50 FLUOESPAE DEPOSITS OF SOUTHEEN II-LINOIS. [bull. 255. 



The fluorspar occurs largely interbanded with calcite, but a band 

 of clear spar from 1 to 4 feet wide is found almost continuously from 

 the top to the bottom of the shaft, either on foot wall or hanging wall. 

 A total thickness of 6^ feet is reported from one point in the shaft. 

 The workings are now some distance below water level. There are no 

 marked difl'erences in the character of the ore at different levels 

 excei)t the presence of the zinc carbonate in the open cut, and there 

 are no evidences of secondary enrichment or redistribution of the ores. 

 As no drifts have been run and no stopes opened, it is impossible to 

 make any estimate of the amount of ore opened. A considerable 

 amount of the fluorspar seen could be shipped as mined, but to save 

 the zinc and lead and the remaining portion would require careful 

 milling, with rather fine crushing and concentration. 



In the field north of the mine, as well as the fields to the south, 

 fluorspar occurs in the soil at a number of points, but the develop- 

 ment work is not sufficiently advanced to show the character and 

 relations of the veins. In the SW. j NE, -|- sec. 34 the hillside is 

 literally covered Avith clear glassy spar in a great variety of beautiful 

 colors. A number of shallow pits here show its wide distribution. 



Hubbard shaff. — In section 34, southwest of the Empire, is the 

 shaft being put doA\'n by Mr. H. B. Pierce and his associates of the 

 Grand Pierre Mining Company. This shaft is about t)0 feet deep 

 and in limestone, apparently the Ste. Genevieve. This was encoun- 

 tered at a depth of 12 feet. In an open cut near by are sandy beds 

 belonging to the higher formations. The shaft seems to be on an 

 intersection of two or more crevices, the main one, as shown in the 

 open cut, having a course N. 45° E. The crevice is vertical and the 

 auiount of faulting does not seem to be great. In the shaft the vein 

 was obscured by the presence of red surface clay, but brecciated lime- 

 stone with a matrix of calcite and fluorspar was made out. A short 

 distance to the northeast, near the creek, is a reef of brecciated quartz- 

 ite with some fluorspar in the cementing material. In a trench cut 

 across the reef the beds are seen to dip to the southeast. At a number 

 of points over the low ground adjacent large quantities of " glassy " 

 spar have been dug from shallow depths. The spar is variously 

 colored and is so widely distributed as to indicate the presence of a 

 few cross fractures. 



Big Joe mine. — In section 27, northwest of the Empire mine, spar 

 has been found at a number of jjoints. At the Big Joe the surface 

 formation is sandstone, probably belonging to the Birdsville forma- 

 tion. The vein has a course N. 15° E. and has been developed to a 

 dei^th of 60 feet. There are apparently two veins, with a block of 

 quartzitic sandstone between. At a depth of 20 feet the quartzite 

 gives place to black sandy shale, which occupies the s])ace between 



