114 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Soapstone or steatite. A coarse to fine granular talc of a gray 

 or green color; used extensively for making sinks and as a 

 refractory material for hearths, stove linings, etc. 



French chalk. A soft compact material used by tailors for 

 marking cloth. 



Agolite. A fibrous variety of talc somewhat above the aver- 

 age hardness and used when mixed with wood pulp in the manu- 

 facture of paper. 



Rensselaerite. A name given to the pseudomorphs of talc after 

 pyroxene. 



Talc in the form of soapstone is very common, and in some 

 regions constitutes quite extensive beds. It is often associated 

 with serpentine, chlorite schist and dolomite and frequently 

 forms pseudomorphs after other minerals. An extensive 

 deposit at Talcville, St Lawrence co. N. Y. is mined for the 

 manufacture of paper and for a fireproof fiber which is mixed 

 with serpentine asbestos. 1 



Besides the uses above mentioned talc is used in making soap, 

 as a dressing for skins and as a lubricant. 



Sepiolite (meerschaum) H 4 Mg 2 Si 3 10 



Sepiolite is a silicate of magnesium containing water. It 

 occurs in soft, compact, white, amorphous masses of an earthy 

 texture and with a dull luster. It is rarely fibrous. 



Sepiolite is found in Asia Minor, Greece, Morocco, Moravia 

 and in Spain where it is used as a building stone. The material 

 from Asia Minor is used for making meerschaum pipes. 



Kaolin division 

 Kaolinite (kaolin) H 4 Al 2 Si 2 9 

 Kaolinite is a basic aluminium silicate with some iron and 

 organic matter. 



It occurs in small scalelike pearly monoclinic crystals, more 

 commonly in compact or loose masses of a claylike nature. The 

 color is white, grayish, yellowish and sometimes brownish, 

 bluish or reddish. The common massive material is plastic and 

 unctuous to the touch. 



^evius, J. N. Talc industry of St Lawrence county, N. Y. N. Y. state 

 mus. 51st an. rep't. 1897. 1:119-27. 



