﻿IRON 
  ORES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  5 
  1 
  

  

  mining, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  overlying 
  burden 
  is 
  removed 
  over 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  area 
  before 
  the 
  ore 
  is 
  taken 
  out; 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   stratum 
  is 
  extremely 
  regular 
  and 
  smooth, 
  not 
  less 
  so 
  than 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  superincumbent 
  limestone. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  uniformity 
  of 
  character 
  the 
  hematites 
  possess 
  a 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  that 
  is 
  consistent 
  only 
  with 
  a 
  sedimentary 
  derivation. 
  This 
  

   uniformity 
  holds 
  true 
  for 
  the 
  beds 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  also 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  ores 
  encountered 
  at 
  depths 
  of 
  several 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  recent 
  exploration 
  with 
  the 
  

   diamond 
  drill 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  notable 
  change 
  of 
  

   character 
  on 
  the 
  dip 
  for 
  distances 
  of 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  out- 
  

   crop. 
  Deep 
  borings 
  made 
  some 
  years 
  since 
  at 
  Syracuse 
  and 
  

   Chittenango 
  found 
  the 
  hematite 
  below 
  600 
  feet 
  showing 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  

   of 
  normal 
  composition. 
  1 
  The 
  ores 
  hold 
  out 
  to 
  much 
  greater 
  

   depths 
  than 
  could 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  underground 
  

   waters. 
  

  

  Enrichment 
  by 
  solution 
  and 
  redeposition 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  has 
  not 
  

   occurred 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  beds. 
  Whatever 
  variation 
  in 
  iron 
  

   content 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  original 
  or 
  as 
  due 
  

   to 
  weathering 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  bodies 
  of 
  soft 
  ores 
  

   at 
  all 
  comparable 
  to 
  those 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  districts. 
  This 
  

   may 
  be 
  ascribed 
  in 
  large 
  measure 
  perhaps 
  to 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  

   glacial 
  invasion 
  ; 
  during 
  the 
  long 
  period 
  previously 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   beds 
  were 
  exposed 
  to 
  atmospheric 
  agencies 
  it 
  seems 
  likely 
  that 
  

   the 
  ores 
  may 
  have 
  weathered 
  for 
  some 
  .distance 
  from 
  the 
  out- 
  

   crop 
  but 
  were 
  planed 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  ice 
  in 
  its 
  southward 
  advance. 
  

   Yet, 
  the 
  horizontal 
  disposition 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  has 
  no 
  doubt 
  retarded 
  

   disintegration. 
  The 
  chief 
  effect 
  of 
  weathering 
  is 
  the 
  removal 
  

   of 
  calcite 
  which 
  cements 
  the 
  particles 
  of 
  hematite. 
  

  

  The 
  physical 
  constitution 
  of 
  the 
  hematites 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  

   described 
  and 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  further 
  

   than 
  to 
  allude 
  to 
  the 
  almost 
  universal 
  presence 
  of 
  oolitic 
  grains 
  

   in 
  the 
  ores, 
  even 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  apparently 
  of 
  purely 
  fossilifer- 
  

   ous 
  nature. 
  The 
  deposition 
  of 
  iron 
  about 
  a 
  nucleus 
  in 
  layer 
  

   after 
  layer 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  conceived 
  as 
  taking 
  place 
  elsewhere 
  

   than 
  in 
  bodies 
  of 
  standing 
  water, 
  with 
  the 
  nucleal 
  grains 
  free 
  

   to 
  roll 
  about 
  and 
  completely 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  ferruginous 
  

   solutions. 
  

  

  The 
  probable 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  in 
  Clinton 
  time, 
  bearing 
  

  

  1 
  C. 
  S. 
  Prosser. 
  The 
  Thickness 
  of 
  the 
  Devonian 
  and 
  Silurian 
  Rocks 
  in 
  Central 
  

   New 
  York. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  Am. 
  Bui. 
  4: 
  91. 
  

  

  