240 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 
barren quartzite. Most of the ore of this locality would prob- 
ably require separation and concentration from the admixed 
quartz before being of a grade sufficiently high for smelting. 
The position of the deposits on the west side of Ungava bay, 
where the tide rises and falls forty feet or more, is not very 
promising for shipping. 
More attention has been given to the iron deposits of the east 
side of Hudson bay than to any other of the mineral deposits 
of the north. In 1877, Dr. Bell explored the east shore of 
Hudson bay as far north as Cape Dufferin, and in his report on 
this exploration called attention to the deposits of iron ore 
found in a bedded series of rocks, chiefly sandstones, cherts and 
dolomites. These rocks he found forming the islands along that 
coast from Cape Jones, at the mouth of James bay, to Cape 
Dufferin, some 300 miles farther north. A strip of the same 
rocks occupies the mainland from the vicinity of Great Whale 
river to beyond the head of richmond gulf, a distance of 120 
miles. 
The iron ores of value were found to be confined to the 
nastapoka chain of islands, which extend northward from 
Little Whale river for a distance of 100 miles. 
A further examination of these iron-bearing rocks was made 
by the writer during the summers of 1898 and 1899, and more 
closely during the summers of 1901 and 1902 when engaged in 
this work for a private company. 
These iron-bearing rocks of the east side of Hudson bay have 
a close resemblance to those of Lake Superior, so famous for 
the amount and quality of their associated ores of iron. They 
consist of bedded sandstones, cherts, shales, graywackes and 
dolomites, associated with great outflows and sills of trap. The 
following general section of the rocks of the Nastapoka islands 
will give a good idea of the rocks there, while on the mainland 
other strata, free from or poor in iron, are found. 
