MISSOUBI AND SOUTH-EAST KANSAS. 387 



The mining district of Jasper County, Missouri, and Cherokee County 

 Kansas, embracing jointly the lead diggings at Joplin and Short Creek, 

 being of the same general character, may be described together, Jopliti 

 being, as far as is indicated by discoveries made up to this time, the centre of 

 the mineral field. This whole lead region belongs, according to Professors 

 Schmidt and Leonhard, to the sub-carboniferous system, the formation con- 

 sisting of limestone and chert beds belonging to the upper j)art of the so-called 

 Archimedes or Keokuk limestone. In some places the ore deposits are found 

 overlaid by sandstone, either ferruginous sandstone or coal measure sandstone 

 and lie, as a rule, horizontally rather than vertically, being usually associated 

 with silicate of zinc, or carbonate of zinc, which are rather indiscriminately 

 called "jack" by the miners of the different diggings. Sometimes, however 

 it is found as "float mineral" in loose sand or clay, and not infrequently 

 impregnating the limestone and chert, or, quite as often probably, it is found 

 broken up and mixed with limestone, dolomite and in various conglomerate 

 rocks. 



The lead ores are usually found in the shape of Galena or sulphuret of 

 lead, though it is common in the form of carbonate or "dry bone." 



The zinc ores are found in the form of Blende or Sulphuret, and Silicate 

 or Calamine. Carbonate of zinc is also found in connection with Calamine 

 and, from its beautiful white and sometimes crystalline form, called by the 

 miners "white jack." 



Iron Pyrites, "the fool's gold," is also frequently found in these mines, 

 and known as "mundic" among the miners. 



Dolomite or Brown spar, usually designated as "soft tiff" to distinguish 

 it from calcite or "white or glass tiff" and barytes, which is known as "bald 

 tiff," forms in many mines in South-West Missouri and South-Eastern Kansas 

 the principal gangue of the ore deposits. Calcite, calcareous spar, carbon- 

 ate of lime, forms what is commonly called "glass tiff" or "hard tiff" and is 

 frequently found in these mines. Quartz also, in crystals of pj^ramidal or, 

 prismatic forms is of frequent occurrence, and bitumen is frequently associ- 

 ated with the lead ores throughout this whole region. 



The general geological section of the lead and zinc bearing formation of 

 South-West Missouri is given by Prof Schmidt, as follows : 



1 foot to 3 feet Soil, 

 to 5 feet Gravel. 



to 15 feet Sandstone. 



to 5 feet black slate, with Coal. 



20 to 75 feet Chert, more or legs broken up, sometimes in fissured layers, 

 and in some localities, especially at Granby, altered to soft, 

 porous Chert. The Chert is invariably accompanied by 

 large masses of Clay and Sand. 



to 20 feet Silico-Calcite. 



to 30 feet alternate lavers of Limestone and Chert. 



