101 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 



foe certainly beneath the effect of surface accumulation. It 

 is probable that throughout the deposit the proportion of 

 lay to ore may reach 10 to 1 in bulk. 



This deposit is the only one certainly known to exist in 

 the valley at this horizon. There are, however, good indi- 

 cations of the existence of another, a few miles farther down 

 the valley. Here is in S. 14 and 22 the exposed edge of a 

 vast deposit of irony clay and ochre, rising into a hill or 

 ridge 200 feet high, and occupying the same geological posi- 

 tion as the Iron* Ridge or Champion Mines, and nearly as 

 extensive. Though no iron ore is seen here on the surface, 

 yet the probability of its existence in some part of this 

 ochery ridge might be reasonably expected. 



That no other than the Champion Mines deposit of browii 

 ore, of this age, has been exposed in this valley 'is not a 

 matter of much surprise. Only along a narrow strip about 

 half a mile wide and ten or twelve miles long is the base of 

 the Silurian revealed, and its exposure made possible. Part 

 of that great deposit happened to lie in that strip and was 

 thus exposed to view. While other bodies of ore lying a 

 little farther to one side would only have their edges of 

 irony clay laid bare, and the ores all hidden by overlying 

 strata. 



On the western side ot the valley in S. 20, T. 13 of R. 1 

 E., there is a body of brown colored ore in chunks and 

 masses which would ordinarily be classed as limonite. But 

 only some pieces or parts of each chunk yield the charac- 

 teristic yellow streak and powder of true Limonite ore. 

 Other parts give a yellowish red or a bright blood red streak 

 like Turgite ore. Yet it has neither the color nor appear- 

 ance of either Goethite or Turgite ore. It must be classed as 

 an incomplete Limonite, carrying less than the normal 

 amount of water of hydration. This kind of ore is not com- 

 mon, only a few specimens had been heretofore seen. Were 

 it abundant it would be more valuable than Limonite of the 

 same grade of purity, because containing, say 5 per cent, 

 less combined water, it has a correspondingly higher per- 

 centage of hematite in a given weight of ore. This deposit 



