170 the minerals of new south wales. 



Magnetite. 



Magnetic Iron Ore. Cliem. Comp. : Iron oxide = Fe a 4 . Iron, 

 72-4; oxygen, 27-6 = 100. Cubical system. 



This is the richest of all the ores of iron, and when perfectly 

 pure it only contains rather more than 72 percent, of metallic iron; 

 hence the absurdity of the statement so commonly made that the 

 iron ores on a certain property contain over 90 percent, of metal will 

 be at once apparent ; and moreover, it is a very rare thing indeed 

 for large masses of any ore to be quite pure, therefore, instead of 

 the amount of metal in the vaunted mineral even approaching to 

 that quantity it falls far below it, and most probably it is much 

 nearer 50 than 90 per cent. 



It is found in the Colony both massive and crystallized in 

 octohedra, which are usually small. In struct are it varies, being 

 compact, granular or lamellar. 



Large deposits of magnetite exist at Wallerawang; Mount 

 Lambie, in a chloritic matrix ; Mount Wingen ; Solferino in quartz 

 veins ; Grafton with copper ores ; on the Clarence and the Shoal- 

 haven. 



A lamellar magnetite of good quality occurs in quartz at Car- 

 coar associated with iridescent botryoidal brown haematite, and at 

 Combullanarang with copper ores. 



It is also found at Inverary Quarry, where Stutchbury mentions 

 that it occurs in the pisolitic form, associated with a black non-mag- 

 netic ore in rounded particles the size of peas, and cemented together 

 by a variety of crystallized minerals. Crystallized and compact 

 magnetite occurs near the limestone quarries on Belubula Creek. 

 Hounded and polished nodules of magnetic "iron ore occur in the 

 Lachlan River with ilmenite ; it is also found in nearly all the 

 gold and gem bearing drifts and deposits. 



ELematite. — Specular Iron. 



Keel Haematite, Specular Iron. Chem. comp. : Iron oxide Fe^ O a . 

 Iron, 70; oxygen, 30 = 100. 



Hexagonal system, in rhombohedral forms. Usually massive, 

 platy, or micaceous. Well-formed crystals are almost unknown 

 here. Specular iron ore occurs in a coarse-grained granite at Sum- 

 mer's Hill, near Batlmrst, and at Mount Lambie ; also at Bookham 

 and Yass, with micaceous and massive red haematite ; micaceous 

 haematite also occurs at Pine Bone Creek, with titaniferous iron. 



Of the haematite near Carcoar, the late Mr. Stutchbury speaks 

 as follows : — " In a gully or creek called the Waterfall Creek, 

 running into the Cardiangullong Creek, and at the extremity of a 

 mountain spur known as the Rocky Ridge, there is an immense 

 mass of oxydulous iron (haematite) forming in one solid mass a 

 precipitous waterfall of about 60 feet in height ; in this mass of 



