JOURNAL 



OF THE 



Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 



NOTES ON THE KAOLIN- AND CLAY 

 DEPOSITS OF NORTH CAROLINA. - 



BY J. A. HOLMES, CHAPEL HILL, N. C. 



As the Appalachian mountains reach their maxi- 

 mum development in western North Carolina, we find 

 also in that reg'ion indications of extensive dynamic dis- 

 turbances and alterations uuderg-one by the rocks in 

 connection with these mountain uplifts. Among- the 

 minor results of these chang-es have been the formation 

 of numerous dikes of "veins" of exceedingiy coarse 

 granitic material>>, which in some places are mined for 

 the mica which the\" contain, and in other places are 

 quarried for kaolin. These dikes are filled with 

 quartz, feldspar and mica, in varying- proportions, very 

 coarsely crystalized. Sometimes the mica 'generally 

 muscovitej, sometimes the feldspar fgenerall}^ albiteor 

 orthoclasej, predominates. When the mica is present 

 in considerable quantity and in large cr^'stals, the dyke 

 is usually spoken of as a mica-vein, and is often 

 worked for mica. Sometimes these crystals of mica 

 occur on one side or the other, sometimes on both sides, 



* From the Transactions of the Am. Inst, of Mining- Eng-ineers, 

 VoL XXIV, 1895. 



