﻿Taff—ATbertite-like 
  Asphalt 
  in 
  the 
  Choctaic 
  Nation, 
  219 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXIII. 
  — 
  An 
  Albertite-like 
  Asphalt 
  in 
  the 
  Choctaw 
  

   Nation^ 
  Indian 
  Territory;'^ 
  by 
  Joseph 
  A. 
  Taff. 
  

  

  Ilistory 
  of 
  its 
  development. 
  

  

  Iisr 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1897, 
  while 
  surv^eying 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   McAlister 
  Quadrangle 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  Territory, 
  coal-like 
  string- 
  

   ers 
  interstratified 
  with 
  greenish 
  shale 
  were 
  discovered 
  in 
  

   McGee 
  Creek 
  Yalley. 
  The 
  stringers 
  were 
  one 
  foot 
  and 
  less 
  in 
  

   thickness, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  were 
  intermingled 
  with 
  fragments 
  of 
  

   shale 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  nature 
  as 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  wall 
  rock. 
  The 
  shale 
  

   upon 
  both 
  sides 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kind, 
  was 
  not 
  carbonaceous, 
  

   and 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  fire-clay 
  as 
  is 
  usually 
  found 
  in 
  

   contact 
  with 
  coal. 
  The 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  carbonaceous 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  and 
  the 
  shale 
  did 
  not 
  attract 
  especial 
  comment, 
  since 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  were 
  nearly 
  on 
  edge 
  and 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  faulted 
  zone. 
  

  

  On 
  working 
  farther 
  south 
  in 
  Impson 
  Yalley, 
  T. 
  1 
  S., 
  K. 
  15 
  

   E., 
  an 
  exposure 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  coal-like 
  mineral 
  was 
  found 
  crop- 
  

   ping 
  out 
  in 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  formation 
  as 
  on 
  McGee 
  

   Creek. 
  The 
  bed 
  was 
  partially 
  concealed 
  by 
  water, 
  but 
  by 
  good 
  

   authority 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  four 
  feet 
  thick. 
  Still 
  farther 
  

   south 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Impson 
  valley, 
  near 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  

   T. 
  1 
  S., 
  R, 
  15 
  E., 
  the 
  same 
  mineral 
  had 
  been 
  prospected 
  and 
  

   exploited 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale. 
  A 
  shaft 
  twenty 
  feet 
  in 
  depth 
  had 
  

   been 
  sunk 
  upon 
  its 
  outcrop 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  25 
  feet 
  

   thick 
  and 
  almost 
  upon 
  edge. 
  The 
  shaft 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  coal 
  concealed. 
  

  

  The 
  deposit 
  was 
  discovered 
  by 
  prospectors 
  in 
  1890, 
  exploited 
  

   in 
  1892 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  later 
  abandoned 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  steep 
  dip 
  

   and 
  friability 
  of 
  the 
  product. 
  Specimens 
  were 
  collected 
  by 
  

   the 
  writer 
  and 
  submitted 
  with 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  bituminous 
  coals 
  from 
  

   the 
  McAlister 
  region 
  for 
  proximate 
  analysis. 
  These 
  analyses 
  

   were 
  made 
  by 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  F. 
  Hillebrand, 
  and 
  are 
  placed 
  here 
  for 
  

  

  comparison. 
  

  

  Volatile 
  

   Combustible 
  

  

  Fixed 
  

  

  

  

  Water. 
  

  

  Material. 
  

  

  Carbon. 
  

  

  Ash. 
  Sulphur. 
  

  

  Phosphorus. 
  

  

  Albertite. 
  -25 
  

  

  42-33 
  

  

  5o-97 
  

  

  1-45 
  1-47 
  

  

  0-00 
  

  

  Coal. 
  1-63 
  

  

  38-27 
  

  

  55-15 
  

  

  4-84 
  1-51 
  

  

  0-014 
  

  

  (Hartshorne) 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  The 
  low 
  percentages 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  ash 
  in 
  the 
  albertite 
  are 
  

   the 
  only 
  features 
  that 
  would 
  attract 
  attention. 
  On 
  applying 
  a 
  

   flame 
  to 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  it 
  softens, 
  disintegrates 
  and 
  

   ignites, 
  burning 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  flame. 
  

   This, 
  however, 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  fusibility 
  and 
  friability 
  of 
  

   the 
  mineral, 
  indicates 
  strongly 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  true 
  coal. 
  

  

  * 
  PubHshed 
  by 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  Director 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  

  

  