EXPLORATIONS FOR ROCKS AND MINERALS IN THE 



EASTERN STATES 



By JAMES H. BENN 

 Junior Scientific Aid, Department of Geology, U. S. National Museum 



During the past year the writer made various short field trips in 

 search of rock and mineral specimens intended mainly for the mineral- 

 ogical and geological exhibition series of the National Museum. In 

 November, 1931, a short trip was made to the Seaboard Feldspar 

 Mine, near Moneta, Nelson County, Ya., to secure an unusually large 

 orthoclase crystal reported by Dr. W. T. Schaller, Associate in Min- 

 eralogy in the Museum, and presented by the mining company. This 

 large crystal of feldspar, weighing approximately 800 pounds and 

 measuring about 2 feet high and 3 feet long, is now on exhibition in 

 the National Museum. 



Accompanied by Dr. W. F. Foshag, the writer later made two 

 trips to the old Rutherford mica mine at Amelia Courthouse, Va. The 

 main shaft descends vertically for about 100 feet, and then by tunnels 

 and other shafts one descends to 180 feet, the deepest point in the 

 mine, where the pegmatite is free from the impurities and stains of 

 the weathered portion higher up. The sparkle of clean sheets of mus- 

 covite ranging in size from a few inches to over a foot in width, the 

 snowy whiteness of platy albite crystals, and the deep green color of 

 amazonstone greet the eye whichever way one turns the torchlight. 

 Among the minerals collected at this locality were an extraordinarily 

 large crystal of the rare mineral manganotantalite, several extra large 

 microlites, a superfine group of albite crystals, and a large mass of 

 gem quality amazonstone. 



In June, 1932, a reconnaissance was made of the mineral localities 

 in southern New York and New Jersey, with the result that much fine 

 material was secured for the collections. In New York the most out- 

 standing localities visited were Ellenville and Forest of Dean. Many 

 years ago the copper-lead mines at Ellenville were prolific producers 

 of exceptionally fine quartz crystals and rare mineral species, but 

 they have been abandoned for 20 years. However, over a hundred 

 samples of small quartz groups were collected. The Fort Montgomery 

 iron mine at Forest of Dean has been in operation for the past 175 

 years and has an inclined shaft now well over a mile in length. A 

 series of large pieces illustrating the geology of the ore deposit was 



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