Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-02-07
Deep-Seated Mineral Veins or Lodes

Deep-Seated Mineral Veins or Lodes
In the several articles published in
the REGISTER the last four weeks
stated that the quartz veins in this
region were true-fissure and deep-seat-
to be reached before paying minerals
would be found: that is, from two
hundred to three hundred feet. / also
stated that this district, Southeast Mis-
souri,, was similar to the mining di-
vision of Cornwall in its formation ol
rock and veins. Allow me to give a
description of the rocks, veins and
minerals that are mined and have been
mined for the last century. | will first
give the description of
THE ROCK FORMATIONS
and mineral veins of Cornwall. Some
of the greenstones are volcanic rocks,
contemporaneous with the states,
among which they are found, whilst
others are hornblendic states, etc.
GRANTEES and elvans, having a simil-
lar chemical and neurological com
position, were probably derived from
the same source. The elvans de-
scribed here are the same as what is
termed in Missouri quartz; porphyry.
greensboro dykes and hornblendic
dykes we have here; states we have in
certain localities-fOr instance, at Pill
OF Knob, Buford and Cuthbertson
Mountains. Also, west of Annapolis
we have small area of this slate.
trayersed by numerous quartz veins.
Some prospecting was done here a
number of years agO---in one OF these
veins for platinum. These states in
Missouri are found near or resting on
the GRANTEES and porphyries. the same
as in Cornwall. In these rocks in
Cornwall are found the veins Of cop
per, tin and other ores. These veins
are composed of quartz, feldspar. barry
tes, etc. The veins vary greatly in
breadth, some of them extending as
clefts, while others are
forty feet wide. The rich
est tin veins in granite are generally
composed of pale greenish felspar.
which contains groups of tourmallne
and quartz, the tin ore being scattered
it in the form of crystalline
granules; but when the veins are al
most all quartz they are seldom rich
in tin ores Those veins which con-
tain copper in granite nearly always
show a gossan "a brown iron ore) on
the surface; large quantities of felspar
abound, and the whole is encrusted
with a thin coat of earthly black cop
per ore. This latter gets richer as it
1escends, passing into copper glance
and pyrites. The gauge of these veins
is usually friable quartz mixed with
felspar. The minerals which are
found in conjunction with these tin and
copper veins are wolfram, mispickel, |
arsenates of iron and copper, urinate
and bismuth. These veins not un-
frequently run for a long distance be-
tween a wall of granite and slate, or OF
granite and porphyry, Or even of por-
ohyry and slate; hut when the veins
pass from one rock into another they |
are nearly always richer at or near the
point of junction. Some Of these veins
are worked and in operation to-day
n several instances the depth of three |
thousand feet-and paying large divi-
lends We have in Southeast Mis- |
souri, veins similar to the Cornish |
veins, with the exception. perhaps. OF
some of the minerals. We know that
our veins are composed Of quartz, fell
spar, ETC., carrying lead, silver, cop
per and gold. These veins are found |
u granite. porphyry and slate, which
ire similar to the Cornish formations. |
The time will come when this mining |
district will be developed and valuable
mines be opened up. just think of
nine being worked for two hundred
,ears, and another one for four hun
lred years, and still working! This is
he case in Cornwall, England. The
writer of this article has visited this
nine. which has been worked constant
v for over four hundred years for tin
IRE. L. d.