed by the cutting together, for the upper 30 feet, of two shafts 

about 30 feet apart, so as to form a single, narrow shaft 40 feet in tength. From 

this shaft a large amount of both fluxing and grinding fluorite has been obtained 

and shipped, about 1,500 cubic feet of screened spar still remaining at the mine. 

The fluorite is associated with a minor proportion of galena, and sphalerite is 

reported as occurring in the limestone at the bottom of the shaft. Shaft No. 2 

was sunk north of the vein, to a depth of 30 feet, and only lower Chester (?) shale 

was found in it.

Tom Babb prospect. This prospect consists of two holes 200 feet apart, the 

northeastern one being about 240 feet S. 54° W. from the Ramon Babb main shaft. 

From both these holes some fluorite, both gravel and lump, was obtained, associated with some barite at the northeastern hole.

Morse shaft. The Morse prospect, consisting of a shallow shaft, now caved, 

is situated just west of the road from Salem to Pleasant Grove, and differs in no 

essential particular from the other openings of the group.

Guill mine. At the Guill mine, at the southwestern end of the group, there 

are two shafts, sunk a number of years ago, from both of which a considerable 

amount of fluorite has been obtained and shipped. The southwestern shaft has 

a depth of about 60 feet, while the other, located about 190 feet N. 63° E. of this, 

is about 85 feet deep. A large amount of coarse white calcite has been taken 

from both shafts. The fluorite is associated with more or less galena, and some 

of it contains somewhat weathered fragments of limestone. Some sphalerite 

probably occurs with the ores in depth, as indicated by the small amount of smithsonite seen with the fluorite already mined. Some of the limestone noted at these 

mines is almost black, owing to bituminous matter contained in it.

Crosson Cave prospect. This property, now being operated by the Crittenden 

Mining Company, is situated nearly 2 miles southwest of Mount Zion Church, on 

the road to Salem, and 200 yards southeast of the road. Some fluorspar has been 

shipped from a short, shallow open cut at the surface. The prospect is chiefly of
MTNES NO5TH OF SALEM. 203

interest, however, on account of the occurrence here of two intersecting veins, 

and of the clear exposure of their relations.

At the surface is a broad sink hole about 10 feet deep, at the bottom of which 

are two openings into the cave. In this, so far as explored, there are two chambers, 

an upper and a lower. The floor of the first is 11 feet below the entrances at the 

bottom of the sink, the other being about 

42 feet below this floor. In the lower 

chamber there is a flowing stream of 

water. The two surface openings, 14 

feet apart, have been formed on a vein 

with a course of N. 10° W. The single 

opening which joins the upper and lower 

chambers has formed in the obtuse angle 

between this vein and a second with a 

trend of N. 37° E.

Both of these veins fill fissures due 

to faulting, although in both cases the

amount of 

faulting is 

small. The 

throw of the 

northwestern 

fault, as seen 

on the north 

wall of the up0 D 10 15 feet

FIG. 30. Vertical section, Crosson Cave, showing west wall

of upper and part of lower chamber. 1, Fluorite vein; 2, 

bed in limestone, showing amount of faulting.

per level, is 2 

feet 11 inches,

while that of the northeasterly fault, seen at the same 

level, is a little over 7 feet. The northwestern vein dips 

toward the east at an angle ranging from 70° to 81° at 

the upper level to approximately vertical at the lower 

level. Its width varies from about 8 inches to a little 

more than 2 feet, and it is composed of fluorite, calcite, 

and some barite. The northeastern vein has a southerly dip ranging from about 65° at the upper level to 

about 84° at the lower. Its width is nearly 3 feet in the lower chamber, while 

it pinches in the upper, as shown in figure 30. This vein, like the other, is composed 

of fluorite, calcite and barite. It is not continuous, but is cut off abruptly where 

it meets the northwesterly vein, as shown in figure 31. The western wall of the latter

FIG. 31. Diagram showing relation 

of veins at lower level, Crosson 

Cave.
204 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OP WESTERN KENTUCKY.

vein at the upper level gives no indication of a fracture corresponding to the northeasterly vein, though this wall at the lower level shows a nearly vertical series of 

short and very thin calcite seams arranged en echelon along the course which the 

vein would take if continued. North of the northeastern vein at the lower level 

are seen a number of smaller parallel veins, as shown in figure 31, varying from a 

fraction of an inch to about 3 inches in width, and composed of calcite, fluorite, 

and barite, or of one or two of these minerals.

NOTES ON RECENT DISCOVERIES.

The following notes on some of the more important recent discoveries and 

developments in the district were drawn up by Mr. Ulrich, in part from personal 

observations, but chiefly from information furnished by Mr. F. J. Fohs and others.

Struck-it-rich mine. The developments at the Struck-it-rich mine, operated 

by the Mountain Lead, Zinc, Fluorspar Company, and located about a half mile 

northeast of the Crittenden Springs Hotel, consist of two shafts, several minor 

prospect holes, and an open cut. All of these openings seem to be short distances 

east of the main Columbia fault, apparently on a vein or veins diverging northeastward from the Columbia fault. At both the Struck-it-rich and Lone Rock 

shafts both walls consist of Ste. Genevieve limestone, either overlain on one side 

by the lower part of the Cypress sandstone or with this sandstone outcropping 

near by. The stratigraphic relations of the two walls, therefore, indicate only a 

slight degree of faulting; also that the vein or veins in these shafts belong to the 

subsidiary set of fractures of which the Memphis and Klondike veins are the best 

known. Being much nearer the Columbia fault than the Memphis vein, the 

Struck-it-rich vein is likely to contain more brecciated material, and in this respect 

to partake more of the character of the Columbia vein.

In the Struck-it-rich shaft, as reported by Mr. Fohs, Ste. Genevieve limestone occurs within 5 feet of the surface in the southeast wall and at a depth of 

15 feet in the northwest wall. Overlying the limestone on the latter side of the 

vein is a bed of shale, apparently belonging to the Ohara member of the Ste. Genevieve. At the surface the vein has a width of nearly 10 feet; at a depth of 35 feet, 

however, the vein had gradually narrowed to 2 feet. At this depth the northwest 

wall showed seams of calcite with sphalerite and galena, the southeast wall seams 

of calcite only. Between the walls the ore, of which over 100 tons was extracted, 

consists chiefly of smithsonite, some of it containing a large percentage of galena. 

Small amounts of smithsonite were secured also from two prospect holes southwest 

of the shaft.

Sinking in the Struck-it-rich shaft was continued during the past winter, 

and, according to latest advices from the president of the company operating 

at this mine, the ore body has widened again to between 7 and 8 feet at a depth of
EECENT DISCOVEBIES. 205

48 feet. Abundant samples sent with this information are very rich in medium 

fine-grained sphalerite and much coarser galena, mixed with calcite and unreplaced 

fragments of limestone. No fluorite was observed in these samples, but Mr. Fohs 

reports that very small quantities of this mineral occur in this shaft above the 

35-foot level.

Lady Farmer mine. This mine is situated mainly between and near the junction 

of the Old Jim and Walker dikes, a short distance southeast of the Old Jim mine. 

The property is owned and operated by the Henderson Company, and the ore is 

smithsonite, similar to that at the Old Jim mine. At present the mine consists of 

a number of prospect holes and an open cut, from which a drift was run about 75 

feet toward the southeast. In the cut and drift the carbonate varied in width from 

nothing to 10 feet. About 50 tons of ore were shipped in 1903, several car loads 

remaining on the dump.

CartwrigJit mine. At this mine there are two shafts which were sunk by the 

Deer Creek Mining Company on the Widow Clark land, less than a mile south of 

Sheridan. The vein which this company proposes to mine here is in or adjacent 

to the plane of the Glendale fault.

At a depth of 62 feet the more promising of the two shafts contained a streak 

of zinc and lead sulphide ores about 2 feet in width. Between this and the Birdsvine shale in the hanging wall there are between 12 and 14 feet of limestone carrying 

small amounts of sphalerite, galena, calcite, and fluorite. The other shaft, about 

20 feet north of the first, was sunk 70 feet in the St. Louis limestone, which forms 

the country rock on the northwest side of the Glendale fault. Being quite, off the 

vein, nothing of value was found in this shaft, though the limestone penetrated 

was here and there plentifully intersected by thin seams of fluorite and calcite containing insignificant amounts of zinc and lead.

Hoisting machinery is being installed at this mine and active developments are 

to be carried on during the present season.

Keystone mines. These mines, which are being operated by the Keystone 

Mineral and Mining Company, are on the T. C. and J. B. Carter land, a mile or 

less southeast of Siloam Church. The shafts are located on or near the Columbia 

fault, which here brings Ste. Genevieve limestone in juxtaposition with the Birdsville formation.

Work was begun in April, 1903, the first shaft being sunk 50 feet in quartzite. 

At this depth two crosscuts were made one east, cutting quartzite only, the other 

west for 40 feet, passing through 30 feet of barren quartzite and then 10 feet of shale. 

The sudden transition from quartzite to shale probably indicates an unmineralized 

subsidiary fault plane. The east crosscut should have been continued to the main 

fault plane between the Birdsville and Ste. Genevieve formations, providing the 

location of this shaft is not too far west of the fault line.
206 LEAD, ZINC, AND FLUORSPAR DEPOSITS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

A second prospect shaft was next sunk, about 200 yards northeast of the first, 

to a depth of 40 feet. A crosscut for 10 feet to the west from the bottom of this 

shaft passed through a vein of mainly No. 2 fluorspar about 6 feet in width. The 

walls of this vein being of Birdsville shale on the west and Ste. Genevieve limestone 

on the east, it lies most probably in the main plane of the Columbia fault.

Shaft No. 3, which is to be the main shaft, is located about 25 feet northeast 

of shaft No. 2. Sinking was begun in September, 1903, and continued to the close 

of the year, when the shaft had reached a depth of about 85 feet. The vein was 

cut on the dip, the first fluorspar coming in at 30 feet and the water level at 50 feet. 

The vein dips westerly, but not enough to pass entirely out of the shaft at its present 

depth, about 2 feet of it, consisting of white and purple fluorspar bowlders in residual 

clay, remaining within at the bottom. Where entirely within the shaft, the maximum width of the vein is about 5.5 feet. About one-third of the 75 to 100 tons 

of fluorspar on the dump is No. 1 white, the remainder containing some unreplaced 

or only partially replaced limestone and small amounts of disseminated galena. 

The east wall is much corroded, but the bottom of shaft is nearly solid Ste. Genevieve limestone. Shales of the Birdsville formation form the west wall to a depth 

of 75 feet, beneath which it consists of quartzite. Some of this quartzite is 

brecciated and recemented with purple fluorspar.

L. F. White mine. This is situated about 1 mile north of View, on either an 

extension of the Woods fault or on one of the subsidiary planes of the Marion fault. 

The vein was worked by open cut and considerable gravel spar was shipped by the 

Kentucky Fluorspar Company. Owing to excessive royalties this company has 

given up its lease on the property.

Senator mine. This mine is located on one of the planes of the Bodard fault, 

about 5 miles northwest of Princeton. The main shaft is sunk on the south side 

of a linear mass of Chester quartzite and between this and the edge of a considerable 

bed of Chester limestone, the exact age of which remains to be determined. Above 

water level, which is within 2 feet of the surface, some zinc carbonate and galena 

were procured. Beneath water level the ore, which occurs principally in the form 

of large bowlders, is a mixture of high-grade sphalerite and galena, with smaller 

percentages of brown and purple fluorite and calcite. As a rule the fluorite occurs 

in a separate band on the limestone side of the shaft, with the lead and zinc ore on 

the opposite side.

At the close of the year 1903 this shaft had been sunk to a depth of 65 feet. 

At this depth the vein is reported as 4 feet to 5 feet in width, and as consisting of 

two well-marked and nearly equal bands. The band on the limestone side of the 

shaft still consists mainly of fluorite, with small grains of galena disseminated 

through it, while the band on the sandstone side is largely composed of rich but 

intimately mixed galena and sphalerite ore, with very little fluorite.
EECENT DISCOVEKIES. 207

A number of prospect holes and shafts that it was hoped might strike this vein 

have been sunk in the immediate vicinity of the Senator mine, but so far as known 

without notable success.

Professor Wright shaft. This shaft seems to be located on or very near the Fairview fault, about three-fourths of a mile southwest of Carrsville and a short distance 

west of the road to Joy. In October, 1903, when the shaft was visited by Mr. 

Fohs, the Ohio Valley Mining Company had sunk it to a depth of 58 feet. The 

east wall consists of nearly horizontal lower Birdsville, the west wall of upper Birdsville sandstone, shale, and finally limestone, dipping strongly to the west. Small 

deposits of lead and zinc sulphides, with smaller amounts of quartz and fluorspar, 

occur between the bedding planes of the limestone and also in the interstices where 

the limestone was jointed and brecciated. Above the limestone and shale the vein 

was filled with brecciated quartzite carrying good lead and zinc values from the 

water level, which is within 5 feet of the surface.

At a depth of 70 feet two crosscuts were run, one east for 4 feet in only slightly 

brecciated white quartzite containing little ore, the other west for 16 feet. In the 

latter the quartzite is reported as being more brecciated and stained dark by shales; 

also that it contains considerable bodies of lead and zinc.sulphides, the heaviest 

being a few feet west of the shaft and nearly 2 feet thick.

SUMMARY.

All of the foregoing mines and prospects are shown on the map (PL VIII) 

opposite page 116. Many other prospects within the area covered by this map are 

shown on it, but as they are either insufficiently known or very much like those 

described, it has seemed unnecessary to consider them in detail. Most of them, 

as for instance the Corn, Eaton, B. W. Belt, and Old Dad mines and prospects in 

Crittenden County, the Burns and Ferral in Livingston County, and the Satterfield, 

Stone, Lowery, Ray, and Bright prospects in Caldwell County, are promising, and 

some doubtless will prove to be valuable properties. Some very encouraging prospects occur also in the areas shown on the general map (p. 22), but are not included 

in the map locating the mines. The most notable of these are the Beard and other 

prospects, on or adjacent to the Larue fault, on either side of the Marion and Cave 

in Rock road.

INDEX,

A. Page.

Acknowledgments to those assisting................. 21,158

Agassizocrinus conicus, O. and S. plate showing..... 58

Air in concentrating, use of........................... 119

Alien, E. T., assay by................................. 122

Alluvial deposits, occurrence of....................... 70

Aluminum, basic silicate of. See Kaolinite. 

American Lead, Zinc, Fluorspar Company, property 

of.................................................... 198

Amis Church, prospects near.......................... 87

Amplexus geniculatus Worthen, occurrence of...... 42,47,49

plate showing..................................... 46

Anderson farm, galena and fluorspar on................ 18

Anderson vein, work on............................... 18

Andrews, E. B. Ohio shale named by................. 25

Anisotrypa solida Ulrieh, occurrence of............... 47

Ankerite, character of................................. 128

Arehaeocidaris wortheni Hall, occurrence of........... 33

plate showing..................................... 34,58

Archimedes eompaetus, occurrence of................. 59

confertus, occurrence of............................ 61,63

plate showing................................. 34

intermedius, occurrence of......................... 59,63

lativolus, plate showing.......................... 34,63

meekanus Hall, occurrence of...................... 47

plate showing................................. 34

proutanus, occurrence of.......................... 59,63

sublaxus, occurrence of............................ 59

swallovanus Hall, plate showing.................. 34,63

terebriformis, occurrence of....................... 63

sp., occurrence of.................................. 61

Artisia transversa Lx.?, occurrence of................. 69

Asbridge mine, description of....................... 186-188

diagram of......................................... 187

location of........................................ 90,180

section of.......................................... 187

Ashley, G. H., on Huron formation................... 66

Aspen, Colo., jasperoid from.......................... 140

Aux Vases sandstone, equivalent of................... 24,55

Aviculopecten sp., occurrence of...................... 48

B. 

Babb group, description of.......................... 201-204

Babb prospects, location of........................... 83

Bain, H. Foster, on lead and zinc ores................ 153

on Ohio shale...................................... 25,26

on Tullahoma formation.......................... 26

work of............................................ 21

Banding, occurrence of.............................. 135-136

Bangor limestone, correlation of...................... 60

Barite, cementation by................................ 137

character of....................................... 127

mines of, value of.................................. 156

occurrence of...... 83,135,152,182,185,196,199-200,202-203

sources of........................................ 150-154

weathering of.................................... 145,147

10696 No. 36 05 14

Page

Barium sulphate. See Barite. 

Barnett shaft, location of............................. 170

Bateman prospect, baritein........................... 135

Batesville sandstone, correlation of................... 39

Batoerinus irregularis Casseday ?, occurrence of...... 47

Bayou, rocks near..................................... 70

Beard prospect, future of.............................. 207

Bebout prospect, character of......................... 79

Beck, , 011 calamine.............................. 141

Beck shaft, fluorite in................................. 160

Bedford oolitic limestone, comparison of Spergen limestone and.................................. 28

equivalent of...................................... 24 30

Bellerophon gibsoni White, occurrence of............. 33

sublaevis Hall, occurrence of....................... 48

sp., occurrence of.................................. 61

Belleville Spring, fossil from, plate showing........... 64

Belt (B. W.) mine, future of........................... 207

Belt (J. O.) prospect, location and character of....... 80

Belt, William, sale by................................. 160

Ben Belt mine, throw of corn fault at................. 79

Benard mine, description of.......................... 200

diagram of......................................... 200

paragenesis at..................................... 144

sheeted Chester quartzite from, plate showing..... 130

Berry Ferry, rocks at................................. 77

Bethel Church, rocks near............................. 51

section near....................................... 40

Bibb fractures, location and character of.............. 89

Big Clif ty sandstone, equivalent of................. 24,54-55

Bill Terry shafts, description of....................... 163

fluorite in.......................................... 143

Birdsville, rocks at.................................... 62

Birdsville limestone, character of................. 38,60-63

correlation of................................... 24,65-66

fossils of........................................... 63-65

fossils from, plate showing..................... 34,58,64

name of............................................ 65-66

occurrence of............................ 23,60,65,77,98,

165,167,168,170,172,175,182,185,187,205-207 

sections of......................................... 61-62-

Bisehof, Gustav, on fluorite........................... 150

Bissels Bluff, Ky., rocks in............................ 44,52

Blastoids, plate showing.............................. 58

Blende. See Sphalerite.

Blocks, downthrown, topography from............... 16

Blue and Marble mines, description of................ 184

kaolinite in....................................... 128

location of......................................... 180

Blue andNunn, work of............................. 116,169

Blue and Nunn prospect. See New Jim mine.

Bodard fault, location and character of.......... 90,93,95-90

mine on............................................ 206

Bonanza mine, fault at................................ 78

petroleum in....................................... 129

209
210 INDEX.

Braehiopoda, occurrence of...................... 29,33,35,65

Breccias, cemented, minerals in....................... 137

occurrence of...................................... 136

value of............................................ 137

Bright mine, future of................................ 207

Brown mine, description of........................... 193

location of......................................... 88

washer at, view of................................. 120

Brush, G. J., on Rosiclare galena...................... 17

Bryozoa," occurrence of.......................... 29,33,35,65

plate showing..................................... 34

Bucanopsis textilis Hall, occurrence of................ 48

Bulimorpha bulimiformis, occurrence of.............. 56

elongata, occurrence of............................ 56

Burk, W. E., on Kentucky fluorspar.................. 126

Burlington limestone, equivalent of................... 24

Burns mine, prospects of.............................. 207

? Buthotrepis, occurrence of........................... 41

Butler prospects, description of....................... 201

location of.................................... 87,191-192

C.

Cadmium sulphide. See Greenocldte............... 123-124

Calamine, character of................................. 123

replacement by.................................. 140-141

Calamites cistii B rgn., occurrence of.................. 69

Roemeri Goepp., occurrence of.................... 69

Calcite, character of............................. 127,134-135

occurrence of............................... 127,134-135,

162,165,167,169,172-174,185,193,197-203,205 

weathering of ..................................... 145

Calcium carbonate. See Calcite.

Calcium fluoride. See Fluorite.

Caldwell County, Ky., deposits in..................... 15

faults in........................................... 99

fossils in........................................... 69

geological map of.................................. 22

mines of, descriptions of......................... 159-160

rocks in.................... 27,35,50,53-55,60,65,66-67,69

Caldwell Spring dike, location and character of....... 104

Calvin and Bain, analyses by......................... 151

on ore dissemination.............................. 152

Canadas Run, faults on............................... 96

Caney Fork, faults on................................ 97

Carboniferous rocks, character and occurrence of... 24,26-70 

correlation of...................................... 70

Carden dike, location and character of................. 103

Cardiocarpon bicuspidatum (Sternb ) Lx , occurrence of.................................... 69

crassum Lx., occurrence of.... ................... 69

elongatum Newb,. occurrence of................... 69

ovale Lx., occurrence of... ............... ....... 69

Carrsville, faults near.. .............................. 76-78

mine near.......................................... 207

rocks at and near............................... 62,67,70

Cartwright mine, description of....................... 205

Cave in Rock, 111., faults near......................... 97

fluorspar near..................................... 16

rocks near......................................... 40

Cerussite, character of................................. 122

occurrence of...................................... 174

Chalcopyrite, character of............................. 124

Champion Hill, fossils from, plate showing............ 34

Character, distinctive, of district....................... 15-16

Chattanooga shale, equivalent of...................... 22,24

Chemung group, character of.......................... 24

Page. 

Chester group, character of............................ 24

occurrence of ............................ 23-24,36-70,78-

80,84-88,90,96-98,165,180,184,185,193,194,200,202 

original definition of............................... 49

subdivisions of.................................... 36-39

veins in.......................................... 130-131

Christian County, Ky., deposits in.................... 15,60

Cincinnati Fluorspar Company, development by.... 160,188

Clark prospect, location of............................ 82

Clarksville, Tenn., fossil from, plate showing......... 32

Claxton, faults near................................... 99

fossils from, plate showing........................ 34

rocks near...................................... 37,62,66

Clay Lick, miea-peridotite near....................... 103

section on......................................... 103

Clay Lick fault, location and character of....... 86-87,92-93

Cleiothyris hirsuta Hall, occurrence of................ 48

sublamellosa Hall, occurrence of............... 45,48,54

Clement prospect, location of.......................... 81

Clements Valley, Ky., socks near................... 44,51,54

Cleveland, , on fluorspar......................... 16-17

Coal, occurrence of.................................... 67

Coal Measures conglomerate. See Mansfield sandstone. 

Cobalt, occurrence of.................................. 128

Cceloeonus rhombieus? Ulrieh, occurrence of .......... 47

Coker shaft, description of............................ 201

Columbia fault, character of.................... 72,84-85,132

intersection of Eureka fault and .................. 130

location of...................................... 84-85,98

mines on .......................................... 165

Columbia group, description of...................... 165-180

diagram showing.................................. 166

Columbia mines, character of.......................... 19

cemented rock Jit.................................. 137

concentration plant at............................. 119 '

description of.................................... 170-175

history of........................................ 169-170

location of........................................ 84,165

ores of... ....................................... 155-156

paragenesis at..................................... 145

silver in............................................ 20

similarity of New Jim mine and................... 168

sphalerite in ....................................... 123

underground workings of, diagram of............. 171

work on. ......................................... 115

Columbia Silver Mining Company, work of...... 116,169-170

Comey, A. M., on barium sulphate.................... 147

Conway, Cullen, and Robertson, property of.......... 163

Cookseyville Church, fractures near................... 89

Copper, basic carbonate of. See Malachite.

Copper and iron, sulphide of.......................... 124

Corals, plate showing.................................. 32,46

Corn mine, character of............................... 79

future of .......................................... 207

Cora fault, location and character of.................. 79

Country rock, relations of ore deposits and.......... 148-149

Crayneville, rocks at............................... ._.. 62

Creswell, rocks near................................... 62

Crider, A. F., work of.................................. 21

Crider, rocks near..................................... 50

Crinoids, plate showing............................... 58

Crittenden County, Ky., coal in....................... 67

fluorspar from ..................................... 118

geologic map of.................................. .". 22

minerals of........................................ 15

mines of..................................... 115,158-159

rocks in.................... 36,40,51,53,55,62,65,66,69,99
INDEX. 211

Crittenden fault, location and character of............ 88,95

Crlttenden Mining Company, work of ................. 202

Crittenden Press, publication by...................... 19-20

Crittenden Springs, fault near......................... 84

mines near......................................... 204

rocks near......................................... 43-44

section near....................................... 40,42

Crooked Creek, fossils from, plate showing............ 58

prospects on....................................... 82

Crosson Cave prospect, barite at...................... 127

, description of.................................... 202-204

intersecting faults at.............................. 130

location of......................................... 83

sections of......................................... 203

Cullen, Robertson, and Conway, property of.......... 163

Cumberland River, rocks on........................... 52

section near....................................... 61

Cumings, E. R., limestone named by.................. "30

Cypress Creek, rocks on............................... 52,54

Cypress sandstone, character of.................... 38,53-54

comparison of Mansfield sandstone and........... 68

correlation of...................................... 24

fossils of........................................... 54

name of............................................ 54-55

occurrence of........ 54,78-98,162,174,191,193,195,196,205

Cyprieardella oblonga Hall, occurrence of............. 48

Cyprieardinia indianensis Hall, occurrence of.......... 48

Cystelasma quinqueseptatum, occurrence of........ 42,43,47

quinqueseptatum, plate showing .................. 46

rugosum, occurrence of ............................ 47

Cystodictya maj or Ulrieh, occurrence of............... 33

sp., occurrence of.................................. 47

D.

Danaeites macrophyllus (Newb.) Lx., occurrence of... 69 

Deer Creek faults, location and character of........... 98-99

Deer Creek Mining Company, work of................. 205

Deer Creek Valley, rocks in............................ 51

Depth, relative abundance of minerals'and, relations

between.................................. 149-150

Derbyshire, lead mines of, comparison between Crittenden County mines and..... ........... 17-18

Development, history of............................... 16-21

Devonian rocks, character and occurrence of....... 22,24,25

Diehocrinus simplex Shumard, occurrence of.......... 33

Diehotrypa flabellum (Rominger), occurrence of...... 30

Dielasma formosum Hall, occurrence of......... 30,33,45,48

turgida Hall, occurrence of.................. 30,33,45,48

Dikes, detailed descriptions of....................... 101-105

effect of.......................................... 100-101

occurrence and character of....................... 99-105

relative age of faults and.......................... 101

Diller, J. S., on miea-peridotite................... 99-100,104

Dodd shaft, location of................................ 96

Dollarson Creek, faults on............................. 96

Dollarson faults, location of........................ 91,95,96

Domes, occurrence of.................................. 71

Downeys Bluff, 111., dike and fault at................. 101

fossils from, plate showing........................ 46

Drainage, underground, results of .................... 16

Drescher open cut, description of...................... 175

hydrozincite in.................................... 123

location of......................................... 165

silver at. .......................................... 122

 Drilling, uselessness of................................ 157

Dycusburg, fault at................'................... 93

Dycusburg Lead Company, work of................... 188

Dyers Hill Church, rocks at........................... 52

Dyers Hill fault, location and character of............ 79

E.

Eagle Fluorspar Company, fluorspar ground by....... 117

mill of............................................. 119

property of........................................ 186

work of.................................. 187,193,198,202

Eaton fissure, location of.............................. 85,99

Eaton mine, future of ................................. 207

Ebby Hodge mine, description of................... 193-195

diagram of......................................... 194

location of.................................... 86,191-192

Echinodermata, occurrence of......................... 56

Eddy Creek, Ky., rocks near.......................... 50

Eddy Creek fault, location and character of........ 91,93-94

Eddyville, Ky., fossil from, plate showing............ 32

Emmons, S. F., on fluorspar veins.............. 133,150-153

on Illinois fluorspar.............................. 20,122

on paragenesis..................................... 144

Engelmann, Henry, investigation by.................. 18

on Chester group.................................. 24

on Cypress sandstone............................. 54

on St. Louis limestone............................. 36

sandstone named by............................... 23

Engelmann and Worthen. See Worthen and Engelmann. 

Enon, rocks near...................................... 66

Enrichment, secondary, question of................... 150

Eotrochus eoncavus, occurrence of.................... 56

Eremopteris macilenta (Lx.) D, W., occurrence of.... fi9

Erosion, results of..................................... 16

Eumetria marcyi vera, occurrence of.................. 48

mareyi verneuilana, occurrence of................. 48

vemeuilana Hall, occurrence of.... ............... 33

Euomphalus sp., occurrence of ....................... 33

Eureka fault, intersection of Columbia fault and...... 130

mines on........................................... 165

ores of............................................. 155

Evening Star fault, location and character of.......... 83-84

Evening Star group, description of.................. 196-199

diagram of......................................... 197

Evening Star mine, concentration plant at.......... 119-120

description of.................................... 197-198

location of......................................... 84

ore at.............................................. 120

Excelsior lode, location of............................. 195

Exploration, history of............................... 16-21

F.

Fairview, 111., galena and fluorspar near.............. 18

Fairview fault, character and location of.............. 77-78

mine on............................................ 207

Faulting, character of................................. 35

evidence of...................................... 156-157

occurrence and results of.......................... 16,22

Faults, age of........................................ 75,101

character of....................................... 72

depth, length, and throw of, relations of........ 132-133

descriptions of..................................... 75-99

list of.............................................. 76

mineral deposits along............................ 129

strike of........................................... 73-75

subdivisions of.................................... 73-75

tracing of.......................................... 72-73

Fenestella cestriensis Ulr. var., occurrence of.......... 47

elevatipora Ulr. var., occurrence of................ 47
212 INDEX.

Fenestella flexuosa Ulr. var., occurrence of ........... 47

plate showing................................. 34

serratula Ulrich, occurrence of.............. 30,33,45,47

tenax Ulrich, occurrence of........................ 15,47

Fenestellidae, occurrence of............................ 35

Fenestralia st. ludovici Prout., occurrence of......... 30,33

plate showing..................................... 34

Ferrall mine, future or................................. 207

Ferruginous sandstone. See Cypress sandstone.

Fissure, veins. See Veins.

Fistulipora spergensis Rominger, occurrence of....... 30

sp., occurrence of.................................. 47

Flanary dike, fault at................................. 102

fluorspar near..................................... 102

location and character of............. ....... 98,101-102

mica-peridotite from, character of.............. 104-105

Flanary silver minp, location of....................... 101

Flat Rock Church, rocks at........................... £6,67

Flinns Fork, fault at.................................. 95

rocks on........................................... 35

Fluorite, character of......................... .. 124-125,127

color of .......................................... 125-127

main dependence of district on.................... 154

occurrence of................... 152,162,163,165,167-173,

175-176,182-195-196,198-199,201-203,205-206 

replacement by.......................... 137,139,142-143

diagram showing.............................. 182

source of........................................ 150-154

specimens of, view of.............................. 134

weathering of............................... 145,147-148

Fluorite and galena, banded, view of.................. 134

Fluorspar, grades of................................... 118

occurrence of................................. 15,115-116

production of.................................... 116-118

uses of....--...........--...-....-..........-..-..- 118

Fluorspar mining, development of.................... 20-21

Fobs, F. Julius, fossils collected by, plate showing.... 58,64

investigations of.......... 21,103,158,179,186,204-205,207

on Columbia mine................................. 170

on Flanary dike................................... 102

Folding, occurrence of................................. 99

Forehhammer, J. G., on contents of sea water ........ 151

Formations, table of.................................. 24

Fort Payne chert, equivalent of....................... 28

Fossils, occurrence of............................ 26,33,36,56

plates showing........................... 32,34,36,58,64

Fractures, horizontal, occurrence of................... 136

Franklin, Lorson, work of............................. 200

Fredonia, rocks near.................................. 50

Fredonia fault, location and character of............. 91,97

Fredonia oolitic limestone, character of............... 40

correlation of...................................... 24

fossils from, plate showing........................ 46

occurrence of.......................... 39-40,44,52,83,94

Fredonia Valley, faults near........................... 90

Friendship, fault at................................... 94

fluorspar near..................................... 94

Friendship fault, location and character of............ 91

Fuchs and De Launay, on calamime .................. 141

G. 

Galena, assay of....................................... 122

cementation by ................................... 137

character of..................................... 121-122

occurrence of................ 134,162,165,167-170,173-175,

182-184,186,188,190,193,196-198,200-202.205-207 

production of...................................... 116

Page. 

Galena, replacement by............................. 137,139

silver in................................ 17,18,115,121-122

weathering of.................................... 145,147

Galenite. See Galena.

Geography of district................................. 15-16

Geologic history of district............................ 16

Geologic structure. See Structure, geologic.

Geologic work, recent, summary of................... 21

Geology, stratigraphic, of region...................... 22-70

Givens mine, relations of corn fault to ................ 79

Givens prospect, kaolinite in.......................... 128

wad in............................................. 128

Gladstone, rocks near................................. 62

Glass, Henry, work of............................... 176,188

Glass, Henry, James, and Thomas, lease of ........... 169

Glass shaft, location of.............................. 175-176

Glendale Church, prospect near....................... 103

Glendale fault, character and location of.............. 80,82

Glyptopora miehelinia (Prout), occurrence of......... 30

punetipora Ulrich, occurrence of.................. 47

Golconda, 111., rocks at................................ 62

Golconda mine, mica-peridotite from.................. 104

Good Hope vein, work on............................. 18

Grassy Creek shale, equivalent of..................... 24

Greenockite, character of............................ 123-124

origin of........................................... 146

Grinding, work of...................................... 119

Guili mine, description of........................... 201-202

location of......................................... 83

paragenesis at..................................... 144

H.

Hall, James, limestone named by...../.....'........... 24

on Spergen limestone fossils ...................... 29

Halliday and Green, work of.......................... 169

Halonia sp., occurrence of........................... . 69

Hampton, fault near.................................. 78

rocks near......................................... 70

Hard dike, location and character of.................. 102

miea-peridotite from, character of.............. 104-105

Hardin County, TIL, dome in.......................... 71

geology of, report on.............................. 18

rocks in............................. 25,26,27,40,44,55,99

stratigraphic geology of........................... 22

Hardins Knob, rocks in and near.................. 66,67,69

Harrodsburg limestone, equivalent of................. 24,28

Hayes, C. W., letter of transmittal by................ 5

Haywood prospect, location of........................ 82

Hemitrypa proutana Ulrieh, occurrence of............ 30,33

plate showing..................................... 34

Henderson Company, property of..................... 205

Henry County, Ky., paragenesis in.................... 144

Henry Hodge prospect, description of................. 195

Hicks, 111., rocks near................................. 40

Hicks Branch, rocks on............................... 25,26

Hills, origin of......................................... 16

Hodge fault, comparison of Lowery-Marble fissures

and........................................ 92

location and character of.......................... 87-88

mines on........................................... 191

Hodge group, description of......................... 191-195

diagram of......................................... 191

Hodge mine, caleite in................................. 135

description of........ ........................... 192-193

diagrams of........................................ 192

fluorite in.......................................... 143

location of......................................... 88
INDEX. 213

Page. 

Hodge mine, vein of, width of......................... 131

views of and at..................................... 120

Holly faults, location and character of............. 82,97-98

Holly mine, chalcopyrite in............................ 124

fluorite and calcite in.............................. 150

location of......................................... 98

Holly vein, location of................................. 102

Holopea proutana, occurrence of...................... 56

Hooper pneumatic system, use of..................... 119

Hopkins and Siebenthal, on Spergen limestone........ 30

Hopkinsville, Ky., rocks near......................... 44

Hudson mine, description of.......................... 201

location of......................................... 83

Huron formation, equivalent of....................... 24,66

Hurricane Creek, dike at.............................. 103

Hurricane fault, description of........................ 97

Hydrocarbon compounds, character of.............. 128-129

Hydrozincite, character of............................ 123

occurrence of...................................... 177

plate showing..................................... 122

I.

Igneous dikes, occurrence of....................

Illinois, deposits in.............................

investigations in. ...........................

Irma, rocks near...............................

Iron, occurrence of.............................

Iron, hydrated sesquioxlde of. See Limonite.

Iron disulphide. See Pyrite; Marcasite.

Iron Hill, Ky., rocks at........................ 69

Jackson, Andrew, company headed by, work of. 115,165,169

Jasperoid, definition of................................ 140

Johns shaft, description of............................ 200

Johnson County, 111., rocks in......................... 54

Jones prospect, location of............................ 81

Joy, Ky., fault near................................... 78

rocks near......................................... 60

K.

Kaolinite, character of................................ 128

occurrence of................................ 148,184,188

Kaskaskia limestone, divisions of..................... 24

occurrence of...................................... 60

Kentucky, faults in, map showing.................... 19-20

investigation in.................................... 21

Kentucky Fluorspar Company, development by.... 116,161

fluorspar ground by............................... 117

property of...................................... 119,164

work of...................................... 185,187,206

Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar district, formations of.... 24

future development of....................... 154-157,207

geologic map of.................................... 14

location of........................................ 15

map of............................................. 116

Keokuk limestone, equivalent of...................... 24

Keyes, C. R., on Aux Vases sandstone ............... 55

on Ste. Genevieve limestone....................... 52

Keystone Mineral and Mining Company, work of..... 205

Keystone mines, description of...................... 205-206

Kinderhook group, character of....................... 24,28

Kindle, E. M., on Orange County, Ind., rocks........ 67

King prospects, location of............................ 89

Klondike mine, description of....................... 164-165

horizontal fractures at............... K ............ 136

Klondike mine, iron sulphide in ...................... 139

section of, diagram of ................... .^ ........ 164

Knobstone formation, equivalent of .................. 24, 28

Kunz, G. F., on fluorite............................... 152

L.

Lady Farmer mine, description of ..................... 205

Lanham mine, description of .......................... 176

ore of .............................................. 144

zinc production of ................................. 116

Larue fault, promising prospects on .................. 207

location and character of ....................... 72, 81-82

Latrobe fault, location and character of .............. 80

Lead, comparative unimportance of ................... 155

mining of .......................................... 20-21

occurrence of ............................. 15, 115, 169, 176

production of ...................................... 116

source of ........................................... 154

Lead, carbonate of. See Cerussite.

Lead, chloride of. See Pyromorphite.

Lead, orthophosphate of. See Pyromorphite.

Lead, sulphide of. See Galena.

Lead Hill, 111. , rocks near ............................. 40

Leases, character of ................................... 118

Leperditia earbonaria Hall, occurrence of ............. 48

Lepidocystis vesicularis Lx. , occurrence of ............ 69

Lepidodendron, occurrence of. ........................ 66-67

elypeatum Lx. , occurrence of ...................... 69

Lepidophloios ef r. larieinus Sternb. , occurrence of .... 69

Lepidostrobus pennsylvanicus D. W. , occurrence of . . 69 

Levias, faults near .................................... 84, 99

mica-peridotite near ............................... 104

Lindgren, W. , on replacement ......................... 140

Limestone, analyses of ................................ 152

silieification of ..................................... 139

Limestone, seamed, plate showing .................... 122

Limonite, character of ................................. 124

occurrence of ...................................... 187

Lioelema araneum Ulrieh, occurrence of ............... 47

Literature, review of .................................. 16-20

Lithostrotion, occurrence of ........................... 26

harmodites Ed. & H., occurrence of............ 42,43,47

plate showing ................................. 46

(? Lonsdaleia) canadense Castleman, occurrence of. 33, 35 

plate showing ................................. 32

( ? Lonsdaleia) proliferum Hall, occurrence of ...... 30, 33

plate showing ................................. 32, 34

Livingston Chapel, rocks near ......................... 70

Livingston Chapel fault, extension of ................. 93

location and character of .......................... 90, 97

Livingston County, Ky. , deposits in .................. 15

geologic map of .................................... 22

mines of, descriptions of ........... 1 ............... 159

rocks in ............................. 27-36, 51, 60, 62, 65, 70

step faults in ....................

Lola, fault near. ......................

rocks near ........................

Lola fault, location and character of . 

Lola Valley, rocks in

........ 98-99

........ 98

........ 70'

........ 78

........ 51

Lone Star shaft, description of ........................ 204

Lonsdaleia, occurrence of .............................. . 26

See also Lithostrotion. 

Loughridge, R. H., on Kentucky geology ............. 71

Lovelace shaft, description of ......................... 193

location of ........................................ 88, 191

silver in. ........................................... 122
214 INDEX.

Page, j 

Lowery fissure, location and character of............. 92

Lowery-Marble fissures, comparison of Memphis and

Hodge fractures and ...................... 92

Lowery mine, barite in................................ 135

future of........................................... 207

location of......................................... 103

Loxonema sp., occurrence of.......................... 48

Lucile mine, location of................................ 86

rocks in........."................................... 130

Lyon, S. S., investigation by.......................... 17

Lyon County, Ky., deposits in........................ 15

rocks of............................................ 27,35

Ly roposa, occurrence of............................... 63

M. 

MeBride shaft, location of............................. 167

MeDowell mine, underground workings of, figure

showing................................... 141

zinc produced by.................................. 116

McGowan, fault at.................................... 94

prospects near..................................... 94

rocks near......................................... 50

McGowan fault, location and character of............. 91,94

Macrodon sp., occurrence of........................... 48

Madrid prospect, evidence of.......................... 79

Major Clemens shaft, description of............. 140,167-168

location of......................................... 84

parageiiesis at..................................... 144

Malachite, character of................................ 124

Manganese, oxides of. See Wad.

Mann mine, fault at................................... 78

underground workings of, figure showing......... 141

zinc, production of ................................ 116

Mansfield sandstone, character of..................... 66-68

comparison of Cypress sandstone and............. 68

correlation of...................................... 24,70

fossils of........................................... 68-69

name of............................................ 70

occurrence of................. 24,69-70,77-83,86,88,94-98

Map of Kentucky fluorite district..................... 116

Map, geologic, of Crittenden, Livingston, and Caldwell counties............................... 22

of Kentucky-Illinois fluorite district............... 15

Marble fissure, location and character of.............. 92

Marble mine, chalcopyrite in.......................... 124

concentration plant at.......................... 119-120

kaolinite in ....................................... 128

paragenesis at..................................... 144

Marcasite, character of................................ 124

replacement by.................................. 138-139

Marion, fossils from near, plate showing.............. 58,64

milling plant at.................................. 116,119

prospecting near................................... 88

rocks near..................................... 60,62,102

section near.......................'................ 42

Marion fault, location and character of................ 85-87

mine on............................................ 206

Marion Mineral Company, work of.................... 188

Marion Zinc Company, property of.................... 195

Mary Belle mine, description of..................... 175-176

production of ...................................... 175

washer at, view of................................. us

Mary Franklin mine, paragenesis at................... 144

Matthews fault, location and character of............. 92

Matthews mine, description of........................ 188

location of......................................... 89

Ma yes & Wilson prospect, description of.............. 167

quartzite from, plate showing..................... K-;o

Meekopora, occurrence of.............................. 63

Melonites, occurrence of............................... 33,35

plate showing..................................... 34

erassus Hambach, occurrence of................... 33

multiporus O. & N., occurrence of................ 33

plate showing................................. 34

Memphis faults, comparison of Lowery-Marble fissures

and........................................ 92

location and character of.......................... 85

Memphis group, description of...................... 161-165

diagram showing.................................. 161

history of........................................ 160-161

rocks in............................ 1............. 161-162

Memphis Lead Mining Company, development by..... 160

Memphis mine, calcite in.............................. 150

description of................................ 130,160-163

fluorspar from.. ................................. 20,150

opening of......................................... 115

Memphis vein, character of............................ 134

course of, figure showing.......................... 132

length of........................................... 132

Meramec group, occurrence and character of.... 23-24,28-36

veins in.......................................... 130-131

Mesoblastus glaber M. & W., occurrence of............ 47

glaber M. & W., plate showing.................... 58

Mexico, prospects near................................ 90

Mica-peridotite, analysis of .......................... 151

character of...................................... 99-100

intrusion of...................................... 103-104

occurrence of............................. 99-100,176,180

section showing................................... 103

Michelinia eugenese princetonensis, occurrence of...... 47

eugenese princetonensis, plate showing............ 46

subramosa, occurrence of....................... 42,43,47

plate showing ....^l........................... 36

Miller, S. A., on Cystelasma........................... 46

Miller fault, character of.............................. 81

location of...................................... 80,81,98

Miller mine, location of ................................ 81

production of...................................... 116

Milligan prospect, location of ......................... 81

Mills, character of..................................... 119

Minerals, paragenesis of............................. 143-145

relative abundance of, at varying depths........ 149-150

Mines, descriptions of, by counties.................. 158-160

detailed descriptions of.......................... 160-207

general conditions of.............................. 160

Mining, history of............................. 20-21,115-116

methods of...................................... 118-120

Mississippi Valley lead and zinc fields, difference between Kentucky-Illinois district and rest 

of......................................... 15,115

Mississippian rocks, character of...................... 24

Mitchell limestone, equivalent of...................... 24

Modiola illinoisensis Worthen, occurrence of.......... 48

sp., occurrence of.................................. 30

Molluska, occurrence of ............................... 33

Monilopora near crassa, occurrence of................. 33

Moodie, F. B., work of................................ 200

Moore prospect, location of........................... 82

Morning Star mine, description of................... 198-199

location of......................................... 84

Morse shaft, description of............................ 202

location of......................................... 83

Moseley shaft, work on................................ 184

Mount Zion Church, mines near....................... 2X 2

rocks near......................................... 60

Mullin's vein, work on ................................ 18
INDEX. 215

 Page

Murchisonia attenuata, occurrence of................. 56

turritella, occurrence of........................... 56

Myallna sancti-ludovici Worthen, occurrence of....... 33

Myers, William, property of........................... 185

Myers prospects, barite in ............................ 135

description of..................................... 185

location of........................................ 180

N.

Nancy Hanks shaft, chalcopyrite in................... 124

description of...................................... 199

location of......................................... 84

section of.......................................... 198

Naticopsis carleyana, occurrence of................... 56

sp., occurrence of.................................. 33,48

Nautilus sp., occurrence of............................ 61

Neuropteris cfr. Schlehani Stur, occurrence of......... 69

New Albany shale, equivalent of...................... 24,28

New Jim mine, description of....................... 168-169

development at.................................... 116

location of......................................... 84

similarity of Columbia mine and.......-.--....-.. 168

Newkirk shaft, fluorite in............................. 184

location of......................................... 180

Nickel, occurrence of.................-.....-..--.--..- 128

Norwood, J. G., on Big Clifty sandstone.............. 54-55

on Columbia fault........................... 170,175,176

on Kentucky fluorspar.................... 18-19,122,150

on lead region................................... 130,132

on Memphis mine.................................. 164

on paragenesis..................................... 144

on Riley group.................................... 195

on Rosiclare lead mines............................ 18

on Royal mines................................... 199

on Ste. Genevieve limestone....................... 24

Nucula shumardana illinoisensis, W., occurrence of.... 48

Nuculana nasuta Hall, occurrence of.................. 48

Ohara limestone, character of......................... 41

correlation of...................................... 24

occurrence of............... 39-40,43-44,52,83,88,162,204

Ohio River, rocks on.................................. 35

Ohio shale, equivalent of.............................. 22

occurrence and character of....................... 25

Ohio Valley Mining Co., work of...................... 207

Okaw River, 111., fossil from, plate showing........... 34

Old Dad mine, prospects of........................... 207

Old Jim dike, location and character of............... 103

Old Jim mine, ankerite in.............................. 128

cross section of.................................... 179

description of................................. 20,176-180

diagram of......................................... 177

hydrozincite in.................................... 123

mica-peridotite from.............................. 104

open cut at, view of............................... 176

ore from, assays of................................ 177

pyrite and marcasite in............................ 124

replacement in..................................... 138

sink hole at, cross section of....................... 179

sphalerite in....................................... 123

view of............................................ 176

washer at.......................................... 120

zinc in........................................... 116,177

Old Silver mines. See Royal mines.

Oolite, analyses of..................................... 152

Orange County, Ind., rocks of......................... 67

Ore deposits, character of........................... 121-157

genesis of........................................ 150-154

occurrence of, modes of.......................... 129-140

relations of country rock and................... 148-149

weathering of.................................... 145-148

Ores, breccias cemented by, character and description

of.....r.............................. 129,136-137

metasomatic replacement of................. 129,137-143

below belt of weathering.................... 137-140

by sphalerite................................. 137-138

in belt of weathering........................ 140-142

in relation to fluorite deposits...'............ 142-143

Orthonychia acutirostre Hall, occurrence of........... 48

Orthotetes kaskaskiensis McChesney, occurrence of ... 47 

Osage group, character of............................. 24,28

Otter Pond, Ky., fault near........................... 91

Owen, D. D., on Columbia mines...................... 169

on lead deposits................................... 17,122

Owens Cave Mining Company, work of................ 200

P.

Paducah, Ky., fault reported at....................... 71

Page and Krausse, work of............................ 169

Palseacis cuneiformis Edwards and Haime, occurrence

of.......................................... 33

Pelecypods, occurrence of............................. 56,63

Pell vein, discovery of................................. 18

Pennsylvanian rocks, character of .................... 24

Pentremites, plate showing........................... 64

cavus Ulrich, occurrence of..............I......... 33

plate showing................................. 34,58

conoideus? Hal], occurrence of................. 30,33,47

plate showing................................. 58

florealis schlotheim, occurrence of.............. 42,47,50

plate showing.......................... ...... 58

f ohsi............................................... 63

plate showing................................. 64

' var. marionensis, plate showing............... 64

godoni? De France, occurrence of........... 38,47,54,63

plate showing................................. 58,64

obesus............................................. 63

plate showing................................. 64

pyramidatus, plate showing ...................... 64

pyriformis Say, occurrence of ..................... 59

plate showing................................. 58

sulcatus........---.---.-...--...---....--...-..... 61

Peter, Robert, analyses by............................ 17

on Kentucky galena............................... 122

Petroleum, indications of............................ 128-129

Phillips and Louis, on calamine........................ 141

Pickering Hill, rocks on ............................... 62

Pierce prospect, description of........................ 201

location of......................................... 83

Pigeonroost Creek, rocks on........................... 95

Pinckneyville, Ky., faults near......................... 74

mines near......................................... 195

Piney Church, faults near............................. 96

Piney Creek, rocks on................................. 95

Pittsburg fault, location and character of.............. 80-81

Pittsburg Mining and Reduction Co., work of.......... 201

Platycrinus huntsvillse (Troost?) W. and S., occurrence of................................. 42,47,50

huntsvillse (Troost?) W. and S., plate showing .... 58

Pleurophorus minima Worthen, occurrence of........ 48

sp., occurrence of.................................. 48

Pleurotomaria elegantula Hall ?, occurrence of......... 48

meekana, occurrence of............................ 56
216 INDEX.

Page. 

Pleurotomaria subglobosa, occurrence of............. 56

Pogue shaft, description of............................ 188

production of...................................... 188

Polypora biseriata Ulrich, occurrence of.............. 30,33

cestriensis Ulr. var., occurrence^................. 47,59

corticosa Ulr. var., occurrence of.................. 47

var soviensis Prout, occurrence of................. 30,33

plate showing................................. 34

Pope County, 111., dikes in............................. 99

rocks in............................................ 62

stratigraphic geology of........................... 22

Posephny, P., on ore deposits......................... 141

Pottsville group, character of......................... 24

correlation of...................................... 70

Princeton, fossils from, plate showing........... 34,46,58,64

rocks near ............................. 27,35,S7,50,60,K

section near....................................... 41-42

Princeton fault, location and character of.............. 90,91

Princeton limestone. See Ste. Genevieve limestone. 

Princeton Valley, faults near.......................... 90-91

Prismopora serrulata, occurrence of................... 63

Productus cestriensis Worthen, occurrence of...... 41,42,47

cora (near), occurrence of.......................... 41,47

punctatus, occurrence of....................... 30,33,47

semireticulatus? occurrence of.................... 45-47

tenuicosta, occurrence of.......................... 41,42

spi, occurrence of.................................. 41

Professor Wright shaft, description of................ 207

Prospecting, suggestions for........................ 156-157

Protean formation, equivalent of..................... 27-28

Pterotocrinus acutus Weatherby, plate showing ...... 58

capitalis Lyon, plate showing..................... 58

depressus L. and C., plate showing................ 58

sp., occurrence of............................... 59,61,63

Pteronites sp., occurrence of.......................... 48

Puckett Branch, prospect near........................ 98

Puckett Branch fault, location and character of..... 87-89,98

Puckett Spring, rocks near............................ 44

Pugnax grosvenori Hall, occurrence of................ 47

mutata Hall, occurrence of........................ 48

Pyrite, character of................................... 124

occurrence of...................................... 168

replacement by.................................. 138-139

Pyromorphite, character of........................... 122

origin of........................................... 147

Q.

Quartz, character of................................. 127-128

replacement by.................................... 139

Quartzite, plate showing.............................. 130

R.

Ramage prospect, location of......................... 83

Ramon Babb mine, description of................... 201-202

Ray shaft, barite in................................... 135

Redd open cut, description and location of.......... 191,193

Reiter prospect, location of........................... 191

Replacement, metasomatic. See Ore deposits, metasomatic replacement of. 

Keticularia setigera, occurrence of.................. 33,45,48

Rhipidomella dubia Hall, occurrence of............... 30,47

Rhynchonella mutata Hall, occurrence of............. 33

Riley group, description of.......................... 195-196

Riley mine, description of........................... 195-196

development at.................................... 116

fluorite and galena from, plate showing........... 134

location of......................................... 87

Riley mine, ore of ..................................... 143

sections of, diagrams of......................... 196,197

silver in............................................ 122

walls of, character of.............................. 130

Riley (Dan) shaft, description of...................... 193

location of........................................ 88,191

Rings Bluff, character of.............................. 86,87

River Valley mines. See Royal mines.

Robertson, Conway, and Cullen, property of........... 163

Robertson prospect. See Bill Terry prospect.

Rochester prospect, description of.................... 168

Rosiclare, 111., fluorspar near ......................... 18

galena near........................................ 18

rocks at and near ................................. 40,60

section near....................................... 42-43

Rosiclare fault, location and character of............. 78

Rosiclare sandstone, correlation of.................... 24

occurrence and character of....................... 34-41

Rosiclare vein, discovery of........................... 18

relations of Fairview vein and..................... 77-78

Royal mines, description of...................... 19,199-200

future of........................................... 207

silver in............................................ 20

work at............................................ 115

Royalties, amount of.................................. 118

Ruth, rocks near...................................... 66

Rye Field shaft, location of........................... 164

S.

St. Louis, Mo., rocks at............................... 36

St. Louis limestone, character of ..................... 30-32

correlation of................................... 24,25,36

fossils of........................................... 32-35

plate showing.............................. 32,34,58

name of............................................ 36

occurrence of................................ 35-36,78-98

Saflord, J. M., work of................................. 27-28

Ste. Genevieve limestone, character of................ 38-50

fossils from, plates showing....................... 46,58

name of............................................ 52-53

occurrence of................ 23,50-52,80-99,162,164,165,

168,170,172,174,175,177,190,191,197,199,204-206 

sections of......................................... 41-43

subdivisions of................................. 24,39-40

Salem, Ky., faults near................................ 83

mines and prospects near................ 195,196,199-204

rocks near................................... 44,51,54,62

Salem formation, equivalent of........................ 30

Sandstone, siliciflcation of............................ 131

Sandy Creek, rocks on................................. 62

Sandy Creek fault, location and character of.......... 81-83

Saratoga, rocks near.................................. 50

Saratoga fault, location and character of............. 90

Satterfleld prospect, location of...................... 94,207

Schizodus compressus Worthen, occurrence of........ 48

Schoolcraf t, H. R., on fluate of lime................... 16

Scottsburg, faults at and near........................ 99

fossils near........................................ 63

plates showing................................ 34,58

rocks near......................................... 37,59

Seminula subquadrata Hall, occurrence of............. 48,61

trinuclea Hall, occurrence of....................... 45,48

Senator mine, character and location of............... 95

description of.................................... 206-207

Septopora cestriensis Prout, occurrence of............ 47

subquadrans Ulrich, occurrence of................ 47
INDEX. 217

Shaler, N. S., on galena ..................;............. 150

Shawneetown, 111., fluorspar near..................... 16

Sheridan, faults near........................... 78-79,81,101

possible dike near................................. 79

rocks near......................................... 62,69

Shumard, B. F., on Ferruginous sandstone........... 54

on St. Louis limestone............................. 36

on Ste. Genevieve limestone....................... 52

reference to........................................ 23

Sigillaria sp., occurrence of............................ 69

Silica. See Quartz.

Siloam Church, mining near........................... 205

Silver, mining for...................................... 109

occurrence of.......................... 17,18,115,121-112

Sink holes, occurrence of.............................. 44,'4

Skinframe Creek, fault in.............................. S3

Skinframe fault, location and character of............ $'3

Smith, W. S. Tangier, on mica-peridotite............. 1(4

on ores and mines of district.................... 115-2C 7

work of............................................ 51

Smithland, fault near.............................. 74,80, f 1

rocks at and near......................... 27,52,62,65,30

Smithsonite, character of.............................. 153

comparative unimportance of................... 154-1£5

greeno«kite in..................................... 123

occurrence of...................................... 13!i,

168,169,174-178,180,195,204-206 

origin of........................................... 146

plate showing..................................... 122

replacement by.................................. 140-14^2

Spergen fauna, recurrence of..................... 45,46-49,6&

Spergen Hill, rocks and fossils near.................... 30

Spergen limestone, correlation and occurrence of... 24,26,30 

fossils of........................................... 29-30

name of............................................ 30

occurrence of................................ 81,88,89,98

Sphalerite, cementation by............................ 137

character of................................. 120,122-128

comparative unimportance of................... 154-155

occurrence of........................... 115,134,162,163,

167,168,170,172-180,182,183,186,197-199,201-208 

replacement by.................................. 137-138

weathering of.................................... 145-146

Sphragiopora parasitica Ulrich, occurrence of......... 4J7

Spirifer bifurcatus Hall............................... 48

increbescens.................................... 48,59,61

Keokuk leidyi..................................... 45

littoni Swallow................................ 30,33

leidyi N. & P...................................... 48

tenuicosta Hall.................................... 30

Spiriferina norwoodi, occurrence of................... 45,48

spinosa, occurrence of............................. 59

transversa McChesney, occurrence of........... 41,42,48

Spirorbis imbricatus Ulrich, occurrence of............. 38

plate showing...................................... 34

Spurr, J. E., on jasperoid............................. 140

Steiger, George, analysis by........................... 132

Stenopora rudis Ulrich, occurrence of................. 47

tuberculata Prout, occurrence of............... 30,45,47

Stevens fault and mine, location and character of...... 83,

85,88, 9S 

Stone mine, future of.................................. 207

location of......................................... 96

Straparollus planorbiformis, occurrence of............ 56

quadrivolvis, occurrence of........................ So

spergenensis, occurrence of........................ 48

Stratigraphic geology of district....................... 22-70

Page. 

Streblotrypa nicklesi Ulrich, var., occurrence of...... 47

Struck-it-rich mine, description of................... 204-205

location of......................................... 84

Structure, geologic, account of....................... 71-105

Sulphur, occurrence of............................... 122,147

Swallow, G. C., on Ferruginous sandstone............. 54

sandstone named by................................ 23

Syringopora, sp., occurrence of........................ 33

.T.

Tabb fault, location and character of........ 72,89,92,97,132

mines on.................... .................... 180-182

Tabb mines, description of.......................... 182-184

diagrams of........................................ 182

fluorite in.......................................... 140

location of.......................................... 90

ore from, plate showing........................... 134

replacement in..................................... 138

diagram showing.............................. 182

sections of, diagram showing...................... 183

washer at.......................................... 120

view of........................................ 118

Tabb-Yandell group, description of................. 180-190

diagram of......................................... 181

Tabor mine, description of............................ 186

fluorite in....................................... 125-126

location of......................................... 180

pyromorphite in................................... 122

Talarocrinus sp., occurrence of........................ 54

Tennessee River, rocks on............................. 35

Tennessean rocks, character of........................ 24

Throw of faults, maximum of......................... 133

Tiline, prospect near.................................. 89

Timbering, necessity for............................... 119

Tisdall shaft, location of.............................. 195

Tolu fault, location and character of.................. 97

Tom Babb prospect, description of.................... 202

Topography, relative abundance of minerals and, relations between.................................... 149-150

Topography of district'.......................... ..=-.... 15-16

Tradewater fault, location and character of........ 86,88,95

Tradewater River, section near....................... 61

Tribune, rocks near................................... 59

Tribune limestone, character of.................... 38,55-56

correlation of...................................... 24,60

fossils from........................................ 56-58

plate showing................................. 58

name of........................................... 60

occurrence of................... 23,59-60,86-87,94-96,174

Trigg County, Ky., deposits in........................ 15

Trigonocarpum ampullsefonne Lx., occurrence of..... 69

dawsonianum D. W., occurrence of................ 69

Triletes, occurrence of................................. 69

Tullahoma formation, equivalents of............... 24,27-28

occurrence and character of.................... 22,26-28

Tyrie prospect, replacement at...................... 142-143

U.

Ulrich, E. O., figure by................................ 179

on geology and general relations of deposits...... 7-105

on maximum throw................................ 133

work of............................................ 19-21

V.

Van Hise, C. R., on ore deposition..................... 154

Veins, composition of............................... 134-135

description of.................................... 129-136
218 INDEX.

Page.

Veins, fluorspar in..................................... 17-18

length and depth of, relations of.................. 133

occurrence of...................................... 149

ores in............................................. 129

structure of...................................... 135-136

width of........................................... 131

Veins en echelon, occurrence of........................ 130

Vicksburg, fluorite"near............................... 83

rocks near......................................... 65

View, mine near....................................... 206

rocks near............................ 44,51,53-54,60,103

section at................ 4 ......................... 40

View dike, location and character of................ 103-104

mica-peridotite from, character of.............. 104-105

W.

Wad, character of..................................... 128

Walker dike, location and character of.............. 100,102

Walker shaft, location of.............................. 102

Walton, Joseph, development by...................... 160

Waring, W. G., analysis by........................... 128

on zinc sulphate................................... 154 !

reaction noted by.................................. 146 , Waring & Son, assays by.............................. 177 |

Warsaw fauna. See Spergen Hill fauna. ! 

Washer, gravity, description of....................... 120

view of............................................ 118

Washer,' log, description of........................... 120

view of............................................ 120

Water in concentrating, use of........................ 119

Watkins open cut, description of...................... 169

location of......................................... 14

Waverly sandstone, equivalent of....................... 28

Waverlyan rocks, character of.......................... 24 |

Weathering of ore deposits, effects of............... 145-148

Weathering, belt of, replacement below ............. 137-140

belt of, replacement in .......................... 140-142 j

Welsendorf,.fluorite from, color of.................... 125 j

Western Kentucky Mining Company, property of.... 185

work of...................................... 169-170,193

Western Tube Company's mine, location of........... 27

W'eston, rocks near.................................... 69

Wheeler mine, description of........................ 185-186

location of......................................... 180

pyromorphite in................................... 122

White, David, fossils determined by................... 69

White (L. F.) mine, description of.................... 206

Whitfleld, R. P., on Spergen limestone fossils......... 29

Whitney, J. D., analysis by........................... 18

on lead region..................................... 122

Wilson, George, on fluorite............................ 150

Wilson & Dean prospect, description of............. 163-164

section of, figure showing.......................... 164

Wilson shaft, chalcopyrite in.......................... 124

malachite in....................................... 124

Winslow and Robertson, analyses by............... 151-152

Woods fault, location and character of................ 86-87

Woods shaft, description of........................... 195

location of......................................... 87

Woods (Henry) shaft, vein at......................... 132

Worthen, A. H., on Chester formation................ 24

on Hardin County, 111............................. 18

Worthen and Engelmann, on Chester group.......... 49

on Ohio shale...................................... 25

on Ste. Genevieve limestone....................... 53

Wright prospect, location of.......................... 77

Wyronbofl, M. G., on color of fluorite............... 125-126

Yandell fault, location and character of............... 89,92

Yandell mines, description of........................ 188-190

diagram of ........................................ 199

fluorspar from.................................... 20,115

sections of......................................... 190

Yandell-Tabb group. See Tabb-Yandell group.

Yandell vein, length of................................ 132

Zaphrentis calcarif ormis Hall, occurrence of.......... 3;i

pellaensis Worthen, occurrence of.................. 47

spinulifera, occurrence of.......................... 59

spinulosa.......................................... 54

Zinc, occurrence of....................:............... 15, lir>

price of............................................ 116

production of........\............................. llfi

sources of.......................................... 154

Zinc, basic carbonate of. See Hydrozincite.

Zinc, basic silicate of. See Calamine.

zSnc, carbonate of. See Smithsonite.

Zinc, sulphate of, origin of.......................... 145-140

Zinc, sulphide of. See Sphalerite.

Zincite, nature of...................................... 123

o
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. plete lists of which follow. (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS=Water-Supply Paper.) "

SERIES A, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.

B 21. Lignites of Great Sioux Reservation: Report on region between Grand and Moreau rivers, Dakota, by Bailey Willis. 

1885. 16 pp., 5 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 46. Nature and origin of deposits of phosphate of lirue, by R. A. F. Penrose, jr., with introduction by N. S. Shaler. 188. 

143pp.' (Out of stock.)

B 65. Stratigraphy of the bituminous coal field of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, by I. C. White. 1891. 212 pp. 

11 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 111. Geology of Big Stone Gap coal field of Virginia and Kentucky, by M. R. Campbell. 1893. 106 pp., 6 pis.

B 132. The disseminated lead ores of southeastern Missouri, by Arthur Winslow. 1896. 31 pp.

B 138. Artesian-well prospects in Atlantic Coastal Plain region, by N. H. Darton. 1896. 228 pp., 19 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 139. Geology of Castle Mountain mining district, Montana, by W. H. Weed and L. V. Pirsson. 18%, 164 pp., 17 pis.

B 143. Bibliography of clays and the ceramic arts, by J. C. Branner. 1896. 114pp.

B 164. Reconnaissance on the Rio Grande coal fields of Texas, by T. W. Vaughan, including a report on igneous rocks from 

the San Carlos coal field, by E. C. E. Lord. 1900. 100 pp., 11 pis.

B 178. El Paso tin deposits, by W. H. Weed. 1901. 15 pp., 1 pi.

B 180. Occurrence and distribution of corundum in United States, by J. H. Pratt. 1901. 98 pp., 14 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 182. A report on the economic geology of the Silverton quadrangle, Colorado, by F. L. Ransome. 1901. 266 pp., 16 pis. 

(Out of stock.)

B 184. Oil and gas fields of the western interior and northern Texas Coal Measures and of the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary of the western Gulf coast, by G. I. Adams. 1901. 64pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 193. The geological relations and distribution of platinum and associated metals, by J. F. Kemp. 1902. 95pp., 6 pis. 

(Out of stock.)

B 198. The Berea grit oil sand in the Cadiz quadrangle, Ohio, by W. T. Griswold. 1902. 43 pp., 1 pi.

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of the geology of southeastern Alaska, by Alfred Hulse Brooks. 1902. 120 pp., 2 pis.

B 200. Reconnaissance of the borax deposits of DeathValley and Mohave Desert, by M. R. Campbell. 1902. 23 pp., 1 pi. 

(Out of stock.)

B 202. Tests for gold and silver in shales from western Kansas, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1902. 21 pp.

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1902. 70 pp., 11 pis.

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Dall, Kanuti, Alien, and Kowak rivers, 

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis.

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis.

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis.

B 212. Oil fields of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coastal Plain, by C. W. Hayes and William Kennedy. 1903. 174 pp., 11 pis.

B 213. Contributions to economic geology, 1902. S, F. Emmons and C. W. Hayes, geologists in charge. 1903. 449 pp.

PP 15. The mineral resources of the Mount Wrangell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and F. C. Schrader. 1903. 

71pp., 10 pis.

B 218. Coal resources of the Yukon, Alaska, by Arthur J. Collier. 1903. 71 pp., 6 pis.

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi.

I
II PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY.

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 16 pis.

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 168 pp., 29 pis.

B 223. Gypsum deposits in the United States, by G. I. Adams and others. 1904. 129 pp., 21 pis.

PP 24. Zinc and lead deposits of northern Arkansas, by G. I. Adams, assisted by A. H. Purdue and E. F. Burchard, with a 

 section on the determination and correlation of formations, by E. O. Ulrich. 1904. 118 pp., 27 pis.

PP 25. The copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp., 2 pis.

B 225. Contributions to economic geology, 1903, by S. F. Emmons and C. W. Hayes, geologists in charge. 1904. 527 pp., 1 pi.

PP 26. Economic resources of the northern Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with contributions by S. F. Emmons and T. A. 

Jaggar, jr. 1904. 222 pp., 20 pis.

PP 27. A geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by 

Waldemar Lindgren. 1904. 122 pp., 15 pis.

B 229. Tin deposits of the York region, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1904. 61 pp., 7 pis.

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis.

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and W. R. Crane. 1904. 83 pp., 

11 pis.

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. pp., 15 pis.

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northwestern Illinois, by H. Foster Bain. 1904. 56 pp., 5 pis.

B 247. The Fairhiven gold placers, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Moffit. 1905. 85 pp.. 14 pis.

B 249. Limestones of southeastern Pennsylvania, by F. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp., 7 pis.

B 250. The petroleum fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal deposit, by G. C. Martin. 1905. 65pp., 7 pis.

B 251. The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle. 1905. 89 pp., 16 pis.

WS 117. The lignite of North Dakota and its relation to irrigation, by F. A. Wilder. 1905. 59 pp., 8 pis.

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. T. Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis.

SERIES B, DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY.

B 23. Observations on the junction between the Eastern sandstone and the Keweenaw series on Keweenaw Point, Lake 

Superior, by R. D. Irving and T. C. Chamberlin. 1885. 124 pp., 17 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 33. Notes on geology of northern California, by J. S. Diller. 1886. 23 pp. (Out of stock.)

B 39. The upper beaches and deltas of Glacial Lake Agassiz, by Warren Upharn. 1887. 84 pp., 1 pi. (Out of stock.)

B 40. Changes in river courses in Washington Territory due to glaciation, by Bailey Willis. 1887. 10 pp., 4 pis. (Out of 

stock.)

B 45. The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas, by R. T. Hill. 1887. 94pp. (Out of stock.)

B 53. The geology of Nantucket, by N. S. Shaler. 1889. 55 pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 57. A geological reconnaissance in southwestern Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1890. 49 pp., 2 pis.

B 58. The glacial boundary in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, by G. F. Wright, with introduction by T. C. Chamberlin. 1890. 112 pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 67. The relations of the traps of the Newark system in the New Jersey region, by N. H. Barton. 1890. 82 pp. (Out of 

stock.)

B 104. Glaciation of the Yellowstone Valley north of the Park, by W. H. Weed. 1893. 41 pp., 4 pis.

B 108. A geological reconnaissance in central Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1893. 108 pp., 12 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 119. A geological reconnaissance in northwestern Wyoming, by G. H. Eldridge. 1894. 72 pp., 4 pis.

B 137. The geology of the Fort Riley Military Reservation and vicinity, Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1896. ,35 pp., 8 pis.

B 144. The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1896. 71 pp., 21 pis.

B 158. The moraines of southeastern South Dakota and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1899. 171 pp., 27 pis.

B 159. The geology of eastern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, by B. K. Emerson. 1899. 139 pp., 9 pis.

B 165. Contributions to the geology of Maine, by H. S. Williams and H. E. Gregory. 1900. 212 pp., 14 pis.

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen Hole quadrangles in eastern Wyoming and western 

Nebraska, by G. I. Adaras. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis.

B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192 pp., 25 pis.

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120pp., 2 pis.

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1902. 70 pp., 11 pis.

PP 3. Geology and petrography of Crater.Lake National Park, by J. S. Diller and H. B. Patton. 1902. 167 pp., 19 pis.

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Dall, Kanuti, Alien, and Kowak rivers, 

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis.

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis.

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis.

PP 13. Drainage modifications in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, by W. G. Tight. 

1903. lllpp., 17 pis.

B 208 Descriptive geology of Nevada south of the fortieth parallel and adjacent portions of California, by J. E. Spurr. 

1903. 229pp., 8 pis.

B 209. Geology of Ascutney Mountain, Vermont, by R. A. Daly. 1903. 122 pp., 2 pis.

WrS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903. 51 

pp., 2 pis.

PP 15. Mineral resources of the Mount Wraugell district, Alaska, by W. C. Mendenhall and F. C. Schrader. 1903. 71 pp., 

10 pis.

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian, 

by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis.

B 217. Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903. 83 pp., 18 pis.
PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY. Ill

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spun. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi.

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. 139 pp., 16 pis.

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 168 pp., 29 pis.

WS 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by J. E. Todd and C. M. Hall.

1904. 47 pp., 23 pis. . t 

PP 25. The copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp., 2 pis. 

PP 26. Economic resources of northern Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with chapters by S. F. Emmons and T. A. Jaggar, jr.

1904. 222pp., 20 pis. 

PP 27. Geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and the Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by

Waldemar Lindgren. 1904. 123 pp., 15 pis. 

PP 31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, by

J. A. Taff; with an appendix on reported ore deposits in the Wichita Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp., 8 pis. 

B 235. A geological reconnaissance across the Cascade Range near the forty-ninth parallel, by G. O. Smith and F. C. Calkins.

1904. 103 pp., 4 pis. '

B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by C. W. Wright. 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis. 

B 237. Petrography and geology of the igneous rocks of the Highwood Mountains, Montana, by L. V. Pirsson. 1904. 208

pp., 7 pis. 

B 238. Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams, Erasmus Haworth, and W. R. Crane. 1904. 88

pp., 11 pis. 

PP 32. Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton.

1905. 433 pp., 72 pis.

WS 110. Contributions to the hydrology of eastern United States, 1904; M. L. Fuller, geologist, in charge. 1905. 211 pp., 5 pis. 

B 242. Geology of the Hudson Valley between the Hoosic and the Kinderhook, by T. Nelson Dale. 1904. 63 pp., 3 pis. 

PP 34. The Delavan lobe of the Lake Michigan Glacier of the Wisconsin stage of glaciation and associated phenomena, by

W. C. Alden. 1904. 106 pp., 15 pis.

PP 35. The geology of the Perry basin in southeastern Maine, by G. O. Smith and David White. 1905. 107 pp., 6 pis. 

B 243. Cement materials and industry of the United States, by E. C. Eckel. 1905. pp., 15 pis. 

B 246. Zinc and lead deposits of northeastern Illinois, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 56 pp., 5 pis. 

B 247. The Fairhaven gold placers of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by F. H. Moffit. 1905. 85 pp., 14 pis. 

B 249. Limestones of southwestern Pennsylvania, by F. G. Clapp. 1905. 52 pp., 7 pis. 

B 250. The petroleum, fields of the Pacific coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal deposits, by G. C. Martin.

1905. 65pp., 7 pis.

B 251. The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska, by L. M. Prindle. 1905. 89 pp., 16 pis. 

WS. 118. Geology and water resources of east-central Washington, by F. C. Calkins. 1905. 96 pp., 4 pis. 

B 252. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1905. 138 pp., 24 pis. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. T. Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis.

SERIES C, SYSTEMATIC GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY.

B 3. Fossil faunas of Upper Devonian, along the meridian 76° 30', from Tompkins County, New York, to Bradford County, 

Pennsylvania, by H. S. Williams. 1884. 36pp. (Out of stock.)

B 4. Mesozoic fossils, by C. A. White. 1884. 36 pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 10. Cambrian faunas of North America; preliminary studies, by C. D. Walcott. 1884. 74 pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 11. Quaternary and recent Mollusca of the Great Basin, with descriptions of new forms, by R. Ellsworth Call. Introduced by a sketch of the Quaternary lakes of the Great Basin, by G. K. Gilbert. 1884. 66 pp., 6 pis.

B 15. Mesozoic and Cenozoic paleontology of California, by C. A. White. 1885. 33pp. (Out of stock.)

B 16. Higher Devonian faunas of Ontario County, New York, by J. M. Clarke. 1885. 86 pp., 3 pis.

B 18. Marine Eocene, fresh-water Miocene, and other fossil Mollusca of western North America, by C. A. White. 1885. 26 

pp., 3 pis.

B 19. Notes on the stratigraphy of California, by G. F. Becker. 1885. 28pp. (Out of stock.)

B 22. New Cretaceous fossils from California, by C. A. White. 1885. 25 pp., 5 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 24. List of marine Mollusca, comprising the Quaternary fossils and Recent forms from American localities between 

Cape Hatteras and Cape Roque, including the Bermudas, by W. H. Dall. 1885. 336 pp.

B 29. Fresh-water invertebrates of the North American Jurassic, by C. A. White. 41 pp., 4 pis.

B 30. Second contribution to the studies on the Cambrian faunas of North America, by C. D. Walcott. 1886. 369 pp., 33 

pis. (Out of stock.)

B 31. Systematic review of our present knowledge of fossil insects, including myriapods and arachnids, by S. H. Scudder.

1886. 128 pp. 

B 34. Relation of the Laramie molluscan fauna to that of the succeeding fresh-water Eocene and other groups, by C. A.

White. 1886. 54 pp., 5 pis.

B 37. Types of the Laramie flora, by L. F. Ward. 1887. 354pp., 57 pis. 

B 41. Fossil faunas of the Upper Devonian the Genesee section, New York, by H. S. Williams. 1887. 121 pp., 4 pis. (Out

of stock.) 

B 43. Tertiary and Cretaceous strata of the Tuscaloosa, Tombigbee, and Alabama rivers, by E. A. Smith and L. C. Johnson.

1887. 189 pp., 21 pis.

B 51. Invertebrate fossils from the Pacific coast, by C. A. White. 1889. 102 pp., 14 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 56. Fossil wood and lignite of the Potomac formation, by F. H. Knowlton. 1889. 72 pp., 7 pis. 

B 63. Bibliography of Paleozoic Crustacea from 1698 to 1889, including a list of North American species, and a systematic

arrangement of genera, by A. W. Vogdes. 1890. 177 pp. 

B 69. Classed and annotated bibliography of fossil insects, by S. H. Scudder. 1890. 101 pp.
IV PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY.

B 71. Index to known fossil insects of the world, including myriapods and arachnids, by S. H. Scudder. 1891. 744 pp.

B 77. The Texan Permian and its Mesozoic types of fossils, by C. A. White. 1891. 51pp., 4 pis.

B 80. Correlation papers Devonian and Carboniferous, by H. S. Williams. 1891. 279pp. (Out of stock.)

B 81. Correlation papers Cambrian, by C. D. Walcott. 1891. 447 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 82. Correlation papers Gretaceous, by C. A. White. 1891. 273 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 83. Correlation papers Eocene, by W. B. Clark. 1891. 173pp., 2 pis.

B 84. Correlation papers Neocene, by W. H. Dall and G. D. Harris. 1892. 349 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 85. Correlation papers The Newark system, by I. C. Russell. 1892. 344 pp., 13 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 86. Correlation papers Archean and Algonkian, by C. R. Van Hise. 1892. 549 pp., 12 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 87. Synopsis of American fossil Brachiopoda, including bibliography and synonymy, by Charles Schuchert. 1897.

464 pp.

B 88. Cretaceous Foraminifera of New Jersey, by R. M. Bagg, jr. 1898. 89 pp., 6 pis. 

B 93. Some insects of special interest from Plorissant, Colo., and other "points in the Tertiaries of Colorado and Utah, by

S. H. Scudder. 1892. 35 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 97. Mesozoic Echinodermata of the United States, by W. B. Clark. 1893. 207 pp., 50 pis.

B 98. Flora of the outlying Carboniferous basins of southwestern Missouri, by David White. 1893. 139 pp., 5 pis. 

B 101. Insect fauna of the Rhode Island coal field, by S. H. Scudder. 1893. 27pp., 2 pis. 

B 1P2. Catalogue'and bibliography of North American Mesozoic Invertebrata, by C. B. Boyle. 1893. 315pp. 

B 105. The Laramie and the overlying Livingston formation in Montana, by W. H. Weed, with report on flora, by F. H.

Knowlton. 1893. 68 pp., 6 pis.

B 106. Colorado formation and its invertebrate fauna, by T. W. Stanton. 1893. 288 pp., 45 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 110. Paleozoic section in the vicinity of Three Forks, Mont, by A. C. Peale. 1893. 56 pp., 6 pis. 

B 120. Devonian system of eastern Pennsylvania and New York, by C. S. Prosser. 1895. 81pp., 2 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 121. Bibliography of North American paleontology, by C. R. Keyes. 1894. 251 pp. 

B 124. Revision of North American fossil cockroaches, by S. H. Scudder. 1895. 176 pp., 12 pis. 

B 128. Bear River formation and its characteristic fauna, by C. A. White. 1895. 108 pp., 11 pis. 

B 133. Contributions to the Cretaceous paleontology of the Pacific coast: The fauna of the Knoxville beds, by T. W.

Stanton. 1895. 132 pp., 20 pis.

B 134. Cambrian rocks of Pennsylvania, by C. D. Walcott. 1896. 43 pp., 15 pis. 

B 141. Eocene deposits of the middle Atlantic slope in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, by W. B. Clark. 1896. 167 pp.,

40 pis.

B 142. Brief contribution to the geology and paleontology of northwestern Louisiana, by T. W. Vaughan. 1896. 65 pp. 4 pis. 

B 145. Potomac formation in Virginia, by W. M. Fontaine. 1896. 149 pp., 2 pis.

B 151. Lower Cretaceous gryphseas of the Texas region, by R. T. Hill and T. W. Vaughan. 1898. 139 pp., 35 pis. 

B 152. Catalogue of Cretaceous and Tertiary plants of North America, by F. H. Knowlton. 1898. 247 pp. 

B 153. Bibliographic index of North American Carboniferous invertebrates, by Stuart Weller. 1898. 653 pp. 

B 163. Flora of the Montana formation, by F. H. Knowlton. 1900. 118 pp., 19 pis. 

B 173. Synopsis of American fossil Bryozoa, including bibliography and synonymy, by J. M. Nickles and R. S. Bassler.

1900. 663 pp.

B 179. Bibliography and catalogue of fossil Vertebrata of North America, by O. P. Hay. 1902. 868 pp. 

B 191. North American geologic formation names: Bibliography, synonymy, and distribution, by F. B. Weeks. 1902. 448pp. 

B 195. Structural details in the Green Mountain region and in eastern New York (second paper), by T. Nelson Dale. 1902.

22 pp., 4 pis.

B 204. Fossil flora of the John Day Basin, Oregon, by F. H. Knowlton. 1902. 153 pp., 17 pis. 

B 205. The Mollusca of the Buda limestone, by G. B. Shattuck, with an appendix on the corals of the Buda limestone, by

T. W. Vaughan. 1903. 94 pp., 27 pis. 

B 206. A study of the fauna of the Hamilton formation of the Cayuga Lake section in central New York, by H. F. Cleland.

1903. 112 pp., 5 pis.

B 210. The correlation of geological faunas; a contribution to Devonian paleontology, by H. S. Williams. 1903. 147 pp., 1 pi. 

B 211. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Upper Carboniferous rocks of the Kansas section, by G. I. Adams, G. H. Girty,

and David White. 1903. 123 pp., 4 pis.

PP16. Carboniferous formations and faunas of Colorado, by G. H. Girty. 1903. 546pp., 10 pis. 

PP19. Contributions to the geology of Washington, by G. O. Smith and Bailey Willis. 1903. 101 pp., 20 pis. 

PP21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1904. 168 pp., 29 pis. 

PP24. Zinc and lead deposits of northern Arkansas, by G. I. Adams, assisted by A. H. Purdue and E. F. Burchard, with

a section on the determination and correlation of formations, by E. O. Ulrich. 1904. 118 pp., 27 pis. 

PP31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, by

J. A. Taff; with an appendix on the reported ore deposits in the Wichita Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp.,

8 pis. 

PP 32. Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton.

1905. 433 pp., 72 pis.

fi 244. Contributions to Devonian paleontology, 1903, by H. S. Williams and E. M. Kindle. 1905. 137 pp., 4 pis. 

PP35. The geology of the Perry basin in southeastern Maine, by G. O. Smith and David White. 1905. 107 pp., 6 pis. 

PP 36. The lead, zinc, and fluorspar deposits of western Kentucky, by E. O. Ulrich and W. S. T. Smith. 1905. 218 pp., 15 pis.

Correspondence should be addressed to

THE DIRECTOR,

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

WASHINGTON, D. 0. 

APRIL, 1905.