The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-12-20
SECTION At orLMER's FIELD. PHELPS LAKl

Leaves. no Ignite. 100
5. SHAY olay ....... 1920
6. Landslides and talus, OF which
lower 90 feet has some washes to
show itmerely mass of detritus 100
$50
The bed Of limonite indicated in
the above section resembles in text
ure and lamination the compact ore
seen at Rusk, Cherokee county. Both
are lacustrine deposits. but the ore of
the Gilmer field was probably formed
at q much later date than that of
Cherokee county. At Rusk erosion
has removed the strata from about
the old lake bed and left it elevat-
ed on the hill-tops. At the Gilmer
field and elsewhere throughout the
region in which like ores were formed
the depressions which held the ponds
still exist and the manner of forma-
ton OF the ores is readily recognized.
We may also trace the genesis of the
Gilmer field ore by its variation in
quality in different layers: on top is a
quartzite scarcely colored by iron;
beneath this sandstone cemented
by ferric oxide. followed by sand
stone with streaks of limonite; then
alight porous limonite which incloses
innumerable sticks and leaves; and at
the bottom the heavy compact ore,
two to three feet thick. This lami-
nation is what we might expect in a
lacustrine deposit, as was stated in
discussing the varieties of iron ORE
A piece of the heavy brown ore was
analysed and yielded the following
result:
ANALYSIS OF IRON ORE FROM GILMER FIELD,
PHELPS LAKE.
Per cents
Silica and sand l2I
Phosphorus. .6S
SULPHUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 90
Iron. 1897
The field in which this ore was
found is spot of red land three
fourths of mile long by less than
one.half a mile wide; it is probably
only part of the original site of the
pond in which the ore was deposited.
Similar ores occur in beds which have
no connection with this one, nor with
one another, on Sections 6 and Z, 7.
% N, r. Ii W., and at Mr.: Keller's,
on Manderville branch, on Sections
% and 81. 7. % n, r. Is w.
Hills of detrital material rise high
above all these deposits and the mas
sive sand beds resemble the true
Orange Sand more closely than is
generally the case in Louisiana.
Eastward and northeast from
Phelps lake compact imonite occurs
in various places in small bodies
One or two may be mentioned: the
w. ! of the SW. ] of Sec. %. I. 80
N. r. Ii w., and Sec. "a, 7. % n,
r. Ii W., at Major Wyche's. Near
his house, on much lower point
hypsometrically, some god poot ore
was found
| In the vicinity of Red Land, which
takes its name from the characteristic
soil, there is much compact limonite,
like thai at Phelps lake. It was seen
in the NV. I of the Sc. / of Section
| %, T. % n, r. IL W., and elsewhere
in the same section, and also in sec
tiou 20 of same township and range
These are superficial outcroppings,
showing that the whole is repetition
on o larger scale of the occurrence.
at the Gilmer field, on Phelps lake.
At one of the lowest points of the
development (SW. I of SW. / of Sec
90, T % N, R. IL W. little ocher
GUS hydrated ore was found, Will
casts of shells
| Limonite occurs at various local.
ties between Red Land and Rocky
Mount, but nowhere in sufficien
quantity to be of great Importance
A sandy, ferruginous rock was see,
at Bixler's, Section 26, 7. % n, r
ID W., and at Sanders Nursery, Sec
Is, same township. 1t contains cast
of Claiborne fossils, and sharks teetl
were obtained from the .'black dirt
in Bixler's we'll. At Mr.. Curry's, il
Sec. 80, T. % N, r. IL w., nodula
lfmonite of good quality, but of mod
crate development, was reen.
| Rocky Mount derives its nam,
from tbs rocks of ferruginos sand
stone which flank the red lands, be
ginning near that village. This is tn
most southern development of thi
particular series of the red lands o
Bossier parish between Bodcau bayo'
and Red river, extending some q
miles north and northwest, with
width of six miles, interrupted, how
ever, by areas of deep Orange Sand
The ore at Rocky Mount is of tn
type seen In the Gilmer field, o.
Phelps lake. An occurrence of it ma
be seen in a cellar six feet deep unde
Hughes storehouse. The clay is
deep red and pretty firm. eontainin,
several layers OF limonite in thil