32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



of the characters of those found in gold-bearing sections, being 

 essentially destitute of iron sulfids and other minerals with which 

 . the precious metals are most generally associated. That they con- 

 tain traces of gold is likely, but they do not afford any adequate 

 basis for mining enterprise (except as possible sources of quartz) 

 or for the accumulation of secondary deposits like placer sands 

 and gravels. 



There is little need for going further into details in this matter, 

 though it may be said briefly that the Adirondacks form an inde- 

 pendent geological and mineral province, only remotely related to 

 the other mountain ranges of the eastern United States. The fact 

 of the existence of gold deposits along the Appalachians from 

 Nova Scotia to Alabama can scarcely be quoted, therefore, as an 

 argument for the presence of analogous deposits in the Adirondack 

 region. 



While deficient in the precious metals, the region possesses the 

 elements of large mineral wealth. Its production of iron ores, 

 talc, garnet, graphite, pyrite and building and monumental stones 

 of various character is a very important contribution to the mineral 

 output of the country. There is abundant opportunity for future 

 development of such resources and it is in that direction rather 

 than in the seeking of the precious metals that energy and capital 

 can be best employed. 



The fact that the profits of mining are not to be gaged by the 

 relative value of the mineral produced is a commonplace. If a 

 balance could be struck, it would show probably that the homely 

 iron ores better reward industry than all the gold and silver 

 wherever found. 



Industrial geology 



Gypsum resources. With the growth of interest in gypsum 

 and its products that has taken place in recent years, there has 

 developed a need for a more thorough consideration of the New . 

 York deposits, commensurate with their commercial importance. 

 Previous studies have afforded scarcely more than an outline of 

 their field distribution and insufficient information of their char- 

 acter and utility, as in fact for a long time they were considered 

 of small value except for local agricultural requirements. The 

 discovery that the gypsum can be employed in the manufacture 

 of calcined plasters has led, in the last decade, to the establish- 

 ment of numerous enterprises, and there is every promise of a 

 continued expansion in the industry for years to come. 



Recent field investigations have extended from Madison county 



