Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-01-02
From the Northern Lancet.
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY
OF
Lamoille County, Vermont.
BY " LAMOILLE."

BY "LAMOMLE."
The Geology of any section of country, is
most appreciated, Amen ii is prefaced by some
geographical observations.
Lamoille County lies between Latitude "A Q
"a and "A Q 46 ~, Latitude Q 7'and o "a
W., from Washington. 1t is bounded North,
by Franklin and Orleans counties, East by Or
leans and Washington, South by Washington
and Chittenden, and West by Chittenden and
Franklin counties. Its extent is about 81 miles
north to south, and nearly the same east to west.
1t is mountainous and billy, but much less so,
than many other portions of the State. 1t con-
tains 420 square miles, mostly within the two
ranges of mountains, or as it is generally called
in the "Y.' The highest land in the State is
found in this county. In the Chm" or north
peak of Mansfield mountain, it is 1879 feet high,
the altitude of the south peak or the Nose" is
3083 feet. These peaks derive their names
from their striking resemblance 10 the features
ola man reclining on his back, his forehead,
nose and chin being we'll defined The princi-
pal River is the Lumolle, which enters the coun-
ty in Wolcott, and passes out of it in Cambridge
it receives most of the waters of the county,
and coursing in northwest direction, it emp
ties itself in Lake Champlain, south ofthe Sand
bar, arising fom the alluvium constantly hoated
down by the river. Waterbury river receives
its forming branches from Stowe, Mansfield,
and Sterling, and joins the Winooski at Wa
terbury.
THE surl or county IS ,hignly .7r6ts1SS zS-,-
the rich bottoms on the rivers, the alluvial san
dy plains, the higher rich marly and loamy lands
all abundautly reward the Industrious agrcul-
turist.
The minerals of Lamollle in place, are most
ly talcose and Mca slate; apart IrOSn IN there
are many other varieties throughout the county.
: Some localities abound more than others in ST.
lex; some of the rocks are soIt and easily work.
y ed, others on the contrary, are extremely hard
= and refractory. The hardest rocks present ma
ny assures, filled with quartz, that carry evil
y dence of having been thrown out III fluid state.
The rocks, in places, are all more or less strait
fed, and in all the towns, stone is readily pro-
cured for building purposes, The anlcillnal
line OF the strata, is principally from north to
south, hence, the dips from east to west. In the
y upheavngs of the mountains and hills, the stTa-
ia are but slightly fractured consequently there
= is plenty of dibris at their base.
The dlluvial Boulders are neither abundant
: nor large; many of them must have escaped
from the Queens dominions, probably passed
the custom house duty free, and now remain IN
Quarantine. There are small boulders of horn.
blende, argillite, and few Of brucia; there are
none of these stones, in place, in the State north
of our counly, which is the evidence of their or.
= gin in Canada.
We have granite boulders, the feldspar be
= ing of reddish cast or flesh color their local
=. hy IS unknown. There are numerous bou lders
=. of ofSerpentne in the north part of the county
- more abundant in Eden small and sparse il
Morristown. The stone in the manufactured
~ state, is one of the most beautiful and ornamen
+, tai minerals found in Vermont; it contains tht
.asLestls. or, as some writers term it,'Amianthus
" (Cotton-stone) which may be spun into yarnant
" woven or knit; from one of the varieties, tn
Ancens manufactured specie Of cloth tamou
y from its incombustibity; this depression is i'll
dulged in, for The information of those reader
of the LANCET, who may not have had an op
portunity of seeing any Asbestus: all this Sci
pentine must have come from Lowell, 20 mile
north of ofHydepark, being found in great abur
dance in the former place,
10 A few bonlders Of what our State Geoogi
rK call Secondary Greensboro" have been discov
'ut cred, as also few containing Epidote, and 9th
er traces Of Nodular granite. Drift furrows
MS scratches, are abundant on all the rocks IN place
IN where they have recently been uncovered, an
1t" they oil have southerly direction. hay,
y" lately, examined some very fair specimens, ira
ely ersng South l50 East some more east, wh
ave others had more westerly direction, as the Ell
De votions would direct the diluval current to ii
right or to the left Or rocks are all prin
40. uN tive; they are, consequently, not expected
y contain coal, but LamOiIle county possesses gre
'y mineral resources. Carbonate of Lime is foul
ecu in Johnson and Waterville, and although it co
talns Iron pyrites which color the mortar,
~ would the oxide of iron. nevertheless, it is u.s.
" " for this purpose.
w a'. steatite is found in Waterville, Stowe a
WV Sterling that from the first of these places,
the one most in use. Gaena of good quail
:. is found in Morristown; the Gangue is Chi
'S' flte-slate, which has not been sufficiently {
and pIored to determine whether it will repay the
liars Dor OF extracting it or not therefore for ,
ven, present. no Yankee will meddIe with it.
not Iron ore is plentiful in Wolcott il has a
store been discoveredin in Emore and the bed has BE-
Ton worked to SOME extent the mineral being