Hi REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. 



The outcrop of the granite, which can be quarried to any desired dimen- 

 sions, covers an area of over one hundred square miles. 



There is a quarry now in operation on the portion from which the 

 granite was taken for the building of the Capitol, on account of which 

 it was originally opened, the material used having been donated by the 

 owners, Col. Norton, Dr. Westfall, and Geo. W. Lacy. 



Beside this particular granite there are many others in this region 

 which will prove as useful. In the northern part of Gillespie County 

 there is a brownish granite of very fine grain which takes a beautiful 

 polish ; and in addition there are found in various portions of the region 

 granites varying in color from light to dark gray which are well adapted 

 for building purposes, and in some instances will prove of decided value 

 for ornamental and monumental purposes. 



The granites of Trans-Pecos Texas, like those of the Central Mineral 

 Region, are well suited both for building and ornamental purposes. 

 The western granites, however, lack the variety of color which is found 

 in those of the Central Region, being for the most part a lighter or 

 darker gray, the felspar being very light colored in all of them. They 

 are adjacent to railway transportation, however, as the Southern Pacific 

 Railway passes very near their outcrop in the Quitman Mountains and 

 directly by them in the Franklin Mountains, near El Paso, and will 

 sooner or later come into market 



PORPHYRIES. 



Among the most beautiful and indestructible of our building stones 

 we must place the porphyries. Their hardness, however, and the diffi- 

 culty of quarrying and dressing them, often prevent their taking the 

 place in actual use that their good qualities would otherwise secure for 

 them, but where the elements of durability and beauty are sought their 

 worth must be properly recognized. 



Porphyries of almost every shade and color abound in Trans-Pecos 

 Texas. There are in the Museum specimens taken from the outcrops 

 in the Quitman Mountains alone which are readily divisible into twenty 

 or more shades. These vary through light grays, yellows, reds, purples, 

 and greens to black, and their polished surfaces are especially rich. 

 The quantity and accessibility to railroad transportation must prove 

 sufficient inducement for their development 



