154 Journal of the Mitchell Society [February 



Judging from the occurrence of monazite in the South Moun- 

 tain region of ISTorth Carolina where it was known to occur in 

 the gneissic rocks and especially in those portions that have been 

 pegmatized, instructions were given to the men assisting in lo- 

 cating the monazite of Madison County to look for it in the 

 gneissic or granitic rocks that were more or less pegmatized. The 

 occurrence of this monazite was finally located on a hill to the 

 west of Whiteoak Creek, a branch of Ivy River approximately 3 

 miles southwest of Mars Hill and 6 miles nearly due east of 

 Marshall, on a tract of land owned by Mr. IST. P. M. Corn. 



The country rocks of this section are Carolina gneiss and 

 Cranberry granite named and described by Mr. Arthur Keith.* 

 The Carolina gneiss is of Archean age and consists chiefly of 

 mica gneiss and mica schist but includes other gneisses, gran- 

 ites and diorites with small lenses of marble. The origin of this 

 Carolina gneiss is uncertain, but it is possible that most of the 

 mass was once a granite and that it has been metamorphosed 

 into its present condition. In this particular vicinity this Caro- 

 lina gneiss occurs as outliers from the main formation and is 

 not inter-banded with the Cranberry granite. Immediately to 

 the east there is a large mass of Roan gneiss and this is also 

 observed further to the west. The Cranberry granite as it oc- 

 curs in this vicinity is also in the form of outliers or apophyses 

 from the main mass lying to the north and west. As described 

 by Mr. Keith, this granite is an igneous rock composed of 

 quartz and orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar with biotite, 

 muscovite and, in places, hornblende as additional minerals. 

 There are a number of accessory minerals as magnetite, ilmen- 

 ite, garnet and eijidote. This granite occasionally contains 

 pegmatite areas and, on the Whiteoak Creek, a great deal of 

 the gneiss and granite was pegmatized. 



There are no extensive areas of rocks outcropping on this 

 hillside. Occasionally small boulders of the partially decom- 

 posed granite were observed containing more or less epidote and 

 ilmenite forming a sort of a ledge running around the hill about 

 a third of the way to the top. About 100 feet up the hillside a 



* U. S. Geological Survey, Asheville Folio, No. IIG, 1904, pp. 2 and 3. 



