94 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



In 1916, Mr. Joe R. Cook, of Birmingham, Ala., leased 

 this mine and sunk an 83 foot shaft centrally of the old 

 surface prospect pits, from which shaft, and in the short 

 bottom entries, Mr. Cook recovered in all about 40 tons 

 of mica. 



Toward the foot of the shaft, and in the limited amount 

 of stoping possible without much timbering, on the low- 

 est level, very fine mica was taken out from the kaolin 

 fully 25 per cent, of which was sheet mica running in 

 sizes up to 6x8 inches. 



As to grade the recovery was of flat sheet amber mus- 

 covite having in color a brownish caste in the thick sheet. 

 Water coming in at 83 feet, requiring pumping and prop- 

 er timbering, the operation was abandoned and no fur- 

 ther mining has since been attempted. 



Gibson Mica Mine. The Gibson mica mine or prospect 

 is located in the S. E. % of the S. W. % of Section 26, 

 Township 19 S., Range 7 E., being about 2i/ 2 miles S. E. 

 of Erin station on the A. B. & A. R. R. 



It lies on the top (and midway of its S.E.-N.W. exten- 

 sion) of a ledge, forming the water shed between Mine 

 creek and Buzzard creek (two branches of Talladega 

 creek) at an elevation of 1,200 feet above sea level. 



Some 20 years ago, a fine crystal of sheet mica of 

 extremely large size, was found there almost on the sur- 

 face outcrop, in a cultivated field, which find was the 

 cause of the recent opening up of the pegmatite by Mr. 

 D. F. Gibson, of Birmingham, Ala., who at that time 

 purchased the property. 



The work done by Mr. Gibson has been in the nature 

 of prospecting, surface cuts having been made in and 

 around the micaized quartz inclusions of a very coarse 

 pegmatite outcrop, mainly in hard formations, sparingly 

 kaolinized. No attempt was made to open up or to de- 

 fine the form and extent of the pegmatite body beyond 

 the limits of such ordinary surface cuts, not exceeding in 

 depth some 10 to 15 feet. 



About 10 tons of mica was recovered in the course of 

 sinking these test pits, practically all of which was still 

 in the mica house when the last examination was made, 

 none having been sold or disposed of to the trade. The 



