﻿ADIRONDACK 
  MAGNETIC 
  IRON 
  ORES 
  89 
  

  

  MINERVA 
  MINE 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  opening 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Minerva, 
  about 
  

   2 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  hamlet 
  of 
  that 
  name. 
  The 
  ore 
  body 
  outcrops 
  

   on 
  the 
  southern 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  ridge 
  which 
  rises 
  

   between 
  Minerva 
  stream 
  and 
  Stony 
  Pond 
  brook 
  and 
  is 
  known 
  

   locally 
  as 
  Ore 
  Bed 
  mountain. 
  The 
  elevation 
  is 
  between 
  1900 
  and 
  

   2000 
  feet 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  topographic 
  sheet. 
  A 
  good 
  trail 
  leads 
  

   from 
  the 
  highway 
  along 
  Falls 
  brook 
  to 
  the 
  mine. 
  The 
  Burden 
  

   Iron 
  Co. 
  operated 
  the 
  deposit 
  and 
  the 
  ore 
  was 
  used 
  at 
  Troy. 
  The 
  

   last 
  work 
  was 
  done 
  about 
  1881. 
  

  

  The 
  geological 
  associations 
  are 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  noted 
  in 
  

   the 
  mines 
  about 
  Crown 
  Point. 
  The 
  Grenville 
  series 
  of 
  limestones, 
  

   schists 
  and 
  black 
  hornblendic 
  gneisses 
  outcrops 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  valley 
  

   drained 
  by 
  Jones 
  brook 
  and 
  reaches 
  well 
  up 
  the 
  confluent 
  valley 
  

   of 
  Minerva 
  stream. 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  form 
  also 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  

   ground, 
  though 
  interrupted 
  in 
  places 
  by 
  a 
  pink 
  gneiss 
  of 
  granitic 
  

   composition 
  which 
  is 
  probably 
  intrusive. 
  The 
  latter 
  has 
  a 
  more 
  

   massive 
  appearance 
  than 
  the 
  typical 
  Grenville 
  gneiss 
  and 
  is 
  made 
  

   up 
  of 
  green 
  pyroxene 
  crystals 
  in 
  a 
  ground 
  mass 
  of 
  microperthite, 
  

   microcline 
  and 
  quartz. 
  This 
  gneiss 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  proximity 
  to 
  

   the 
  ore, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  actual 
  contact. 
  The 
  immediate 
  walls, 
  as 
  

   exposed 
  in 
  the 
  pits, 
  are 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  darker 
  variety, 
  carrying 
  

   hornblende 
  and 
  biotite 
  as 
  ferromagnesian 
  minerals, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  or 
  Grenville 
  series. 
  Red 
  garnet 
  is 
  

   distributed 
  through 
  the 
  rock 
  in 
  small 
  crystals, 
  while 
  pyrite 
  occurs 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  both 
  as 
  individual 
  particles 
  and 
  irregular 
  

   aggregates. 
  

  

  The 
  deposit 
  has 
  a 
  northwesterly 
  strike 
  in 
  conformity 
  to 
  the 
  

   general 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  rocks. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  flat 
  dip 
  of 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  io° 
  northeast, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  surface 
  rises 
  sharply 
  in 
  that 
  direc- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  overburden 
  soon 
  becomes 
  too 
  heavy 
  for 
  open-cut 
  work. 
  

   There 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  pits 
  and 
  trenches 
  along 
  the 
  outcrop, 
  

   extending 
  altogether 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  100 
  rods. 
  A 
  breast 
  of 
  ore 
  

   12 
  or 
  15 
  feet 
  thick 
  is 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  section. 
  The 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  diminishes 
  toward 
  the 
  ends, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  estimate 
  

   the 
  size 
  with 
  accuracy 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  partial 
  filling 
  in 
  of 
  the 
  pits. 
  

   Some 
  drilling 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  done 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  ago 
  to 
  

   test 
  the 
  ore 
  body 
  in 
  depth; 
  the 
  records, 
  however, 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   available 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  this 
  report. 
  v 
  

  

  The 
  ore 
  is 
  a 
  fairly 
  coarse, 
  granular 
  magnetite. 
  Samples 
  ta*u.±i 
  

   from 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  indicate 
  an 
  iron 
  content 
  above 
  

  

  