MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 25I 



Distribution. Granites and the related igneous rocks are restricted 

 in outcrop to two well-defined area.s in New York — the Adirondack 

 region in the north and the Highlands in the southeast. Outside 

 of these regions they occur only in stray bowlders or as part of the 

 general morainal accumulation left by the ice invasion which spread 

 over most of the State. The granitic rocks in their economic bearings 

 have been described quite fully in Bulletin i8i of the State Museum. 

 Only a brief resume of their character and distribution will be given 

 in this place. 



The great expanse of crystalHne rocks comprised within the 

 Adirondacks affords a variety of quarry materials. The commoner 

 types which are useful for building or monumental stone include 

 granite proper, syenite and anorthosite. These are found in both 

 massive and gneissoid development. Gabbros occur locally and 

 have limited application for purposes of road improvement and 

 engineering construction for which they take the place of trap. 

 The red granite of Grindstone, Picton and Wellesley islands in the 

 St Lawrence river is one of the characteristic products of the region, 

 widely known as excellent building and monumental stone. In its 

 usual phase it is a bright red, mediimi to coarsely textured granite 

 of which the predominant mineral is feldspar associated with milky 

 quartz and biotite. Most of the product in earlier years carae from 

 Grindstone island which furnished large quantities of structural 

 and monumental stone to the cities on the St Lawrence and Great 

 Lakes. Paving blocks were also made in quantity. Most of these 

 quarries are now idle or worked only in a small way. In recent 

 5'-ears the principal operations have been carried on by the Picton 

 Island Red Granite Company whose property is situated on the 

 northern end of Picton island, by the Wisconsin Granite Company 

 which has operated quarries on V/ellesley island and at Alexandria 

 Bay and by J. Leopold & Company with quarries at Alexandria 

 Bay. The stone in the vicinity of Alexandria Bay differs from 

 that above described in having a fine texture and color that ranges 

 from pale pink to nearly white. It is not much used for structural 

 purposes, but affords a good material for paving blocks and crushed 

 stone. Small quantities of monumental and structural granite have 

 been obtained from Parishville in eastern St Lawrence county. 

 The stone has a dark red, fine grained body with curved and branching 

 veinlets of bright red color, that are of somewhat coarser grain, 

 but of the same mineral composition as the body. It is known 

 in the trade as St Regis Red veined granite. An enormous body 

 of coarse red granite of attractive appearance and sound quality, 



