228 



THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 



IRON ORES. 



In the northwestern part of the county, on the summits of the highest 

 ridges and hills, there are remnants of the original iron ore deposits. 



The Selman tract, Wesley G-ooden headright, containing about two hun- 

 dred acres, has several high ridges capped with ore, which is mainly siliceous 

 conglomerate and iron sandstone. The conglomerate is cemented by the 

 same material that forms the underlying and often adhering iron sandstone. 

 The thickness is about three feet each. On the north and slightly west side 

 of these ridges were seen ovoid limonite geodes, in no regular stratum, but 

 yet in a somewhat definite horizon. Associated with these is a large quan- 

 tity of iron gravel derived from the partial breaking up of the geode shells. 

 These geodes afford a fair percentage of metallic iron, as will be seen from 

 the analysis. 



Near Tatum the conglomerate and iron sandstone have a similar large de- 

 velopment, but the conglomerate has here been somewhat disintegrated, and 

 therefore the iron sandstone appears to have the greatest development. 



Fragments of iron sandstone and geodes appear as float on the rolling hills 

 in almost every part of the county. 



Laminated limonite and its congener, buff crumbly or bog limonite, was 

 seen in quantity only in the southwestern part of the county, where it extends 

 over into Shelby County. It occurs as usual in the iron capping of the main 

 ridge, which was part of the original Tertiary plain, and was once connected 

 with the aluminous iron bearing ridges of Mount Enterprise, Iron Mountain, 

 G-lenfawn, New Salem, and Quin Mountain, in Rusk County, Brewer's Mount- 

 ain, in Nacogdoches County, and westward as at Rusk, in Cherokee County. 



In all of these localities the ore exists in sufficient quantity for manufac- 

 turing purposes. The following table shows the composition of some of the 

 specimens taken: 



ANALYSES OF IRON ORES FROM PANOLA COUNTY. 



665f 

 666f 

 667* 

 668f 

 675f 

 677f 

 678f 

 679* 

 680f 

 686* 



50.7240.45 

 64.23j21.20 

 32.74 10.90 

 60.80 24.50 

 70.50!l2.70 

 72.11! 8.10 

 73.08llU75 

 11.40 



51.48 

 69.63 

 45.25 



15.00 

 15.00 



7.68 Trace. 

 11.77 Trace. 

 41.96 1.40 



8.40 Trace. 

 5.69: Trace. 

 2,92 Trace. 



22.72 



4.77 



25.36 



Trace. 



Trace. 



0.45 



0.25 

 0.80 

 0.09 



0.10 

 0.25 

 015 

 0.16 

 0.43 

 0.44 



Trace. 



Trace. 



Trace 

 Trace. 



2.42 



0.28 



0.63 



0.01 Trace. 



0.33 



0.12! Trace. 



0.80 



1.80 



13.40 



1.00 

 8.50 

 8.10 



14.11 

 9.90 



11.70 



*4.80 



6 5.00 



3.50 



99.90 



99.80 



100.39 



99.92 



99.93 



100.13 



99.88 



100.11 



c2.55 100.87 



35.50 

 44.96 

 22.91 

 42.56 

 49.35 

 50.47 

 51 .15 

 36.03 

 48.74 

 31.67 



Analyses by *J. H. Herndon, fL. E. Magnenat. 



a Sulphur, b Red oxide of manganese, c ciesquioxide manganese. 



