200 ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 



ore is in far more general use. The ores are found in many 

 localities from Alabama to Newfoundland, where the Clinton 

 terrane is represented. The ore bodies are interstratified with 

 shales and sandstones and occur as beds or lenses of varying 

 length and thickness. Sometimes two beds will be represented 

 in the same locality, and in some cases three or even four beds 

 may be encountered. In thickness the beds vary from a few 

 inches to 10 ft. In some instances where the ore bodies are more 

 lens-shaped they reach a thickness approximating 40 ft. 



In central New York as well as in Newfoundland the beds are 

 nearly horizontal, while in the Appalachian region the dip at 

 times becomes quite high. Two varieties based upon texture 

 are well known. (1) The fossil ore which consists largely of 

 fossil fragments. (2) The oolitic ore which consists of grains of 

 silica encircled by hematite. The ores at the surface are low in 

 their lime content from the solution of the associated carbonate, 

 and soft as a result of weathering agencies, while the lower por- 

 tions of the ore body are higher in lime and hard because the 

 calcium carbonate with which the ores are associated has not 

 been removed. 



At Birmingham, Alabama, the Clinton ores are of great com- 

 mercial significance. The ore beds are situated on Red Mountain, 

 associated with sandstones and shales, and reach a maximum 

 dip of 50 degrees to the west. The burden of the overlying 

 material is often light and the ore is mined by open-cut method 

 and by stopes. The peculiar significance of the field lies in the 

 fact that to the west of the ore there is an abundance of Cambrian 

 limestone for a flux, and to the east two coal basins for fuel. 

 Thus all the essentials of a successful pig-iron industry exist at 

 Birmingham: (1) Iron ore for the extraction of the metal; (2) 

 limestone in close proximity for flux; and (3) coal in abundance 

 for fuel. 



According to H. Ries the more important Clinton iron-ore 

 deposits may be classified as follows: (1) West Central New 

 York. (2) Several narrow belts in central Pennsylvania. (3) 

 Alleghany County, Virginia. (4)Lee and Wise Counties, Vir- 

 ginia, extending in a southwesterly direction into the La Follette 

 district in Tennessee. (5) Narrow belts in the neighborhood of 

 Chattanooga, Tennessee. (6) Birmingham, Alabama. (7) Bath 

 County, Kentucky. (8) Dodge County, Wisconsin. (9) Newly 

 discovered ores in Missouri. (10) Belle Isle, Newfoundland. 



