64 
Journal of the Mitchell Society 
[November 
of North Carolina, monazite was found in several pannings that 
were made in the Horse Cove region two miles east of Highlands. 
At a number of other places in the mountain region of North 
Carolina monazite occurs in pegmatized gneisses and schists. 
Several small deposits of fairly rich monazite hearing gravels are 
reported by Mr. Geo. L. English to occur in Clay County, North 
Carolina. The lack of large areas of bottom lands, however, 
limits the value of these deposits. It has also been found to a hmited 
extent in Cub Creek near Wilkesboro, Wilkes county, North 
Carolina. 
Physiography 
Physiographically, North and South Carolina are divided into 
three parts. These are the coastal plain, extending from the At- 
lantic Ocean northwestward for a 100 to 150 miles; the Pied" 
mont Plateau, extending from the limits of the coastal plain 
northwestward for 100 to 130 miles to the foot of the Blue Ridge; 
and the mountain region extending northwestward from the Pied- 
mont Plateau to the State lines. The coastal plain and the Pied- 
mont Plateau are prominent in both States, but only North Caro- 
lina contains a large portion of the mountain area. 
The coastal plain is a broad, nearly flat stretch of country 
rising from sea level on the southeast to an elevation of a few hun- 
dred feet on the northwest, in which direction it is practically 
limited by the boundaries of the rock formations of which it is 
composed. The Piedmont Plateau is an elevated district rising 
from a few hundred feet above sea level on the southeast to 1200 
or 1500 feet on the northwest. It forms a plateau much dissect- 
ed by valleys from 50 to 200 or 300 feet deep, and its regularity 
is farther disturbed by scattered mountain peaks and smaller hills 
rising above its general level. The features of the plateau are 
best observed from a prominent ridge or one of the smaller hills 
of the region. In the mountain region are included the Blue 
Ridge and its foothills, and the higher mountains to the north- 
west. The country in the mountain region is exceedingly rough, 
and the elevations range from 1500 to over 6500 feet. 
The region in which valuable deposits of monazite have been 
found may be defined as a belt from 20 to 30 miles wide and over 
