3J4 
GEOLOGY OF THE FIRST DISTRICT. 
Useful Minerals. 
The rocks of the Catskill division are exceedingly barren of useful minerals. 
Small quantities of copper, lead, zinc and iron ores were seen extensively diffused in a par¬ 
ticular stratum of rock, in various parts of Greene, Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware counties, 
but the stratum w^as nowhere more than eighteen inches thick. It was generally a calcareous 
conglomerate or breccia, formed of small masses of limestone, imbedded in a reddish or 
brownish paste of the underlying shale bed.* Sometimes the rounded nodules are of carbo¬ 
nate of iron, and more rarely of galena, blende, sulphuret of copper, and the green and blue 
carbonates of copper. Black oxide of manganese in an earthy form was also seen. This 
stratum, although thin, seems to be coextensive with the formation in which it was observed. 
The underlying shales and the overlying slaty grits frequently abound with vegetable impres¬ 
sions, the original vegetable matter of which is sometimes converted into anthracite, and 
sometimes replaced by blende, oxide of iron, black oxide of manganese, black sulphuret of 
copper, or by the blue or green carbonate of copper. Although these materials were observed 
in several places, as in Franklin, Delhi, Roxbury, Windham, Durham, Monticello, 6cc., yet 
no localities were seen where they existed in such apparent quantities as to be of any econo¬ 
mical importance. 
One of these localities on Gooseberry hill, three-quarters of a mile east of Delhi, in Dela¬ 
ware county, has been called the Coal mine. It is a seam of the grey slaty grit, about eight 
inches thick, containing many imperfect vegetable impressions. In some of these, the origi¬ 
nal plant is changed to anthracite ; in others, it is replaced by earthy black oxide of manga¬ 
nese, by crystalline sulphuret of zinc, by sulphuret of copper (black), or by the carbonate of 
copper. None of these minerals are in any valuable quantity, and it is difficult even to pro¬ 
cure a fair suite of specimens. The upper part of Gooseberry hill is said to be about four 
hundred and fifty feet above the Delaware, which flows at its base, and is composed of grey 
slaty grit, some of which splits out in plates one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch thick. 
Some of these plates have been used for covering the roof of a building, instead of shingles. 
They are not heavier than the large slates or the common tiles, are indestructible, and imper¬ 
meable to water. They may, perhaps, be used for roofing at some future time, if they can 
be got out of regular sizes and shapes, and pierced for nails without too much waste and 
expense. 
Another of these localities of copper ore was examined on the land of Judge Beach of 
Franklin, Delaware county. Here are the same beds of slaty grit and of shale filled with ve¬ 
getable impressions, as were observed on Gooseberry hill; also a similar bed of breccia or 
conglomerate, containing the carbonate of iron, and the blue and green carbonates of copper. 
* This stratum, when exposed to the weather, becomes more or less porous and cellular, from the solvent action of the water 
upon the calcareous ingredient. Considerable quantities of it are seen scattered over the fields, and it has .acquired the name of 
firestone in some of these counties, in consequence of its resisting the effects of common fires, not cracking to pieces. Almost 
all the common grits of the country, when heated, burst to pieces with loud explosions, or else exfoliate and crumble by heat. 
