64 
COKUNDUM IN THE UNITED STATES. 
[bui.i,. 180. 
At its lower end this cut encountered what is known as the Big 
vein of massive corundum, the cut having followed on a contact 
vein of crystal corundum. PI. XII is a photograph of this cut, which 
shows the gneiss very distinctly on the left and the peridotite on the 
right, with the shaft house in the foreground. 
The Big vein of massive corundum, for which this mine is noted, 
is at the foot of the south slope of the hill, and has been followed from 
the lower end of the cut (1, fig. 12) for a distance of over 300 feet, 
represented by the dotted lines, with the shaft house (4, fig. 12) near 
the western end. Although this vein is near the contact of the peri- 
PERIDOTITE 
PARTLY OUNITE 
Scale 
ZOO 400 600 FEET 
conrouf) /NTCFI\/AL 20 r£ET 
Fig. 12.— Map of the peridotite formation at Laurel Creek, Rabun County, G-a. 
dotite with the gneiss, it is separated from it by a band of peridotite 
and a small vein of sand corundum. There is some doubt whether 
the block of gneiss (2, fig. 12) is entirely surrounded by the perido- 
tite or whether it penetrates the peridotite from the main mass of 
gneiss. From what could be seen, and from information obtained 
from Mr. And} 7 Evans, foreman of the mine, it has very much the 
appearance of being entirely inclosed in the mass of peridotite. The 
Big vein, which has been worked by an inclined shaft 116 feet deep, 
with tunnels 300 feet in length running from this, has brought the work 
up to the block of gneiss just referred to, and, according to Mr. Evans, 
