62 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 



find it carrying first-class ore at its first visible out-crop. 

 The bed had not been opened ; its thickness seemed probably 

 two feet. This is in the N. W. i of Sect. 22. 



The trend of the mountain here embraces the eastern and 

 S. Eastern [portions of Sect. 21. Beds No. 1 and 2 became 

 prominent. At one place where they were seen to the best 

 advantage, the second bed was based upon the iron limestone. 

 A thin parting separated it from the first bed. Both were 

 practically one bed. They measured four feet face at the 

 out-crop. Two large areas of the upper bed had been washed 

 bare; the overlying strata all removed and vast quantities 

 of the ore were thus exposed on the top of the mountain. 

 Farther from the edge these beds evidently thickened. The 

 dip to the N. W. was less than 12. The beds therefore 

 descend the mountain on its N. W. side near the surface. It 

 was seen at the surface in Sand Valley, half a mile to the 

 N. W.* A vast area of available ore exists here. It will 

 mainly have to be got out by stripping off the loose surface. 

 It is not capped by solid rock, and the surface stripping will 

 be less expensive than mining, while the quantity of ore 

 that can then be raised per hand will be vastly greater. 

 This is probably the largest body of available red hematite 

 ore that exists in this county. 



These beds of ore, Nos. 1 and 2, were traced and closely, 

 examined from the Eastern side of Sect. VI to Village Creek, 

 in the Southern part of Sect. 28. It may bo here remarked, 

 however, that in Sect. 28 they dip to the S. W. as well as to 

 the N. W., and here descend rapidly far beneath the top of 

 the mountain. At the South line of S. 28, they are about 

 150 feet below the top of the mountain. This, probably, 

 arises largely from the thinning down of the iron limestone 

 in that direction. 



This great bed of ore is here above the average of the bed 

 in quality. Will average from 40 to 50 per cent, of iron. 



*This has, since the above was written, been found to result from a great 

 slide on the N. W. face of the mountain at that place, which carried some 

 of the ore bed and underlying iron lime rock down into Sand Valley. 

 They are not there in their normal position. The dip also increases to 20, 

 and even 30 on the face of the mountain. 



