﻿DEC. 
  4, 
  1922 
  WATSON 
  : 
  VEIN 
  OF 
  RUTlLE-IIvMENlTE 
  449 
  

  

  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  during 
  a 
  recent 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  area. 
  No 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  record 
  mentions 
  rutile 
  among 
  the 
  rarer 
  minerals 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   pegmatites 
  of 
  this 
  area. 
  

  

  Finally 
  the 
  pegmatite 
  body 
  described 
  by 
  Hess® 
  at 
  Baringer 
  Hill, 
  

   Llano 
  County, 
  Texas, 
  carries 
  rutile 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  especial 
  interest 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  association 
  of 
  minerals 
  of 
  the 
  rare 
  earth 
  metals. 
  

  

  GEOLOGY 
  OP 
  THE 
  VEIN 
  AREA 
  

  

  The 
  rutile-bearing 
  quartz 
  vein 
  described 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  is 
  located 
  

   in 
  Franklin 
  County, 
  Virginia, 
  15 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  southeast 
  of 
  

   Roanoke 
  City 
  and 
  about 
  1 
  mile 
  west 
  of 
  Teels 
  Mill, 
  near 
  the 
  entrance 
  

   of 
  Indian 
  Creek 
  into 
  Roanoke 
  River. 
  It 
  is 
  crossed 
  by 
  the 
  Roanoke- 
  

   Franklin 
  highway 
  and 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  mile 
  southwest 
  of 
  Roanoke 
  River. 
  

   (See 
  Roanoke, 
  Virginia, 
  topographic 
  sheet, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey.) 
  

  

  The 
  vein 
  occurs 
  about 
  8 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  Blue 
  Ridge 
  in 
  the 
  

   pre-Cambrian 
  schists 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Piedmont 
  Plateau 
  

   province. 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  moderately 
  strong 
  relief 
  

   with 
  an 
  average 
  elevation 
  above 
  sea 
  level 
  of 
  between 
  900 
  and 
  1,000 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  rocks 
  are 
  deeply 
  weathered, 
  yet 
  outcrops 
  of 
  fairly 
  fresh 
  and 
  

   hard 
  rock 
  are 
  common. 
  Where 
  crossed 
  by 
  the 
  highway 
  the 
  vein 
  has 
  

   an 
  elevation 
  of 
  1,000 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level. 
  

  

  The 
  vein 
  is 
  inclosed 
  in 
  dark 
  gray, 
  mica 
  schists, 
  composed 
  chiefly 
  

   of 
  biotite, 
  but 
  variations 
  in 
  mineral 
  composition 
  are 
  frequent. 
  The 
  

   structure 
  (schistosity) 
  of 
  the 
  schists 
  strikes 
  N. 
  50-60° 
  E. 
  and 
  dips 
  

   80-85° 
  S.E. 
  Veins 
  and 
  thin 
  stringers 
  of 
  white 
  granular 
  quartz 
  

   similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  rutile-bearing 
  vein, 
  but 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  all 
  minerals 
  save 
  quartz, 
  are 
  fairly 
  numerous. 
  They 
  usu- 
  

   ally 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  foliation 
  planes 
  of 
  the 
  schists 
  and 
  hence 
  are 
  comformable 
  

   with 
  the 
  structure. 
  Likewise 
  occasional 
  thinly 
  schistose 
  granite 
  peg- 
  

   matites 
  not 
  exceeding 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  width, 
  also 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  schists 
  conform- 
  

   able 
  with 
  the 
  structure, 
  but 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  rutile 
  was 
  noted 
  in 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  schist 
  weathers 
  to 
  a 
  red 
  clay 
  soil 
  through 
  which 
  are 
  scattered 
  

   leached 
  yellow 
  folia 
  of 
  biotite. 
  Also 
  loose 
  fragments 
  of 
  white 
  quartz 
  

   derived 
  from 
  the 
  quartz 
  veins 
  by 
  weathering 
  are 
  thickly 
  strewn 
  over 
  

   the 
  surface 
  in 
  many 
  places. 
  

  

  The 
  vein 
  outcrops 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road, 
  on 
  the 
  Maxey 
  

   place, 
  as 
  a 
  low 
  reef 
  -like 
  form 
  traced 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  nearly 
  100 
  feet. 
  

   Loose 
  fragments 
  (float) 
  of 
  the 
  vein 
  rock, 
  however, 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  

  

  « 
  Hess, 
  Frank 
  L. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey 
  Bull. 
  340: 
  287-294. 
  1908. 
  

  

  