﻿IRON 
  ORES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  45 
  

  

  is 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  inferred 
  from 
  the 
  persistence 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  along 
  the 
  

   strike. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Oneida 
  county 
  area, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  though 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   stretch 
  of 
  fully 
  10 
  miles 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  beds 
  exceed 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  thickness 
  stated, 
  the 
  conditions 
  for 
  mining 
  on 
  the 
  dip 
  are 
  

   generally 
  less 
  favorable. 
  The 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  lying 
  within 
  

   500 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  at 
  2 
  miles. 
  The 
  indicated 
  

   dip 
  is 
  here 
  about 
  150 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  mile. 
  

  

  With 
  large 
  scale 
  operations 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  ore 
  extraction 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  500 
  feet 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  much, 
  if 
  any, 
  over 
  $2 
  a 
  ton. 
  It 
  

   would 
  appear 
  that 
  this 
  limit 
  is 
  easily 
  within 
  range 
  of 
  economic 
  

   mining 
  for 
  the 
  near 
  future, 
  though 
  with 
  the 
  large 
  resources 
  lying 
  

   near 
  the 
  surface 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  incentive 
  to 
  extend 
  operations 
  to 
  

   such 
  a 
  depth 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  to 
  come. 
  

  

  THE 
  ORES 
  

  

  Mineralogy 
  and 
  structural 
  features 
  

  

  The 
  Clinton 
  ores 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  red, 
  earthy 
  variety 
  of 
  hematite. 
  In 
  

   some 
  specimens 
  a 
  little 
  specular 
  hematite 
  is 
  present, 
  due 
  to 
  resolu- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  crystallization 
  after 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  laid 
  down; 
  siderite 
  

   or 
  iron 
  carbonate 
  also 
  occurs 
  locally 
  in 
  small 
  amount 
  distributed 
  

   in 
  fine 
  particles 
  through 
  the 
  mass. 
  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  ore, 
  however, 
  

   consists 
  invariably 
  of 
  amorphous 
  hematite, 
  red 
  or 
  brownish 
  red 
  

   in 
  color 
  and 
  streak. 
  The 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  ranges 
  between 
  

   the 
  limits 
  of 
  3.5 
  and 
  3.8. 
  For 
  purposes 
  of 
  calculation 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   assumed 
  that 
  a 
  cubic 
  foot 
  weighs 
  225 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Compared 
  with 
  the 
  hematites 
  occurring 
  in 
  other 
  surroundings, 
  

   the 
  Clinton 
  ores 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  by 
  certain 
  structural 
  pecul- 
  

   iarities, 
  descriptive 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  terms 
  oolitic, 
  lenticular, 
  fossil 
  

   etc., 
  that 
  are 
  applied 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  mining 
  districts. 
  These 
  

   structures 
  are 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  origin 
  and 
  are 
  singularly 
  

   persistent. 
  

  

  An 
  examination 
  of 
  representative 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   beds 
  brings 
  out 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  hematite 
  forms 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   aggregates, 
  each 
  giving 
  a 
  distinctive 
  character 
  to 
  the 
  ores 
  in 
  which 
  

   it 
  predominates. 
  The 
  one 
  consists 
  of 
  spherical 
  or 
  somewhat 
  flat- 
  

   tened 
  grains, 
  quite 
  uniform 
  as 
  to 
  size 
  and 
  having 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   being 
  solid 
  hematite. 
  When 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  matrix 
  and 
  broken, 
  

   or 
  when 
  observed 
  in 
  thin 
  section, 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  grains 
  

   have 
  a 
  nucleus, 
  generally 
  a 
  minute 
  quartz 
  kernel, 
  about 
  which 
  the 
  

  

  