Chap. 8. GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY OF VERMONT. 



223 



ROCKS, METALS AND MINERALS. 



da, and is m^t with more or less abun- 

 dantly in nil the counties on the cast side 

 of the mountains. It is of little value as 

 a bulldiiiiT stone, excepting for wall fen- 

 ces, but is found in niiiny planes suitable 

 for covering- stone bridges, for flagging 

 stone, &,c. In Halifax and some other 

 places it is found of a quality suitable for 

 common grave stones. 



ArgiUarcovs Sink.. Several considerable 

 ranges of this slate are found in Vermont 

 extending from south to north. It is 

 abundant along Connecticut river, and in 

 Windham county it is extensively quar- 

 ried at Dummerston and other places for 

 roof and writing slate A range of this 

 slate extends north from White river 

 through Montpelier, which, at Berlin and 

 some other places, affords slate of a very 

 good quality. A dark colored glazed va- 

 riety of this slate extends along the east- 

 ern margin of lake Champlain, the seams 

 of which are filled with calcareous spar. 



Lime. The range of granular lime- 

 stone, which enters the state at Pownal, 

 and extends almost directly north to Can- 

 ada, is the most important in the state. 

 This range affords excellent marble, which 

 is extensively wrought in many towns in 

 the counties of Bennington, Rutland and 

 Addison. Very beautiful marble is also 

 found at Swanton. TJiroughout all tlie 

 western parts of the state limestone, for 

 the manufacture of lime of tlie best qual- 

 ity, is abundant. On the east side of the 

 mountains, the best for the nianufiic- 

 ture of lime is probably at Plymouth, 

 near the head of Black river. (S'c Pari 

 HI, p. 140.) Some of this limestone is 

 found to receive a very good polish as it 

 has been wrought to some extent for mar- 

 ble. The other inost important localities 

 are at Whitingham and in the southeast- 

 ern part of Caledonia county. The lime 

 on the east side of the mountains is not 

 only more limited in quantity, but is 

 darker colored, and otherwise inferior to 

 that on the west. 



TaLcose Slate. This rock forms an in- 

 terrupted range from Whitingham, on 

 Massachusetts line, to Troy on Canada 

 line. In this range are extensive beds of 

 excellent steatite, or soap stone, which is, 

 in many places, wrought into fire places, 

 stoves, aqueducts, &c. The most impor- 

 tant localities are at Grafton, Plymouth, 

 Bridgewater, Bethel, More town and Troy. 

 Talcose slate also abounds on the west 

 side of the mountains in the county of 

 Lamoille, and the eastern part of Frank- 

 lin county. 



S'-r poll inc. Nearly in connection with 

 the Talcose range, on the east side of the 

 mountains, this rock shows itself in many 



places ; — most extensively at Cavendish 

 near Black river, and at Lowell near tlie 

 source of Missisco river. At the former 

 place, its connection with the limestone 

 and steatite forms that most beautiful va- 

 riety of marble called Vl I'd Antique. (See 

 Pari III., p. 48.) At the latter place is 

 found beautif\il precious serpentine, and 

 several varieties of amianthus and asbes- 

 tos. 



Mdah. 



Iron ore, in the form of ox3'des, is found 

 in greater or less quantities in almost all 

 parts of the state. The most important 

 beds of this ore which have been opened 

 on the west side of the mountains are at 

 Bennington, Tinmouth, Pittsford, Chit- 

 tenden, Brandon, Monkton and Highgate, 

 and on the east side of the mountains at 

 Troy and Plymouth, for an account of^ 

 which, see pari third, under the respective 

 names, particularly the latter. Sulphuret 

 of iron is also abundant in many places. 

 See Strafford, in pari Ihird. 



Mi/ngancse is abundant in connection 

 with the iron ore at Plymouth, Benning- 

 ton, Chittenden, »tc., and has already be- 

 come a considerable article of exportation. 



Lcail ore has been found in small quan- 

 tities at Thetford, Sunderland, Morris- 

 town, and some few other places. There 

 is some prospect that the vein at Morris- , 

 town may prove valuable. It is situated \ 

 upon the top of a large hill, in the seam 

 in talcose slate, the strata of which are 

 nearly vertical, and extend from north to 

 south. The seam at the surface of the 

 rock, which is bare for some distance, is 

 perhaps 18 inches wide, and can be traced 

 north and south several rods. This seam 

 is filled with a substance which seems to 

 lie mostly quartz, in which the sulphuret of 

 lead, or galena, is scattered, being in 

 masses from the size of a pin-head to that 

 of a man's fist. The seam, which has 

 been opened to the depth of several feet, 

 is found to increase in width downvi'ard, 

 and to become richer in ore, but whether 

 it will repay the expense of working is at 

 present problematical. 



Copper ore is found sparingly at several 

 places. At Strafford, where it has been 

 found most plentifully, it has been smelt- 

 ed for the copper. (S:e Pari III, p. 166.) 



Sih' r is said to exist in a small propor- 

 tion in the lead ore, but has been found 

 here in no otiier connection. 



Golil has been found in the lower part 

 of Windham county, but in no other part 

 of the state. In 1826 a lump of native 

 gold was found in Newfane weighing 8 

 ounces, and in Somerset it has been found 

 in small particles in connection with tal- 

 cose slate. 



