ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 243 



NICKEL. 



The property known as La Perseverancia, on Sierra Prieta about. 30 

 kilometers north of Santo Domingo City, is being prospected for nickel. 

 This mine lias been visited by H. G. Ferguson and D. D. Condit, both of 

 the United States Geological Survey, whose report on it is given on pages 

 231-236. 



COPPER. 



The copper deposits of the San Cristobal district have been worked inter- 

 mittently for along time, and some ore has been shipped. An examination 

 of these deposits and of the gold prospect in the same district was made 

 during the present examination of the Republic and a report on them is 

 given on pages 236 242. Copper ore is reported to occur in many other parts 

 of the Republic, but none of it has yet been mined except in the San Crist ol >a 1 

 district. The prospect on Loma de la Mina near Hatillo, south of Cotuf, and 

 the indications of copper noted on Loma Miranda, near Banica, and near 

 Ban! are mentioned in the descriptions of those parts of the Republic. 



IRON. 



No iron mines are in operation in the Dominican Republic, although 

 prospecting for iron ore has been undertaken at several places. The 

 lateritic deposits near Maim6n and the magnetite near Hatillo, both in the 

 Cordillera Central south of Cotuf, are described on pages 228-231. The 

 known deposits in these localities are small and are of no commercial value. 

 Deposits of limonite are reported near Paradis and in Sierra de Bahoruco, 

 in the southwestern part of the Republic. 



MANGANESE AND LEAD. 



Deposits of manganese ore are mentioned in several consular reports 

 as occurring in different parts of the Republic, but none of them arc now 

 being mined. There is a deposit in the Province of Seibo, but it was not 

 visited. Specimens of the ore have been examined by D. F. Hewett, of the 

 United States Geological Survey, who states that they show nodules of 

 manganese oxides replacing red tuff and therefore resemble the ores from 

 several districts in eastern Cuba. 



Galena in very small quantities is present in some of the ore in the San 

 Cristobal district. 



OIL. 



Oil has been found near Azua, in the southwestern part of the Republic, 

 but the quantity so far obtained is small. This area is described in this 

 report by D. D. Condit and C. P. Ross (pp. 223-225), who also consider the 

 possibility of finding oil elsewhere in Santo Domingo. There are rumors of 

 indications of oil in many parts of the Republic, but no such indications 

 were found except near Azua. The oil there has an asphalt base, contains 

 no gasoline, and is unsuitable for refining into the lighter grades of petro- 

 leum. 



