﻿GEOLOGY. 
  241 
  

  

  Gold, 
  silver, 
  and 
  copper 
  belong 
  properly 
  to 
  the 
  pri- 
  

   mary 
  formation 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  carboniferous 
  limestone, 
  that 
  

   on 
  which 
  the 
  coal 
  measures 
  repose, 
  lying 
  low 
  down 
  

   among 
  the 
  secondary 
  strata, 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  depository 
  of 
  

   lead. 
  

  

  Gold, 
  unlike 
  silver, 
  copper, 
  or 
  tin, 
  is 
  rarely 
  met 
  with 
  

   in 
  veins, 
  but 
  is 
  disseminated 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  in 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  occurs, 
  chiefly 
  quartz. 
  

  

  ^ 
  There 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  but 
  one 
  deposit 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  

   diluvium 
  or 
  northern 
  drift, 
  in 
  which 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  metals 
  

   could 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  limited 
  and 
  diffused 
  parti- 
  

   cles. 
  Gold 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  minute 
  grains 
  (exceedingly 
  

   minute) 
  in 
  the 
  quartose 
  and 
  agatized 
  pebbles 
  of 
  that 
  de- 
  

   posit. 
  

  

  Pyrites, 
  that 
  deceptive 
  mineral 
  which 
  is 
  generally 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  these 
  reputed 
  and 
  delusive 
  

   discoveries, 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  generally 
  diffused. 
  It 
  is 
  

   found 
  in 
  rocks 
  of 
  all 
  ages, 
  and 
  abundantly 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  recent 
  formations. 
  

  

  It 
  occurs 
  in 
  subglobular 
  nodules 
  in 
  the 
  cretaceous 
  

   rocks, 
  in 
  the 
  white 
  limestone 
  or 
  indurated 
  marl, 
  the 
  

   sandstone, 
  and 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  lignite 
  of 
  the 
  tertiary. 
  

  

  Its 
  colors 
  are 
  chiefly 
  bronze, 
  brass 
  yellow, 
  and 
  steel 
  

   gray, 
  and 
  its 
  structure 
  is 
  either 
  capillary, 
  cellular, 
  hepa- 
  

   tic, 
  and 
  radiated, 
  of 
  Mdiich 
  latter 
  character 
  are 
  the 
  no- 
  

   dules 
  spoken 
  of 
  

  

  Its 
  composition 
  is 
  iron, 
  47.85, 
  sulphur, 
  o2.15; 
  but 
  as 
  

   an 
  iron 
  ore, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  combination 
  with 
  the 
  sulphur, 
  

   it 
  is 
  worthless. 
  

  

  That 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  primitive 
  rocks 
  contains 
  a 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  of 
  gold 
  sufficient 
  to 
  justify 
  its 
  separation, 
  but 
  in 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  recent 
  formations 
  gold 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  expected. 
  

  

  By 
  different 
  processes, 
  sulphur, 
  alum, 
  and 
  copperas 
  

   are 
  extracted 
  from 
  it; 
  the 
  two 
  latter 
  profitably, 
  when 
  

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