﻿Jiidd 
  and 
  Hidden 
  — 
  Ruby 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  373 
  

  

  Wasting 
  and 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  of 
  tlie 
  saprolitic 
  

   material 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  largely 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  scales 
  of 
  various 
  

   hydrous 
  silicates, 
  among 
  which 
  damourite 
  and 
  other 
  hydrous 
  

   micas, 
  with 
  margarites 
  and 
  other 
  clintonites, 
  are 
  very 
  con- 
  

   spicuous. 
  The 
  unaltered 
  minerals 
  present 
  consist 
  of 
  iibrolite, 
  

   staurolite, 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  silicates, 
  with 
  meuaccanite, 
  rutile, 
  

   monazite, 
  spinel, 
  and 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  garnet 
  (includ- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  rhodolite 
  variety) 
  and 
  corundum 
  (of 
  various 
  shapes 
  

   and 
  tints), 
  and 
  minute 
  quantities 
  of 
  gold 
  and 
  sperrylite. 
  

  

  The 
  trial 
  shafts 
  and 
  gravel-washing 
  operations 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  undertaken 
  in 
  this 
  district, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  discover 
  the 
  

   extent 
  and 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  valuable 
  minerals, 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  at 
  

   depths 
  of 
  35 
  feet 
  and 
  upwards 
  the 
  saprolitic 
  rock 
  includes 
  

   fragments, 
  and 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  pass 
  into 
  various 
  basic 
  rocks. 
  

   These 
  include 
  hornblende-eclogite 
  (garnet-amphibolite 
  of 
  some 
  

   authors), 
  amphibolite, 
  and 
  a 
  basic 
  hornblendic 
  gneiss 
  contain- 
  

   ing 
  labradorite 
  and 
  perhaps 
  anorthite. 
  The 
  full 
  description 
  of 
  

   these 
  rocks 
  is 
  deferred 
  until 
  the 
  exploration 
  now 
  going 
  on 
  shall 
  

   have 
  more 
  fully 
  displayed 
  their 
  relations 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  and 
  have 
  

   enabled 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  and 
  less 
  altered 
  specimens 
  to 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  uncertain 
  whether 
  these 
  rocks 
  occur 
  as 
  

   dikes 
  or 
  as 
  alternating 
  interfoliated 
  masses 
  in 
  the 
  crystalline 
  

   series. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  band 
  of 
  basic 
  and 
  garnet-bearing 
  rocks, 
  in 
  the 
  

   decomposed 
  materials 
  derived 
  from 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  the 
  rubies, 
  

   is 
  traversed 
  by 
  a 
  remarkable 
  series 
  of 
  slickensides. 
  Four 
  

   parallel 
  slides 
  have 
  been 
  exposed 
  at 
  one 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  workings,' 
  

   the 
  direction 
  being 
  generally 
  N. 
  75° 
  E. 
  Continuous 
  slicken- 
  

   sides 
  of 
  70 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  of 
  unknown 
  depth, 
  can 
  be 
  seen, 
  

   and, 
  with 
  some 
  interruptions, 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  for 
  several 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  feet 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  It 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  breaking 
  

   up 
  of 
  these 
  rock-masses 
  by 
  faulting, 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  ready 
  influx 
  

   of 
  water 
  (which 
  so 
  readily 
  attacks 
  the 
  basic 
  silicates 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  rock 
  is 
  composed), 
  that 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  their 
  reduction 
  to 
  the 
  

   saprolitic 
  condition. 
  

  

  Scattered 
  through 
  the 
  saprolitic 
  material 
  are 
  nuclei 
  of 
  eclogite 
  

   and 
  amphibolite, 
  which 
  have 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  escaped 
  disinte- 
  

   gration, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  lenticles 
  of 
  pure 
  horn- 
  

   blende 
  rock 
  are 
  foimd. 
  In 
  one 
  place 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  lenticles 
  of 
  

   hornblende 
  rock 
  is 
  nearly 
  a 
  rod 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  in 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   cases 
  the 
  saprolite 
  adjoining 
  these 
  lenticles 
  of 
  hornblende 
  rock 
  

   is 
  seen 
  to 
  contain, 
  very 
  abundantly, 
  either 
  corundum 
  or 
  more 
  

   commonly 
  the 
  pseudomorphs 
  after 
  corundum. 
  

  

  The 
  corundum 
  occurring 
  in 
  these 
  rocks 
  varies 
  in 
  color 
  from 
  

   ruby-red 
  through 
  various 
  shades 
  of 
  pink 
  to 
  white 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   colorless 
  varieties. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  crystals 
  exhibit 
  the 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  so-called 
  pigeon's-blood 
  tint, 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  admired 
  in 
  

  

  