GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
238 
miles distant from, the Tuscarora iron belt. Both the gold and iron range 
continuously, (with one break in New Jersey,) all the way from Quebec, 
in Canada, to Montgomery, Ala. The gold and iron bearing rocks are : 
granites, gneissoid sandstones and mica slates, all very much weathered 
and decomposed ; and that to a depth of many fathoms beneath the 
present surface. The solid granites are decomposed least, the mica slates 
most. All contain iron, which has been peroxidized and hydrated, in the 
process of decomposition of the whole formation, and dyes the country 
soil with a deep red tint. The surface of the country is a smooth, soft, 
undulating plain, broken by gentle vales, the bottoms of which are never 
more than 100 feet below the plain, and commonly not more than half 
that depth.” 
Guildford Iron Ore Range. 
The. local relations and geography of the ore belts are shown in the ac- 
companying map. 
