The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-28
GOLD IN THE MOUNTAINS.
Formations OF the Earth It's Divi-
siOns into Rocks and Ores-Minerai
Veins or Little MOuutain-On Ma
lures Trail 10 Wealth.

In tracing the foot prints of nature, 1t ap
pears that this world was formed oy the ac'
cumulation Of atoms from all space OF gravl'
tationS Each atom after It's own KIND unit
iny, filling the laws OF attraction. Purity
swayed the resting place of this vast collec
lion OF atoms, when disturbing elements be.
gan to rise. by mixing togetner ths oaser, alu II,
water, generated heat OF sufficient intensity 10
produce molten gaseous world:
the melted state OF this great body resulted
in a mingled mass of matter, which nlter cool,
ing, is known as the great variety OF rocks OF
which this earth IL composed.
Granite is the most i'm nportlnt, its thickness
no estimate can be made, as no mining opera,
tions have ever penetrated through II, ana
none of the most eXtensiv We displaceinents OF
rock by natural causes have brought 10 me
surface any other rock on when II restH. IL
may, therefore, be considered the foundation
rock. the skeleton of the earth upon which
all the other formations are supported. IL j.
observed that all granitic rocks contain met,
ais, at or near their Junction with stratineu
rocks Gneiss is The most abundant rock In
this class, and Is generally found repoSing on
granite. It's stratiticatoa Is sometimes very
distinct, but II is often so Imperfect that IL can
scarcely be recognized. Tbs is more ire
quently the case iu the vicinity OF granite on
which 1t rests, and into which II insensibly
passes. This rock owes its origin 10 the acllon
OF water as the unstratitled or granite rocR
does " that of heat. II was deposited from
water in regular strata, and afterwards
changed or metamorphosed by Internal neat,
40 as 10 assume new and different texture
The water worn fragments which IL contains
is n distinct evidence OF It's mechanical origin.
And yet 1t Is very different from later me-
chanical formations. AS the states, wnicn com.
pose the greater part OF the land surface of
the earth, forming not ONLY vast plains, put
whole mountain systems.
The stratified rocks were deposited as mud. .
and were at first In a yielding state. Most OF
these deposits have become solidhed rocks.
Since the strata have become solid or perhaps
In connection with, there has been something
OF movement among the particles, resulting
in mineral veins.
One OF the most general changes OF this
kind Is that by which mass becomes sep
arabic into these sheeis-independen OF the
qualification and not parallel with II.
These are the clearage planes which are sup
posed to result from crystalline arrangement
or the particles OF the rock.
The strata have been everywhere more or
less broken and the tissures, nearly vertical,
extend TO great depths, when fracture reach
es the surface, IL often becomes channel Tor
water. 1t is widened by the erason, the deep
est parts become filled with debris, and thus
becomes q ravine, such as we see around the
LLtle Mountain, and many other places. II
the fracture does not come TO the surface, II
formed in this way in Florida. There Is gen
orally r stream OF water running through
them of sufficient volume TO nave produced
the erasion for gorges in their course.
In an auriferous formation OF Wnlch the
rocks of the Little Mountain are composed.
separated some mineral often separates itseli
from adjacent rock. and filling up the space,
re-unites the broken parts. 1t Is then vein
of segregation. But the assures are frequent
ly filled with rock injected from below. IT IL
then a vein OF igneous fusion.