222 
GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
Iron Ores of Chatham and Orange . — One of the best known and 
most important iron mines of this region is on the borders of Harnett, 
the Buckhorn Mine. It is about seven miles below the forks of the 
Cape Fear, on a hill nearly 200 feet high, overlooking the river from the 
left bank. Its location will be easily understood from the accompanying 
topographical sketch. The ore occurs as a bed, capping the hill and 
sloping from the river, with a dip of 20° to 25° towards the northwest. 
It is massive at the outcrop, and breaks out in large angular blocks. The 
lower portion of the bed, which contains much manganese and less iron 
in proportion, is of a mottled gray and dull reddish color at the summit, 
and at the distance of two or three hundred yards along the slope, is a 
light colored and gray and spotted (black and dirty white,) ferriferous, 
mauganesian slate. Occasional sheets of laminated black oxide of man- 
ganese occur, one or two inches in thickness. Some parts of the bed are 
slightly magnetic. The outcrop, or rather the terminal face of the bed 
at the opening, on the summit of the hill, is shown in the annexed dia- 
gram. The thickness is about 36 feet at this point, and diminishes to 20 
at the lower quarries, 200 to 300 yards distant. 
Ort, rrtfJvJSlasy, 
Sia/y rKanyamj* 
Oamcc 
ftlsp. OneUt 
JGvyanatCj/ V/tt$ 
Gnat* 
Buckhorn Section. 
The ore is properly described as specular ; it is of a dull, dark gray to 
blackish color, subcrystalline structure, and uneven fracture. The streak 
is dark red. Occasional fragments of the ore show a tendency to lamina- 
tion, and in such cases the divisional planes are commonly coated with 
mica crystals. The character of this ore is very like that of the Iron 
Mountain, Mo., and its extent and mode of occurrence strongly suggest 
the Pilot-Knob. It is at least equal to either of these notable iron ore 
