12S 
GEOLOGY 03? NORTH CAROLINA. 
65° E. of N., and the dip is quite prevalently east, the average lying be- 
tween 30° and 50°. Large veins of manganese garnet are of frequent 
occurrence. 
Besides the minerals already mentioned incidentally, gold is found 
both in the superficial gravel and in veins in many parts of the region, 
but especially in Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Cleaveland and Polk coun- 
ties. The largest gold field, and one of the most noted in the Atlantic 
States, is that of the South Mountains in the centre of the territory in- 
dicated. With the gold are associated a number of interesting mineral 
species, as zincon, monazite, &c., of which mention will be found in Dr. 
Gen ill's paper in the Appendix. The well-known zincon locality of 
Henderson county belongs here. Magnetic, specular and titanic iron are 
found in several parts of the region, the magnetic and titanic being most 
abundant in the extensive beds which cross the northwest side of Guil- 
ford county, extending into Davidson on the south, and Rockingham on 
the north. But both of the two first named species often occur in veins 
and also in a granular form, i mpregnating the gneisses and schists. Brown 
hematite beds are common in the talcose mica schists. Corundum was 
found by Dr. Genth in the iron ores above mentioned from Guilford, to 
gether with chromite. And I have sine found it in crystals in Forsyth, 
and also the mineral rensselaerite. Graphite occasionally replaces mica 
in the mica slates and gneisses. 
Another considereble area of Laurentian rocks is found beyond the 
Blue Ridge, occupying most of the mountain plateau between that and 
the Smoky Mountains, and in places constituting the materials of these 
chains. As stated before, this area may very properly be considered as 
only a continuation of the preceding, from which it is divided by a very 
narrow and interrupted belt of Iluronian slates, which also divide it 
transversely in the region of the Yellow Mountains, into a southern and 
northern tract. The rocks of both of these, like those of the preceding 
area, are foliated for the most part, and consist of indefinite alternations 
of the same kinds of metamorphic strata, — gneiss, hornblendic, feldspathic 
and micaceous schists, and occasionally chloritic and talcose slates. Mica 
schists are less common than in the more eastern belt, while the horn- 
blendic are much more common. Toe former are very generally gar- 
netiferous, and occasionally cyanitiferous ; and they are found mostly in 
the northeastern portion of the southern tract. The hornblendic slates 
and syenytes, (the latter of which occur not infrequently), are also often 
highly garnetiferous. These rocks are more abundant in the middle por- 
tions of the tracts, although not confined to these. The most extensive 
hornblendic terrane of the region and of the State, is found in the angle 
