The New York herald., 1850-09-17
0ur New jersey Correspondence.

|
! CAMDEN, Aug. 81, 1880.
0eolssical end Typographical vieo Of Mes
Jersey, co~ttrHed.
In my last letter described the features of the
second division of the geology of New Jersey;
and in this / will ninutely describe the third In
this division, which might properly be styled the
mountainous DIVISION" and which extends in
bre adth varying from fifteen 10 thirty-hve miles
in right angles with the general course Of the
mountains, the geological formations are strangely
blended, and, in some places, almost iaerplicably
confounded. This district is exceedingly interest
ine-fsr more so than tho others. not only in con-
sequence Of its broken geology, but also from the
variety of SOIL surface, &C., and its mineral and
vegetable productions. Rocks of a pretty uniform
character are found in the primitive ridges; but
they are generally Of a coarse and uneven texture
and surface, aggregated with crystals of quartz
and feldspar. Sometimes they contain considera-
BILE quantities of shorl, garnets hornblende, epi-
dote, and mica; and, in several places, | have no.
ticed, that for considerable distance between
these rocks none of the sborl or gar net minerals
can be found. Granite, gneiss, and sienite, are
formed in this section by the blend ing and combi-
nation OF these materials. Also, al some points
the primitive greensboro Is seen.
The most common rocks in the transition sec
ten are granwacke and granwacke slate; but there
are beautiful mural precipces miles in length, pre-
sented by the range OF mountains in Bergen and
Morris countless of Long Pond Green Pond, aud
Rafienbtrg, which are composed of reddish
brown granwacke, interspersed with indurated
clay, red and white jasper, and red and white
quartz The rocks incline TO the northwest, at
an angle of about 40 deg in even qualifications !;
and, singular as II may seem, they are abundanty
dispersed over and along the banks of the Pequan-
mock from Pompton to Newfoundland Adjacent to
PtOuAnuolk eks in nl
sienite, is frequently observed. AT Ringwood,
Mount Pleasant and Suckasunny, magnetic iron
ore of excellent quality is extensively mined These
ranges, according to geological surveys, are the
strata extending nearly 300 miles in length from the
White Hills OF New Hampshire to Black River,
and cor sequently embrace some of the richest and
most productive iron mines in the United States
The beds are from 10 IL feet in thickness, and
the ore is of a remarkably excellent quality. Cal
careous spar and asbestos are frequent, and suphu
ret OF iron aboupds in many parts of the highlands
The most extensive bed of the last which has yet
been discovered, is that in Morris county, near the
eastern base of the Copperas Mountain, and oppo-
site Green Pond. During the last war with Great
Britain, considerable quantities Of copperas was
manufactured here. Some Of the ore in this
gon is so highly mpregnated with sulphur. that it
is rendere entirely useless for the forge. There ia
also found here large quantities of graphite or black
lead.
Large plates of black mica, chrystalyzed in hexa-
edral form, sometimes foot in diameter, have
been found on the Ramspo river, near the Monloe
Iron works. In the elevated primitive ranges west
OF the transition district compact feldspar and ep
dote are very common and in various parts of the
transition range, compact limestone is also found
In the vicinity Of New Germantow wn, and on
line running southwest and Northeast from that
point, pudding limestone, of quality equal 10 that
used in the Capitol at Washin g oo, is aoundanly
dispersed, and II is frequently converted into lime
West of Pompton Plains, in the primitive range OF
Morris county, in what is called Stony Brook Noun
tain, chlorite slate is found in considerable quant-
ties; and quite recently granular limestone has also
been quarried in the same mountain This mine
raj is Of beautifully clear white, admitting of an
excellent polish, and is often associated with ami
anthus and tale, alternating in narrow veins.
There is a greyish-whe marble found in the
same vicinity: which is rendered porphyritic by
grains of noble serpentine distributed through IT,
II is exceedingly hard, and admits of a highly
beautiful polish. There have also been observed
metallic crystals, supposed TO be chromate of iron,
in the tale found at this place. From this mineral,
hemists have extracted an acid, which, if united
with lead, forms chremate of lead, and which is
considered a valuable pigment. Adjacent to Green
Pond, beautiful specimen OF galena has been
found in the Rranmacke ranges, and tremolie seems
to be extensively connected with the granular lime
stone of Stoney Brook
After we ascend northwest OF the transition, We
again arrive at a point where the primitive !" re-
sunes its EMPIRE" and II then includes the Wall
kill and Hamburg mountains. These mountains
are then continued by inersectng Schooey's and
the Musc0netcong, from the line of New York to
that of Pennsylv lvania, without even being broken
by the interruption of stream The primitive, the
secondary, and transition formations appear as IL
they were combined in this ridge, and portion OF
the primitive section west OF il. There are quite q
number of nnominae hills in this section, such as
Marble mountain, Scott's mountain, Jenny Jump,
Furnace mountain, Pimple hills, and Pochuck
mountain. The whole Of this is a remarkably
good mineral dlstrict-the best in New Jersey.
Highly magnetic iron ore, but which is blended
with foreign substances 10 considerable extent, is
found in Schooley's and MusconetconR mountains.
The foreign substances in this ore render IL almost
tunf.n in me tnsfa IN han
tion. | remember, when but lad, Of filling my
pockets with an excellent quality Of gundints,
which are dispersed in abundance along the sides
Of this hill, and also in the valley.
The Sparta, or Waikiki valley, lies ives, Of the
Hamburgh mountains, running in northeasteriy
direction a distance OF about twenty miles, 10 the
State Of New York. This valley Is quite notorious
for the number and variety OF its minerals. The
bottom Of the valley rests upon a white erystalzed
limestone and marble, which rise into low sub
sidsry ridge, and follows the course Of the stream
for nearly nine miles in extent. The greatest and
most interesting features OF this valley, however,
arc the metallferous deposits. The first bed, which
10 at Franklin furnace, appears like black noun
tain mass but IL contains iron ore, very little mag
netic, and, as a new metalllferous combination,
II has received the name OF frankliniie." Il IS
composed Of 66 per cent Of ron l6 Of zinc, and IL
Of the red oxide Of manganese. When the Frank
lin furnace was first constructed, Il was supposed
that the ore was exceedingly valuame, but UPON
testing its quality, after the uace had been erect
ed, il was found, to the gresi disappointment Of its
proprietor, Mr.. Fowler, that the ore was not only
irrtducible TO metallic iron, but that obstruc,ed
the fusion ef ether ores" II could not be EN-
ployed in as email quantity as one-tenth OF the
magnetic ore with which Il was mired, without
producing what smeliers designate a salaman-
der-ihat is, an alloy of iron with manganese,
which resists fusion, and crystalizes under the
blast. AT this furnace il has been very sparinely
intsrmixed with the red oxide Of znc. This bed
ceases to be discernible on the surface two miles
north Of the furnace still, il may be traced dis
II
Another huge Of this mineral is found at Stir
ling; " is however, combined with the red oxide
Of zrc, that the Frapklinite crystals embedded
in the zinc, forming a metsllnerous rorphyry."
This was used TO some purpose az brass, in the
last war, by merely pounding nd mixing il with cop
per. Frequently but few feet from the Frsnkliniie,
there have been large beds OF magnetic oxide Of iron
discovered, but so extensively mixed with horn