﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  695 
  

  

  stone 
  and 
  the 
  common 
  transition 
  between 
  them, 
  its 
  details 
  are 
  

   obscure 
  and 
  it 
  leaves 
  many 
  things 
  unexplained, 
  particularly 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  the 
  altered 
  granite 
  and 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  

   bodies. 
  It, 
  therefore, 
  seems 
  necessary 
  to 
  abandon 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  

   as 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  ores 
  in 
  general, 
  though 
  it 
  may 
  account 
  for 
  

   some 
  small 
  local 
  deposits. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  suggests 
  another 
  possible 
  mode 
  of 
  

   origin. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  group 
  of 
  mines 
  forms 
  a 
  belt 
  

   beginning 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  northeast 
  of 
  Antwerp 
  village 
  and 
  

   extending 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  Gouverneur 
  township, 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  

   parallel 
  to 
  the 
  strike. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  laminated 
  gneiss 
  lies 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance 
  south 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  mines. 
  This 
  is 
  just 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  looked 
  for 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  stratified 
  deposits, 
  

   and 
  points 
  quite 
  strongly 
  to 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  ores 
  are 
  

   original 
  sediments. 
  The 
  difficulty 
  of 
  procuring 
  accurate 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  prevents 
  an 
  absolute 
  determination 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  or 
  

   not 
  the 
  ore 
  bodies 
  do 
  occupy 
  a 
  definite 
  horizon 
  in 
  ' 
  the 
  series, 
  

   but 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  evidence 
  goes, 
  it 
  indicates 
  that 
  they 
  approx- 
  

   imate 
  such 
  a 
  constant 
  position, 
  though 
  varying 
  slightly 
  

   from 
  it. 
  In 
  this 
  direction, 
  then, 
  the 
  question 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  

   settled, 
  though 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  against 
  original 
  deposi- 
  

   tion. 
  Further 
  indications 
  rending 
  to 
  weaken 
  this 
  explanation 
  

   are 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  ore 
  bodies 
  themselves, 
  in 
  their 
  irregular 
  

   shape 
  and 
  the 
  abundant 
  signs 
  of 
  secondary 
  accumulation, 
  such 
  

   as 
  stalactitic, 
  crustified 
  and 
  cavernous 
  deposits. 
  It 
  might 
  be 
  

   urged 
  that 
  these 
  facts 
  could 
  be 
  completely 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  various 
  agents 
  subsequent 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  

   ore, 
  but 
  such 
  an 
  explanation 
  seems 
  insufficient 
  It 
  would 
  rest 
  

   upon 
  the 
  facts 
  that, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  original 
  sediment, 
  the 
  ore 
  has 
  been 
  

   subjected 
  to 
  intense 
  dynamo-metamorphism 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  

   Oswegatchie 
  rocks, 
  and 
  has, 
  further, 
  often 
  been 
  penetrated 
  by 
  

   intrusions 
  of 
  granite. 
  Here 
  are 
  afforded 
  perhaps 
  sufficient 
  causes 
  

   for 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  occurrence 
  stated 
  above, 
  but 
  a 
  new 
  

   question 
  is 
  raised 
  : 
  Would 
  not 
  the 
  ore, 
  if 
  subjected 
  to 
  these 
  two 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  metamorphism, 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  character 
  from 
  that 
  

   which 
  it 
  actually 
  possesses 
  ? 
  While 
  opinions 
  may 
  differ 
  on 
  this 
  

   point, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  very 
  probable 
  that 
  an 
  ore 
  thus 
  acted 
  

   upon 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  a 
  variable, 
  often 
  earthy 
  and 
  cavernous, 
  red 
  

   hematite, 
  but 
  rather 
  a 
  uniform 
  specular 
  hematite, 
  or 
  a 
  magnetite. 
  

  

  