Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1837-08-03

MaSCEEA AMY.
From The Riclsmond Compiler.
GEOLOGY OF VIRGINIA.
11urifer0us Rocks.

!
| evidences already afforded, we are Inclined
! To- ihiuk that this region Is the richest in it,
| aurilerOus reius ia The Union. Professor
! Rogers enioICps The Importance OF maui.
| observation To trace these VEINS, as lar as
! practicable; To ascertain the general value 81
the veins now wrought aud also a proper
| scrutiny into The various nudes used ia sera-
rating the gold from the materials in which
! il is found. lie thinks much is lost from the
| imperfect system used, and mentions u case
" here the sand and gravel Inch bad been
Twice washed, yielded enough ia the third
washing 10 make Ave dollars day for each
OF The two hands engaged 10 washing it, The
mines, since the Professors reconnaissance
have much improved 10 their systems and
many I'll the mines are making profitable re
tulnS' some statements we anticipated re-
iative 10 these mines, have not come to hand.
we viii present an abstract of ;he PROBE ssor's
account "i some OF them, which lie Says is
generally applicable To the " hole
The veins are OF variegated quartz. some
tunes Translucent, NJ others opaque OF celIu
lar structure, fractures easy, sumciimes cun>
tanning much water dispersed through II
The surface displays variety OF tints of
brown, purple and yelluw-ihe cav tiles Of, en-
filled with bright yellow ochre, or hytirat.
cd per oxide of iron, usually continuing gold
| IN minute division. Sulpbret of iron NV.
rles) Is another accompany ing mineral &C
curing IN oiher mines in largo Quantities. Sill.
yer Is occasionally found la connection with
the gold. and sulphrets OF copper and lead
have been discovered in lew instances in
uuriterOus rock
Rocks forming The boundaries of the au-
rierous veins, vary in different localities.
uIcose slate, Chl"riie slate, and y variety
al these abounding III garnets, are tie most
usual w nh some exceptions they are soft
! and readily yield Ia the pick and spade.
When hard, the expense OF getting AT the
ore is much increased. The walls of The
vein in Morton's Buckingham mine are of
such hardness as 10 be removed will diff
Gully by blasting; while ut Bookel's they
are in so rOlton a stale as 10 present the an
Pearance oil earth. Rocks adjacent TO the
| quartz aie uiIen MISREPRESENTATION a;
productive as the quartz itself
he aurierous veins are not regular in
their forms geuerally--ai one point ha, il, q a
thickness Of several feet, and al another very
near 10 The former, contracting so as only 10
measure II lew inches across. Sometimes il
DIVIDES aud again unites, or sends off other
branches "in Morton's mines, The width
varies from seven feet TO five or six inches
In Booker's, The vein forks, thins, and as fire.
quently widens AT Union Mine, on the
Rappahann"ck, the vein varies from six in>
! cheS To nearly three feet sometimes" This
TACT, although diminishing confidence in the
| regularity OF large vein, induces contin-
uaiinn 9th examination, as sudden en-
! iargement may produce large supply of
! productive rock.
he Professor mentions "anoiher fact of
I some practical importance; II is, that al
though III the main, the dip and direction Of
! the vein conforms with those ufthe enclosing
strd!s, The correspondence is far from being
exact, aud ia many instances, while the in
! clInalion OF the neighboring strata remains
| unchanged, that OF The vein undergoes very
striking alteration. AT MorInn's inc near
The surface, the dip is about 20 deg, while at
some depth beneath, il becomes 10 dec. -
! Other instances might be adduced
! Various veins OF quartz occur, found moi 10
| contain valuable proportion of the precious
metal yet probable none are destitute oft
Professor Rogers thinks il probable that the
durIerous character pervades the quartz veins
| generally as lar as their w esiern limit in the
Blue Ridge. lie says" the striking similar
ity IN the character OF them all, aud the oh
| viOus cOtempordneOuSness ~ their origin,
would seem 20 give great plsusibility TO this
| opinion and il we are 10 credit the slate
ments OF the discovery OF gold in the West
! erD part OF Alhemarle, and AT one or Two 9th
| erpoinis equally remote from the gold region
! as usually defined, we Can no longer doubt
VIC VI the DIue Rouge as
The proper Western boundary OF The aurifer-
Gus rocks. A careful Investigation of the
numerous large quartz veins, ranging along
| the Valley between the Soulbw est Mountain
and the Blue Ridge Mountains, becomes IN
this point Of view matter OF great import
aDce, and should the auriferOus character he
found pervading these veins, as is not i'm
probably the fact, the extent and value Of the
gold region Of the State will scarcely have q
parallel upon the globe"
Pursuing the line indicated in the section
after leaving the gneissand horn beDde slate
which extend some distance above Columbia
on both sides OF the river the rocks met will
are various kinds of states end scbIsts, occa
sIoDsily penetrated with veins Of the aurIfer.
ous quartz, furnishing materials for building
&c. Analogous beds are met with in tbt
regions Northeast and Southwest ofthai her.
referred to,-ranging through The State in
belt compreheDding what is Usually termed
The gold region, and bounded on the Westerr
sue Oy The narrow belt of limestone lyin!
east Of the Southwest Mountain.
Heavy vertical beds Of NIcoc,o,,s slate re-
cur after leaving the gneiss and horne blend
; slate, little below Bremo fo his ar
mullitudes of halt de, eloped garneis an
sometimes crl stalls Of tuhicai pyrjies
contains much mica, aud has The coinr an,
iuslre e piumhago lis texture is hard an
II may be separated i'm the quarry in Iary
regular masses, and may I've used ad an Ia
geously for slate, pavements and genera
building use. u has been used in the fur
Hace slack and found 10 answer we'll.